Has anyone ever had a sear break on their 1911?Or heard of it for that matter?

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45automan

New member
Hey guys I have a question for you all.I as some of you know have a 1918 made 1911 Colt. Now i have always carried or hept it in Condition 1. A buddy of mine who seems to have more money than sense these days says and i quote "on a gun that old the sear could break and the gun could go off" Now i know there is a half cock on the sear,wouldn't it catch the hammer in the event o+f a sear falure? Also this gun is in rough shape cosmetic wise but inside she looks good,also passed a function check. IE:all safeties work and it shoots.
What have you guys heard of this? Anyway isn't it true that the gun won't fire unless the grip safety is depressed?
Thanks,45automan
 
Sometimes the notches can get worn down. I once saw a 1911 go full-auto on a military range. Good to keep an eye on the old ones.

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"Those who dance are thought mad by those that don't hear the music."
 
The half cock notch is on the hammer. If I understand correctly, a sear that failed to hold the hammer at full cock would not catch the hammer at the half cock notch either. I also get the impression that some half cock notches are better than others. The sear and hammer could be replaced relatively cheaply.
 
In theory any part can break, but if you look at the geometry of the sear/hammer on a 1911 and how force is applied to the sear nothing- unless somebody does something stuid- is going to put the kind of stress on the sear that would make it "break". Now sears can, and do, wear out (that's probably what happened with the FA incidents reported).

The half cock notch shouldn't be used to hold the hammer off a live round. Now you've got a brand new condition: mostly cocked and completely unlocked. Half cock notches do break or it is possible to get the sear to catch on the edge of the notch without fully seating. Guns really can fire with the hammer no further back than half cock.
 
I wouldn't worry about it.I have had one 1911 go full on me and it just doubled.The sear didn't break it had been messed with.


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Bob--- Age and deceit will overcome youth and speed.
I'm old and deceitful.
 
Isn't it more (or just as) likely the hammer notches would be dangerously worn than the sear itself? When I look at pictures of hammers, it actually appears that the half cock notch is significantly stronger than the sear notch (not that I advocate condition 2). But, it seems that the sear should be almost certain to catch and hold in the half cock safety notch should the hammer fall unintentionally.
 
Good point Ed. The wear areas of the 1911 trigger are the hammer hooks and the point of the sear.

In general terms the heat treat of the two parts is a little different and you'll usually find that the sear is a bit harder. If the hammer (I am talking about GI parts) was much softer you could see a distinct dent in the hammer hooks caused by hitting the sear when the gun cocks. The hammer actually rotates a little too much and then drives forward under pressure from the mainspring.

With all the new aftermarket parts this doesn't seem to be a problem. But the length of the hammer hooks and how the nose of the sear is shaped are very important.
 
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