Keyword: 1911
“From Johnny Shoemaker we hear of a 1911 pistol which had resided in Condition 1 since its owner’s death in 1929 – all springs compressed. It functions perfectly today, together with all of its ammunition. This does not surprise me since I had a similar experience with my old Super .38, though not over so long a time period.” – from Guns and Ammo, December 2001
Since most of the M1911 and M1911A1 pistols you will encounter are getting quite elderly, it is important to know how to do basic safety testing on the 1911 pistol. Even on a newer production 1911-pattern guns, if you are acquiring the gun second hand, it is a good idea to perform these safety tests to insure that a tinkerer hasn’t messed up the innards of the gun.
Perform the following safety tests as indicated in (1) through (4) below.
(1) Safety test (fig. 1). With the pistol unloaded, cock the hammer and press the safety upward into the safe (locked) position. Grasp the grip so the grip safety is depressed and squeeze the trigger tightly three or four times. If the hammer falls, the safety must be replaced.
(2) Grip safety test (fig. 2). With the pistol unloaded, cock the hammer and without depressing the grip safety point the pistol downward and squeeze the trigger three or four times. If the hammer falls because the grip safety is depressed by its own weight, the grip safety may be corrected by replacing sear spring.
(3) Half-cock position test (fig. 3 and 4). With the pistol unloaded, draw back the hammer until the sear engages the half-cock position notch. Then squeeze the trigger. If the hammer falls, the hammer or sear must be replaced or repaired. Draw the hammer back nearly to full cock position, do not squeeze the trigger, and then let thumb slip off hammer. The hammer should fall only to the half-cock notch. Replace hammer when it falls past the half-cock position. Note: If you perform this test on a true GI M1911/M1911A1, it will behave in this way. Kimbers will also. Colts (Series 80) and Springfields will allow the hammer to fall from the half-cock because the Series 80 hammer has a shelf rather than a real hook at the half-cock.
(4) Disconnector test.
(a) With the pistol unloaded, cock the hammer. Push the slide group 1/4 inch to the rear (fig. 23) and hold in that position while squeezing trigger. Let slide group go forward, maintaining pressure on trigger. If the hammer falls, the disconnector is worn and must be replaced.
(b) Pull the slide group rearward until the slide stop is engaged (fig. 23). Squeeze the trigger and release slide group simultaneously. The hammer should not fall. If it does, replace the disconnector.
(c) Release the pressure on the trigger and then squeeze it. The hammer should then fall (fig. 23). If it does not fall, check the sear spring for weakness. Also check for a faulty disconnector which would prevent hammer from falling. The disconnector should prevent the release of the hammer unless the slide group is in forward position, safely interlocked. This also prevents the firing of more than one shot at each squeeze of trigger.
See Also:
Is “Cocked and Locked” Dangerous?
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By Jason
I have good news for all those asking about the Rock Island 45’s. Here are my findings. My first firing session of 100 rounds was very frustrating. My ammo was Winchester WinClean ammo. The magazine is cheap and she needs a polish job.
After that firing session here’s what I did: One needs to do Syd’s Fluff & Buff. I polished everything that had metal to metal contact. But that’s just me. I disassembled the entire gun – hammer, sear, pins, springs – you name it – down to the bare frame. I gave everything a very through cleaning. I also added a Chip McCormick Full Length guide rod. I had to made a slight modification with Dremel to make it fit, a five minute job. I replaced the stock recoil spring with a Wolff 18.5# spring. With the FLGR in, the entire slide action is much more smooth when manual cycling the slide. I also ordered 1 standard 8-round Chip McCormick magazine and 1 8-round Power Mag, just to see if there would be any difference in feed-ability or function (both worked fine).
I also made a slight adjustment on the stock extractor. The rest of the Rock Island was left bone stock. I have always used Mobil One synthetic oil in my guns for lube. They get real dirty but they always work!
I purchased the same ammo, Winchester WinClean ammo along with CCI Blazer. I fired a total of 200 rounds and she never missed a beat – no, jams, no stove pipes. There were just three errors, of which two were me an the other was caused by a bit of debris lodged in the extractor. I cleaned the extractor with a dry brush and there were no further problems.
I found that after adding the FLGR and the 18.5# recoil spring that the recoil was a lot less and I’m not a gun guru but the shots were right on the money! It shoots to point of aim and prints a nice “tight” group as they say.
My first impression was the pistol was OK. But when I fired it, it was not smooth like my other .45 which is a Para. After the polish work, a few tweaks and some good mags, this Rock Island is a keeper. It was a joy to shoot. But remember that this is a Clone of a Colt 1911. So, some of these so called “drop-in” parts might need a tweaking to make them fit. I’m not a gunsmith but I was able to make the necessary corrections with a Dremel. No problems. A sweet gun for an exceptional value. Or it would make it a nice build up gun.
Whatever you do with it, I don’t think you can go wrong.
1. Testing
The pistol will be set up and held in a recoiling type test cradle or machine rest such as the Heg Rest, Ransom Rest or equivalent.
2. Ammo
Test ammunition shall be caliber .45 Match hardball (full metal jacket) or wadcutter as appropriate. Average extreme spread for three consecutive groups of ten rounds each are not to exceed 2.5 inches with no group larger than 3 inches for wadcutter pistols and 3 inches average for hard ball. No hardball group may exceed 3.5 inches.
3. Fitting the slide to the receiver
a. Select a slide which fits as closely as possible on the receiver, having a minimum of horizontal or vertical movement on the receiver.
b. Relieve the outer edges of the rails on the receiver to remove all phosphate finish from the bearing surfaces.
c. The slide is now ready for initial fitting to the receiver.
d. Place the slide (with the muzzle end upright) into a smooth jawed vise approximately 3 inches from the muzzle end (meaning the three inches of the slide aft of the muzzle are above the vise jaws). The top of the slide should be extended out from the left side of the vise so that the vise is gripping near the slide’s rails.
e. Gently squeeze in steps of 1 inch at a time, for the complete length of the slide. Take extreme care not to squeeze excessively. The desired fit is a snug fit and yet the slide should be capable of being moved on the receiver by hand. Note that the slide may be squeezed much harder at the rear of the slide without crushing (because this area is the beefed up section of the slide!).
f. After the squeezing is completed, apply lapping compound (GK-7A or any 300-400 grit compound) to the slide. Slip the slide onto the receiver while the receiver is correctly held and supported in the vise. Work the slide back and forth until the slide moves freely without binding on the receiver’s rails. Wash out the compound with solvent (or Gun Scrubber, etc.), replace the slide on the receiver and check for movement by placing the slide into the firing position. The movement check is made by grasping the muzzle end of the slide in one hand and the receiver in the other hand. Then move each part in opposite directions and check for any HORIZONTAL movement.
g. If any horizontal movement is detected, repeat steps 3a through 3f as many times as necessary until there is no perceptible horizontal movement.
h. After all horizontal movement is eliminated, the slide is then ready for vertical fitting. With the slide in the firing position (also called the “battery” position), grasp the muzzle end of the slide and determine the amount of vertical movement.
