sort of finnished 1911

zot · May 16, 2000, 11:16 PM

got the barrel fitted and staked tubes and
sights and polished disconect which some trouble with half cock drop when pulling
trigger, one problem is thumb safety isn't
extended and it takes to thumbs to take safety off, test fired with mil-spec ball,
1 rd then 2 then full mag,also george do you
have to remove metal off of barrel hood alot?
and the metal removed on the barrel legs to bring chamber mouth to feed ramp was alot,
tried 3 barrel links before lockup was tight,
I hope this gun lasts for awhile

George Stringer · May 17, 2000, 07:53 AM

Zot, the dropping to half cock is more than likely the sear spring. The center leg needs to be bent to apply more tension. Normally with a "gunsmith fit" barrel you will have to fit the hood but not with a drop in. There are two schools of thought on this. One is that the hood should touch all the way around when the pistol is in battery and the other is that it should not touch at all. I tend to agree with the second but I let the pistol determine which method it prefers. Also, the safety is not quite fitted right yet. It should move fairly easily but be secure when engaged. If you remove not more the .003" (two or three strokes with a file) at a time from the lug you'll get it to work much better. File a little and try it, file a little and try it, etc. George

Mikey · May 17, 2000, 08:38 AM

One thing Goerge didn't touch on that would cause me some concern is the fact that you had to change links to get a good lock-up. If I understand correctly, the link should only serve to bring the chamber down to the ramp with the slide back. At lock-up, there should be little or no pressure on the link. The barrel legs (slide stop lugs) properly fitted to the slide stop pin should provide lock-up. I actually fit the lugs to the pin so that, with the gun assembled and no link installed, I get a proper lock-up and then select the link that allows proper barrel movement around the pin without binding.

George,

Am I correct on this or have I been doing it wrong? Wouldn't using the link to achieve tight lock-up put undue pressure on the link and shorten the life of the pistol (or at least shorten the life of the link)?

Also, is it common practice to remove material from the back of the barrel feet to achieve proper feed ramp geometry? I would have re-cut the ramp (although I have never had to). What say ye?

Mikey

James K · May 17, 2000, 03:29 PM

Hi, Mikey,

The problem in using the link for lockup is not strain on the link, it is that there is not a very solid or consistent lockup. The barrel is supported by a link that is loose on the slide stop, and has play at the top as well. Locking up the way you have been doing it is, IMHO, the right way. (Yes, the link can be fitted carefully, but there should be no need.)

Jim

zot · May 17, 2000, 05:21 PM

the barrel is a colt,matte black, in Ballisters their a drop in, but in the
Essex it was allmost 1/4 from feed ramp,its
the same as my AMT won't accept the Colt barrel, comes up short,also with the Colt
link the barrel wouldn't slide under the
the slide,it was too high,so after removing metal from legs and getting close enough to
feed from ramp, I also had to shorten the hood,and with a Marvel .275 link the barrel
rubbed against slide,so I filed a couple .001
off hood and very little off barrel lugs,
also the finnish on the lugs in the slide
I took down to bare metal, still after all
I test fired and slide got stuck back,put a
.272 link in and it fired with no stops,I can
see a good lockup,and I thought it would be a
drop in whole affair, I bought the cheapest
thumb safety, and its got some harsh corner
that the safety detent gets stuck under when I put it on safe, I may buy a extended Wilson
but the one I have now has hardly any metal
sticking out to thumb it down,I bought a Clark custom sear spring but it looked thinner than the Colt spring, an extra leg too, may try it tho, the plunger tube, the
extractor and front sight were the only jobs
that scared me, the Essex frame seems thin
to dremel those dips, are the vice grip stakers any better? hey if I blow this up I'll tell ya all, so far so good:}

George Stringer · May 17, 2000, 10:23 PM

Mikey, you and Jim are right. I think by reading Zot's post that he has done it correctly for his pistol. He did fit the barrel and then had to change links but that's why they sell different sizes. George

