Why not just use a bull barrel? :p

I hear the outer barrels are TM compatible.

Actually, when I got the gun it had a broken bushing. After I replaced the bushing then the slide broke. I'm still willing to give it another shot, it's only messed up once on me. I'll find my camera and put up a pic of what broke, but its basically the barrel bushing broke through the front, ripping out the part of the slide that the bushing rotates into. It pretty much just stops the bushing from staying in place.

I'm pretty sure that the only slide that will fit on that gun is a WE slide. As reluctant as you are to try that, it's probably your only bet to get this gun running again. I would also suggest if you can to get the proper bushing from WE as well.

I had considered the WE 1911 at one point, but it's lack of compatibility and overall bad reviews made me think otherwise.

I was thinking about this last night after our convo and there are actually Springfield Armoury 1911A1 slides available that fit the Marui Hi-Capa. I believe I even have one on the way, but it's stuck in customs right now so I can't confirm this info until it's released and safely in my hands.

Thats what I thought, eliminate the bushing=no more broken front end on the slide...though I am not sure how the original one is broken, as to my knowledge the force of the cycling slide on a TM based 1911/2011 system is taken by the recoil bushing?

As far as I can tell, the force from the recoil goes to the spring cap which pushes against the barrel bushing which in turn pushes against the inside of the front slide. Since the old bushing was the weakest part, I'm guessing, that's why it broke, but now that it's stronger than the slide the force broke the slide, again thats just my theory. I am somewhat confused as how you can eliminate the front bushing from the gun, can anyone elaborate?

The force would go to the barrel bushing if it is indeed like the real-steel, where the recoil spring bushing is held on by the barrel bushing, but in the case of the Hi-Capa or Marui 1911, there is a lip around the back of the recoil spring bushing which braces agains the slide itself....which also hits the base of the guide?

Anywho, if you run the Bull-barrel, as per Kos's suggestion, you are basically running the same barrel configuration as Hi-Capa(which have no barrel bushing), the slop in the barrel/slide fitment is taken by the barrel itself, which is tapered along the length of it(wider at the tip, narrower toward the chamber).

Oh, well, in that case, you can just get a full length guide rod.

Shit, why didn't I think of that earlier. That'd totally work.