Author Topic: So who here really knows about 1911 trigger work?  (Read 2555 times)

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Offline copemech

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So who here really knows about 1911 trigger work?
« on: July 07, 2017, 12:42:56 AM »
I have this THANG that I would like to massage just a bit, but not quite sure what to do. 70 series GC


Offline pewpew4life

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Re: So who here really knows about 1911 trigger work?
« Reply #1 on: July 07, 2017, 01:10:15 AM »
I can help. But if you look on youtube, there is a plethora of information about 1911 trigger jobs.

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Offline M1A4ME

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Re: So who here really knows about 1911 trigger work?
« Reply #2 on: July 07, 2017, 08:41:47 AM »
Wow.  That rear sight is really cranked up there.  I don't think I've ever seen one (never owned one, but shot a couple over the years) cranked up that high.

How long have you had that one?

Even though I don't carry mine these days (not a Gold Cup, just regular Colt 1911 types) I'll always smile and appreciate them when I see/handle one).
I just keep wasting time and money on other brands trying to find/make one shoot like my P07 and P09.  What is wrong with me?

Offline SI VIS PACEM PARRABELLUM

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Re: So who here really knows about 1911 trigger work?
« Reply #3 on: July 07, 2017, 09:21:42 AM »
Read up on the subject and watch some of the better vids like from Wilson Combat and such. You WILL want to look into purchasing the proper fixtures for the job to do it right and not trash good parts. 1911 trigger work is really not that hard but contrary to what you may see posted and video taped by some you cannot properly stone sears and hammer hooks freehand.

Offline 1SOW

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Re: So who here really knows about 1911 trigger work?
« Reply #4 on: July 07, 2017, 10:07:47 AM »
To answer your question directly,    David/schmecky.

If they're still in the archives,  he posted some of things done with his 45.

Offline Billyram

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Re: So who here really knows about 1911 trigger work?
« Reply #5 on: July 07, 2017, 11:36:38 AM »
I would bet on that gun there's not much needed to be done on the hammer hooks or sear. You can polish the sear by hand if it needs it but just polish. If what you want is to change the pull weight that can be done by slightly bending the sear spring but don't go under 3.5 lbs.
Billy

Offline copemech

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Re: So who here really knows about 1911 trigger work?
« Reply #6 on: July 07, 2017, 09:29:56 PM »
Yes, I did some trading aroun not too long ago and picked this up. It is an iconic gun in my thinking, the first factory race gun, and built back when things were hand tuned by the factory smiths. It has little use and is in original condition. I do not want to screw it up!

Well, most all here know just how 1911 triggers are the gold standard to which it seems all other things are compared, and this one is quite good, although I may have come to actually prefer my custom SP-01 Shadow at a short crisp 2.5 lb and am now spoiled !

The Colt measured right at 4.0 lb and seemed to have only slight sear creep, although a bit more than my CGW racehammer perhaps, and quite honestly I was/am just not sure just how good one of these things gets! Another thing I will mention is that I have not yet taken it apart.

I will get back soon to finish this, gotta run now.

Offline pewpew4life

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Re: So who here really knows about 1911 trigger work?
« Reply #7 on: July 07, 2017, 10:44:24 PM »
Yes, I did some trading aroun not too long ago and picked this up. It is an iconic gun in my thinking, the first factory race gun, and built back when things were hand tuned by the factory smiths. It has little use and is in original condition. I do not want to screw it up!

Well, most all here know just how 1911 triggers are the gold standard to which it seems all other things are compared, and this one is quite good, although I may have come to actually prefer my custom SP-01 Shadow at a short crisp 2.5 lb and am now spoiled !

The Colt measured right at 4.0 lb and seemed to have only slight sear creep, although a bit more than my CGW racehammer perhaps, and quite honestly I was/am just not sure just how good one of these things gets! Another thing I will mention is that I have not yet taken it apart.

I will get back soon to finish this, gotta run now.
Just be a careful when bending the sear spring. Don't bend it too much or you'll have problems with the hammer following through (not locking back). It will usually happen when you soft rack the slide. As mentioned earlier, unless you're gonna get new internals (sear, disco, hammer) I wouldn't recommend going lower than 4lb or 3.5lb trigger pull.

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Offline copemech

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Re: So who here really knows about 1911 trigger work?
« Reply #8 on: July 08, 2017, 12:05:40 AM »

Just be a careful when bending the sear spring. Don't bend it too much or you'll have problems with the hammer following through (not locking back). It will usually happen when you soft rack the slide. As mentioned earlier, unless you're gonna get new internals (sear, disco, hammer) I wouldn't recommend going lower than 4lb or 3.5lb trigger pull.

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Yes, OK and thank you Pewpew and Billy, so it seems 3.5 is the magic number I suppose.

I have owned 1911's for decades, yet only in recent years have I ventured into this realm. I have watched a few you tube videos on all this stuff, yet it has been a while, and the very specifics of match type tuning are few and far between. My prior guns were defense pistols and had heavier triggers, although still good and well polished.

If I understand as much as I think I do, the required trigger force on these will come from a combination of the trigger return and the sear spring force, and as stated and confirmed here by others, I was afraid to go too light on the sear, and not unlike a CZ, in this SA pistol the hammer spring would likely have minimal effect on total pull weight.

