11° Barrel Crown for Pistols?

[Alllen Bundy]

I've noted that some gunsmiths will offer to recrown pistol barrels at 11° and some aftermarket pistol barrels come with an 11° crown angle. But how much performance difference does this really provide for a typical EDC pistol?

Looking at the barrels in my Sig P365 and P365XL it would appear that there is about a 45° chamfer in the bores.

Besides the additional cost, are there any disadvantages to crowning at 11°?

 

[Rock185]

I have the tools and have occasionally crowned pistol barrels at 11°. Not because I've found any advantage in that particular angle, but just to true up a crown that wasn't quite concentric. I've not encountered any disadvantage in an 11° crown..

 

[Whiskeyhotel2020]

It looks sharp on some firearms. Possibly a cosmetic thing.

 

[JDGray]

Put one on my CZ97, accurate enough!

 

[sevt_chevelle]

^^^^
Got one too. Crazy how much more accurate that pistol became.

 

[Gordon]

View attachment 1152839
Put one on my CZ97, accurate enough!

How did you do that ?

 

[Alllen Bundy]

Got one too. Crazy how much more accurate that pistol became.

That raises the questions:

"Did the 11° cut really improve the accuracy, and/or was the barrel end simply machined more accurately than a stock barrel, and/or is it just the placebo effect that is making you shoot more accurately?"

 

[JDGray]

How did you do that ?

CGW offers it with the bushing upgrade.
https://cajungunworks.com/milling-optics/

 

[JDGray]

^^^^
Got one too. Crazy how much more accurate that pistol became.

Was your bushing super loose like mine?

 

[JDGray]

That raises the questions:

"Did the 11° cut really improve the accuracy, and/or was the barrel end simply machined more accurately than a stock barrel, and/or is it just the placebo effect that is making you shoot more accurately?"

Probably more due to the factory bushing being so loose, than the crown. The slight recess in to the bushing also better protects the crown. If I had to guess, the factory bushing had .015" or more play in it. And where can I get some of that shooting placebo?

 

[Gordon]

CGW offers it with the bushing upgrade.
https://cajungunworks.com/milling-optics/

Gonna send in my slide to Cajun after appointment for bushing, crown and RMR cut , It all ready has the full pro package.they don't need the frame, I hope ? Cajun says the factory bushing tends to turn in firing which ties up gun ! No thanks, this is my Baba Yaha Blaster!

 

[JDGray]

Gonna send in my slide to Cajun after appointment for bushing, crown and RMR cut , It all ready has the full pro package.they don't need the frame, I hope ? Cajun says the factory bushing tends to turn in firing which ties up gun ! No thanks, this is my Baba Yaha Blaster!

Frame not needed. Funny thing is the factory bushing still screws in, and feels about the same as it did

 

[rperyam]

I have this on a number of guns. It is more pronounced on my 9MM 1911. Don’t know if it helps with accuracy, but I know I like the looks. Cheap mod.

 

[sevt_chevelle]

That raises the questions:

"Did the 11° cut really improve the accuracy, and/or was the barrel end simply machined more accurately than a stock barrel, and/or is it just the placebo effect that is making you shoot more accurately?"

It's a fitted 1911 bushing they install, so the barrel is now fitted more tightly with the slide and the bushing is fitted to the slide as well.

If you wanna call producing tighter groups off a rest, better groups than my other 97 without the bushing and outshooting 1911s that cost more than double the placebo effort....

I do have a few surplus compact CZ pistols that had barrels extend past the slide about 3/16 of an inch. Don't like that look, had them flush cut and crowned, both have more constant groupings.

 

[JDGray]

It's a fitted 1911 bushing they install, so the barrel is now fitted more tightly with the slide and the bushing is fitted to the slide as well.

If you wanna call producing tighter groups off a rest, better groups than my other 97 without the bushing and outshooting 1911s that cost more than double the placebo effort....

I do have a few surplus compact CZ pistols that had barrels extend past the slide about 3/16 of an inch. Don't like that look, had them flush cut and crowned, both have more constant groupings.

