1911 long barrel link, now what?

[ktd]

Tried to search, but did not come up with this specific request.

Recently bought a 1911, and the prev owner said it had a long link installed by a gunsmith. I have never been too fond of this method to increase accuracy, and have never done this to any of my 1911s.

The pistol seems to work okay, and the only manifiestation of a long link is that I can slowly ease the slide forward, and it will catch slightly out of battery, the link is pushing up on the barrel some as the lugs start to engage. Pressing down on the barrel hood gently will allow the slide to snap forward into battery. Stuff inside is still pretty sharp and clean.

I was gonna buy a standard link, but looking at the barrel feet, the edge of the hole on the barrel link is already right at the edge of the feet It does not look like the link could really go much shorter without mod to the feet. Also the guy really got that pin in there, either locked or the frozen pin trick.

I know some tightly fitted 1911s like LB's tend to lock up tight and may need some pressing on the hood to get it go into batterty at first, but I am wondering if this is okay on a fairly standard 1911. The feet show a little burnishing along the radius, I would assume from the original link. Is this a case of a long link being okay, or should the feet be fit to take a standard length link?

 

[HSMITH]

If the timing is OK I would shoot it for a while and see if it loosens up a tad. The link LOOKS like it is the right length, but the barrel fit quality is something pictures just won't help with. Do the timing test on the Schuemann barrrel website, if it checks out shoot it.

 

[1911Tuner]

Link

As near as I can figure, the link looks like a good fit. Swing it a little further back so that the radius in the hole lines with the rear radius of the lug feet. If nothing of the link is visible above the hole...it's a good fit to the lower lug.

Whether the lower lug and the link are matched to the rest of the gun's specs is another matter. The delay going to battery sounds like it could be that the lug to slidestop pin fit is a little too tight.

 

[ktd]

The former owner implied that the long link was to fix an issue rather than an attempt to accurize it.

Swinging the link back a little bit, the hole looks proper. Will try the Schueman timing test when I get home.

Assuming the link is matched to the feet (I think it is), and assuming that the prob is either the feet riding over the slidestop pin a bit tight, or the link being too long for the barrel to slide fit (I think one or maybe a combo is the reason), is it a potentially damaging prob? I think the gun has had approx 1k rounds, and the hood and locking lugs look good.

k

 

[Jim K]

With the barrel out of the gun, insert the slide stop pin and see how much, if any, slop there is. If the barrel feet come up right on the pin with the link still loose, things should be OK and I would just shoot the gun and see what happens.

Remember, the link only unlocks the barrel; lockup is not dependent on the link.

Jim