I have a Taurus 1911A1 with a very light trigger. It will sometimes follow when you drop the slide without chambering a round, it has never followed while shooting or chambering a round. The shooter came this way, I have never touched the hammer or sear, never detail stripped it. How would I give this pistol a heavier trigger pull?
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Take some metal off the rear of the sear?
- Thread starter salvadore
- Start date
I don't generally cut on hammers or sears unless I know what they're made of.
Given the wide availability of quality 1911 parts, I'd simply replace the sear, hammer, disconnector and sear spring with GI spec stuff from a top-drawer outfit. Your trigger pull will increase immediately and the hammer follow should stop.
Be advised that replacing the sear may require refitting the thumb safety and you will definitely need to reset your trigger stop. Be sure to set it so the half-cock notch clears the sear tip with room to spare.
Given the wide availability of quality 1911 parts, I'd simply replace the sear, hammer, disconnector and sear spring with GI spec stuff from a top-drawer outfit. Your trigger pull will increase immediately and the hammer follow should stop.
Be advised that replacing the sear may require refitting the thumb safety and you will definitely need to reset your trigger stop. Be sure to set it so the half-cock notch clears the sear tip with room to spare.
Tweak (Bend) the middle leaf of the sear spring forward ever so slightly.
You may be getting some trigger bounce due to a lack of tension on the disconnector/back of the trigger stirrup.
Also, stop dropping the slide on an empty chamber.
This practice batters the mating surfaces of the hammer & sear.
Doing it a couple of times to make sure the hammer doesn't follow is one thing, but don't let it become a habit.
You may be getting some trigger bounce due to a lack of tension on the disconnector/back of the trigger stirrup.
Also, stop dropping the slide on an empty chamber.
This practice batters the mating surfaces of the hammer & sear.
Doing it a couple of times to make sure the hammer doesn't follow is one thing, but don't let it become a habit.
Sarge, thanks for the advice. I am loathe to start replacing parts due to the advice I recieved on a question I had about a surplus Hi-Power I was having trouble with. http://thefiringline.com/forums/showthread.php?t=460936 After tearing the piece apart it appeared that the safety wasn't blocking the sear so that is what I replaced and successfully solved the problem.
I may have to replace parts, 1911A1 parts aren't quite as spendy as for the FN thankfully, but will try the sear spring advice first. Thanks to both you guys.
I may have to replace parts, 1911A1 parts aren't quite as spendy as for the FN thankfully, but will try the sear spring advice first. Thanks to both you guys.
Start by doing what ogree says. If that doesn’t give you a heavy enough trigger and stop the following try replacing the main spring, they only cost a couple of bucks and should be replaced from time to time anyway. If that doesn’t do it than the only choice you have is to fallow Sarge recommendation or live with it. And as ogre says, do not drop the slide on an empty chamber.
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"Also, stop dropping the slide on an empty chamber.
This practice batters the mating surfaces of the hammer & sear."
Well, what happens when the gun is fired? Doesn't the hammer drop on the sear then? The slide is moving forward faster than it does when manually released, so the hammer-sear contact should be faster and harder.
Jim
This practice batters the mating surfaces of the hammer & sear."
Well, what happens when the gun is fired? Doesn't the hammer drop on the sear then? The slide is moving forward faster than it does when manually released, so the hammer-sear contact should be faster and harder.
Jim
Aguila Blanca
Staff
No.James K said:"Also, stop dropping the slide on an empty chamber.
This practice batters the mating surfaces of the hammer & sear."
Well, what happens when the gun is fired? Doesn't the hammer drop on the sear then? The slide is moving forward faster than it does when manually released, so the hammer-sear contact should be faster and harder.
When the pistol is fired, the sear nose rotates forward, releasing the hammer. Assuming everything is working properly, the tip of the sear moves far enough that the half-cock notch fully clears the sear tip and the hammer falls completely uninterrupted.
When dropping the slide on an empty chamber, the trigger is not pulled and the sear is not rotated forward. If the hammer is released due to bounce, the secondary (or half-cock) notch slams down onto the tip of the sear. That's what it was designed to do, and it prevents an accidental discharge if there's a round loaded, but the impact makes a mess of the sear nose.
As has been noted, it also puts unwanted stress on the slide stop pin, which is the only thing that stops the slide and barrel as they move forward into battery. When actually chambering a round, a lot of energy is used up in stripping the round from the magazine and pushing it into the chamber, thus reducing and/or cushioning the impact. None of that happens when you slam the slide closed on an empty chamber.