Testing the Kart EZ-Fit Barrel

The gunsmith examines a pistol in a different manner than does the average shooter. The shooter will go to the range and fire the gun, looking for accuracy and reliability. The gunsmith, on the other hand, looks for fit and finish of parts and he may shake the gun, especially if it’s a 1911, to listen for rattles. A gun that rattles is acceptable for general issue; such guns have certainly saved a lot of lives and will continue to do so.

As long as the locking lugs and barrel bushing are pretty good, the gun will probably be accurate enough for selfdefense. But we want a little more than "accurate enough," don’t we? What makes for accuracy is repeatability, with the gun returning to battery and locking up the same after each shot. I also believe that well-fitted guns are less prone to wear, as there is less slop in the action to produce eccentric wear. When we talk about fit and tightness, the slide group is where we begin.

We can fit the slide to the frame, but the barrel, locking lugs, and barrel bushing get the majority of our attention. The barrel should lockup well on the upper lugs, at the end of the barrel hood and at the bushing. There are excellent drop-in barrels that are fine replacements for original equipment, but for the best service, we need to go with a fitted barrel. I recently felt compelled to replace a handgun barrel for several reasons. The barrel was not particularly worn, but it was inaccurate.

As previously covered in these pages, early model Colt .38 Super barrels headspace on the case rim rather than the case mouth. This is a system that dates to the 1890s when John Moses Browning first began designing self-loading pistols and ammunition. He felt that a semi-rim was needed to allow repeatable headspacing. Considering the ammunition available at the time, and the mysteries of the then-new smokeless powder, he was charting new territory.

A full revolver-type rim was not acceptable, because it would butt against other rims in the magazine and present problems in barrel-toslide fit. So, a small semi-rim was designed into many of the early Automatic Colt Pistol (ACP) cartridges. When it came time to design the .45 ACP cartridge, the semi-rim was dropped. But the semi-rim of the .38 ACP could not be changed and still work in original .38 ACP pistols.

Both the .38 ACP and the .45 ACP have .900-inch long cartridge cases, which makes them easily adapted to similar 38 Super is not the most handsome of pistols, but it is a fine shooter after adding the Kart EZ-Fit barrel. pistols. When Colt introduced the .38 ACP Super in the late 1920s, this sharply invigorated .38 ACP cartridge retained the earlier semi-rim of the .38 ACP. This led to problems inaccuracy in .38 ACP pistols.

Some .38 Supers are accurate enough for self-defense as issued, but others are remarkably inaccurate. I have heard claims from reliable sources of 6- to 8-inch groups at 25 yards from commercial pistols. This gives the term "accurate enough for selfdefense" abroad meaning! Tightening the slide or frame doesn’t work well when the problem lies in the basic design. Browning’s main hurdle, designing a semi-auto that worked reliably, was accomplished with the

.38 ACP, but the semi-rim was a primitive development that dogged the .38 ACP for years. Recently, when I acquired an oldmodel .38 Super, I ran into accuracy problems that seemed similar to the problems that were once much more common with the .38 ACP. A generation ago, Colt production went to barrels that headspace on the case mouth, with much better accuracy. My new gun proved reliable with every type of .38 Super I had on hand, and pleasing to fire.

I fired a number of magazines of cast bullet loads at moderate range and put the gun away for another day, satisfied it functioned correctly. When I had a chance to properly benchrest the gun at 25 yards, I found that the pistol would group five rounds of Fiocchi 129-grain ball into groups averaging 5.6 inches. That was not very good, and my highly developed handloads did little better.

Speaking of ammunition, I keep Fiocchi-brand 9mm, .38 Super, and .45 ACP ball on hand to test guns, because it’s affordable and, while it may not be matchgrade accurate in every gun, it gives excellent results and is always a good test of a handgun. I have test fired another original Colt that broke about 3.6 inches with the same load and, of course, my Kimber Target Model does much better. I had a number of loads on hand from a handloading program to test in the pistol. None showed near their proven potential.

Moreover, factory loads from Zero, Winchester, and Remington didn’t do well either. The verdict? This was one of those original barrels that gave poor results. The rest of the gun was fine, and I was pleased that the pistol exhibited a clean 4pound trigger compression.

