I just bought a vintage 1911 hammer for my build and I installed it simple as can be. However when checking for safe function of the hammer I noticed that I can fully pull the trigger and "fire" the pistol with the thumb safety engaged. I haven't encountered this problem before and I couldn't find anything helpful on the internet so I'm not quite sure what the solution is. The hammer I had on the gun previously had no issues at all so I'm not sure if the safety needs to be fitted with the hammer or if the hammer is just junk. Any thoughts?
1911 hammer drops with Safety on
- Thread starter kh1911
- Start date
The thumb safety blocks the sear. While it is on, the sear should not move at all when the trigger is pulled. I think it may not be the case in your pistol. The sear still moves a little. The original hammer didn't drop because it has more engagement with the hammer. It is not koser although it works.
The hammer you bought is an old part. Someone may have too much a trigger job on it. You may want to recheck to make sure the notch has adequate positive engagement with the sear.
-TL
Sent from my SM-G930T using Tapatalk
The hammer you bought is an old part. Someone may have too much a trigger job on it. You may want to recheck to make sure the notch has adequate positive engagement with the sear.
-TL
Sent from my SM-G930T using Tapatalk
Hello kh1911, what TL said. IF, the vintage hammer is as it should be, your thumb safety will have to be welded up and refitted, or a new safety fitted. The thumb safety is always the last thing fitted whenever any 1911 lockwork parts are modified or changed. I have not been so fortunate as to encounter many 1911 parts that dropped in "simple as can be" AND actually fit properly and safely......ymmv
Any time you change a hammer or sear, a new safety may be in the cards.
I put a circa 1912 short-spur hammer in my 1918 Colt, and it created an unsafe condition with the safety.
I put a new sear, same brand as the old sear, in a modern Colt, and in that instance the safety needed to have some material removed for a correct fit.
It's a crap shoot.
I put a circa 1912 short-spur hammer in my 1918 Colt, and it created an unsafe condition with the safety.
I put a new sear, same brand as the old sear, in a modern Colt, and in that instance the safety needed to have some material removed for a correct fit.
It's a crap shoot.
marine6680
New member
Older designs like the 1911 require more fitting than newer designs. Parts may or may not work as drop in.
ammo.crafter
New member
1911
Preblanc is right on.
Preblanc is right on.
Get a copy of Jerry Kuhnhausen's shop manuals on the .45, or the Army's overhaul manual and check it out, both have the proper gauged dimensions for various parts, and the accepted fix for malfunctions... As it now stands, you have a ND looking for a place to happen. I witnessed a 1911 run fully automatic from the first cartridge til the magazine was empty....not pretty, though no one was hurt. As a result, I test all safety functions on any 1911 I intend to load and fire. Out of battery, thumb safety, grip safety and hammer follow through...Rod
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M1911 and M1911A1 military and countless thousands of similar civilian models have been made by dozens of makers over a period of 104 years (and counting). Guns and parts will vary a lot. Which is why just swapping parts is not always the answer to problems, even though the ads by parts suppliers sometimes make it seen that way.
(The remark about "kitchen table gunsmiths" was probably not necessary, but I can't help but think that a professional pistolsmith would not have posted that question in the first place.)
Jim
(The remark about "kitchen table gunsmiths" was probably not necessary, but I can't help but think that a professional pistolsmith would not have posted that question in the first place.)
Jim