grip safety sticking

[marlin60]

Ok, upgrading my Norc has been great, EXCEPT, my grip safety sometimes will not release.

I put in an aftermarket flared/extended magwell, and an aftermarket sear spring (and some honing/lapping etc.).

But now, regularly my grip safety will stay 'in/forward' between rounds and not allow me to fire. Happens with mutiple types/brand/size mags, and without any mag inserted at all.

At the range when this happened I tapped the base of the mag, as I thought it was a seating issue, and the gun would fire.

Closer inspection at home shows the grip safety failing to reset about 1/3 of the time. If put just a little pressue on either side of the safety, the trigger will go forward about 1/8" and the safety will spring 'out'.

If I tap the base of the mag with a relaxed (or no grip.. just holding the grip in a few fingers) it will also release the grip safety (as at the range).

The grip safety was loose/rattley from the factory.. that's why I put in the aftermarket sear spring. The safety doesn't rattle now.

Any ideas before I pull it apart again?

[niemi24s]

. . .my grip safety will stay 'in/forward' between rounds and not allow me to fire.All the grip safety does on a 1911 is block the aftward movement of the trigger when it's NOT in/forward. This must mean your grip safety has not been fitted to the trigger stirrup, allowing it to pass aftward underneath its "nose".

Put the gun together with the thumb safety inserted from the right side and look in the now-uncovered hole to see how the grip safety functions. I suspect the bottom horizontal surface of the nose needs material removed to prevent blocking the trigger when the grip safety's in/forward.

Because there's too much material there, the trigger's probably getting stuck underneath the nose and won't go forward when released. When this occurs, the grip safety won't pop back out/rearward.

Peek in the funny-shaped hole and all will be revealed to you! :)

Regards

[Knight Armory]

Sounds about right to me.

[toolman]

One other thing to check while you are in there, make sure you have plenty of spring tension being applied to the grip safety by the right hand leg of the sear spring, as well as plenty of spring tension being applied to the disconnector/trigger bow by the center leg of the sear spring. Insuffieient spring tension by one of these two legs of the sear spring could cause problems.

[log man]

Niemi is right take a look. One thing I have noticed on guns that I get to work on for others and it's always an adventure to see what others or previous owners have done, is the area of the arm that actually does the blocking.

When this area is reduced by filing at the bottom of the arm to reduce the amount of GS depression required to disengage I have noticed two things that cause problems.

1. The arm is filed at an angle, it's been reduced more at the tip instead of parallel, once the trigger is released the back of the trigger bow then drags against the underside of the arm and can cause the trigger to stick back.

2. The arm has been filed so it's larger at he tip and if the GS is released before the trigger is, it will hook the back of the trigger and hold it.

So take a look at what's happening. Assemble ONLY, the trigger, mag release, the GS, the sear spring and the MSH in the bare frame and you can now better see the interaction of the GS and trigger.

LOG

[marlin60]

Thanks all.
I didn't hone/file the grip safety, but I did put in a new trigger (and cleaned up the travel).

I've looked at some grip safeties online to get a sense of how they look, and are cut.

Good advice on what not/how to file. I'll see what a visual brings.. I expect the interference is slight, but will need a little cleaning.

[niemi24s]

I've looked at some grip safeties online to get a sense of how they look, and are cut.Better yet, we have a US Army blueprint of the thing in our Tech Issues section via the link "M1911 Full Blueprints ....".

[niemi24s]

The area highlighted in orange is the one to check for interference with the back of the trigger bow (stirrup): http://i129.photobucket.com/albums/p232/niemi24s/Clipboard01GripSafetyNosea.jpg