Trigger job and other items

[frag316]

Greetings!

I'm relatively new to the site, been coming to m1911.org for awhile, just not the forums!

I currently own a Para Warthog, STI Trojan, and a Brazilian license copy. I'm in the (slow) process of turning my Brazilian into a .460 Rowland. I have an STI slide for it, as well as the Clark barrel set. Problem #1 for this post is that the hammer drops during a function check with the slide out of battery. I believe this is normally a disconnector problem, right? What other parts may I have to replace to get it up to snuff?

Problem #2--Took my STI out to the range and capped a squib load. Luckily, I realized it. After I got the bullet out of the barrel, I put the pistol back together, but the slide went back onto the frame really hard. It took a lot of effort to pull the slide back and get the slide stop back in. Any ideas on what may have happened? I put a couple of magazines thru the pistol after, and it fires fine.

Problem #3--I chose my STI after deliberating between it and a S&W 1911 DK with the flat trigger. I love the STI, but still want the trigger of the DK. I met Ernie Langdon (great guy!) at the Modern Marine Expo and he suggested that I get an EGW trigger for it. Well, I got the trigger, but it's not the same style. I'd have to do a LOT of grinding to get it to where the DK trigger is. I called S&W, but they don't have a part number for the trigger, and suggested I get in touch with Koenig's website. I did that, but haven't heard back yet. Any ideas on where I can get a trigger like that?

Thanks!

Frag

[stans]

First, welcome aboard!

Problem number one; could be the disconnector, but also likely is a worn hammer and sear. .460 Rowland is a pretty powerful round, if your Brazilian copy of a 1911 is a Springfield Armory, Inc. pistol, then you should be fine. If it is an old ex-military pistol, likely produced well before the 1970's, then the metallurgy may not be up to today's standards and the frame may not survive the pounding for very long.

Problem number two; you might have gotten some debris in the slide or frame rails, the barrel link might not have been at a forward angle, any number of things really and it's hard to tell without seeing the pistol.

Problem number three; sorry, I'm not going to be of any help here.

[Unclenick]

Frag316,

#1. If this is a disconnector test, the slide has to be back just far enough that the disconnector notch in the slide is fully behind the disconnector, or the disconnector won't be fully depressed. Pull the slide back until the center (bottom of the inverted "V") of the thumb safety notch in the slide is aligned with the back edge of the frame. That should do it. If the hammer still drops when you press the trigger you have: A short disconnector, a sear with long feet, an overly long disconnector notch in slide, or an out-of-spec slide/frame fit that lets the slide ride too high.

If you are referring to a test where the hammer follows the slide as the slide slams into battery, then it depends on whether the trigger was being held to the rear when the slide was released? If yes, then either the disconnector is faulty or the trigger engagement is too light or improperly configured. If no, then you are seeing slide inertia slam the gun forward while trigger inertia tries to keep the trigger still, resulting in it bumping into the disconnector foot, which transmits the blow to the sear and drops the hammer. This latter condition is also a trigger job problem. If you haven't had hammer hooks shortened or the sear engagement angle changed, then it is probably due to incorrect tensioning of the fingers on the flat spring under the mainspring housing and grip safety.

If it is performing incorrectly out of the box, send it for factory service. They will usually fix a safety problem without charge. If it isn't as out of the box, the factory will still likely render it safe, but your "tuned" parts will disappear and be replaced with factory parts; which may be a good thing since a doubling or tripling 1911 isn't exactly controllable.

Nick