colt 1911 series 80 firing pin safety reliabillity?

I think that's off topic nonetheless that allen screw,ambidextrous and extended things,skeletons and beavertails,shock absorbers,Evil Swartz,extended guide rods,night sights,front serrations,safety warnings,stippled front straps,rails,laser beams and shiny metal plating (leave something out?) could conceivably enhance a firearm that needs no enhancement at all.
Click to expand...

Nothing created by man is perfect. There is always room for improvement.

Now whether some of these items offer any real advantages is the real question here. Some most certainly don't in my mind (extended guide rods, safety warnings, front serrations), some will benefit some shooters (beavertails, ambi safeties), and some are definite improvements on the original design (better sights).
 
Hello Scott, Within my humble experience, Series '80 Colts with properly installed, unmodified Series '80 components are reliable. I have been using these guns since 1983, none ever failed to fire. Went to a 1911 training class recently, with instructors very familiar with the platform. They brought up some of the legitimate concerns mentioned by drail. I have seen some of those issues myself and agree with his position that changes should not be made by unqualified persons. The trainers also indicated that a Series '80 Colt, with properly installed Series '80 components, is a reliable system. During my last several years in full time LE, I did carry a Series '80 Colt, and did not spend one moment being concerned whether or not the Series '80 system would function as designed. I never fired my duty Series '80 guns in anger, but they were reliable in all the qualifications/ training we did for years. That being said, I am also comfortable with my other 1911 type guns that do not have a fps system. I can appreciate others feeling that the addition of the extra parts, etc, might compromise reliability...

Ps, I did once run into a shooter a public range that had completely filed off the plunger lever on his Govt. Series '80 Colt and couldn't figure out why his gun would not actually discharge a round. He indicated he'd done it as a trigger job !???
 
I've been using my Series 80 since 1984 and it has never failed to go bang for me. I've changed out the plunger several times whenever it starts to get battered around the inside edge where it rides the FP.

It's not a bad trigger. 4.5 lbs and smooth. Early on I polished the back of the trigger and the disconnector. The very first time to the range with it I had mis-assembled it, with the trigger leg of the two piece actuator in front of the trigger, so it did not function.:o

It's a good idea to keep a couple extra plungers and springs around for it. Beyond that, I wouldn't worry about it and just shoot it. It's a good system.
 
Quote:"nothing created by man is perfect"
The man John Moses Browning.
The creation M1911.
Perfect.Just the way he done it.
Click to expand...

Being a man of faith, John Browning would be the first to disagree with you. Anything else would be blasphemy.

That, and the fact that he continued to design pistols after the M1911.
 
Quote:"John Browning would be the first to disagree with you"
OK,seeing as you know it and I have no way to check we'll leave at that.
He did design other firearms and also held a number of patents but the M1911 remains as close to design perfection as it gets,plenty of historical proof to that.
Its popularity has created a commercial demand which has in turn caused profit driven manufacturing the defects resulting from this have nothing to do with the original design.Just as an exercise get a set of prints and try to understand how all the parts fit and work together,may be then you can see the elegance and ingenuity an what mechanical perfection a master gunsmith accomplished one hundred years ago.
 
polyphemus,
As you can see, this has now devolved into somewhat of a measuring contest. I will leave with one final comment:

No device ever created created by man has ever been, nor will ever be, perfect. If you can't grasp that, there's not really anything else to discuss.
 
Of those who have posted they are dead set against a firing pin block, how many have experienced a problem with one? It is so far down the scale on factors to consider for reliability that it is a complete non-issue for me. Yet, I like those without a firing pin block ("Series 70"). Easier to completely strip and easier to get a superior trigger pull. As others have noted, safety is a non-issue with these with a titanium firing pin and heavier firing pin spring.

For me, the presence of a firing pin block will not stop me from buying a 1911 which I otherwise like even if I prefer those without.
 
Easier to completely strip and easier to get a superior trigger pull. As others have noted, safety is a non-issue with these with a titanium firing pin and heavier firing pin spring.
Click to expand...

I don't think so, I think the Series 80's are easier than the 70's because the FP block will let you keep the FP captive while you dis-assemble it, and allows the removal of the FP retainer without pressure on it, and without the chance of (boing) shooting your FP across the room. I assume you know the dis-assemble sequence of a Series 80 so will not detail it here.

I grew up shooting my dads Series 70 (but not cleaning it!), and grew up only ever dis-assembling my Series 80 after I bought it, and the few 70's I have done were different enough for me to give the nod for easy to the 80's. (since we're talking plungers/FP's only now, and not those confounded actuator levers in the frame, lol)
 
Reassembling the trigger bar/sear/disconnector,requires no particular skill it
is a routine operation.The question is:if the center of gravity is heavily placed in
the grip then what are the chances that the pistol would fall on its muzzle?
There are four additional moving parts on the trigger so there's bound to be some difference in feel and pull weight,no big deal unless you are a "purist" like
yours truly.
 
