1911 barrel link

[insulinboy]

How hard are they to replace? I know in theory its a simple job, knock the barrel pin out, slide new link in, replace pin.

But how stubborn are they to knock out?

Any advice? Ive already measured it with a micrometer so i know what i need to order. Old one broke at the range yesterday, that a common failure or was it likely just a fluke? Just wondering if i should order an extra or two to have on hand as long as im needing to make the order

 

[RKC00]

Very Easy with a good set of punches and a wood block with a hole drilled in the right place. look close. sometimes one side is "staked". If so, punch out from the opposite side of the stake.

 

[jglenn]

just curious what pistol has this failure...very unusual to see a link fail.. Suggest you get a Wilson standard link(.278) to replace it..

did the link break? if so where

 

[insulinboy]

Yes the link broke. Right in half of the hole where it holds the slide release lever. Its on a RIA so I assume just inferior metal. Not much of the gun besides frame and barrel are RIA anymore though. Cheap starter pistol that I could shoot while building up

 

[geezer]

I would suggest staking both sides of the pin after install...

 

[1006]

It could have been inferior metal, but I think it is more likely that the link was too short and the barrel is not fit properly.

Normally, the link or barrel lugs fail when they are doing more work than they should. The link is not supposed to be under much stress at all. It just guides the barrel to the correct position. It should not be pushing or pulling the barrel with any stress.

The same size link with a over sized hole at the the slidestop end might do the trick. I would do some reading or have a pro fix it.

 

[jglenn]

if the link was too short then it may well have kept the barrel lugs from hitting the VIS( Vertical impact surface). this is the area of the frame that the back of the barrel lugs hit to stop the rearward movement of the barrel when it links down( pulled down by the link to allow the slide rearward.. if the link was too short to allow the barrel to hit the VIS or if the VIS was cut to far to the rear then the link is the only thing that stops the barrel and in that condition it will fail eventually.

when you get your new link , install it and do these tests..

after installing the new link be sure if you insert your slide stop pin in the link that it will move freely up and down the face of the barrel lugs and the lockup surface of the lugs. it should be close to the lugs but not bind against them. Next..

assemble the slide and barrel onto the frame( no recoil spring) and install the slide stop pin but leave the lever down toward the trigger so you can turn it.. . now push the barrel back by pushing it against a solid surface...See if you can turn the slide stop lever easily. If it is easy to turn then the barrel is resting on the VIS as it should and the link should be fine. if it's tight to turn then...there is your problem... short link or the VIS area was improperly cut at the factory.. you can also look at the back of the barrel lugs and the VIS area... they should show some impact marks if it has been stopping on the VIS

if the link is binding then you can slightly open the link pin hole on the bottom side(away from the lugs) a bit to see if that cures the issue and allows the barrel to hit the VIS.. don't get too crazy opening the hole as this will affect the timing of the barrel link down..


Enjoy

 

[insulinboy]

if the link was too short then it may well have kept the barrel lugs from hitting the VIS( Vertical impact surface). this is the area of the frame that the back of the barrel lugs hit to stop the rearward movement of the barrel when it links down( pulled down by the link to allow the slide rearward.. if the link was too short to allow the barrel to hit the VIS or if the VIS was cut to far to the rear then the link is the only thing that stops the barrel and in that condition it will fail eventually.

when you get your new link , install it and do these tests..

after installing the new link be sure if you insert your slide stop pin in the link that it will move freely up and down the face of the barrel lugs and the lockup surface of the lugs. it should be close to the lugs but not bind against them. Next..

assemble the slide and barrel onto the frame( no recoil spring) and install the slide stop pin but leave the lever down toward the trigger so you can turn it.. . now push the barrel back by pushing it against a solid surface...See if you can turn the slide stop lever easily. If it is easy to turn then the barrel is resting on the VIS as it should and the link should be fine. if it's tight to turn then...there is your problem... short link or the VIS area was improperly cut at the factory.. you can also look at the back of the barrel lugs and the VIS area... they should show some impact marks if it has been stopping on the VIS

if the link is binding then you can slightly open the link pin hole on the bottom side(away from the lugs) a bit to see if that cures the issue and allows the barrel to hit the VIS.. don't get too crazy opening the hole as this will affect the timing of the barrel link down..


Enjoy

Thank you for this. I've got the new barrel link installed already (as I got one of the RIA 9mm/22tcm combos and decided I wasn't going to use the .22 barrel anyway I stole the link so I could put the weapon back together) I will do this test to make sure its right