i. Remove the slide and insert a parallel bar for swaging the receiver rails. Normally a bar 0.1170 inches thick is a good one to start with. A set of ten bars is needed, graduating from 0.1100 inches thick to 0.1200 inches, 5 inches long and 3/4 inches wide.
j. Using a 4 ounce ball peen hammer, swage the receiver’s rails. The recommended technique for swaging is to hold the bar snugly and straight against the channel surface of the receiver and then use a highly polished hammer which has had the edges of the head broken lightly. Use an overlapping stroke with the hammer face being held as nearly parallel to the rail’s surface as possible. The rails must be swaged as smoothly and as evenly as possible.
k. When both rails are indicating an even fit on the parallel bar, again relieve the edges of the rails to remove any high spots. Use GK-7A for lapping the slide to the receiver.
l. After lapping, recheck for VERTICAL movement. If any vertical movement still exists, repeat the swaging with the next smaller (thinner) parallel bar. Continue the swaging process until no perceptible vertical movement is noted.
m. Lap the slide and receiver until the slide will move under its own weight when the receiver is tilted and also no loose play (either horizontal or vertical) is noted.
n. Polish all work surfaces to remove all hammer strike marks or file marks or other blemishes.
o. Check the fit most carefully as this fit is the foundation of the entire operation. Repeat any of the earlier steps if a perfect fit is not achieved.
3. Fitting the barrel to the barrel bushing
a. Get an arbor that will hold an oversized bushing and set up the arbor between centers on a lathe. Turn to achieve a good fit. The nominal outside diameter is 0.7020 inches. While turning the bushing, be careful not to deform the retaining lug.
b. Measure the barrel diameter at the muzzle end. Install a precision reamer in the lathe and ream the inside of the bushing to the exact size of the muzzle end of the barrel. This should be 0.5790 inches.
c. With a high speed hand grinder, grind a slight radius in the bushing to allow the barrel to swivel slightly. This permits the barrel to enter the locking lugs of the slide without any binding. Take extreme care when grinding the inside radius so you do not remove any metal from the center of the bushing as this is an important fit (actually, it is the most important fit!) and must be precision ground. The barrel must slide back and forth in the bushing without any horizontal or vertical play.
d. The bushing should be a press fit and should require the use of a barrel bushing wrench to install or remove it from the slide.
5. Fitting an oversized barrel to the slide.
a. Insert a new oversized barrel into the slide and move it as far to the rear of the slide as possible. Observe the amount of steel to be removed from the barrel’s tang in order to achieve the desired fit of the barrel hood and lugs into the battery position (firing position) of the slide. A layout die is recommended to fit the tang squarely to the slide.
b. The tang must be cut in a manner to maintain the original 90ø angles in order to match the slide locking recess. This is to insure that the barrel tang will enter the locking recess of the slide without binding the tang or locking lugs as the barrel locks up into the firing position.
c. When the tang is fitted to the recess in the slide, start to remove metal from the flat surface of the tang in order to fit the hood and lugs into the slide. Care must be taken not to remove too much metal. This fit should be as tight as possible in order to assure that a good fit will occur when the slide and barrel are in the firing position. A layout die is recommended to fit the tang squarely to the slide.
d. After the fitting has been made, use an alignment gauge 8 inches x 0.4375 inches with a 3/32 inches x « inches tip inserted with the small tip to the rear of the slide in order to check alignment of the barrel with the firing pin. If the barrel is perfectly aligned, the small end of the tip will enter the firing pin aperture center and assure a center strike of the firing pin on the cartridge primer. If the barrel locks in the slide too high for the gauge tip to enter the firing pin aperture, it will be necessary to weld an appropriate thickness of metal into the slide above the barrel in order to get the proper alignment of the firing pin and barrel.
e. With a new barrel and bushing fit into the slide, place the slide with the barrel installed onto the receiver, making certain that the locking lugs on the bottom of the barrel fit into the recesses of the receiver without binding on any side. If there is rubbing on either side, make the necessary adjustments to assure a loose fit in the locking log recesses. At this point there must be a snug fit in the barrel tang and hood. A snug fit should also exist between the barrel bushing and slide as well as the barrel bushing and barrel.
f. Use a lug cutter, such as is available from Brownell’s, to cut the locking lugs. The lugs must ride smoothly onto the slide stop pin, with the slide stop pin holding the barrel snugly against the top of the slide when the barrel and slide are in the firing position. After a tight fit has been achieved, polish the locking lugs with a high speed grinder and suitable rubberized abrasive tips. A Dremel tool works adequately. Take extreme care during the polishing to not polish on one side more than on the other. The lugs must be kept perfectly level. Frequent checks should be made using Dykem Blue on the lugs to assure perfect fit on the slide stop pin. Continue polishing until lockup is smooth but snug and resting equally on both sides of the lugs. At this point if the barrel hood and tang are too tight, remove a small amount of metal from the tang with a very light cut in order to permit a smooth lockup. It is good practice to use lapping compound to get a perfect fit.
g. After this fit is obtained, check the feed ramp on the barrel to be certain that the feed ramp on the barrel is forward of the feed ramp on the frame by approximately 1/32 inches. This will insure that the nose of the cartridge will not hang up as the cartridge is loaded into the chamber from the magazine. Keep the angle on the barrel feed ramp the same as the ramp on the receiver (approximately 33ø). The barrel feed ramp includes approximately « the lower diameter of barrel ground on the lower half of chamber end. The feed ramp on the barrel must not overhang the ramp on the receiver. However, the feed ramp on the barrel may be set forward of the feed ramp on the receiver as much as 3/32 inches. The two feed ramps may be checked by locking the slide to the rear and looking through the ejection port.
6. Fitting the trigger
a. There are two types of triggers used on the U.S. Army’s National Match .45 pistols: the standard Colt steel trigger and the aluminum National b. Match trigger found on the Gold Cup. Each trigger comes in two different length (long and short). The aluminum long trigger is slightly shorter than the long Colt trigger.
c. Using a number 36 drill, drill a hole in the trigger for the set screw. This hole will be tapped with a 6-32 tap. After tapping the hole, install a 6-32 x « inches Allen head set screw for the trigger stop screw. After completing this operation, check the trigger in the trigger opening of the receiver. Since most triggers are oversized in their width dimension, it is necessary to remove metal from each side of the trigger until the trigger will fit into the receiver without horizontal or vertical movement. When this fit is achieved, the next step is the trigger job, which includes fitting the sear and hammer.
7. Sear and hammer fitting
a. It is critically important that all original angles be maintained on the hammer and sear. The hammer hooks are then cut down to 0.0200 inches by using a thickness gauge. Placing the thickness gauge squarely on the hammer, file the hammer hooks down to 0.0200 inches using a smooth mill file.
b. Check the sear and hammer for proper engagement and proper angles using a hammer and sear mating fixture.
c. Polish the sides of the new National Match sear so they are smooth. Be sure the sear’s sides are free of burrs or rough tool marks. Also polish the disconnector and trigger yoke (bow) to assure smooth operation when the pistol is reassembled and the moving parts are under normal working pressure.
d. The half cock notch is cut on each side of the hammer an even amount, so as to leave the hammer notch 0.1250 inches wide and then the depth of the sides of the half cock notch are cut down to the base of the hammer using a smooth mill file. This leaves the full half cock notch to catch the sear in the event the hammer falls. This provides complete safety on the same principle as is produced in the Colt factory for the .45 Gold Cup.