It took a while for Colt to get the bugs out of the firing pin obstruction, there were some duds early on. But that was going on 30 years ago and recent production is pretty good.
In the interest of lawyerproofing a defensive weapon, I have an OACP with firing pin block intact. It Just Works.
Likewise, I have a 1991A1 that I reinstalled the lawyer levers in when IDPA got huffy about "safety devices." It is just as reliable as it ever was without the superfluous parts and it has been shot a lot both ways.

One of Hilton Yam's cronies, Drake Oldham, abused some guns with drop tests and found that a stock .45 would go off if dropped on concrete on the muzzle from as little as 4 feet. A 9mm diameter titanium firing pin did not fire until dropped 6 feet on concrete. More resilient flooring raised the drop height. I know MY gun would not fire when dropped 6 feet on a linoleum over wood floor.

I would not worry about it and I would not mess with it. I have guns both ways and use them all.
 
drop test

Unloaded (no magazine)and holding it by the serration,it does fall on its muzzle
consistently.The series 80 firing pin block therefore has a function.
 
Jim Watson said:
One of Hilton Yam's cronies, Drake Oldham, abused some guns with drop tests and found that a stock .45 would go off if dropped on concrete on the muzzle from as little as 4 feet.
Click to expand...
IIRC, Walt Kuleck, who was part of the abuse team, reported on the M1911.ORG forum that the test pistol would fire consistently when dropped from heights as low as three feet -- which is effectively waist high.
 
80

There's an easy way to tell if your Series 80 system is headed for trouble.

Remove the plunger from the slide and look closely at it. If the corner above the concave portion appears to be splined, the plunger isn't being lifted quite high enough to allow the firing pin to clear it...which means that particular gun needs a different plunger lever. Not sure if Colt will send one. They may want you to send the gun in for installation and timing check.

Or...the quick and dirty way...heat the lever arm and bend it upward for a little more lift. It rarely requires more than about .010 inch.
 
Really. Perhaps a trip back to Colt is in order. It's been doing that for as long as I can remember, lol. I just keep changing the plunger & spring. I thought it was the nature of the beast with them. Good thing I keep an eye on it. Thanks for info.
 
First:

You can not simply remove the FP safety parts in your Colt. There will be slop--LOTS of it--in the sear and hammer interface. This will lead to premature wear.

Second:

NO gunsmith worth his or her salt will de-activate a factory installed safety device.

Third:

I have a Colt Enhanced Series 80. I have done some modifications to it--a lightweight trigger, Brown beavertail and Bo-Mar rear sights with a dovetailed front. I have had this pistol since 1993; with the exception of the parts noted above--and a few recoil spring changes--it is still 100% factory original, to include the safety parts.

The pistol has NEVER failed to feed or fire, as long as I use good magazines and ammunition.

How much confidence do I have in it? It is my primary duty sidearm, and has been now for 13 years.

Don't worry about the safety parts. It works fine. Trust me.
 
Leverage

The specs for proper timing are:

The top of the plunger lever above the frame .060-.065 inch with all trigger pretravel removed and .090-.095 inch with the trigger held full rearward.

99% of the time, the #2 lever will correct a slow timing issue in a stock pistol. If Colt won't send one, try Cylinder & Slide. They're pretty cheap, so ordering both a #2 and a #3 might be the best approach.

NO gunsmith worth his or her salt will de-activate a factory installed safety device.
Click to expand...

Not if he's smart, he won't. My older pair of 1991A1 range beaters have been both so modified by yours truly. I'm the only one who fires or even handles the guns if they're loaded. No exceptions. If your best buddy shoots himself in the foot...even if the inclusion of the parts would have made no difference...you're open to a ruinous lawsuit even if you win...which you probably won't.

And don't think that your best-bud-for-life wouldn't sue you. After a year out of work, when his medical insurance stops paying, and one of his cars has been repossessed, and the mortgage company is threatening to forclose and his kids' college fund is rapidly depleting...your assets will be mighty tempting.
 
Last edited:
NO gunsmith worth his or her salt will de-activate a factory installed safety device
Click to expand...

I remove them all the time, and never looked back once. It is not a safety device, it's an idocracy invented to make some queer lawyer happy or maybe as a marketing strategy to sell more guns as 'new and improved'.

There are already three safety devices on a series 70: The hammer and slide lock, the grip/trigger lock, and of course the trigger itself which on any gun is the most important safety device of all besides your own brain!

The 1911 was designed as a military side arm, as such it is supposed to perform in any condition. How useful is a gun that has the firing pin LOCKED by default? It does not take much dirt to clog the tiny mechanism rendering the gun and your life useless. The US military used the series 70 for how many years?

I'm glad when Ruger released its 1911, it opted out for the series 70.

Once gain, get rid of the plumbing!
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top