Has anybody tried swapping the NP-29 9mm barrel with another make?

--Terry--

--Terry--

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Hi,

My Norc NP-29 1911 9mm pistol has been doing a great job for me for almost 2 years. However it has a relatively loose barrel-bushing fit and accuracy has not been as great as the name brand 1911s with a tighter fit).

I am thinking about ordering a thicker 9mm barrel but I don't know whether the NP-29 9mm barrel, especially the positions of its barrel lugs, are of a "standard" set-up, or are they just very different from the others.

Has anybody tried to change the barrel of his NP-29? What make of barrel did you use? Is it a drop-in fit or does it require gunsmith barrel fitting?

Whoever has tried doing this, please provide some tips or help. Thanks.
 
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I have bought a over-sized match barrel bushing and have had fitted in by a gun smith. It is very, very accurate now.
 
I've been using a Colt 38super barrel for quite a while now, same diameter as the .45's. I also had a proper bushing fit to the 9mm barrel and it's very accurate now. The chromed nork barrels are very good, I wouldn't replace it unless these was something wrong with it.
P1020517.jpg
 
The answer to your question is "yes". You can pick any 9mm barrel you want and it should fit but fitting may be required. I replaced one in a NP-29 with a Clark match(bull dia.). It had to be fitted at the hood, lugs, link and barrel bushing. I later put a cone on it with a long guide rod and a reverse plug. It shot good before I started but real good when I was finished.
 
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Yes

I have also have a Colt .38 Super barrel for my NP-29 and a Springfield Armoury 9mm barrel for it, too as a "spare". Both barrels drop right in. Of course I use different bushings with each of them.
 
Hitzy said:
I've been using a Colt 38super barrel for quite a while now, same diameter as the .45's. I also had a proper bushing fit to the 9mm barrel and it's very accurate now. The chromed nork barrels are very good, I wouldn't replace it unless these was something wrong with it.
P1020517.jpg
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So is having a proper bushing fit to the NP-29 the easiest way to improve it's accuracy? If yes, what is a good brand of bushing? How difficult is it to fit the new bushing to the barrel?
 
geologist said:
So is having a proper bushing fit to the NP-29 the easiest way to improve it's accuracy? If yes, what is a good brand of bushing? How difficult is it to fit the new bushing to the barrel?
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The change in my gun was drastic from the sloppy Nork bushing to the fitted bushing. It would shoot all over the place with the Nork, with the fit bushing it shoots as wel as my SIG.......:cool: The other mod that can help is a slightly longer link. This will give better lockup and also help with shot to shot accuracy.
Kings is the only one I know that makes the smaller diameter match bushing for the Nork barrels. They can be found at Brownells. Fitting is best left to a gunsmith, the bushing has to be fit to the slide and to the barrel. I have mine fit so it is wrench tight.....you couldn't install/remove with just your fingers.
 
Hitzy said:
The change in my gun was drastic from the sloppy Nork bushing to the fitted bushing. It would shoot all over the place with the Nork, with the fit bushing it shoots as wel as my SIG.......:cool: The other mod that can help is a slightly longer link. This will give better lockup and also help with shot to shot accuracy.
Kings is the only one I know that makes the smaller diameter match bushing for the Nork barrels. They can be found at Brownells. Fitting is best left to a gunsmith, the bushing has to be fit to the slide and to the barrel. I have mine fit so it is wrench tight.....you couldn't install/remove with just your fingers.
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So off a rest, two handed slow fire at 25 yards, what size group will your bushing modified NP-29 shoot? My stoc Norc bushing comes off very easily ie. does not require a bushing wrench. I can shoot a 4" 5 shot group at 25 yards off a rest with it. I'd like to do better with it.
 
I try not to fit a barrel bushing into the slide so tight that a wrench is needed to remove it. What you want to try for is a fit that is not loose on the barrel or in the slide. I try to set them up so it is snug but will turn, by hand, with a little effort. It would be tight enough that it takes a few little taps using the barrel to get it out. I found that it did not matter if you used a "match" grade bushing. As long as you starting the fitting with a bushing that was too large for the slide and too small for the barrel. When properly fitted an increase in accuracy could be found.
 
Hitzy said:
I've been using a Colt 38super barrel for quite a while now, same diameter as the .45's. I also had a proper bushing fit to the 9mm barrel and it's very accurate now. The chromed nork barrels are very good, I wouldn't replace it unless these was something wrong with it.
P1020517.jpg
Click to expand...

Hitzy - BTW, I never get tired of see that pic.... love that NP-29.... :)
 
Thank you guys for the tips.

I will need to find either a drop-in barrel with bushing fit to it, or a gunsmith who could do this for me.

I know that having a bushing that is tighter will probably do it for me, but I don't like the pencil barrel on the NP-29 and am hoping to replace it with a thicker barrel, maybe the same diameter as the .45 barrels. It will look and feel and maybe shoot much better.....
 
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