May 16, 2000, 11:16 PM	#1
zot Senior Member Join Date: April 2, 1999 Location: U.S.A. Posts: 566	got the barrel fitted and staked tubes and sights and polished disconect which some trouble with half cock drop when pulling trigger, one problem is thumb safety isn't extended and it takes to thumbs to take safety off, test fired with mil-spec ball, 1 rd then 2 then full mag,also george do you have to remove metal off of barrel hood alot? and the metal removed on the barrel legs to bring chamber mouth to feed ramp was alot, tried 3 barrel links before lockup was tight, I hope this gun lasts for awhile

May 17, 2000, 07:53 AM	#2
George Stringer Staff Alumnus Join Date: October 12, 1998 Location: Earlington KY Posts: 2,299	Zot, the dropping to half cock is more than likely the sear spring. The center leg needs to be bent to apply more tension. Normally with a "gunsmith fit" barrel you will have to fit the hood but not with a drop in. There are two schools of thought on this. One is that the hood should touch all the way around when the pistol is in battery and the other is that it should not touch at all. I tend to agree with the second but I let the pistol determine which method it prefers. Also, the safety is not quite fitted right yet. It should move fairly easily but be secure when engaged. If you remove not more the .003" (two or three strokes with a file) at a time from the lug you'll get it to work much better. File a little and try it, file a little and try it, etc. George

May 17, 2000, 08:38 AM	#3
Mikey Senior Member Join Date: November 14, 1998 Location: Tennessee Posts: 885	One thing Goerge didn't touch on that would cause me some concern is the fact that you had to change links to get a good lock-up. If I understand correctly, the link should only serve to bring the chamber down to the ramp with the slide back. At lock-up, there should be little or no pressure on the link. The barrel legs (slide stop lugs) properly fitted to the slide stop pin should provide lock-up. I actually fit the lugs to the pin so that, with the gun assembled and no link installed, I get a proper lock-up and then select the link that allows proper barrel movement around the pin without binding. George, Am I correct on this or have I been doing it wrong? Wouldn't using the link to achieve tight lock-up put undue pressure on the link and shorten the life of the pistol (or at least shorten the life of the link)? Also, is it common practice to remove material from the back of the barrel feet to achieve proper feed ramp geometry? I would have re-cut the ramp (although I have never had to). What say ye? Mikey

May 17, 2000, 03:29 PM	#4
James K Member In Memoriam Join Date: March 17, 1999 Posts: 24,383	Hi, Mikey, The problem in using the link for lockup is not strain on the link, it is that there is not a very solid or consistent lockup. The barrel is supported by a link that is loose on the slide stop, and has play at the top as well. Locking up the way you have been doing it is, IMHO, the right way. (Yes, the link can be fitted carefully, but there should be no need.) Jim

May 17, 2000, 05:21 PM	#5
zot Senior Member Join Date: April 2, 1999 Location: U.S.A. Posts: 566	the barrel is a colt,matte black, in Ballisters their a drop in, but in the Essex it was allmost 1/4 from feed ramp,its the same as my AMT won't accept the Colt barrel, comes up short,also with the Colt link the barrel wouldn't slide under the the slide,it was too high,so after removing metal from legs and getting close enough to feed from ramp, I also had to shorten the hood,and with a Marvel .275 link the barrel rubbed against slide,so I filed a couple .001 off hood and very little off barrel lugs, also the finnish on the lugs in the slide I took down to bare metal, still after all I test fired and slide got stuck back,put a .272 link in and it fired with no stops,I can see a good lockup,and I thought it would be a drop in whole affair, I bought the cheapest thumb safety, and its got some harsh corner that the safety detent gets stuck under when I put it on safe, I may buy a extended Wilson but the one I have now has hardly any metal sticking out to thumb it down,I bought a Clark custom sear spring but it looked thinner than the Colt spring, an extra leg too, may try it tho, the plunger tube, the extractor and front sight were the only jobs that scared me, the Essex frame seems thin to dremel those dips, are the vice grip stakers any better? hey if I blow this up I'll tell ya all, so far so good:}

May 17, 2000, 10:23 PM	#6
George Stringer Staff Alumnus Join Date: October 12, 1998 Location: Earlington KY Posts: 2,299	Mikey, you and Jim are right. I think by reading Zot's post that he has done it correctly for his pistol. He did fit the barrel and then had to change links but that's why they sell different sizes. George