8. Trigger pull
a. Assemble the hammer, sear, disconnector and sear spring. Check for the desired break and weight of trigger pull. The trigger pull may be lightened by honing a slight radius on the point of the sear. To make a heavier pull, increase the engagement of the sear by increasing the angle on the point of the sear.
b. After proper operation and trigger pull have been obtained, adjust the trigger stop to have approximately 1/8 inches travel after the break. This is necessary to obtain the tolerances needed for the disconnector to work after each shot is fired.
Insure that the weight of the trigger pull is within the limits prescribed by N.R.A. rules and regulations and still maintain the required safety factors. The weight of trigger pull varies with each type of pistol used. Minimum recommended weights are as follows:
i. .45 ACP 230 FMJ (ball) 4 lbs. minimum
ii. .45 ACP wadcutter 3« lbs. minimum
iii. .38 Super 2« lbs. minimum
9. Sights
Sights used on .45 and .38 Super target pistols are the micrometer adjustable style. The Bo-Mar sight system is recommended due to its durability and precise movement. The point of impact may be moved as little as ¬ inches on the target. Install the sights according to the manufacturer’s instructions and make certain the N.R.A. specifications are meet for competition pistols. Rules vary from time to time and the latest copy of the N.R.A. rules should be consulted.
10. Common malfunctions
1. Failure to feed properly
a. In most cases the cartridge will nose upward against the top of the barrel hood and chamber. This can be caused by the feed ramp on the barrel having less than the necessary angle or the feed ramp on the barrel overhanging the feed ramp on the receiver. To correction this problem, grind the feed ramp on the barrel to a more forward angle and make sure the barrel does not overhang the feed ramp on the receiver. Polish all surfaces in order to remove all tool marks.
b. Very frequently the magazine follower is bent to an improper angle or else the lips of the magazine may be too tight. This prevents the magazine from releasing the cartridge in time to allow the round to enter the chamber. If the cartridge noses UP, bend the follower DOWN. The correct angle should be 70ø to 75ø.
2. Failure to chamber the round
a. This is characterized by the slide stopping 1/8 inches to 1/4 inches out of the full closed, battery position. Correct this problem by relieving the tension on the extractor and/or rounding off the bottom of the extractor to permit the extractor to cam itself onto the base of the cartridge with greater ease.
3. Cartridge “stove pipes” during ejection
a. This malfunction is usually caused by the recoil spring being too strong (stiff) and not permitting the slide to go fully rearward, having the slide go fully rearward but coming forward too fast or because the ejector does not have a good square face. The recoil spring used for firing 230 grain hardball (full metal jacket; FMJ) rounds normally has 29 to 33 coils. If you find it necessary to cut down the recoil spring, cut off only one coil (some prefer « coil) at a time until the problem is corrected.
b. If the ejector is found to be round or worn, file the ejector’s face square and maintain the original angles. Sometimes it is necessary to install a new ejector when the pistol is firing .45 wadcutters or .38 Super. This is because there are inadequate recoil forces to move the slide completely to the rear, permitting the cartridge case to exit the pistol in time.
4. Misfires
a. First examine the detent made by the firing pin on the primer of the misfired cartridge. If the primer is not dented enough there could be a broken firing pin, burred firing pin or the firing pin could be binding in the firing pin retainer plate. Carefully check all of these points.
It is possible to have a weak mainspring or the mainspring could be hanging up in the mainspring housing (due to a burr on the spring or in the housing itself).
b. Excessive headspace can cause misfires. Normal headspace is 0.0080 inches to 0.0120 inches and should NEVER exceed 0.0120 inches. If the shooter is using his own reloads, examine his cases for proper length.
5. Pistol fires full automatic
a. This can be caused by several things: improperly adjusted trigger stop (too close), too light a trigger pull, disconnector too short due to excessive wear or polishing or the center leaf of the sear spring is simply too weak.
b. If the problem is traced to an improperly positioned trigger stop, readjust the trigger stop to permit not less than 1/8 inches travel after the break.
c. Make sure the trigger pull is not less than the appropriate value specified in item 8c. Increase the trigger pull weight by increasing the engagement of the sear and hammer.
d. If the problem is traced to the disconnector, simply replace it. Polish it before installation to remove and burrs.
e. If the center leaf of the sear spring has lost its temper and will not longer hold its set, replace the sear spring with a new one.
11. Differences between .45 ACP and .38 Super pistols
a. While the pistols are generally built in the same manner, some differences do exist. The .38 Super has a recoil spring composed of softer 0.0330 spring wire.
b. The .38 Super extractor is specially designed and fitted to have less tension gripping the cartridge case.
c. The .38 Super extractor claw is deepened and shaped differently in order to cam onto the cartridge case.
d. The trigger pull on the .38 Super is set to 2« pounds.
e. Gold Cup type magazines are used in the .38 Super.
©2000 , John L. Marshall
The 1911 pistol, John Browning’s large-caliber pistol triumph, is both lauded and condemned in the firearms world. It’s lauded for its power, simplicity, excellent trigger, and reliability under adverse conditions. It’s condemned as being antiquated, heavy, over-powerful, and not always reliable with specialty ammo. Some say it’s not optimally safe in the hands of the untrained, but I’d have to say that NO pistol is safe in the hands of one who is untrained it its use.
Yet in spite of some detractors, the 1911, or Government Model, is the most ubiquitous combat pistol on the planet, being made by scores of manufacturers and spawning a huge aftermarket accessory industry all its own. As a combat or self-defense arm, it is THE pistol of choice of the professionals. Ask any expert, and he or she will tell you that in the hands of one schooled in its use, a properly-set-up 1911 pistol in .45 ACP caliber is unparalleled in efficacy.
Still, few firearms professionals will use a 1911 just as it comes from the box. The prime consideration in a self-defense pistol on which you must stake your life is reliability, and the 1911s the experts carry have been tweaked to make them as close to 100% reliable as human hands can make them. Although the classic 1911 design is extremely reliable with G.I. hardball ammunition, reliability with modern ammo of softpoint, hollowpoint or semiwadcutter design can be a sometimes thing. To its credit, the original design of the pistol will digest some pretty wild ammo designs almost all the time, but “almost all the time” is definitely not good enough when you must stake your life on a handgun. It must work all the time, every time with whatever you want to feed it!
Here we will examine the things you, as the owner of a new-in-the-box 1911 can do to make it ultimately reliable. Most of the things we will discuss can be done with hand tools, or in some cases a high-speed miniature hand tool such as the Dremel. While these techniques require a modicum of skill and care, they are not beyond the realm of most amateur craftsmen. We will examine each part of the 1911 design which can be modified for optimum reliability, and why the modifications are considered desirable.
