Main Spring and Sear Spring question

[gtojunkie]

Hello, I am new to this board and may I say that there is a wealth of useful info for any 1911 fan.
My questions are about the mainspring and the sear spring. My 1911 runs perfect has never jammed, failed to fire or eject since I have had it(about 1000 rds). The only complaint I have is that the trigger is a little heavy, I would like to lighten it but not at the cost of reliability. I read somewhere here that Brownells has sear spring that will take off about 6oz an I have also heard that replacing the mainspring will reduce the trigger pull. Replacing the sear spring looks easy enough, I have had my pistol apart several times for part inspection. I keep hearing that the mainspring can be a real challange to change out. Can I do this at home? If so any tips would be appreciated. Thanks.

PS: series 70

[Prezzz]

What Brand of 1911? Series 70 is a Colt designation so I assume it's a Colt.

First, I would slick up the internal parts before replacing any springs.


Polish the trigger bars and contact area, sear, disconnector etc...... any parts that touch each other in the trigger mechanism. Lube the parts nicely, including the trigger bars, and reinstall.

I used a dremal with a felt polishing wheel. It's easy and if you do still want new springs afterwards, your trigger will be much smoother anyhow.

Try this first, you can always put springs in later if needed.

[1911Tuner]

Howdy Poncho Junkie...(Love them '67 Goats)

The new factory Colt sear spring will reduce your pull a little...maybe 6 ounces..maybe less. it depends on a few things. Going lighter on the mainspring won't have much effect until you get it too light. Best not to play with spring rates in a 1911 overmuch.

Understand that a sub-4 pound trigger in a 1911 is tricky to attain, and
I consider it a liability rather than an asset in a carry gun. I don't want less than 5 pounds in a carry gun, and I'm happier with 5.5 to 6 pounds.

Take the Dremel out in the driveway and hit it 10 or 12 times with a hammer so you won't be tempted to use it on the trigger group. Don't touch the sear primary angle without the proper equipment. If you're good with your hands, PM me with your E-mail address and I'll send you a text for instructions on how to do The Poor Man's Trigger Job. It requires detail-stripping the frame, but that's not major. If you can assemble a model airplane, you're over-qualified. I can help with that too...

Standin' by...

Tuner

[Prezzz]

Howdy Poncho Junkie...(Love them '67 Goats)

The new factory Colt sear spring will reduce your pull a little...maybe 6 ounces..maybe less. it depends on a few things. Going lighter on the mainspring won't have much effect until you get it too light. Best not to play with spring rates in a 1911 overmuch.

Understand that a sub-4 pound trigger in a 1911 is tricky to attain, and
I consider it a liability rather than an asset in a carry gun. I don't want less than 5 pounds in a carry gun, and I'm happier with 5.5 to 6 pounds.

Take the Dremel out in the driveway and hit it 10 or 12 times with a hammer so you won't be tempted to use it on the trigger group. Don't touch the sear primary angle without the proper equipment. If you're good with your hands, PM me with your E-mail address and I'll send you a text for instructions on how to do The Poor Man's Trigger Job. It requires detail-stripping the frame, but that's not major. If you can assemble a model airplane, you're over-qualified. I can help with that too...

Standin' by...

Tuner

Don't kill the Dremel! Send it to me! It slicked up my trigger slicker than goose $H**.

Your indeed correct. I shouldn't offer that kind of advice without knowing the level of skill the person has.

[1911Tuner]

Don't kill the Dremel! Send it to me! It slicked up my trigger slicker than goose $H**.

Your indeed correct. I shouldn't offer that kind of advice without knowing the level of skill the person has.

Prezzz...Please tell me you didn't dremel the sear primary and the hammer
hooks! Pleeeeease! lol

[Prezzz]

Prezzz...Please tell me you didn't dremel the sear primary and the hammer
hooks! Pleeeeease! lol

Cover yours ears everyone...............Yep I did. As well as the trigger side bars and rear contact area.


BUT, I just used the little felt polishing wheel and polish. No sand paper or anything that would remove metal. It just smoothed up the surfaces and got the factory "grit" off.

I felt okay with this because I understand the workings of the mechanisms and was real careful not to do anything that would alter the original angles and depths.

Worked better than I could have hoped for. Trigger is much smoother, crisper and a hair lighter.


Should I go to bed tonight with no TV and supper? :D

[1911Tuner]

Should I go to bed tonight with no TV and supper?

Nah...Just get a good grip on the gun when ya shoot it. If you didn't cut the
hammer hooks off too short, it'll probably be okay.

Cheers!

Tuner

[gogun]

Hello, I am new to this board and may I say that there is a wealth of useful info for any 1911 fan.
My questions are about the mainspring and the sear spring. My 1911 runs perfect has never jammed, failed to fire or eject since I have had it(about 1000 rds). The only complaint I have is that the trigger is a little heavy, I would like to lighten it but not at the cost of reliability. I read somewhere here that Brownells has sear spring that will take off about 6oz an I have also heard that replacing the mainspring will reduce the trigger pull. Replacing the sear spring looks easy enough, I have had my pistol apart several times for part inspection. I keep hearing that the mainspring can be a real challange to change out. Can I do this at home? If so any tips would be appreciated. Thanks.

