series 80

[jim young]

A friend of mine has a colt series 80, he let me tear it down and remove the trigger, removed the plunger and spring in the slide, and the 2 cam parts in the frame, why cant a person just leave out the 4 parts, and shoot the gun, I cant see why you would need to have replacement parts take up the space. even if you left the 2 parts in the frame, and just removed the plunger in the slide, would this not free the fireing pin to work with out the up presuer of the finger safty?

[jim young]

`I also noted that his trigger was extra long, and made of alum. I sug, that he get a shorter trigger, will series 70 triggers fit? I told him that I was not sure if they would.

[1911Tuner]

Howdy Jim,

Your question has been asked several times, and it's a legitimate one. There are a few concerns over simply leaving the frame levers in place and removing the plunger and spring.

The plunger lever...sans the slide...will lift past the top of the frame by as much as 1/8th inch. Under some circumstances, in some pistols...the timing of that lift can allow the tip to move into the hole in the slide when the plunger isn't there. If this happens as the slide recoils, it could do some
serious damage to the hammer pin and their holes...as well as possibly crack the material around the holes...not to even mention the potential damage to the slide. Ouch!

There's a neat little frame blank available from Brownells that fills the gap in the frame and costs 4 bucks and change. It also makes reassembly after a detail-strip much simpler.

Now, for the rest of the story.

Due to the redesigned half-cock notch on Series 80 hammers...the pistol probably isn't quite as fail-safe in a Condition One carry. Should the nose of the sear crack or shear off...which although unlikely, can still occur...the
hammer may not stop far enough from the firing pin to prevent a discharge.
It gets pretty close, even with a good sear. An extra 16th inch may be just enough to bust a cap. If the gun is to be carried, I strongly suggest that a
pre-80 hammer with captive half-cock be retrofitted.

There's also the matter of removing or altering a part of the safety system that was designed into the gun...even though pre-Series 80 guns aon;t have it. It probably won't have any bearing on the outcome of the legal action following a justified shoot...but civil court is a whole different ball game...and
you can probably count on being sued after being aquitted of all criminal charges.

Also, consider that if a friend should accidentally shoot himself in the foot when he accompanies you to the range for a day of cap-bustin' and male bonding...he could also sue...and win...based on the removal of such parts.
This, even though he would have shot himself anyway if the parts had been there. Just something to consider.

Anyway...TJ's frame blanks are in Brownells catalog if ya feel the need. You can find it online.

Luck!

Tuner

[jim young]

So then you could grind off the finger on the lifting sear? and leave it in with the plunger out, this would make it impossible to have the problem you talked about, The cam is an inexpensive item to replace if need. I don't see a problem with him keeping it in tact, it shoots great as is,I was skeptical of the series 80 but after shooting his I am not. the trigger is excellent, although long. Can you replace the trigger with any 1911 type? I did not see that the trigger was any different than the older models am I wrong here?

[1911Tuner]

Hi Jim,

Yep...You could do that...but it has to be ground just right so tthat what's left won't contact the slide. Not hard though. Just curious...Why not just use the frame blank? That way, it you decide to restore it to stock condition, you have the factory original on hand. I think I've got a spare
around here somewhere. If I can find it, I'll send it to ya...

[jim young]

I was just making it work in my mind, I am a fix it person, I always try to fix things with what is on hand, I fixed my wifes cappuchino machine with a pc of copper sheet that came with a table that she ordered. a little solder and metal work and walla. I would not grind on any thing. just a would it work type thing.

[clare44man]

Jim, I wouldn't worry about those series 80 parts. Personally, I was a believer that series 80 parts were 'bad' when they came out. But after owning an LW Officers with them and now buying another Colt '80', I find they affect the trigger very little. The officers had a decent trigger pull, but this new gov't model has the best trigger I have ever felt on a 'factory' gun! The only drawback is a little more difficulty in re-assembling the gun. Yes, I would rather NOT have them, than have them. But if they are already in a gun, I certainly would not take them out if it was a carry gun (for the legal reasons that Tunner mentioned). I might consider taking them out only if the trigger was terrible on a gun that I would use on the range only for target or competition. Good luck. 44 Man