Most barrels of modern manufacture (since the middle 1980s) come already “throated,” or widened, in the ramp area. This is the best type of barrel to start with. Earlier barrels have a narrow feed ramp which is designed to feed hardball ammo only. These barrels are best throated first by a competent gunsmith who really understands the 1911 design. Although proper throating is not beyond the realm of a competent amateur with a Dremel tool, the possibility of ruining an otherwise good barrel demands that this task be left to the professional. However, once the barrel is properly throated, or if you have one that has come from the factory already throated, there are still some things you can do to the barrel to enhance reliability.
First, note the transition area between the barrel feed ramp and the inside of the chamber. If this area is sharp, it must be lightly curved, or rounded, so that the round will feed smoothly over that “ledge.” This can be accomplished with a file or a Dremel tool. Take it easy here – the object is not to extend the ramp into the chamber area, but simply to lightly round off that sharp edge. Then the filing or grinding marks can be smoothed and polished with successively finer grades of sandpaper, finishing off with crocus cloth and a polishing compound such as “Flitz” on a cleaning patch or a Dremel polishing tip.
Next, note the hood of the barrel. In earlier barrels, the part of the hood that contacts the slide was perfectly flat, perpendicular to the axis of the barrel. Later barrels have a proper 45-degree bevel on the lower half of this hood contact area. The purpose of this bevel is to eliminate a “catch point” for semiwadcutter bullets which would prevent proper chambering. If that bevel exists on your barrel, all you will need to do is polish the bevel, using the same technique mentioned before, using successively finer grades of sandpaper and/or the polishing head of your Dremel tool with a polishing compound. If the bevel does not exist, it is an easy task with a Dremel tool to grind the bevel. Take care to maintain a 45-degree inward angle, following the curve of the barrel hood, and to take off no more than 50% of the surface area of the hood where it contacts the barrel. Then finish by polishing this bevel area.
Now look at the area where the hood mates up with the chamber area of the barrel. There should be no sharp edges here. If there are, take a small rat-tail or half-round file and lightly round those sharp edges. Then polish the filed area.
Now place the barrel into its slot in the frame and push it back and down until the link support legs contact the back of the slot in the frame. The barrel should rest on the curved support surfaces of the frame. Note the gap between the bottom edge of the feed ramp in the barrel and the forward edge of the feed ramp in the frame. This gap should be at least 1/32nd of an inch, and could be as much as 1/16th of an inch. If there is a smaller gap than this, (or no gap at all), the chambering cartridge can and probably will hang up on the lower lip of the barrel’s ramp. That gap is absolutely crucial to smooth chambering. If the gap is not at least 1/32nd of an inch, the solution is to file the bottom of the barrel feed ramp back until that gap is achieved. Then the ramp is re-shaped carefully with files or a Dremel grinder so that the barrel feed ramp is once again close to the bottom of the barrel. Be careful – do not extend the ramp much, if at all, deeper into the chamber, and keep the same upward angle as before. In the 1911 design, the ramped barrel leaves a portion of the case unsupported, and if the ramp is too deep, it increases the possibility of a case blowout. This could have serious consequences for the pistol and for you!
The next step is to bring the ramp area of the barrel to a mirror polish. This can be accomplished by hand, using finer and finer grades of sandpaper, crocus cloth, and then finishing with Flitz. Again, the objective is simply to polish, not deepen the ramp into the chamber area.
When a round is fed into the chamber from the magazine, it comes up the frame and barrel ramps, and then deflects off the roof of the chamber of the barrel, straightening itself out for the final direct push into the chamber. For this reason, it is advantageous that the inside of the chamber be very smooth so as to allow little or no friction as the nose of the bullet deflects downward. Here again, the answer is polishing. You do not want to widen the chamber out of spec, but you do want to take off any roughness. The felt polishing head of the Dremel and some Flitz polishing compound is perfect for this task, or you can do the same thing with a tight-fitting cleaning patch and Flitz, pushing it in and out of the chamber area. Do not ride up over the headspace ledge in the chamber; this should remain clearly defined and relatively sharp. Look at your work with a magnifying glass, and stop when you have a smooth chamber surface.
The locking lugs on the barrel need a bit of attention. The forward edge of each locking lug should be lightly “cut” or chamfered with the edge of a file. Just a little does it. Follow the curve around each lug. Polish these cuts with fine sandpaper. The objective here is to help the locking lugs cam up into their seats in the slide smoothly and easily.
This completes the necessary work on the barrel. The main objective is for the chambering cartridge to have a smooth, glass-like surface to work against wherever it contacts the barrel on its way in.
There is one main area of the frame which must be addressed with respect to reliability. This is the feed ramp, which in most factory-fresh pistols is pretty rough, with plenty of tooling marks. The objective here is to polish the ramp until there is a very smooth surface for the chambering round to work against. Take great care not to change the angle of the ramp, and to maintain a fairly sharp edge at the upper lip of the ramp. In some cases, if the tooling marks are pretty deep, it’s not wise to try to take down the ramp until the tool marks disappear completely – just polish-flatten the marks out a bit. Keep in mind that you absolutely must have that 1/32nd of an inch gap between the frame ramp and the lower edge of the barrel. Pistols have been absolutely ruined by improper shaping and polishing of the feed ramp, and the only solution is either a new frame or inserting and welding a new feed ramp surface. Both solutions are expensive, so be careful! Again, the standard technique of using successively fine grades of sandpaper, crocus cloth, and polishing compound is utilized. Your finger makes a good backing for the polishing medium; I advise against using a dowel or other hard object, as this may alter the shape of the ramp unduly.
Many “experts” recommend the use of a Commander-length extended ejector in the standard 1911. By the way, the Commander ejector does not fit without modification, but aftermarket extended ejectors are designed which fit the standard 1911. The purpose of this modification is to get the fired case out of the pistol earlier in the recoil stroke, thus helping to prevent “stovepipe” jams. In actual practice, I’ve never had a problem with the standard ejector in full-size 1911s. The disadvantage of an extended ejector is that it may not always allow the ejection of loaded rounds, and you’d have to let them extract carefully down into the magazine well. If you must have an extended ejector, consider re-shaping the ejection port to allow clearance of ejected loaded rounds. On the Commander-length and Officer’s-length pistols, the extended ejector is a good idea, since the recoil stroke of the slide is shorter. Most of these pistols come standard with an extended ejector anyway, so it’s a moot point. Extended ejectors do hustle the fired case out of the pistol muy pronto, and every bit of hustle helps with the abbreviated pistols. It probably can’t hurt the full-size pistols except for the loaded-round problem, but it’s not really necessary, either.