This was too good a gun to let it remain "handicapped." After some thought, I decided to try a Kart barrel ion Barrels, Inc. hallotte, I have heard good t the Kart from many Left top and bottom: The uprisings, pressure points, or "humps" on the Kart EZ-Fit barrel allow much easier fitting compared to some matchgrade barrels. The Kart barrel has been awarded a patent and is becoming quite popular. sources, but the fact that Wayne Novak’s website mentioned the Kart barrel was good enough for me.

Kart is a well-respected name in the custompistol field, and they have done their best to make barrel installation as easy as possible. As you undoubtedly know, the most common method of barrel fitting is "cut and try," carefully filing to an exact fit. And there’s nothing wrong with that. When fitting a barrel, I look for what is often called a "triangle fit," with the barrel hood, bushing, and link or slide-stop pin properly fitted.

I take care to be certain the barrel allows the gun to move out of battery and cycles freely. The EZ-Fit barrel produces a good fit with minimal effort compared to fitting a standard match-grade barrel. The Kart barrel locks up by two protrusions on the locking lug, often termed "humps." Fitting is not a job for the ham-handed or a person with no patience, but a good fit can be accomplished much more quickly with the EZ-Fit than other matchgrade barrels that are oversize in all dimensions and require more fitting.

To begin, you simply place the barrel in the slide and begin to gauge how much work needs to be done. (I didn’t use the supplied bushing at Figure 1.

Accuracy Results w/ Colt Pistol (five-shot groups at 25 yards) Original Barrel Magnus 122-grain Bullet/Unique 6.0 inches Fiocchi 129-grain FMJ 5.6 inches Kart EZ-Fit Barrel Magnus 122-grain Bullet/Unique 2.5 inches Fiocchi 129-grain FMJ 2.8 inches Winchester 125-grain Silvertip3.5 inches XTP 90-grain/HP 38 3.0 inches XTP 115-grain/Titegroup 1.9 inches XTP 115-grain/HS 6 3.0 inches

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If, when we make our list available, you do not want to receive those offers and/or information, please let ng us at American Gunsmith Opt-Out Program, Greenwich, CT 06830. Please be sure to include y abel. this time; usually the barrel bushing that is fitted with the original barrel is loose enough to accept the new barrel and fit in the slide.) You have to have a good idea of where the humps are supposed to fit and how much must be taken off.

Using lamp soot or a marker on the humps is a great help in showing where the barrel is meeting the slide. Then, you begin to carefully stroke with the file. Don’t get impatient and simply wipe the humps away or you will have a well-made barrel but not a precisely fitted one. The initial fitting can begin with three or four strokes, then carefully follow with single strokes until the barrel is properly fitted.

I achieved the fit in a couple of sessions, as I like to take a break in a job requiring intense concentration. The next day I refreshed my memory, Below top: The Kart barrel was fitted to an old and worn .38 Super with excellent results. Note the filed and polished surfaces where the "humps" once were. Below bottom: The Kart snugged up the Colt slide very well.

After over 1,000 rounds, this pistol has proven to be accurate and reliable. reblacked the slide and barrel, and considered the situation again before beginning anew. Soon, I had a good snug lockup and perfect cycling. The barrel bushing supplied with the Kart barrel was tight, and required some fitting and polishing to fit snugly in the slide. This is not an "EZ-fit" chore, but went as smoothly as this goes with any other 1911.

I like to have a good tight fit in service guns, but not necessarily one that requires a barrel bushing bench. I finished this one with a fit that does not require a barrel bushing. I could have "gone for the gold," but this is a service gun that I carry for personal defense and shootin IDPA. It is also plenty accurate enough for small game. (Regular readers may have picked up on the fact that I really like the .38 Super.

It’s a fine cartridge, available in the best handguns, and offers real comfort in shooting with a degree of power not available in the 9mm Luger.) Conclusions My best advice on fitting the Kart barrel is to go slow and develop a feel for the job. The time spent will be rewarding, and you may well decide to include the Kart barrel in all such custom jobs. Remember, however, that once the humps are removed, you cannot add to them!

As for my results, frankly, I think I could have gone a little tighter and enjoyed perfect function and better accuracy, but not many old .38 Supers are nearly as accurate as this one (see Figure 1). I’ve enjoyed many sessions firing lead-bullet handloads (unlike some of the modern combat Tupperware, this gun is lead-bullet friendly) and enjoyed carrying the handgun in complete confidence. And that’s something to write home about! I