Grip safety rattle

[PaulX608]

OK, I'm not at all unfamiliar with a bit o' smithing, and I've got my RIA running like a fine old clock. I've been shooting these things for 25 years or so, but I'm just now getting into the world of concealed carry. And I have an issue which I can hopefully get resolved quickly. My grip safety rattles. It's a sound that is unique enough to attract questions, so I'd like to rid myself of it. I'm using the standard mil-spec safety, and I have no trouble with it. I'd rather not modify the frame, and don't want to spend any dough if I can avoid it. Can this be corrected by merely adjusting the spring? It does have a bit of free travel that I'm sure this would take up, but are there any other suggestions? Is this a common thing to 1911s, or ir it just my RIA? It's someting I never really noticed until I started wearing it around the house to get used to carrying it.

[stumbler]

It is possible that the right finger (as looking to the rear) could quiet the noisy thing. How is the side to side fit? I have one that has some play (but still passes the safety checks) and it rattles a little. Because I am too lazy to fix it, I leave it. On side to side looseness:

1. Some shim material at the thumb safety hole may fix it.(?)
2. Squeezing the frame at the thumb safety hole (I am leery of that as you are messing with the demensions of the frame).
3. Different grip safety (?)(presuming wear at thumb safety hole and the pivot point of the grip safety.)
4. Wear of the thumb safety(?)

Being lazy and as long as my firearm is safe, I do not worry about it. I do not recommend deactivating any safety on a firearm.

I could be wrong, but I thought that Pachmyer use to have a grip safety that was rubber coated. That idea may work for you.

[wichaka]

I've not worked on a RIA, but I'm guessing the safety finger of the sear spring needs to be adjusted.

If there's side play.......there's not much you can do. Tuner might have an idea on that one.

But move it around and see if its side play or take up slack before it engages the spring. If its take up slack rattle.........there's your answer.

[PaulX608]

It does seem to be mostly take up slack rattle, I guess I was just wondering if anyone else had this issue. I'll tweak the spring next time I'm in there. Thanks for the input.

[1911Tuner]

Howdy Paul,

Your description of "Take-Up Slack" indicates that the safety isn't being fully reset against the top of the mainspring housing. There's also the real possibility that the safety doesn't block the trigger correctly. Point the
(unloaded) pistol straight down and pull the trigger without depressing the safety. The hammer may fall...probably will, in fact. If it does....not good. The cure is to bend the right leg of the sear spring outward to move the bottom of the safety out farther.

Careful...if you don't support the leg at some point just above the junction
of the bottom of the leg and the top of the main body of the spring, it'll snap off in the corner. You also may need a new sear spring if the one that you have is bad and won't hold its shape.

Luck!

Tuner

[PaulX608]

Tuner,

The safety functions flawlessly, I wouldn't have it any other way. I've pointed it it down, held it upside down, even jumped up and down puling the trigger. The hammer won't fall unless I grab it. And the MSH interaction is fine, it does not over-travel to the rear. I've seen that happen with mismatched MSH/grip safeties. I guess I'm blowing the rattle out of proportion. It moves about 0.7 to 0.8mm in and out between the MSH and spring. It's small, but it just bothered me enough to ask. I'm sure I'm being paranoid. I just would like to keep people who don't know I'm carrying from asking "what is that noise?"

[stumbler]

Key chain in the pocket?

[1911Tuner]

Good! That was the only concern. You can probably get the rattle out by
bending the right leg back a little to kick the bottom of the safety farther out.

Luck to ya!

Edit to Add:

Another thought just occured to me...Is there excessive clearance between the thumb safety crosspin and the hole in the grip safety? That can cause a little rattle too.

[PaulX608]

Alright, I tweaked the spring, and it's fine now. I think I'm just way too new to carrying this thing. I've been a revolver guy most of my days. I've had autos, just never one I liked enough to carry.

I grew up in a rural area in Central VA, where carrying is done in the open, especially this time of year, and nobody cares. But livin' and workin' in the Nothern VA area near DC, people up here are definitely not the same. Like I said, I'm sure nobody would have ever heard it or asked, I was probably just being a lil' bit paranoid. Moot point now, I got it. Thanks for the help guys :)

[PaulX608]

BTW Tuner, we've been looking at Real Estate along the I-85 corridor, i.e. Charlotte/Spartanburg/Greenville. From what I've seen on here, that's your part of the world, right?