There are “old” slides and “new” slides. Older slides have the ejection port cutout fairly high in the slide, so the depth of the cutout is just below the dividing line between the curved upper portion of the slide and the flat side. Newer slides have the ejection port cut much lower, anywhere between .465″ and .480″ to the bottom of the slide. This allows the ejected case an easy exit, and reduces “dings” in the fired cases. Some slides, such as the Colt Gold Cup and the newer “enhanced” slides, also have a clearance cut, or “flare” milled into the rear edge of the ejection port. This is to allow the ejected case to roll over backwards easily as it exits the port. It also reduces the likelihood of a “stovepipe” jam where the ejected case is caught in the ejection port. Not much needs to be done to the newer lowered and flared ejection ports other than polishing the inside lower surface of the port where there is a bevel. If you have an older slide where the distance between the bottom of the port and the lower edge of the slide is more than .480″, then it’s advantageous to lower the port to at least that depth. You can have this professionally milled out, or you may choose to do it yourself, using the aluminum oxide grinding wheel of a Dremel tool. With the stripped slide in a vise, move the grinding wheel forward and back along the bottom edge of the port, taking care to take full-length strokes evenly. Let the high-speed wheel do the work; use very little downward pressure. Take great care to keep the successive cuts parallel with the bottom edge of the slide. Do not cut into the lower rear of the port to the extent that you expose the head of the extractor. Once the bottom edge of the port is evenly lowered to .480″ or a bit less from the bottom edge of the slide, bevel the inside lower edge of the port at an angle similar to the one that was there when you started. The Dremel grinding wheel can accomplish this easily. Use the wheel or a file to carefully chamfer the outside lower edge a bit so that it is no longer sharp. The rear of the ejection port can now be flared using the conical grinder of the Dremel tool; use photos or a newer slide as a guide, and again, don’t get into the extractor area so as to expose its head. The next step is to polish the inside bevel along the lower edge of the port, the flare area and the outside edges of the port. If you’ve been careful, cold blue can touch up a blued slide, and stainless slides require no refinishing.
The next area of the slide that requires attention is the face of the breech. In most pistols, you will find extensive tooling marks. These can grab at the rear of the cartridge as it slides up under the extractor, and the friction may be enough to prevent chambering. Your objective is to polish the breech face to smooth out or even eliminate the tool marks. Care must be taken not to remove too much material, as this would push headspace beyond the allowable maximum. If the tool marks are very deep, you can only smooth them out a bit. Strip the slide, and then use a small, flat file to do the initial work. Then using the file as a backer, use successively finer grits of sandpaper to achieve a smooth surface. Finish with Flitz on a patch. Take care not to change the angle of the breech face, which should be perpendicular to the base of the slide.
Note the firing pin hole in the face of the breech. This should be lightly chamfered, or beveled. A sharp edge here can catch the edge of a chambering cartridge. I’ve used one of the conical heads of a Dremel, held in the firing pin hole by hand, and rotated with the fingers to achieve this chamfer. It doesn’t take a lot; just enough to remove any sharp edge.
Now look at the area of the slide where the disconnector rides; the ridge that runs along the base of the slide back of the breech face. Most pistols will show tool marks here, and these should be smoothed and polished. If the tool marks are deep, don’t even try to polish them out all the way. Simply smooth them up a bit. This gives an easier ride for the disconnector as it presses against the base of the slide, and will help prolong the life of the disconnector. Finer and finer grits of sandpaper, applied with a finger, and then Flitz do the trick. If you reduce the depth of the disconnector track too much, you will have real problems, so go lightly here.
Next, just as you chamfered the forward edges of the locking lugs on the barrel, you will also want to lightly chamfer the forward edges of the locking grooves in the slide. Use the edge of a triangular file to “cut” these edges slightly and then smooth up the chamfering with finer grits of sandpaper. The slight chamfers on the barrel and in the slide will help to make a smooth lockup with minimum resistance.
A properly shaped and tuned extractor is crucial to reliability in the 1911 pistol. Most factory extractors and many aftermarket extractors need attention to achieve the optimum in reliability
The first area of attention is the extractor groove itself, where the rim of the cartridge rides up into the groove from below. The extractor, when properly fit, does not “snap” over the rim of the cartridge, but the cartridge pushes up from below as it is fed from the magazine. One of the surest ways to ruin an extractor is put a round directly into the chamber, and then drop the slide. This forces the extractor to snap over the rim, and in time will ruin the extractor’s shape or break it.
The extraction groove must be beveled at the bottom of the groove so that the rim of the cartridge is cammed gradually into the groove. In this way, the cartridge rim will more gradually push the extractor back to tension it over the extractor groove in the cartridge and it can slide up more easily. This bevel should run from the bottom edge of the extractor groove up to the midway point in the extractor’s groove. The forward inside edge of the extractor groove should be beveled out to form a slight angle; since the cartridge is at an upward angle when it feeds, this allows the rim to slide into the groove at the proper angle. The angle of the majority of the inside extractor claw should not be altered by filing or polishing. It should remain at 90 degrees or even have a slight inward grasp. The lower edge of the extractor claw should be beveled and rounded; the forward outside edge should be rounded. The top and bottom rear edges of the body of the extractor should be beveled for about an inch and ½ so as to allow “wiggle room” for the extractor within its hole in the slide. Then the tip of the extractor and the inside of the extractor groove should be polished. The initial shaping is done by small files; the polishing is done with fine sandpaper and Flitz.
Proper tensioning of the extractor is vital to reliability. Too much tension and chambering will be severely impeded or prevented. Too little tension, and extraction and ejection will be weak or non-existent. An old gunsmith trick to test the tension of the extractor is to remove the slide from the pistol, and push a round of ammo up under the extractor from below. With proper tension, the round should be held in place regardless of how the slide is turned, yet when the round is moved downwards from its center position about 1/10 of an inch, the round should drop off.
Tension is adjusted by removing the extractor, reversing it in the extractor hole in the slide, and pressing sideways one way or the other to increase or decrease tension. The depth of the extractor’s protrusion into the case area is controlled by removing a slight amount of metal from the inside of the rounded protrusion just back of the extractor claw with a file.
The correct recoil spring poundage is important to the reliability of your pistol. Too light a spring will batter the pistol and weaken the chambering process; too heavy a spring will result in failures to extract and eject, or in “stovepipe” stoppages. A too-heavy spring is also rough on the extractor. A too-quick closing of the slide will force the extractor over the rim of the cartridge, rather than allowing the cartridge to move up under the extractor in a controlled feed. It also has the effect of battering the slide stop unduly. The stock recoil spring in a standard 1911 is rated at 16 pounds. Moving up one notch to 18 ½ pounds will be about right for most pistols shooting hardball and other full-power defense ammo. Anything heavier is too much. Be sure to test the new recoil spring by shooting the pistol one-handed and loosely. It should function positively. If not, go back to the 16-pound spring.
An extra-power recoil spring also aids in preventing the slide from opening too soon. You may have seen “skid marks” on primers, caused by the firing pin still being extended against the primer when the slide unlocks. Eventually, this could break the firing pin. The use of a heavier recoil spring often cures this problem.
Commander-size pistols do well with a 20-pound spring for full-power ammo, and Officer’s-size pistols utilize a 24-pound spring well for the same purpose. As long as it’s not overdone, a stiffer recoil spring will aid in positive chambering and lengthen the life of the pistol. If the slide becomes difficult to retract using a stiffer spring, consider using one of the progressive-rate springs which are easier to get started at the start of the slide’s recoil stroke. The jury is out as far as the so-called “shock buffers” are concerned. These little polymer doughnuts slip over the recoil spring guide and cushion the shock of the slide banging against the end of the recoil spring guide. To this extent they are good, but they must be replaced regularly as they get chewed up. Having one disintegrate inside a defense pistol in a pucker situation is not something I would want to have happen, and for that reason I don’t use them. Likewise, there is controversy over the use of a full-length recoil spring guide in a defense pistol. Theoretically, the full-length guide keeps the recoil spring from kinking in its channel, and assures uniformity in the recoil stroke. It has the disadvantage of preventing a “press check” of the pistol, and of preventing one-handed racking of the slide by pressing the recoil spring plug against a shelf, shoe or other solid object. It is doubtful if the full-length guide increases accuracy, but you may gain some life from the recoil spring. Recoil springs should be replaced about every 2-3 thousand rounds anyway, as they gradually lose their strength over time and usage.
