trigger job

[lorren68]

I am thinking about having a trigger job done on my SA GI can someone give me a recomendation of parts manufacturers I use my gun for CCW and IPSC/IDPA comp so I dont want to go too light maybe 3.5 to 4.5 lb

[Joni Lynn]

Cylinder and slide is one that offers sear, hammer sets.

[Bud White]

nolin and egw also offer drop in kits ... ed brown and wilson parts are good but those have to be fitted

[wichaka]

If you change from the spur hammer to a Commander style, you'll either have to modify the stock grip safety or go to a Beavertail.

[mitchjoe]

lorren68:

What's the trigger pull sitting at now?

mitchjoe

[TheProf-TX]

I've benn contemplatingthe same thing on my SA Black Stainless. The pull is close to 5 lbs. I use it for target only. I'm wondering of a matched set from C&S will get pretty close to "drop-in". I don't mind a little tool work and I have repaired several revolvers and pistols as well as some buffing and polishing.

[wichaka]

TheProf-TX, does your SA have the ILS in it?

If it does, it has a 28lb main spring. Drop that to a 25lb or 23lb and that should help you out. If its a carry gun, try to keep up around 4 1/2lbs.

[lorren68]

I am unsure of the actual poundage but it feels like 5-6 lb. The trigger seems prety smooth and breaks clean with minimal travel. I am considering a gunsmith job as I am new to working on guns and this is such a critical area in regards to SAFETY and function

[wichaka]

I agree with that, you won't be sorry...........

[Gammon]

This is an area where if you have to ask, you probably aren't ready for the job. I have been competing for many years and only started to do my own work when I got tired of chasing down a gunsmith for an emergency fix; there is never one around when you need one. By the time I began to do my own triggers , I had years of experience to draw upon, and I still will only do a trigger job on a match gun, carry guns go back to the factory or to a local gunsmith.
PS I have never seen a drop in trigger job that worked. They all require polishing and adjusting. I just bought a complete set from Brownells; Cylinder and Slide hammer, sear, and disconnector for about $100. This was strange because I didn't think I had ordered a "drop in" kit, but that is what the package said. I dropped it in and the function was so poor (the disconnector would hang up when resetting) that I returned the whole "kit". There was no way I was going to start adjusting (removing metal) on such expensive parts. I went back to my old stand by, Chip McComick hammer and sear for about $40. With a little polishing and adjusting, this combo will give you a 3 to 4lb trigger.

[John]

Let me add my 2 Eurocents here.

Contrary to Gammon's experience, I had good luck with drop-in parts in the past. My .45 and 9mm pistols are examples by which other 1911s are judged here, remember that I live in a country where the gunsmiths are counted with the fingers of one's hand. The .45's trigger was obtained purely with drop-in parts, but it was so long ago, that I do not remember whose parts they were.

In the past, having a matched sear/hammer set was not as problematic as it is today. When I got my Colt, there were maybe two or three other companies offering the 1911, so the parts manufacturers had an easy job. Today, with over 30 companies in this business, it's no longer easy to come up with a matched set of parts, which will fit any 1911 pistol and give guaranteed results.

Even if we assume for a moment that such a set exists, by just installing it in your pistol, you are facing some additional worries. For example, a couple of days ago, I installed a new hammer in my 9mm pistol. The hammer has been matched to a sear by Wichaka, and the trigger pull was really very nice. However, the pistol's safety didn't collaborated. It didn't allow the sear to move back enough for the hammer to clear the half-cock notch as it should and you could feel the edge of the sear scratching the hammer badly. Tried another safety, which didn't have that problem, but was not exactly to my liking. Tried another sear (the one which was already in the pistol before this transplant) which however had another problem, with the original safety. The safety allowed the hammer to move, so as soon as you disengaged the safety, the hammer falls in half-cock.

Finally, a Wilson sear I had in stock was used, and this one worked perfectly with the new hammer and the old safety. And yes, it gave a very nice trigger pull too.

So you see, it's not just the trigger pull you are altering by changing the hammer or the sear. A whole can of worms is opened, which need attention, if you start messing in that area. So be prepared to do some more work, than just dropping in the parts.

As I said elsewhere, I am no gunsmith and I do not pretend to be one (even though some times I do so, and I always feel sorry after I do, more guns are destroyed by the home-gunsmith than any other cause). But I have some experience with the 1911, and I am trying to share it with you.

Rgds

[Gammon]

Like I said, most drop in kits don't work. In my experience NO drop in kits have ever worked without adjustment. If I had a hammer and sear that worked well together and the safety didn't cooperate, I would adjust or replace the safety.

[John]

Reasonable. The question is what you want to do with the whole thing, or to put it differently what you have access to. I would fix the safety too, but I didn't want to mess with it, since it works OK with the parts already in the gun (hammer/sear). Until I can get my hands on a new safety, which will be fitted to the new hammer/sear combination, I didn't want to alter parts. Remember, I can't just pick up the phone and call Brownells and have the parts delivered to my door in a day or so.

rgds

[Gammon]

Sorry, I forgot. I guess I'm spoiled by access to Brownells, etc.

[sonnysolo]

I did an action job on my gun.It came with a 7# pull from the factory.I bought a Nowlin Pro Match sear.I then honed the hammer hooks down to .020,Then honed them to a true 90 degree angle. I then put the secondary angle on the sear and added a 18# mainspring.Polished everything up and achieved a very crisp 4.5# pull. Thumb safety works perfect. I have fired my gun about 800 times with no malfuntions,still 4.5# pull.This is not a simple job.You have to have good tools and understand what you are doing with them.If you want to do it yourself,then get Jerry Kuhnhausen's 2 books on the 45.

[Gammon]

Great to hear your trigger job was a success. When I do a job like that I prefer to install a new hammer and sear from the same MFR, a matched set.

[sonnysolo]

I will do that in the future.I just wanted to try it on stock hammer.If I would have had a problem,I would have bought a matched set like you prefer.