Hi there SDMB Gunsmiths! (I know you’re out there)
I have mentioned before on gun threads that I own a Colt 1911a1.
I decided to buy a new barrel, so as to protect the historicity of the original one from any undue wear. (Yeah, maybe, maybe not, I know opinions differ, thing is I got the barrel already so let me get on with this.)
So, I get the barrel and other pieces in the mail.
I got: Barrel
Bushing
Itty bitty little pin.
Figure 8 link to connect the barrel to the slide catch pin.
(Yeah, not the right names, but if you can help me, you know what I am talking about.)
I am convinced that I need some special tools to connect the link to the barrel with the itty bitty little pin. I tried it. It certainly doesn’t go in easily. (But then, I don’t think it should, on account of needing to stay in there once it is in there.)
Does anyone have experience doing this, and do I need a vice, and some sort of special thingy to hold the pin. Can I just whack the thing on the end, once I get it lined up, or do I need a special pin whacking tool? How many hands does the average gunsmith have?
IANAGS, but a punch (brass) and hammer are usually needed. With one hand you hold the pin, the hammer with the other, and the pin with the thir… um, anyway, the pin should go in from one side (the left?) so maybe try it from the other side.
First of all, you have the terminology mostly right. The “itty bitty little pin” is the barrel link pin, and the “figure 8 link” is called the swinging link or barrel link, but other than that you sound like a pro.
Second, while it really helps to have a vice–one with wood inserts, or inserts sculpted to hold barrels and other irregularly shaped parts–the 1911 is designed to be field serviceable with minimal tools. In fact, if you believe this guy, you can pretty much disassemble the entire thing starting with nothing more than a .45 ACP cartridge and some kind of improvised hammer (say, the butt of a KaBar knife). Here’s another site that shows complete disassembly of the 1911. I find that using a could of rags and a few pieces of scrap wood can usually get you where you need to be; just be prepared to do a lot of cursing as well.
The link pin is usually either a close running fit or a peened free fit. It shouldn’t be so tight as to bind on either the barrel or the link lest it interfere with the recoil operation, but it shouldn’t be perceivably loose, either. I believe on the stock 1911 it is lightly peened on both sides and removable only with a punch; with aftermarket barrels it’s probably slightly dual crowned (kind of dumbell shaped) or undersized and intended to be peened. There’s really no reason to remove it once it is installed, as you can just remove the barrel from the frame by pulling out the extractor. Are there no instructions with the barrel? I’d contact the manufacturer (assuming it’s a “name” company) and ask them about their recommendation for installation.
Yet another reason while JMB’s last design–the venerable and widely imitated Browning Hi-Power–was his best. No swinging link, no barrel bushing, just a thick locking lug and a guide rod. The 1911 design has some nice features, but I’ll take a Sig, HK, or even an old FN Hi-Power any day.
I’m not a shootist, or a gambler or a banker. But I’d advise patience. Maybe the itty bitty little pin will fit in a while. Maybe it won’t. If you’ve got a couple of years before you really need to know - keep your eye on it, but give it a while. That it doesn’t fit now could be nothing. Could be satan.
Not that your gun questions aren’t welcome here (I’m a not-very-successful competitive handgun shooter myself), but I think you’ll have much better response over at www.thehighroad.org. There’s more information and more detailed forums there than you can imagine. The “Gunsmithing and Repairs” forum there has over 36,000 posts, and is only one of 18 different forums about all things that go bang.