I highly recommend the use of an extra-power firing pin spring in every 1911 pistol. In series 70 pistols, it helps guard against an inadvertent discharge if the pistol is dropped muzzle-down on a hard surface. It also retracts the firing pin more quickly to help avoid primer “skid marks.” Plus, it’s extra insurance against the firing pin stop dropping down at the end of the recoil stroke and tying up the pistol or putting it out of action completely.
Even with a low-power mainspring (hammer spring), a heavier firing pin spring will allow the firing pin plenty of momentum for sure ignition of the primer. The mainspring on 1911s was designed with plenty of overkill, and even with a 30% reduction in the strength of the mainspring, a heavy firing pin spring is still a fine thing and will usually work quite satisfactorily.
The slide stop is often overlooked in reliability work. Once in a while the slide stop will activate during a string of fire, locking the slide back even though the last round has not been expended. There are two causes for this. One is that the nose of the ammo being used in the gun will lightly tap the projection of the slide stop inside the magazine well, popping it up prematurely. The solution here is to lightly file back the projection where it is getting “bopped,” but not enough so the follower doesn’t activate it properly after the last round is fired.
The second cause is usually an overweight slide stop. The “extended” slide stop is particularly notorious for this. The slide stop simply pops up from its own inertia as the pistol recoils. An extended slide stop is the answer to a non-existent question, and no serious defensive handgunner should use one (slide stop operation should be with the weak hand in a reload situation, not the shooting hand). So if you are tempted to fancy up your pistol with an extended slide stop, don’t. Some aftermarket slide stops are designed to be less bulky than the factory product. This keeps the mass of the part down and helps to prevent premature pop-up. A trick you may use to help prevent the phenomenon is to file a transverse groove with a small triangular file in the back of the slide stop where it meets the slide stop plunger in the down position. Any tendency for the slide stop to pop up is countered by the pressure of the plunger in the groove. If properly done, it should not impede the upward movement of the stop after the last round is fired when it’s activated normally by the magazine follower. If you want to get fancier, a Dremel tool can be utilized to grind a slight “dimple” in the slide stop at the same location, and it serves the same purpose.
While an extra-power firing pin spring will usually prevent it, occasionally you will have a firing pin stop disengage from its slot in the rear of the slide, either dropping down to tie up the slide, or coming off the pistol completely. The quick fix is to utilize a sharp punch and hammer and throw up some burrs on the inside of the firing pin stop. This will make the stop fit more tightly in its groove in the slide and the extractor. A better fix is to buy an oversize aftermarket part which can be fit tightly and closely by filing. Be sure to get the right part – series 80 pistols utilize a different stop from their series 70/G.I. cousins.
A good magazine is the heart of any reliability work on the 1911 pistol. It’s as integral a part as the slide or frame. Good magazines aren’t cheap; my advice is not to scrimp. Get the best you can. Wilson-Rogers mags have an excellent reputation, and some people swear by Chip McCormick’s Power Mags. Either should serve you well. Be sure to test-fit the mag in your particular gun before you buy it. It should lock the slide back when empty, and drop free of the gun when you hit the magazine release button. Polish the insides of the feed lips. If you will look at the edge of the magazine at the top, you will see a rub mark where the magazine release bears against the side of the magazine as it’s pushed home. File a slight bevel at the top of the mag where the rub mark begins. While this doesn’t bear on reliability, it does ease the insertion of magazines during a speed reload, and prevents undue wear in a critical area. Be sure to test-fire each magazine in your gun with your load of choice; it should function 100%. Maintain your magazines by disassembling them and cleaning them periodically. Use no oil inside the magazine; it will only attract dirt and powder debris. Wipe the magazine spring with a lightly-oiled rag; that’s all the lubrication required. Use stainless mags in preference to blued ones; they resist rust far better, and rust inside or outside of a magazine is your enemy. Magazine springs eventually wear out, although many a tale is told of filled-to-capacity mags working fine after years of being loaded. If you begin to experience “ride-over” failures to chamber, suspect the mag spring and either replace it or get a new magazine.
The magazine spring must be stiff enough to pop the next round up quickly into the path of the rapidly-reciprocating slide. This is usually more of a problem with the compact 1911s than the full-size models, as their slides don’t retract as far. You’ll see a “failure to chamber” malfunction most often with the smaller pistols on the last round from the magazine. Extra-strength mag springs are commercially available; those from Wolff are praised. See if using one doesn’t cure the problem.
Again, all the above work is well within the ability range of a careful craftsman, and once your 1911 is modified as specified, it should work all the time, every time. Having your 1911 go “bang” every time you pull the trigger is crucial if you want to use it as a defense pistol! I hope this summary of reliability secrets has been helpful to you, whether you want to undertake the work yourself or have it performed by a gunsmith.
| STOPPAGE | CAUSE | CORRECTIVE ACTION |
| Failure to Feed |
Dirty or dented magazine. Weak or broken magazine spring. Worn or broken magazine catch. Magazine spring assembled backward. Bent magazine follower. |
Clean or replace magazine. Replace magazine. Replace part. Assemble properly. Replace magazine or straighten follower. |
| Failure to Chamber |
Dirty chamber. Dented cartridge case. Weak recoil spring. Obstruction in chamber. Lack of Lubrication. Extractor applying too much pressure on the right side of a metal cartridge case* |
Clean chamber. Remove dented cartridge. Replace recoil spring. Clean chamber. Lubricate properly. Change to brass ammunition. |
| Failure to Lock |
Lack of lubrication of operating parts. Burred or dirty barrel locking ribs or locking recesses. Weak recoil spring. Broken barrel link. Extractor applying to much pressure on the right side of the cartridge.* |
Lubricate appropriate parts. Clean parts and remove burrs. Replace recoil spring. |
| Failure to Fire |
Faulty ammunition. Broken firing pin. Bent or broken hammer strut. Weak mainspring. |
Change ammunition. Replace firing pin. Replace hammer strut. Replace mainspring. |
| Failure to Unlock |
Broken barrel link. Broken barrel link pin. Broken barrel lugs. |
Replace barrel link. Replace barrel link pin. Replace barrel. |
| Failure to Extract |
Broken or worn extractor. Dirty or pitted chamber. |
Replace extractor. Clean chamber or replace barrel. |
| Failure to Eject |
Faulty extractor (does not position the cartridge case for ejection). Broken Ejector. |
Replace extractor.
