Hammer Bite

[msmud]

Despite a lifetime of shooting handguns, I was new to .45s and 1911s until I recently bought a Colt Gold Cup. I am extremely impressed with this thing--its power, balance, accuracy, grip ergonomics, compactness. I was thinking about either using it for carry around my land in a fanny pack, or buying a second Colt for carry purposes, perhaps one with a less fancy finish. Since I was thinking of a stainless Colt 1911A1 basic version, and since many people on the Springfield forum complain of hammer bite with the GI .45 style, I wanted to ask whether this problem happens with the more basic Colts having standard hammers. Thanks. By the way, I am intending to use the Gold Cup for calling up coyote and fox to a blind and giving them a 185 grain surprise. The gun seems fully accurate enough for hunting out to 50 yards or so.

[Jeffrey]

I have never had any problems with hammer bite with any Colt I have owned or shot. That would go for any 1911. Then again, I have small hands. I have heard people with much larger (beefy) hands do suffer a little with hammer bite. I believe El Commandante prefers the swept beavertails for this reason.

[Ric4509]

1. You can reduce the length of the spur hammer a few millimeters and also rounding the edges by using a dremel. If your GC is blue re-touch the area with gun blue or equivalent. If SS, #400 sanding will suffice.

2. You can replace the existing grip safety with a Kings extended grip safety designed for spur hammer.

The above will eliminate hammer bite. I've done it.

Rick

[OJ]

Colt's MKIV/Series 70 Government Model 45 ACP

http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y25/kmastf/P3130001A.jpg

My wife gave me this for our 26th anniversary this year. It did give me "hammer bite" if I shot more than 50 rounds through it any given day. I had the hammer trimmed a little but eventually concluded it was the frame and not the hammer doing the "damage".

Now I retired 12 years ago from general and thoracic surgery practice of nearly 40 years and I figured I should be able to come up with a medical solution - and I did. For about 18 cents cost, you can apply a "Band-Aid" to that area involved just prior to the shooting session and it totally avoids any further "hammer bite" - even when I shoot over 100 rounds in that session!!!

Not only is it cheap and universally available but it prevents any further unnecessary altering of the pistol I really am emotionally attached to - to say nothing about gunsmithing costs!!

Works for me.

:D :D

[msmud]

Why didnt I think of the band aid solution. The finish issue is another concern I have. The smooth stainless sides of the slide of the Gold CUp are easily scratched with carrying around, and I notice the basic stainless 1911A1 seems to have a similar slide. Yet I thought I remember a couple of years back that the basic government model had a "frosted" rough stainless finish all over. Is this version no longer available?

[OJ]

Why didnt I think of the band aid solution. The finish issue is another concern I have. The smooth stainless sides of the slide of the Gold CUp are easily scratched with carrying around, and I notice the basic stainless 1911A1 seems to have a similar slide. Yet I thought I remember a couple of years back that the basic government model had a "frosted" rough stainless finish all over. Is this version no longer available?

The picture doesn't show it very well but, the top of the slide is "frosted".

Don't be embarrassed about not thinking of the Band-Aid solution. I graduated from med school in 1952 and have spent most of my life (80 years & counting) in medicine and it took me several months to think of it. Before any one might get the idea my mind is slowing with age (as my wife suggests - on accasion), my instant reply is that, when I enlisted as an aviation cadet in 1943, my serial number was 17147374.

Now, as to what we had for dinner last night, well, whatever it was, it was very good! ;)

:D :D

[OD*]

Yet I thought I remember a couple of years back that the basic government model had a "frosted" rough stainless finish all over. Is this version no longer available?
No sir, hasn't been for some time.

Is this the model you were thinking of?
http://images.gunsamerica.com/upload/976251548-1.jpg

[Moose63845]

No sir, hasn't been for some time.

Is this the model you were thinking of?
http://images.gunsamerica.com/upload/976251548-1.jpg
Sure ya had to go and post the gun that I want didn't ya OD.

[OD*]

I'm sorry Moose. ;)

[msmud]

OD, your picture is of exactly the model I was thinking of. This apparently discontinued model would seem to hold up to minor abrasion better than the current brushed stainless models. For this reason I had considered the Springield GI, but I am so impressed with the quality of the Gold Cup that I am reluctant to buy other than Colt. Now that I think about it I might be able to answer my own question about the hammer bite. When I was in the service before I went to med school, I rented a Colt Delta 10mm at a Colorado Springs shooting range and shot about 50 rounds through it. It had the standard hammer and grip safety, but though the recoil was pretty stout with full powered 10mm, there was no hammer bite that I can recall. An interesting side note is that the guys who ran the range told me it was their favorite gun to dry fire, which they said they had done at least a hundred times per day for months, by their count over 10,000 times. THis standard Government style Colt had the best trigger of any gun I've ever fired, my Gold Cup included. Based on their (perhaps dubious) example I have now dry fired my Gold Cup about 1000 times, and its trigger is indeed better. Perhaps unorthodox, but it seems to work. Thanks to you all for your opinions.

[Hunter]

The Gold Cups are something else ain't they? I have not had trouble from hammer bite either and several of my Colts have a standard grip safety and spur hammer (my favorite configuration). Glad to hear you are pleased with your Colt they do a good job making'em.

[OD*]

msmud,

An option that would be open to you, is to purchase a current 1991 in stainless and have it bead blasted in a media that provides you with your desired color-texture. I'm sure the Colt Custom Shop could replicate the look of the earlier stainless 1991A1s.

[msmud]

An interesting suggestion OD; I wonder if the sand blasting attachments you can get with various air compressors could accomplish the same thing if you put the slide in a padded vice and lightly went over it a few times. The body shop guys seem to like crushed walnut shells or some strange stuff as this. You've got me thinking.

[OD*]

I imagine they could be made to work, I wouldn't have a clue as to which one for which finish though. ;)