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Updated 2/13/2012 I will never buy another Springfield product. Details of events are on page 3.

Springfield Champion catastrophic failure
Today I loaded a mag with factory .45 ammo. Round 1=Bang, 2=Bang, 3=Bang then round 4 came....
Fired round four and had a catastrophic failure. The barrel bushing broke, sent all the pieces under the barrel 'shooting' out several yards (spring,plug, guide rod etc).
lost the plug and prongs from the barrel bushing (not needed anymore I guess)

Doc's in Carrollton is very good. He is off Keller Spring just east of 35.

SPS in Carrollton off of Beltline a block east of Josey Lane is also good.

http://www.advancedgunworks.com/" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

600 Henrietta Creek Road, Suite 100
Roanoke, Texas 76262

Updated from today's frustrating shoot.

Wow, your bushing went kaplow. Best of luck getting her up and running. Don't be to frustrated, there's a reason they have been around for 100 years. Give the gunsmith a look see and get the 411 on a fix.

stroguy wrote:Wow, your bushing went kaplow. Best of luck getting her up and running. Don't be to frustrated, there's a reason they have been around for 100 years. Give the gunsmith a look see and get the 411 on a fix.

Thanks! I will try to get quality work done on this gun and get her working well. I am half tempted to just call Springfield and have them fix it.
Also, just took the guide rod off of the spring and noticed the spring is now bent

If you have a barrel bushing, you do not have a bull barrel.

Actually.....the part that broke isn't under THAT much stress normally, even when firing. I'd be looking for possible fitment issues - either something was stuck under that guide rod, making it "long", etc. I mean, yeah - it's POSSIBLE that the metal was flawed, but it's odd. Hard to tell from the pic, but is there signs of stress at the break, or metal crystallization?

you do NOT have a bull barrel, bull barrel 1911's have no barrel bushing. like was said earlier, that is an odd part to fail, the is obviously a fitment issue going on. can't help on a local gunsmith for you, but do find a reputable one to go over the pistol to make sure it is in proper working order.

RSJ wrote:

stroguy wrote:Wow, your bushing went kaplow. Best of luck getting her up and running. Don't be to frustrated, there's a reason they have been around for 100 years. Give the gunsmith a look see and get the 411 on a fix.

Thanks! I will try to get quality work done on this gun and get her working well. I am half tempted to just call Springfield and have them fix it.
Also, just took the guide rod off of the spring and noticed the spring is now bent

I would send it to Springfield. As long as all parts are original, then they will take care of it. Their customer service is top notch!

ditto what others said about bull barrels. In a bull-barreled 1911, the outside diameter of the muzzle end of the barrel actually serves as the bushing.

I've actually never seen pictures of a 1911 kaboom or heard of one before involving the type of failure you experienced. The .45 ACP cartridge is a relatively low-pressure design compared to other semi-auto cartridges, so I think that as a rule 1911 pistols are not nearly as stressed as say 9mm or .40 cal pistols. Also, if I'm not mistaken, the 1911 part that is most subject to failure is the barrel link.....although my son's Taurus PT1911's slide stop lever pin broke in half once right were it passes through the barrel link. 1911 barrels leave the case head unsupported on the underside, so if the cartridge is loaded too hot or if the brass of the case is weakened in that spot, there is some risk of a kaboom due to case failure. But this is the first time I've seen a kaboom like yours where a gun blew itself apart like that.

I think the barrel bushing broke.I believe this is pretty common on Colt Officer Models.
Was shooting an indoor match and a 5in Colt broke the bushing without any further damage to the gun.

J Wilson wrote:I think the barrel bushing broke.I believe this is pretty common on Colt Officer Models.
Was shooting an indoor match and a 5in Colt broke the bushing without any further damage to the gun.

Interesting..
http://www.google.com/#sclient=psy-ab&h ... afe=active" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Link no workie....

Get with Springfield. They are known for excellent customer service.