I've posted this on another forum, so if you're seeing it again then I apologize.
I just picked up a S&W 1911 for a great price that came with a Clark Custom .460 Rowland barrel. I had an unused Kart E-Z fit barrel laying around so I decided to fit it to the S&W.
Everything was going perfectly. The bushing was just tight enough that it required a bushing wrench but not enough that I had to crank on it. The barrel itself was slowly getting closer to fully locking up, and when it did it was locked up tighter than Fort Knox. There's just one problem.
Right before lockup the slide stops and requires me to push on it with my finger to lock it up. To unlock it I have to yank on it hard in order for it to unlock. I've put some dye on the lugs and there is full contact on them.
Got any ideas on what's hanging the pistol up?
Here's the point where the slide stops and has to be pushed closed:
I don't have a clue, as I am new to 1911's but I'm trying to learn so I'm only offering this guess as a learning experience for me.
I'm gonna guess... link?
OK, well I'm an idiot. I didn't even think to recheck the hood length and it turns out the hood was dragging on the breech face. Three good passes with the file and it cured it up.
Now it locks up super tight but cycles easily.
For the sake of your continuing education...
The hood dragging on the breechface wasn't causing the tight spot in the slide's cycle.
It was the too-long hood forcing the barrel lugs into hard contct with the slide's lugs as the barrel was pushed forward BY the slide. Simply put, the linear distance between the breechface and the slide lugs' rear faces versus the linear distance between the rear of the hood and the barrel lugs' front faces was placing the barrel into a bind with the slide. Or...more simply...You can't stuff 10 pounds of manure into a 5-pound bag without a few issues..
That makes perfect sense. Especially the 10 pounds of manure part of it.
For my continuing edumacation, what's the 'hood'?
It's the extension at the rear of the barrel, often used by the uninformed to check or verufy headspace, but which ain't got a thing to do with it. The hood's purpose is to time the barrel into the slide.
Got it. I thought the link did that, but reading your explanation again I think I can see how a long hood would start the barrel forward earlier than it should. So the hood is going to affect the relationship of the barrel and slide lugs, right?
Yep. Placing the barrel and slide lugs in contact keep them from slapping together when the gun fires, which leads to lug setback deformation. The barrel lives longer. Win-Win.
The link's only function is getting the barrel down and out of the slide's way so the lugs won't get damaged when the barrel stops against the vertical impact surface.