Hammer problem

[Hacker]

In handling my 1918 Colt M1911 this weekend, I have discovered a problem with the hammer...and I'm afraid it means something bad.

I first noticed the problem as I cocked the hammer manually...and after initially latching at full cock, it snapped forward to the cocked-and-locked position (not sure what the proper term for that is...).

Anyway, investigating further, I noticed that if I racked the slide with an empty mag in, then pushed the slide release, the hammer would also not stay fully cocked, but snap forward to the half-cocked position.

Finally I noticed that with the hammer fully cocked, if I pulled the hammer back all the way then let it snap forward, it would snap all the way forward to the half cock.

So...what do you guys think? I am thinking that the hammer or sear is just worn and needs replacing. I'd like to keep the pistol as original as I can, but I am not comfortable with how the hammer is behaving...I don't ever remember it doing that before.

[1911Tuner]

Howdy Hacker,

Yep...You've got a problem. It might be somethin' as simple as a tired sear spring, or it could be that the hammer hooks are worn. *Might* be the sear,
but it's more likely the hammer hooks. If the hooks are good, they'll usually stand on even a badly worn sear...but not the other way around. A little
more information might help to nail it down a little closer.

When you said that it fell to the "cocked and locked" position...did it fall all the way to the slide...or to the half-cock?

Try this test. Thumb cock the hammer slowly, being careful not to overcock it
and drop it onto the sear...Stop just as it reaches full-cock. While watching the hammer closely while using a reference point that you visually align with the back of the hammer...squeeze the trigger very slowly. Do you see the hammer creep forward while pulling the trigger? It won't move much before the sear trips, so you'll have to watch closely. If possible, have somebosy else watch it.

Recock the hammer slowly again. Push on the back of the spur with your thumb. Will it fall to the half-cock position?

Recock the hammer once more, but this time do it by racking the slide briskly,
and...this is important...hold the trigger fully rearward while you do it. Release the trigger and squeeze it. Does the hammer fall with a very, short, light trigger pull...or does it feel about normal? Does it feel "mushy"?

Standin' by...

[Hacker]

Thank you! Just the kind of expert advice I was looking for!

When you said that it fell to the "cocked and locked" position...did it fall all the way to the slide...or to the half-cock?

Yes, sorry...I did mean the half-cock position. In the situation I was talking about, it was as if I had pulled the trigger or something, but my finger was nowhere near the trigger. The hammer fell to the half cock position after being fully cocked, and I believe I had only bumped the pistol on my leg or something while standing up from my bench.

Do you see the hammer creep forward while pulling the trigger? It won't move much before the sear trips, so you'll have to watch closely. If possible, have somebosy else watch it.

Yes, there is an ever-so-slight creep prior to the hammer falling. You're right...I had to dry-fire about 10 times before I could get my eye and trigger finger calibrated!

Recock the hammer slowly again. Push on the back of the spur with your thumb. Will it fall to the half-cock position?

No, I can't push it off the fully cocked position...it feels solid there.

Recock the hammer once more, but this time do it by racking the slide briskly, and...this is important...hold the trigger fully rearward while you do it. Release the trigger and squeeze it. Does the hammer fall with a very, short, light trigger pull...or does it feel about normal? Does it feel "mushy"?

Tough to say on this one. I think it feels the same as if it were single-action cocked or slide-cocked with my finger off the trigger.

One thing to add: If I rack the slide with no magazine in (ergo, the slide goes right back forward), the hammer stays in the fully cocked position. If I rack the slide and there is an empty mag in (and the slide stays back), when I release the slide using the slide release, the hammer will fall back to the half cocked position instead of staying fully cocked.

The one that is troubling to me is that I can over-cock the hammer, then when I release it, the hammer falls to the half cock instead of the full cock.

Thanks 1911Tuner!!

[1911Tuner]

Howdy Hacker,

What you have is called "Hammer Followdown"...and in your case, it's because the hooks are worn into a negative engagement attitude instead of the undersquare, captive engagement that they were designed with. Recutting the hooks to square is pretty simple, and will prolong the life of the hammer for a while longer, but if the gun is used very much, it will probably return.
The other problem with recutting the hooks is that it will throw the sear and hook engagement angles out of kilter, and the problem may not change at all.
It would also very likely require refitting the thumb safety to positively block the sear movement.

You're looking at a new hammer and sear, at minimum...and probably a new disconnect and at least a refitting of the thumb safety. If you want to keep the pistol in original configuration, decent, correct parts will be scarce and expensive. If it doesn't matter, newer parts will be easy to find and somewhat less expensive if you can do the work. Projected cost for new parts and a gunsmith's attention to check/fit/refit will be in the neighborhood of 250 dollars, depending on how much needs to be done. You can take a gamble on a drop-in hammer/sear/disconnector set. SOmetimes those do indeed drop in and work...reasonable well...but the thumb safety will still probably require adjustment or even replacement.

Just FYI...releasing the slide with the gun empty is a bad thing to do to a 1911, and could have contributed to your problem...It's also murder on the lower barrel lug and slidestop crosspin.

Where are you located?

[Hacker]

I'm in southern Georgia (Moody AFB, courtesy of Uncle Sam!).

I would like to keep the pistol as original as I can -- in another thread on this board I described that it all ready has some non-original parts which I would like to take back to real USGI period parts. This is a real "bringback" pistol; I purchased it from a neighbor who lived next to the home I grew up in for nearly 20 years. He had been issued it while in the Merchant Marine at the end of WW2, then kept it following his service. He was "sort of" a gun guy -- had the barrel and bushing replaced at some point, and had the mainspring housing changed to the arched type. He shot it a few times just for kicks, then put it in a desk drawer in a rag (resulting in some really nasty fingerprints in the blueing). Other than that, it is "as issued" and hasn't been through any kind of arsenal rebuild.

So...I sure would like to replace the worn out hammer with a period Colt/USGI one. Yes, it will be more expensive, but it will be worth it in my mind.

My two questions are: does anyone know any Colt 1911-specialist gunsmiths in Georgia or Florida, and where would I go to find real USGI Colt parts? I am reasonably mechanically inclined, but I am certainly not a gunsmith! I'd hate to do more damage to the pistol by trying to fix it.

Thank you for your "diagnosis"!

[1911Tuner]

Howdy hacker...I just saw that you're n Valdosta. You've got an E-mail on the way. I think I might be able to come up with a hammer...