PS: series 70

do yourself a favor, take it to a gunsmith
and, if you play with the trigger you may violate the warranty, if there is one

[John]

I would love to find a Series 70 pistol, even if it wasn't under warranty!

LoL

[stumbler]

In the Brownells site (TechTalk) there are instructions for the trigger job. I do not believe that the weight should be as light as they have it for a carry gun. I like 4-5lbs.

[gogun]

in a carry gun:
what you have to worry about is:
accidentally killing yourself
accidentally killing someone else
protecting yourself and then the DA checks your gun
and asks you why you have a hair trigger

i don't know what the trigger pull is on my carry gun
probably 4 pounds or more
on my target gun it is about 2.5 pounds
which really spoils me after I use it and then practice with my carry gun

but a gunsmith worth his salt will not give you a trigger pull less than 2.5 pounds -

think about risk management - that should be your first thought

my gunsmith told me any time i want to learn about modifying my trigger
he will let me sit there and watch him do one and then take me through
the steps and make sure it is done correctly

[1911Tuner]

gogun made several good points...most of which I am in agreement with.

Legally speaking, a clean shoot is a good shoot, regardless of the equipment.
The civil suit that will likely follow is a different matter. Best to have an
unmodified gun, of course...but consider that unless the DA has handled 1911s
with match-tuned triggers, a pistol with a 6-pound trigger will seem to be
pretty "hairy" to him anyway.

Even a 4-pound trigger on a carry is pretty close to the peg. Adrenalin
makes it easy to touch one off before it's time to. Many encounters
will at least begin with presentation of the gun in an attempt to stop
it before it becomes necessary to fire. If it's a sudden onslaught that doesn't permit threat management/de-escalation, it won't matter....but it must
be given careful thought and consideration on the high probability of holding
a potential attacker at gunpoint until the police arrive to take over the scene.

Personally, I won't carry a 1911 with a trigger that tests under 5 pounds, and
I'm happier with 6. A 6-pound trigger that breaks smooth and clean will feel much lighter than it actually is. Neither will I do a trigger for anyone else
that tests at under 5 pounds unless the gun is strictly a gamer and the
owner is a known or proven experienced user.

Changing out a sear spring or mainspring won't be construed as modifying the trigger. That's known as routine maintenance, and can actually work in your favor. "Your honor, my client kept his weapon meticulously maintained, and regularly replaced parts that could lead to an unintentional discharge if neglected."

Shooting oneself is inexcusable. If a shooter can't control his trigger finger, he should carry a double-action revolver with the single-action function
removed so that the weapon can't be cocked.

Cheers!

Tuner

[wichaka]

If you're good with your hands, PM me with your E-mail address and I'll send you a text for instructions on how to do The Poor Man's Trigger Job.


Hey tuner, could send me a copy too. I do 1911 work for L.E. presonel only, and have heard of that poor man's job, but have never read it.

[reddog1]

Howdy Poncho Junkie...(Love them '67 Goats)

The new factory Colt sear spring will reduce your pull a little...maybe 6 ounces..maybe less. it depends on a few things. Going lighter on the mainspring won't have much effect until you get it too light. Best not to play with spring rates in a 1911 overmuch.

Understand that a sub-4 pound trigger in a 1911 is tricky to attain, and
I consider it a liability rather than an asset in a carry gun. I don't want less than 5 pounds in a carry gun, and I'm happier with 5.5 to 6 pounds.

Take the Dremel out in the driveway and hit it 10 or 12 times with a hammer so you won't be tempted to use it on the trigger group. Don't touch the sear primary angle without the proper equipment. If you're good with your hands, PM me with your E-mail address and I'll send you a text for instructions on how to do The Poor Man's Trigger Job. It requires detail-stripping the frame, but that's not major. If you can assemble a model airplane, you're over-qualified. I can help with that too...

Standin' by...

Tuner

After the fluff & buff on M1911.org I decided I wanted to POLISH the trigger components on my Springfield but I wanted to get some clarification from you experts after reading this thread. First my skill level, I am an engineer, have been reloading for 20 years, shooting for 30, have several pistols, this is my second 1911, consider myself very handy and also know enough to ask those more experience than myself before starting or doing something stupid. I do not carry this gun nor do I intend to, it is simply a range shooter. So anyway here is my question, should the sear and hammer hooks be polished or not? Or just polish everything else and leave those alone? My plans were to use the dremel polishing wheel and flitz or something similar and touch up everything and replace the mainsping with a 19 or 20 lb one. Is it worthwhile to replace the sear sping at the same time? Brownells offers a parts kit with all of this stuff. Comments?

[1911Tuner]

First...Follow the above instructions on the Dremel..."The Poor Man's Trigger Job" should be posted around here somewhere. Take a peek at the Read Only
Technical page.

[welchatquietplease]

there's a (pretty funny) explanation of swapping the mainspring into another housing here (http://www.real-guns.com/Commentary/comar58.htm)