No Joy with the New Toy

[TM262]

Friends are having major issues with a new purchase and I would like to get the opinions from the experts on what has happened. The pictures are not the best, but you get the idea.

So what are the most common reasons for these issues?

Thanks

[BlueOvalBruin]

Looks like after the barrel link broke, on the next shot the barrel didn't link down so the barrel got sandwiched between the upper slide lugs and frame VIS. This nasty impact hits the tip of the lower barrel lugs and can cause a lot of damage.

Barrel link could have broken if the VIS was too far rearward and the link absorbed the recoil and not the lower lugs. Don't know for sure though. Might want to call up the manufacturer to get their opinion, barrel's probably trashed though. If it's a new gun it'll prob be replaced.

[CocoBolo]

The most common cause of the barrel link breaking is improper fitting of the barrel and link. They make 5 different length barrel links, depending on the barrel lug and the cut in the frame a longer link may be required. The barrel lung should contact the frame and not stop at the end of the link. If the link is too short it takes all the impact and it breaks. I had this on one of my open guns and it broke the link a #3, so the smith put a #4 link in it, a few thousand rounds of major ammo later still running great.

[CSEMARTIN]

The barrel isn't fit properly.

[TM262]

Thanks for the replys.

[MikeOKC]

This is getting good....

[Biloxi23]

The most common cause of the barrel link breaking is improper fitting of the barrel and link. They make 5 different length barrel links, depending on the barrel lug and the cut in the frame a longer link may be required. The barrel lung should contact the frame and not stop at the end of the link. If the link is too short it takes all the impact and it breaks. I had this on one of my open guns and it broke the link a #3, so the smith put a #4 link in it, a few thousand rounds of major ammo later still running great.

Ron, was that last year at the LA Gator Classic when your gun had a problem?

[SLM]

About a year ago a major manufacturer had a bad batch of links get out. I had one and it broke in about four thousand rounds. The smith who built the gun put a new link in from a different manufacture and so far that link has been good for over 12 thousand rounds. He told me he had replaced 5 or 6 and finally got the company to fess up to having a problem. Long story short, it could just have been a bad part. Get the gun to a good pistolsmith and have it checked would be my suggestion.

[J.L. Hardy]

A barrel links only job is to pull the barrel down during the rearward cycle of the slide and barrel. The frame bridge should stop the rearward travel of the barrel and the lower barrel lugs push the barrel back up into lockup on the forward cycle. If a barrel link stretches and breaks or if a link pin shears there is a problem with the timing and either link length or frame bridge dimension. When everything is cut properly and the link properly sized there is very little stress on a link. Sad thing is that when this type of failure occurs there is a lot of damage to the recesses in the slide and upper lugs on the barrel, sometimes even before the link breaks because the link stretches and finally breaks.

[Rob Boudrie]

If the link is too short it takes all the impact and it breaks.

Conversely, if the link is too long (a symptom of a smith using a shortcut to get what looks like a tight barrel lockup) the slide stop hole will "egg" from the excessive pressure on the barrel link.

[J.L. Hardy]

That will also result in a sheared link pin ultimately.