Series 80 question

[mbuzha]

Hey guys. Just got my first Series 80 to use in a build. Got the gun at a good price and I want to take out all the series 80 stuff...you know, wasn't in JMB's design and all that. Can I just basically take out all the guts I don't recognize and have a series 70 ready to go? Anything else involved? Thanks.

[lanceriley]

when you remove the series 80 stuff, you have to add a "shim" to the empty part. but again. my series 80 pistol ran for 1 year without a shim.. didn't even notice it until a smithy told me to put a shim.

[Hawkmoon]

You will need the remove the two little levers in the frame. That leaves a gap, so you need a filler plate to occupy the space. It's available from Brownells.

http://www.brownells.com/aspx/NS/store/ProductDetail.aspx?p=13121&title=1911%20AUTO%20FRAME%20SLOT%20BLANK

http://www.brownells.com/Images/Products/876011780.jpg

In the slide, you need to remove the safety lunger and the spring that makes it go up and down. You can use the OEM firing pin, or you can replace it with a non-Series 80 firing pin.

[lanceriley]

ah.. tuner's answer sounds more understandable than mine :appld:

[1911Tuner]

One Caveat that must be observed...

Altering, disabling, or removing any built-in safety feature in any firearm that later becomes involved in an accidental shooting...or even a deliberate one, which results in an injury or death...can become a serious liability. This..even if the discharge wouldn't have been prevented by the safety being operative, and even though the original, outwardly identical design didn't have the same device in place.

I have 4 Series 80 Colts that have had the Series 80 system bypassed/disabled. These are range beaters only, and I rarely allow anyone else to use them...and only when I'm on the scene.

Now in possession of the rest of the story, you can make an informed decision.

[lanceriley]

a series 80 without the series 80 safety... sounds like a series 70 ?

[1911Tuner]

a series 80 without the series 80 safety... sounds like a series 70 ?

Nope. Although the function is the same, Series 70 is a specific design that has nothing at all to do with firing pin blocking devices, or the lack thereof.

Technically...and legally...it's still a Series 80 pistol, but the function is identical to pre-Series 80s and Series 70s in regard to the fire control group.

[tenx]

The term Series 70 applies only to Colt and refers to the collet barrel bushing and slightly modified Series 70 barrel with the bell at the front to mate with the collet bushing.

The Series 80 parts will add a bit to trigger pull, but that should hardly be noticeable. If you feel any grittiness in the pull, polishing the parts with 1500 grit sandpaper takes care of that. Also, see 1911Tuner's write up on the poor man trigger job.

[kcshooter]

As Tuner said, you're setting yourself up with a liability here. There's absolutely no need to remove these parts. They have no detriment to the function of the gun. And the myths about bad triggers on the 80 sereies are just that-myths.

[Sniper350]

Just remember, when you alter a dangerous weapon you are responsible for any mishaps that might occur with that gun.

True story unfolding here now……….. a teenaged boy was showing off a revolver to his girl friend in HIS house ……….when he had a ND and shot his girl friend in the chest.
The gun was in a locked room ……… and unloaded …….but this teenager found a way to get the gun – load & unload it, to play with it secretly.

NO criminal charges were filed against anyone ………… but the parents of the boy are being Sued big time. My friend [ firearms expert ] is being asked to testify for the defense and try and counter claims that the parents were irresponsible. The plaintiffs have an ATF agent that will testify on their behalf.

Guess what the major issue will be ……… the “Operation” of the weapon at the time of discharge. Was it working per manufacturers specs ? Can you imagine what might have happened to the parents if it was learned that “Safeties “ had been removed from the gun ?? They might have been looking at Steel Bars instead of a huge reduction in their savings accounts. I will keep you posted on what the jury will decide the damages [ if any ] should be.

On a side note: you can buy a Ti coated safety control group [ series 80 ] that is suppose to reduce friction with these parts. The cost is $40………… I have bought the parts and they look to be high quality………will have to test their claims to know if they were worth the money.

JF.

[mbuzha]

Thanks for the info everybody. Will definitely take this under advisement. This will likely be a range only gun as well but the point is well taken: if I can't tell a huge difference between with and without series 80 safety I guess I'll just leave it in. I need to do some more reading on the subject, I'm honestly not very clear on how they work.