Link/Linkless
Just a point to add to the interesting side trip this thread has taken.
(My brother-in-law married a Filipino girl who comes up from Charleston,
S.C. during the holidays and treats us to some FINE native quisine, and
she only cusses in Tagalog
)
Both designs have certain advantages and disadvantages. The linkless
design accomplishes the same function of a linked design without the
potential problems associated with a moving part.
The link allows the smith to fine-tune the timing of the unlocking and
barrel linkdown, and by playing with the front of the locking lug, allows
manipulation of the linkUP as well. Many people don't consider that,
during the initial feeding stroke, the round contacts the barrel throat
at some point as it starts to enter the chamber. When it does, it pushes
the barrel forward. When the barrel moves forward, it also moves upward,
which increases the angle of the round as it tries to break over to horizontal.
If the barrel is riding the link...which many of them do in production pistols,
the longer the link, the higher it rises in relation to the distance that it moves forward. Whenever we have a barrel that IS riding the link into
battery, it can usually stand to have a slightly shorter link in vertical lock
as well. Note that the radius in the link's hole should be dead flush with
the bottom of the lower lug when in full vertical lock...or slightly below
flush...but not ABOVE flush.
When this condition is present, I've also noticed that the linkdown timing
is usually a bit slow as well. A slightly shorter link...on the order of about
.003 shorter...Gets the barrel unlocked and out of the way of the slide
earlier without stress on the link (stretching) and allows a little smoother
feeding. Not always, but often enough. (Note that if the link is too short,
it can result in the link being stretched over the long haul, so caution is
advised when trying a shorter link.)
To demonstrate this, load a magazine and lock the slide. Push the barrel against the edge of a table to keep it from moving forward, and let a round
chamber by guiding the slide to battery with your hand. You'll feel a very
smooth feed because the round has a straighter shot at the chamber due
to the the barrel not moving upward until the slide hits the back of the hood.
This isn't to imply that you can just grab a short link and stick it in. There
are a few checks to make to determine if it will work out okay, but I've
solved a few stem-binding issues by replacing a .278 link with a .275 inch
center-to-center length.
Just another interesting facet to the design.
Cheers all!
Tuner
