Drop in 1911 Trigger Parts

[Cree]

I was only getting one of the two hooks of a brand new, $70 hammer to engage a freshly cut 1911 sear. Knowing that the sear was done well, I knew I had to correct the hammer on the mill. Full disclosure, I was being a bit lazy and was hoping to get lucky. I have only had ONE hammer work right off the bat and not need corrected to some extent. The first picture shows you how the two hooks are begging to be cut at different rates.

It took a few passes taking .0002 to .0004 off at a time to get both hooks clean and cut to 90-degrees.

After the hammer hooks were corrected, I began to get even hook engagement on the sear.

 

[churchmouse]

I had a hammer from a mid level after market supplier do near the same.
I check every single part for engagement.

Nice work as always.

 

[Cree]

Thank you Churchmouse! You are up early!

 

[churchmouse]

Thank you Churchmouse! You are up early!

Yup. Had to stoke up the wood burner and re-sleep escapes me.

 

[NHT3]

Couple of things I'm curious about. Who made the part and is there issues of cutting through the hardness on the hooks or is this part heat treated all the way through rather that having a surface hardness on it..
Just trying to expand my knowledge base. thanks

[FONT=&amp]NRA Life Member,[/FONT] Pistol instructor[FONT=&amp] / RSO[/FONT]

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“Ego is the reason many men do not shoot competition. They don't want to suck in public”

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[Robert Richardson]

I think " drop in " is a very funny term for gun parts, especially when we are talking about a 1911.

 

[throttletony]

nice work, I find this interesting and I'm stoked to learn more about 1911 fire control group (how all the engagements/angles work)

 

[churchmouse]

I think " drop in " is a very funny term for gun parts, especially when we are talking about a 1911.

It is funny at least to those that deal with these pieces. The masses always want it all for as little as possible. I get that. But in a firearm it is a dice roll (especially in a 1911) that your "Drop" in is going to actually "drop" right in and run well/safely. And as OP showed.....he checks the fit up. This is the key to a crystal break on a trigger.
With so many different manuf. making their version of a 1911 the spec is all over the board. Glock and many many others are the only ones making Glocks etc. so spec is a bit tighter.
Yes it is more expensive to own/modify/build a 1911. But if done properly by a confident and qualified individual you have a jeweled piece of machinery. Nothing out there beats this. Nothing. JMHO of course.

 

[Cree]

Churchmouse hit the nail on the head!

As far as the hardness goes, the piece is through hardened, not just the surface like a case hardening. Quite a few of the better aftermarket parts will have a hardness mark where they have tested it after machining. Having said that, the parts machine with retaliative ease and can still be filed if needed.

 

[churchmouse]

I just found another ignition control set that suffered exactly the same thing.

 

[Steel and wood]

I have followed your work Cree, I should have never started following these threads. You do so great work never knew how much goes into these builds. But now I am having a hard time not getting my RO worked on.

 

[churchmouse]

I have followed your work Cree, I should have never started following these threads. You do so great work never knew how much goes into these builds. But now I am having a hard time not getting my RO worked on.

Do it man. There is so much you can do to that model.
Not trying to jack the thread I am just throwing this out there for ideas......This started out life as a new in the box RO. Not much of the original RO left but you get my drift.

 

[Steel and wood]

After reading Cree threads and watching what you guys can do to a 1911 is more than I can take. Will have to look into it after the holidays. Always have loved the 1911 platform. And your RO is so pretty I bet it shoots like a laser

 

[Cree]

Churchmouse, that RO is awesome!

 

[turbodan]

Nice work! I bought a Sig 1911 Stainless years ago and had a problem with it that caused some damage to my car in the garage. After 300- 350 rds, the hammer and sear mushroomed over. Hardness tested the parts at work and found they were in the 34-38 RhC range. Bought a drop-in Cylinder and Slide hammer and sear which I tested before installing. They were in the 60's. Couple thousand rounds later, it performs flawlessly. Under microscope, both sides appear to be rubbing evenly. I forever will not take a new gun for gospel anymore.