Replace ejector. |
| Failure to Cock |
Worn full cock notch on hammer. Worn sear. Defective sear spring. Worn or broken disconnector, |
Replace hammer. Replace sear. Replace sear spring. Replace disconnector. |
*The rim of the extractor groove in steel cases is thicker than on brass cases. The extractor was designed for use with brass cases and may not always fully seat in the extractor groove when firing steel cased ammunition. This creates friction during the forward movement of the slide, particularly with tightly fitted weapons.
By John De Armond
Others said:
#>> Ever dropped a 1911A1 on the muzzle? #>
#> Good point, bad example. M1911A1 is one of the safest pistols wrt accidental
#> discharge, with three distinct safety mechanisms.
#None of which does the least bit of good when you drop one muzzle first.
#The floating firing pin can slam forward with enough force to fire the
#gun when dropped on concrete, or other hard surface, muzzle first. The
#new Series 80 with the firing pin block brings the 1911 style into the
#late twentieth century by preventing this problem. Most other modern
#pistols don’t suffer from this defect.
I’ve heard this bad rap against the 1911A1 (henceforth referred to as Colt) many times both in this group and in the magazines. That dropping a Colt on its muzzle being capable of igniting a primer goes contrary to my intuition. I finally decided to test this theory. I have done two tests. The first tries to scale the problem. The second involves actually dropping a gun.
Test #1 is to determine how much force is required to compress the firing pin spring sufficiently for the business end to protrude from the bolt face. Once this value is determined, the firing pin can be weighed and the number of Gs required to exert this force can be computed.
The test firearm is a box-stock Series 70 Colt Gold Cup. It was freshly cleaned and all oil film that could be wiped off was. The test setup is simple. I clamped the slide in a vice with the rear pointing up. A small drift was placed against the firing pin and Orhaus lab weights were stacked on the firing pin until the spring was compressed sufficiently that the firing pin barely protruded from the bolt face. Then the drift was weighed on an Orhaus triple beam balance and the weight was added to the lab weights weight. Finally the firing pin was weighed on the same balance. Results:
Firing pin weight: 4.4 grams
Total weight required: 506 grams
Computed G force: 506/4.4 = 115 G
Note that this is the minimum force needed to make the firing pin barely protrude. This does not account for the force required to actually fire the primer. I tried to get a rough idea of what this force is by putting a primer that had been inserted in a case, placed the casing in a barrel and slide assembly minus the firing pin spring and then placed weight on the firing pin sufficient to cause the first dent in the primer. The primer was a Winchester large magnum pistol primer. I ran out of weights at 4 kg. No dent. That would be equivalent to about 1000 G of force. If anyone has factory specs on the required primer force, I’d love to have them.
Keep in mind, that these static tests do NOT account for the pretty significant aerodynamic counterforce involved with a firing pin propelled at sufficient velocity to fire the primer. Once the firing pin protrudes into the bolt hole, the pin and bolt forms a fairly tight cylinder with air trapped inside. This damps the pin and absorbs some portion of the force.
Based on these results, I got brave and proceeded on to the next test. An old slide, bushing, barrel and the Gold Cup firing pin and spring were assembled. A case with a live primer was chambered and the whole assembly was duct taped to make sure the barrel stayed in battery. Then the whole assembly was dropped muzzle first down various lengths of pipe onto my asphalt driveway. The pipe guided the assembly and made sure the muzzle remained pointed straight down.
The longest pipe I could find was 15 feet long. Several drops from this altitude failed to fire the primer. The primer was marked but not enough to call it a dent. I did one more drop with the firing pin spring removed. The primer was dented pretty severely but it did NOT detonate. I suspect that with several drops, one or more might fire the primer. I got bored and my slide was getting boogered up so I stopped with the one drop.
Based on these tests, I feel confident in saying that there just ain’t no way dropping a Colt on its muzzle is going to inertially discharge the thing. I could believe that dropping a tinkered-with or hot-rodded gun could cause the sear to break, dropping the hammer and firing the gun. I would believe that people who cause ADs would claim that dropping the gun caused it ‘cuz they were embarrassed. But I would have major doubts that dropping a gun even with the firing pin spring removed would do anything.
Methinks the Colt has gotten a very bad rap and that the firing pin blocking gimmick placed on Series 80 and subsequent Colts is just that – a lawyer gimmick. Looks to me like the original Colt designers did their homework.
— John De Armond,
By Syd
At a recent IDPA match, I saw a disqualification which illustrated a much debated issue about trigger jobs on M1911 pistols: holding the trigger back while loading an M1911 pistol.
The stage involved retreating to cover and shooting from the side of a barrel. A shooter using a customized M1911 got a stovepipe on his first shot from behind cover. He swept the jammed case with his hand, as we are taught to do, but the sweep somehow turned the stovepipe into a double feed. He stripped the magazine out of the gun and racked the slide to clear the malfunction. Then he inserted a fresh magazine and racked the slide while holding the trigger back. The gun went off, launching a bullet just inches from his knee into the dirt. Since the gun was unsupported, this unintended discharge resulted in another jam. Again the shooter racked the slide with his finger on the trigger and again the gun went off. The Safety Officer stopped the shooter and informed him that he had been disqualified. The disqualification is the severest penalty in IDPA. The shooter was both embarrassed and shaken. He explained to the SO that a trigger job had been done on the gun and his gunsmith had advised him to do the procedure which had resulted in the negligent discharges: to hold the trigger back while racking the slide.
For years, this procedure has been advised by gunsmiths for pistols which have had custom trigger jobs, especially when the trigger is lightened for bullseye-type competition. The purpose of this technique is to prevent the sear engagement surfaces from bouncing against each other when the slide slams into battery. The thinking is that the sear bounce damages the polished engagement surfaces. Many of the National Match and Series 70 Gold Cups actually have a small spring on the sear to prevent this bouncing action. From a technical point of view, this advice is accurate. (If you are one of those folks who like to snap your empty pistol closed by hitting the slide release to drop the slide, you should hold the trigger back. See “Dropping the Slide on an Empty Chamber“) On a properly functioning M1911, you can hold the trigger back and rack the slide and the hammer will not fall. It will remain cocked until you allow the trigger to reset and pull the trigger again. (This is, by the way, one of the basic safety tests to perform on a used M1911 – with an empty gun, depress the trigger and rack the slide. The hammer should remain cocked. If it doesn’t, the gun is dangerous and needs the attention of a competent gunsmith).
So, if the procedure works, why did this shooter have this scary problem? There are two or perhaps three possibilities. The first and most likely is that, in his haste and awkward position, he was allowing the trigger to reset. If his timing was just a bit off, he may have actually racked the slide just a nanosecond prior to depressing the trigger, or, the rearward action of racking the slide may have produced just enough movement to allow the trigger to reset. Another possibility is that the disconnector was worn to the extent that it no longer functioned, allowing the trigger to release the hammer with the slide out of battery (which is a very dangerous situation). And the last and least likely possibility is that the trigger job was done wrong and that the sear was slipping past the engagement hooks on the hammer.