I installed a CGW bushing in my 75B-SA, and it shoots better too! The barrel is hard to remove now, but it comes out with some wiggling.

 

[Alllen Bundy]

My P365 and P365XL are basically the VW Beetles of the gun world. A lot of bang for the buck, but they obviously do not have the refinement of a Porsche.

The slides do not have this bushing. Is this lack of a bushing a cost cutting measure, or is there some special reason that the 1911 design needs this bushing?

 

[Bo]

I kind of like the 45 degree crown myself. Doesn't improve the accuracy of the gun, I just like the looks.

 

[Alllen Bundy]

I kind of like the 45 degree crown myself. Doesn't improve the accuracy of the gun, I just like the looks.

But it does significantly protect the crown from external damage. I would choose reliability over looks, but if you can have both it's a win.

 

[JDGray]

My P365 and P365XL are basically the VW Beetles of the gun world. A lot of bang for the buck, but they obviously do not have the refinement of a Porsche.

The slides do not have this bushing. Is this lack of a bushing a cost cutting measure, or is there some special reason that the 1911 design needs this bushing?

It’s just how the different guns were designed. Bushings can add or decrease accuracy depending on how it fits. My Sigs, Glocks, are plenty accurate without a bushing.

 

[9mmepiphany]

is there some special reason that the 1911 design needs this bushing?

When the slide is parallel with the ground the slide of a 1911 points at a downward angle as the rear of the barrel locks into the slide. The bushing is fitted to the barrel to support it at the front of the slide

The enlarged chamber area of the SIG locks into into the ejection port. The hole at the front of the slide is drilled into it at an angle to lock up the front of the barrel.

The 19111 was the result of the age of it's design and the lessor capability/ higher cost of of machining available at that time

 

[actionexpress]

But it does significantly protect the crown from external damage. I would choose reliability over looks, but if you can have both it's a win.

Yes, it does. If the crown of the muzzle gets gouged/dinged enough where the perfect cylinder is no longer a cylinder for a projectile to pass through...it's not gonna be good.

 

[Jim Watson]

The original justification for the 11 deg crown was the theory that powder gas expansion behind the exiting bullet is at that angle and it gives a smoother shot exit... on target rifles. I think it is just a styling element on a pistol.

 

[actionexpress]

My P365 and P365XL are basically the VW Beetles of the gun world. A lot of bang for the buck, but they obviously do not have the refinement of a Porsche.

The slides do not have this bushing. Is this lack of a bushing a cost cutting measure, or is there some special reason that the 1911 design needs this bushing?

Well, the barrel bushing of a 1911 essentially holds the recoil assembly in place, as it holds the recoil spring plug and also acts to keep the barrel aligned. 1911s that don't have a bushing usually use a fatter (bull barrel) that fits flush with the slide and a reverse plug to house the recoil springs.

Glocks/365s, pretty much most other autos utilize their slide assembly to hold the recoil assembly, so no need for a bushing.

 

[Slamfire]

Eleven degree crown sounds like magic beans, or lucky rabbit foot devices that are guaranteed to put them all in one hole.

Anyone here a good enough shot to actually tell the difference in group size, with a pistol. Is there anyone here who regularly keeps them all within two inches at 50 yards?

Bears are hairy, so it just stands to reason that rubbing bear grease on your bald head will make the hair grow.

Satisfaction guaranteed

 

[Riomouse911]

I only have two guns with an 11 degree crown.

One is a Glock 19 build I did with a TiN coated barrel that came with the 11 degree crown. The gun shoots just fine, but I can’t tell if the crown helps or not.



The second gun was originally an 8 3/8” S&W Model 14-4 that the previous owner stuck a bullet in and bulged the end of the barrel. I had it cut to 5” and reblued, the removable front sight and 11 degree crown were part of the deal.



This gun does shoot exceptionally well, and this is a great improvement over how it shot with the bulged barrel.

Stay safe.