A Ruger 1911 at last....

[alfsauve]

M58 titanium is LIGHTER then steal.  The idea behind using it is the firing pin will move faster.

True it is lighter, but, As Ichiban said, the lighter firing pin will have less inertia.  So if dropped on the muzzle it is less likely to drive through to the primer and cause a discharge.   On the other hand, because of the less inertia a stronger main spring is needed to strike it with sufficient velocity to fire the cartridge when desired.  

My observation about this type of accident is a)  What are the odds of it landing squarely on the muzzle.  b)  Pretty much a concrete or steel surface is  required to induce sufficient inertia.  d)  even if all the planets align and it does happen, the muzzle is pointed in a safe direction.   Albeit a little shrapnel may be involved.

I prefer not to have the firing pin safety myself.    More stuff to go wrong.

[2Late45]

I say "at last" for a couple reasons.  Number 1, this has been an on-going rumor for 2 or 3 years now.  Number 2, the 1911 is my favorite semi-auto handgun of all time, and Ruger has been my favorite gun company.  So, to me at least, it is indeed "at last!"

That makes two of us anyway...

I'll admit to having been waiting for this release since I bought my P-85 in 1981.   Why they couldn't have done it 5-10 years ago with a price point in the 400>500 range I'll never understand.  Ruger certainly has the innovation and technology, but it wasn't to be.  I'm hung-up on Kimbers now, but you better believe I'll be looking one over at the first oppertunity.  Probably in Pittsburg during NRA 2011...

[PegLeg45]

M58 titanium is LIGHTER then steal.  The idea behind using it is the firing pin will move faster.  Its not needed.

Peg,  2 reasons why think its a bad idea.

1.  the bar stock is going to be harder then the slide.  bad bushing to slide fit= wear on the slide= you can't really fix it.

2.  Friction is always greatest between 2 simlar surfaces.  since both the barrel and the bushing will have the same crystalin structure. there will be more friction, then if they were 2 diffrent types of steal.

1. It doesn't matter if the bar stock is harder than the slide when related to the bushing. In a standard fit bushing, it doesn't move within the slide enough to matter, except when being taken down for cleaning, and that is of no consequence.

2. Friction is dependent on surface grade, finish, and hardness more than similarity in material. Like I said before, this is where heat treatment comes into play. As long as one component is heat treated to a harder Rockwell standard than the other, it will be OK for normal function. We are not talking about a high RPM racing engine crankshaft here.

**As a side note, the best case scenario for friction surfaces (using real-world materials that are readily available) is stainless steel on titanium....as in a stainless barrel with a titanium bushing.

[Michael Bane]

Slide wear on 1911s is pretty much inconsequential...you'll see wear on the slide/frame fit after many, many thousands of rounds, but it can always be adjusted. I've never seen an issue of wear between the bushing and the slide, even on some of the softer foreign guns years back.

Galling between similar metal surfaces hasn't been a particular issue for quite some time...I think back to the AMT Hardballer, I think the first all-stainless steel 1911, where galling was endemic with the gun...the problem(s) were that AMT was using the same alloy stainless for both the slide and frame, and both were treated (or not treated) to the same spec. That is no longer the case with any gun manufacturers I know of. They've now got a lot of experience with stainless, and they're good at it. A third problems was that when the Hardballer showed up in the mid-1970s we didn't have the high-zoot lubricants we now all take for granted. I briefly had a Hardballer, and it ran just fine as long as I kept the rails greased.

I think an additional problem had to do with final machining on the frame and slide...the smoother the finish, the less potential for galling. Modern CNC equipment is simply better for cutting metal than lathes and drill presses.

The titanium firing pin is as AlfS. lighter and has less inertia if the gun is dropped...I also agree with AlfS. that the likelihood of such a perfect drop causing a misfire is vanishingly small. I have heard, but cannot confirm, that the newer military 1911s going into service with the SOCOM guys are fitted with titanium firing pins as a rule.

Michael B

[2HOW]

I love all the ruger revolvers, but cant say a good thing about their auto loaders. I have a custom RIA and it didnt cost as much as this to build and will out shoot and out look most hi end guns. Just my .02

[Sponsor]

[tommy tornado]

I bought a Remington, and I will be buying a Ruger 1911 later this year.

[bafsu92]

A blued (not parkerized) model with nice wood or Ivory grips would be a nice model option.

But if they're only building stainless guns you can't blue or parkerize one. The only finish is a coating that goes over stainless like duracoat, cerakote or something like the finished used by Sig, Springfield and others over stainless.

[staudacher]

I like how it is claimed that the barrel and bushing are machined from the same piece of stock and stay together and therefore are a matched pair. Sorry BS. Just look at the video at about 8:23 it clearly shows that the barrels and bushing are simply piled in bins seperate.

[MikeBjerum]

I like how it is claimed that the barrel and bushing are machined from the same piece of stock and stay together and therefore are a matched pair. Sorry BS. Just look at the video at about 8:23 it clearly shows that the barrels and bushing are simply piled in bins seperate.

staudacher,

I have read and watched much on this gun, not all, but I don't read that it is the same piece of stock.  I read that it is the same stock.  I would imagine that they have a load of bar stock that is feeding two machines - one making barrels and one making bushings.  Same material, but not making barrel, bushing, barrel, bushing, barrel, ...

Regardless, even if they were machined one right after the other it would be of no advantage unless they were fit to each other.

[staudacher]

staudacher,

I have read and watched much on this gun, not all, but I don't read that it is the same piece of stock.  I read that it is the same stock.  I would imagine that they have a load of bar stock that is feeding two machines - one making barrels and one making bushings.  Same material, but not making barrel, bushing, barrel, bushing, barrel, ...

Regardless, even if they were machined one right after the other it would be of no advantage unless they were fit to each other.

The gunblast.com video stated that it was a matched bushing and barrel that stayed together during the whole process from beginning to end.