[schmeky]

I was cleaning my Norinco 1911 and after final assembly, I noticed when I depressed the barrel hood, the barrel would move downward about .010".

I tried the same thing on my Kimber Custom Classic and could detect no movement. Then I tried my Colt XSE Commander, and again noticed no movement.

Does this matter? Is this attributable to the barrel link?

[1911Tuner]

It's related to the way the lower lug sits on the slidestop crosspin.

The way the rear curve in the lug causes the barrel to move upward gets the lugs engaged deeper...sorta like riding up on a small hill after topping the big hill...but isn't conducive to top accuracy because it can never be as consistent as being solidly pressed upward into the slide...but as long as the lugs are engaged vertically to at least 90% of their full depth, it should be okay.

Of course, that depends on the slide's lugs as well. If they're not to spec, and only bear on half the barrel lug face...you could have some lug deformation even though the barrel lug is bearing against the top of the slot in the slide.

Ideally...for maximum strength...you want the top of the barrel lug touching the top of the slot in the slide...and the bottom of the mating slide lug to touch the top of the barrel slot so that the horizontal recoil forces are borne as close to the junction of lug and barrel and lug and slide as possible. Ideals are sometimes hard to get, though...and the next best vertical engagement situation is with the bottom of the slide's lug touching the top of the barrel slot so that the force is bearing low on the barrel lug...in the corner.

With the Norincos, the majority of them have decent to good vertical lug engagement...with none that I've seen being ideal. Adequate, but not ideal.
About 1 in 5 has insufficient vertical lug engagement, bearing on about half the lug...or less...and the result is serious barrel lug deformation and setback
within a short time. I've seen a couple beat the lugs back as much as .025 inch within 500 rounds starting from unfired/NIB condition...and when those lugs set back that far...headspace increases by a like amount, and the increase is in the kaboom direction.

So, keep an eye on the barrel lugs. Looking straight down onto the tops...if they take on a stair-stepped shape...you've got a problem. If you don't see that damage...shoot it.

Hope this helps.