I didn’t get a chance to examine the fellow’s gun. He left, obviously upset, so I can only speculate on the source of the problem. Regardless of the ultimate reason for the negligent discharges, this case illustrates something very important about doing custom work on an M1911 pistol. It is of critical importance that one clearly identifies the mission of the pistol prior to the custom work, and then stick to those decisions once the work is done. Communicate that mission description to your gunsmith so that he can set up the gun properly. Generally speaking, a tack driving target gun with a 2 lb. trigger is not an appropriate setup for an action shooting sport like IDPA, nor is it advisable for carry and duty use. Triggers in the 4-5 lb. range are really better and safer for action shooting and carry. I would even go so far as to say that just a bit of take-up (the distance the trigger moves before it breaks the shot) is a good thing – not a lot, but maybe just a sixteenth to an eighth of an inch for an added bit of insurance, especially for a duty gun. I know that there are people who will disagree on this point, but that’s my opinion.
A second realization is that the procedure of holding the trigger back while loading the gun is not a safe method for action sports such as IDPA in which you are rushing against the clock, shooting from weird positions and shooting from the weak hand. While holding the trigger back may be acceptable for static range shooting where time is not important and the shooter is standing still, it creates safety problems in the dynamic context of an action shooting match. In the realm of pure technical ideas, it should work, but it becomes hazardous in the real world of mortal human beings who can make mistakes under pressure.
And last, I would suggest that those contemplating custom work on their M1911 pistols might be well advised to take a conservative approach toward trigger jobs. Do you really want a gun that will go off if you so much as breathe on it? Isn’t it better to spend some time at the range developing good trigger control rather than trying to get a gunsmith to compensate for the lack of it, and, in the process, creating a gun that is either dangerous or of extremely limited use? If the answer turns out to be “Yes, I want a target gun with a very light trigger,” then perhaps you really may need two pistols – one for the target work and another for action sports and carry.
From Geoff Beneze
Dillis Freeman wrote:
>Actually, a firing pin safety protects you in various scenarios, such
>as if you drop the weapon on its muzzle, side, or rear with sufficient
>force to cause the sear or hammer to slip allowing the weapon to
>discharge in the absence of this safety. It also allows you to avoid
>the Rambo argument being used against you by showing that you
>intentionally bought a weapon with as many safeties as possible.
Ok, let’s start working this myth over. It’s apparently time for some more myth-busting.
Reading through Hatcher’s Notebooks, one finds that he established primer detonation force is in the range of 12 in./oz. for “no fire” to the upper scale of 60 in./oz. for “all fire.” This was for 30 cal. centerfire rifle ammo. We’ll assume, for the sake of argument that there’s no substantial difference between primers of various brands and sizes. The midpoint between the “all fire” and the “no fire” is 36 in./oz. I’ve just weighed a half dozen firing pins from my parts box and come up with an average of 65 grains, or .148 oz. If we have a free floating firing pin with no spring to impede forward movement, dropping the gun perpendicular on the muzzle from a height of 10 feet will generate almost 18 in./oz.
Again, assuming Hatcher’s midpoint of 38 in./oz. would cause 50% of the rounds to fire we’d have to drop the gun, muzzle down, from a minimum of 20 feet. We’re approaching Dean’s figure of four stories here. Once we add the FP spring to the equation – and my (VERY) informal testing of spring weight indicates a rate of between 3 and 3.5 Lb. So we add 48 oz more to the 36 to overcome the spring and then set off 50% and we’re getting into a drop range that’s achieved only be mountain climbers and pilots. The same values hold true of falling on the hammer (if down).
The ONLY place where the Series 80 stuff actually would make a difference is 1. Feelin’ Good, and 2. a mechanical malfunction/failure that allowed the hammer to drop.
As to the second statement, EVERY TIME we repeat such drivel, we give away some of our power (rights) to the anti’s. EVERY SINGLE TIME we say it, we’re damaging our cause. Until someone can show me case law where this was a factor, we’d all be better off if people pushing these bromides would just shut up.
geoff beneze, Tempe, AZ
BEAST Enterprises – http://www.beast-enterprises.com
Gunsmithing, Target stands, Rifle Gongs
Ching Slings, Ching Ring Scout Rifle Scope mount
* NRA Life Member – IDPA A00981 AZ *
By Syd
There are four areas of concern with a trigger job: the sear and hammer hook interface, the sear spring, the mainspring, and the trigger bow. There are risks associated with the first three.
The sear and hammer hook interface can be polished and lubed. Some people will attempt to take a lot of metal off the hooks and sear face. This can make the gun dangerous by allowing the sear to slip off of the hammer hooks or not catch during the cycle. This can cause the gun to fire unexpectedly or fire multiple rounds on a single trigger pull. A polish is good but removing metal and changing the angle of the hook-sear interface is dangerous. Modifications to the sear face and hammer hooks should only be attempted by a trained and certified gunsmith who has the proper tools and know-how to do the job.
The sear spring puts resistance on the transfer bar of the trigger and on the foot of the sear (and also the base of the disconnector). Proper tension is critically important. The sear spring can be bent to give less resistance to the trigger, but this also reduces the tension against the base of the sear. If the tension is reduced too much, the sear may not re-engage the hammer hooks during cycling. This can result again in multiple shots and even full auto fire. Adjustments to the sear spring should be attempted only by a trained professional. I have done it, but when I do, I use a stock Colt sear spring as a template and I do not vary significantly from the factory curves in the spring.
The Mainspring (the spring hidden in the mainspring housing at the lower rear of the grip) controls the force of the hammer. In doing so, it also contributes to the pressure applied to the sear face-hammer hook interface. You can replace the mainspring with a lighter mainspring and get a significant lightening in the trigger pull. It will also make it feel less gritty. Factory spec for Colt mainsprings is 23 lbs. I put a 21 lb. mainspring in my Combat Commander and it did a lot toward lightening and smoothing the trigger pull. You can actually go down to a 19 lb. spring and still have a reliable gun. Factory spec for Kimber pistols is 21 lbs. If you go down to a 19 lb. spring, do extensive reliability testing before deploying the gun for serious work. This risk here is obvious. If the mainspring is too light, it could fail to detonate the primer and result in a misfire.
The last area of concern is the trigger bow. This piece is the bow that begins behind the trigger and extends back around the magazine well to engage the grip safety. The bow should be checked to see if it is moving freely and not snagging on either the frame or the magazine. I like to stone the edges of the trigger bow to make sure there are no small burrs that may be snagging on things. There are no real risks associated with the trigger, but there are also the least benefits to be obtained. Changing or polishing the trigger bow does very little toward lightening the trigger pull, but it may remove some slop in the trigger.
Regardless of whether you do the work yourself or have a gunsmith do the work, always go to the range and test the pistol carefully after a trigger job. Even if the work is done by a trusted gunsmith, test the work yourself. Be mentally and physically prepared for the gun to go off unexpectedly or fire multiple rounds. Have a firm grip on the gun when you load it.
There are some safety tests that you can do prior to range testing. With an UNLOADED GUN, lock the slide back pull the trigger and hold it back, and then release the slide release. The hammer should remain cocked. With the slide in battery, cock the hammer and slap the side of the gun briskly. The hammer should not fall. Cock the hammer and push the slide back about a quarter of an inch and pull the trigger. The hammer should not fall.
For a complete list of safety tests for the M1911, see https://sightm1911.com/lib/tech/safety_test.htm