I doubt I can reduce the trigger return tension much, so the rest would indeed have to come from the sear spring, and I will likely just have to carefully find the sweet spot I guess, although I would feel better if I had more experience here on sort of pushing the edge, or practical limits. I really needed that target range~!

As far as the sear creep goes, I do not plan on changing much here either. Although as I stated I have not yet taken it apart for inspection, I suspect that just a few swipes with my fine diamond hone to relieve the back angle on the sear will be all it needs. This once again is just a picky preference, primarily because I like shooting long distance from a rest, but in any practical shooting one would normally pull right through this without notice. Minor refinement. My buddy who is a speedshooting champion thinks I am getting carried away, he said leave it alone and shoot it more. It is a race horse, not a safe queen! O0

I will say this, although I have only ran 50 rds WWB through this gun, it does remind me that it is throwing out a lot of lead! I must be getting old and soft shooting too much 9mm target loads.

Offline SI VIS PACEM PARRABELLUM

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Re: So who here really knows about 1911 trigger work?
« Reply #9 on: July 08, 2017, 06:30:47 AM »
IF you don't already have a trigger pull gauge I would suggest you pick one up. They take the guess work out of setting up the 3 leaf spring.

Offline Joe L

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Re: So who here really knows about 1911 trigger work?
« Reply #10 on: July 08, 2017, 08:01:33 AM »
Copemech, I USED to mess with 1911's, but the only one I have now is a Desert Eagle full size.  I've done work on maybe half a dozen.  I usually put some aftermarket parts in them from EGW and Wilson Combat to get a nice trigger pull our of a service pistol.  On my own personal 1911, the barrel fitup wasn't good enough for a match gun, so I went to the 97B"E" and haven't shot the 1911 since.   

I am thinking the pistol you have has a 4 lb trigger because the bullseye match rules limit .45 pull weight to a minimum of 3.5 lbs.  Of course, you can go lower.  I would just buy a Wilson Combat spring and experiment with that and leave the Colt parts in place unmodified or in a baggie.  If it were mine, I would just replace the spring and adjust to get it where you want it, making very small changes as described above.  Then shoot it a bunch.  If it doesn't have many rounds through it, it may smooth out some and be "just right".  You aren't starting with a production run 1911, and that is a good thing.  (Some inexpensive 1911's are terrible, just terrible.) 

Joe
CZ-75B 9mm and Kadet, 97B"E", two P-09's, P-07, P-10C, P-10F, P-10S, MTR

Offline schmeky

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Re: So who here really knows about 1911 trigger work?
« Reply #11 on: July 08, 2017, 06:38:46 PM »
CGW is capable of doing a full range of 1911 work including precision match barrel fitting.  In fact, we are in the process of building one of the CZ 1911's we have in stock into a super shooter.   We'll have pics later on in the year.  We have already welded the barrels lower lugs for match fitting. 

However, we are not currently taking any 1911 work.  If you want the best work from the best 1911 smith in the USA, look up Bunker Arms.  Brandan Bunker is the most talented 1911 guy we have ever seen. 

His work is impeccable and the result is absolute perfection.

If you want do the work yourself, you MUST purchase the set of 1911 bibles by Kerry Kuhnhausen.  These are the definitive books on the 1911. 
« Last Edit: July 08, 2017, 09:42:10 PM by schmeky »

Offline copemech

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Re: So who here really knows about 1911 trigger work?
« Reply #12 on: July 09, 2017, 12:41:48 AM »
Wow.  That rear sight is really cranked up there.  I don't think I've ever seen one (never owned one, but shot a couple over the years) cranked up that high.

How long have you had that one?

Even though I don't carry mine these days (not a Gold Cup, just regular Colt 1911 types) I'll always smile and appreciate them when I see/handle one).

It does look high probably because it is! There is a rib on top of the slide.

Offline copemech

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Re: So who here really knows about 1911 trigger work?
« Reply #13 on: July 09, 2017, 12:50:59 AM »
IF you don't already have a trigger pull gauge I would suggest you pick one up. They take the guess work out of setting up the 3 leaf spring.

Yes, and thank you. I have a great Lyman digital.

Offline copemech

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Re: So who here really knows about 1911 trigger work?
« Reply #14 on: July 09, 2017, 12:57:42 AM »
CGW is capable of doing a full range of 1911 work including precision match barrel fitting.  In fact, we are in the process of building one of the CZ 1911's we have in stock into a super shooter.   We'll have pics later on in the year.  We have already welded the barrels lower lugs for match fitting. 

However, we are not currently taking any 1911 work.  If you want the best work from the best 1911 smith in the USA, look up Bunker Arms.  Brandan Bunker is the most talented 1911 guy we have ever seen. 

His work is impeccable and the result is absolute perfection.

If you want do the work yourself, you MUST purchase the set of 1911 bibles by Kerry Kuhnhausen.  These are the definitive books on the 1911.

David, you are no help at all!!!! Oh, you can do YOURS but you cant do0 MINE! :'(

You think I can read? Why should I read or buy anything when it is all on the internet for free!@ has to be TRUE! :P And has PICTURES!

 

anything