How to fit a disconnector???

[Todesengel]

Hi, how do I propper fit a disconnector? Thanks in advance!

[John]

Hi, how do I propper fit a disconnector? Thanks in advance!
I wish I knew, all that comes to mind is to polish the surface that rubs on the trigger and also the angled parts on the top, so that the slide can ride over them easily.

Apart from that, I am as ignorant as you, maybe even more.

LoL

Rgds

[Todesengel]

Thanks for the Reply John. That is the same what I thought. I disassembled my new series 1 ultra cdp this morning & did a good cleaning and a poor man's trigger job; as I polished the disconnector pad I found a little hairline crack. I called Kimber and asked them to send me a new one and john said: "no problem" just send me the broken one once you receive the new disconnector so we can discover why it broke. I just always have great expirience with Kimber's CS!

[1911Tuner]

Fitting a disconnect entails not only the prep, but it requires adjustment
at times for function. If all is in-spec, it's rare that the disconnect needs much more than polishing and breaking sharp corners in the right places,
but once in a while, tolerances stack up in the wrong direction. Put a stone
or file to the wrong places...or too much in the right places...and you can wind up having the Full-Auto Experience, or...at best...a pistol that won't
function.

The disconnector..which is actually a connector...must bridge the gap between the trigger stirrup and sear in order to drop the hammer. Then
it must DIS-connect when the slide pushes it down. If the top of the disconnector is too short, it won't disconnect. The sear won't reset, and the
hammer won't cock. Hammer followdown to the slide is the result.

If the top of the paddle is a little too high, and it won't clear the sear legs,
the same result can occur. On rare occasions, the contact between the
sear and the top edge of the paddle is just so, that it drags across the bottom of the sear legs, staging the sear at the very tips of the hammer hooks. When the slide goes home, it jars the hammer off...and you have a
2.5 pound, 2,000 rpm machine pistol...maybe in one hand.

If you see that the paddle is just barely clearing the sear legs...it will probably do this little trick sooner or later...but probably sooner, and when
you least expect it. I saw this happen yesterday.

The fix is to remove a little metal from the top edge to get the paddle clear of the sear. Problem is, that now there may not be enough contact with the sear to reliably fire the gun. The disconnect wlips off the sear, and the hammer falls to half-cock...if at all. The fix yesterday required removing about .003 inch from the top of the paddle...and in turn required the next stap...The sear spring was replaced as a matter of caution.

Now you need to scrape the disconnect's timing slot in the slide to allow the
head to move higher and regain the lost contact. Only under certain rare circumstances is this slot to be made longer. Don't alter the angles on the front and rear of the disconnector head. Breaking the corners on the sides of the tip where the angles converge is allowable...but lightly. Just enough to get rid of the sharp corners...and break the corners away from the tip.

Under NO circumstances are you to shorten the top of the disconnector.
The disconnector must fall out of its channel under its own weight when the
paddle is placed against the trigger stirrup and the sear left out.

The edges of the paddle must be smooth and free of sharp edges or corners.
This is done on a fine stone by breaking the corners away from the face of the paddle. The 48 degree angle on the backside should be likewise smoothly finished and free of tool marks. The ends of the sear spring legs
should be dressed at an angle with the ends smooth and free of sharp edges.
When polishing the face and the angle, remove only enough material to
smooth it up on the front.

The corner under the face should be radiused to prevent the top round in the
magazine from lifting the disconnector as the magazine is locked in. This will
pre-stage the sear and make for a VERY light trigger pull on the first round
after a reload. Assemble the frame and look into the magwell with a light to see if the corner is sitting past the back of the well. Most modern disconnectors are already radiused...but due to tolerances issues, it may not be enough.

The trigger stirrup should be smooth and free of sharp edges or corners, especially at the bottom. Break the corners, top and bottom, with a fine cut file at 45 degrees to the stirrup with the stirrup held perpendicularly to the table. File away from the face of the stirrup, and polish the cut with 600-grit paper.

Luck!

Tuner

[Todesengel]

Thanks 1911Tuner!
I've never seen any fitting evidence on Kimber internals so I guess the disconnector they send me is going to be just fine. Can I just drop it in and see if it works propper or do you suggest the fitting in any case?
Thanks again!

[1911Tuner]

Howdy Tod,

Chances are that it will drop in and work. Be sure to load two rounds per
magazine for a few mags to test it. You can watch what it does by assembling the gun and leaving the grip safety out. Use a strong light
to see that there's clearance between the top of the paddle and the bottom of the sear legs when the slide moves back and pushes it down. it doesn't
need to be much...about twice the thickness of a sheet of paper...but it needs to be there.

By the way...The crack on the face was probably the parting line from the
part being in the mold. Was it on the face of the paddle just slightly left of center?

[Todesengel]

By the way...The crack on the face was probably the parting line from the part being in the mold. Was it on the face of the paddle just slightly left of center?

Thanks for the valuable info!
You can see it on the picture:

http://www.hunt101.com/img/172691.JPG

I started to polish the disconnector and noticed the crack, the other kimber disc. I polished did not had it.
Crack or Molding mark?

[1911Tuner]

That's a crack! MIM strikes again... :rolleyes:

Little tip on your Poor Man's Trigger Job...Brownells has Colt Sear springs
in the factory parts section. Those have the narrowed legs, and will
knock about 6 ounces off your trigger pull without tweaking.

Luck!

Tuner

[Todesengel]

That's what i thought - sh$# happens! Thanks for the tip on the sear springs.
What can have caused this crack?

BTW, I will let you know what Kimber has to say about this crack.

[John]

Fitting a disconnect entails not only the prep, but it requires adjustment
at times for function. If all is in-spec, it's rare that the disconnect needs much more than polishing and breaking sharp corners in the right places,
but once in a while, tolerances stack up in the wrong direction. Put a stone
or file to the wrong places...or too much in the right places...and you can wind up having the Full-Auto Experience, or...at best...a pistol that won't
function.

(Rest of very informative post ommited)

Luck!

Tuner
Tuner,

Excellent posting. You think you could put this in an article form which could be posted in the "Technical Issues" folder of M1911.ORG?

I am sure a lot of users will find it pretty interesting.

Thanks and rgds

[Todesengel]

Assemble the frame and look into the magwell with a light to see if the corner is sitting past the back of the well. Most modern disconnectors are already radiused...but due to tolerances issues, it may not be enough.


When I got the disconnector I checked the sear clearance and everyting - no problems, I forgot though to check in the magwell so I went out to shoot 2 quick-clips without any problems except a 2. round feeding problem. The Gun never malfunctioned before - does it have anything to do that the disconnector wasn't radiused enough?by now I already radiused it but didn't had time to test fire it.

[1911Tuner]

When I got the disconnector I checked the sear clearance and everyting - no problems, I forgot though to check in the magwell so I went out to shoot 2 quick-clips without any problems except a 2. round feeding problem. The Gun never malfunctioned before - does it have anything to do that the disconnector wasn't radiused enough?by now I already radiused it but didn't had time to test fire it.

Nah...It was a fluke.