1911 and "Wide-Link" barrels?

[Higgins]

I was perusing the internet and came across an article on "wide-link" barrels in the 1911. From what I can tell, such barrels use an oversided slide stop pin and bottom barrel lugs that differ in shape from normal 1911 lugs.

From what I gathered, the larger pin and altered lugs are supposed to better stabilize the barrel during unlocking and lenthen the unlocking time of the slide from the barrel - all meant to improve accuracy and the latter also to reduce felt recoil permit stouter loads in a 1911.

Anyone know exactly what benefits/purpose such "wide-link" barrels serve and how they alter the operation of a 1911 from barrels with normal sized slide-stop pins and normal shaped lugs to provide the above benefits? (Hello, Tuner?)

Thanks for any info.

 

[Jim Watson]

The wide link I know of (Where is your source?) was a Pachmayr product of the 1970s, part of the Signature system. Best I can tell, it is the mechanical equivalent of the long link lockup that most authorities now recommend against; just beefed up to wear longer. If made right it would (did) improve accuracy with less handwork on the gun, which was the whole purpose of the Signature package, but I cannot see how it would reduce recoil or reinforce the gun for heavy loads.

It is one of those "improvements" that just did not catch on. Guns with the full Signature treatment are pretty scarce, it was an expensve conversion in its day and made a lot of changes in the appearance of the gun. Ugly, I think most would say.

If you are convinced that the wide link offers real benefits, I think Paul Liebenberg who worked at Pachmayr at the time, now dba Pistol Dynamics, will still install one.