The 1911 Trigger Action

Sometimes we have to restate the obvious. Performing a trigger job, trigger smoothing or any action work should be undertaken only by individuals who are competent and confident. While there are disagreements among these professionals as to exact procedure, nobody feels that work on the 1911 trigger action should be undertaken by inexperienced individuals. I have further opinions on the pistol and on action work.

I do not believe that older pistols such as the GI pistol area prime candidate for a good trigger action. The reason so many were presented to gunsmiths for trigger jobs is that the pistols often had a heavy trigger compression of eight pounds or more as issued. Others actually have rough spots in the parts. When World War Two GI pistols were put together, rapid manufacture was as important as anything. The pistols had to have interchangeable parts and they had to be reliable.

While they certainly are reliable handguns, the triggers were often too heavy and difficult to use well. Commercial variants were seldom superior. The same is true of many of the modern Philippine-produced 1911 pistols and a number of the commercial GI types. While the occasional good trigger action is encountered among GI pistols and inexpensive 1911s, I have seen a few as heavy as eight pounds. Getting them to five pounds, clean, should be about the limit without replacing action parts.

Attempting to produce a clean, sharp 1911 trigger action below five pounds requires first-class aftermarket parts. Overworking original parts may result in insufficient engagement. In addition, the steel in Llama and Star pistols — and a couple of American "parts guns" I have examined – is often so poor they need to be left alone. Any good quality 1911 may be improved, to a point, There is no question and no subjective guessing when you have a scale on hand.

You do not have to start with a bare frame but in some cases stripping the frame and adding quality parts is the way to go. but the level of improvement desired may demand boutique parts. To simply smooth a trigger action to an extent we may take other steps. As an example the interface of the sear and the hammer may be carefully polished and lubricated with a quality lubricant such as Tetra Lube. The hammer hooks and the sear are the true base of a smooth trigger action.

The trigger is simply the lever that trips the action. Smoothing these parts is a simple enough modification but one that may be misused and abused. When polishing the hammer contact surfaces we must never take so much off of the hammer that the hammer will slip on the sear. I have had this happen after performing a trigger job on an Argentine 1911, the well known Modelo 1927. This pistol seems well made of good material but weighs an ounce or so more than the Colt 1911A1

These are more or less standard parts, the trigger is along version. This is a true custom supplier, with good close tolerances evident. due to being constructed of denser metal. I had a terrible time getting a good trigger action as the metal was harder than the Colt. I attempted to keep the original angles while polishing, but the hammer followed. I was forced to replace the internals with Ed Brown parts.

The smoothness that we find as an improved function of trigger compression is most evident after takeoff and before the hammer falls. The sear can be stoned but a .020" engagement in the hammer hooks must be maintained. This is easy to check using a feeler gauge. At the same time, the hammer hooks must be checked to be certain they are perfectly square. When performing this type of work I get better results setting the stone in the vise rather than the part.

Of course, with some aftermarket parts stoning and polishing might not be necessary. As an example, parts from Dave Berryhill I’ve purchased came properly cut for engagement and did not require additional smoothing. We must be aware of problems that may occur. Firing upon dropping the slide or doubling is rare but can happen. Thankfully, those trigger action problems will more likely find the hammer following to half cock long When bending the leaf spring you may affect trigger action adversely.

The function of this spring must be completely understood before detail stripping the handgun. before the more severe problem of firing twice with one press of the trigger (doubling) is found. We should have enough sense not to keep using the pistol and wait for the inevitable. I am not saying a finely tuned 1911 won’t possibly drop the hammer to half cock if the slide is dropped on an empty chamber — which is abuse — but the hammer should never follow when loading the chamber from a

Everything looks just fine. The bow should move smoothly in its tunnel. full magazine. Take care in polishing the sear and hammer as this is where the problems begin. Carefully study the hammer hook and sear and how they fit together. When polishing the goal is to produce a smoother surface while always maintaining the original angles. And it is not all in the hammer and sear. The sear spring is another part that bears close study.

The sear spring places resistance on the trigger bar and on the bottom or foot of the sear. I have checked many factory sear springs to become familiar with what a proper sear spring feels like. The spring is sometimes adjusted by bending to reduce pressure on the trigger. This expedient does reduce trigger resistance but the resistance of the spring against the sear is also reduced in turn. Usually in gunsmithing there is an opposite and equal reaction to everything we do, good or bad.

I do not wish to reduce sear spring tension and find that the sear does not engage the hammer hook when the piece cycles. If bending the sear spring is undertaken then the bend should be very slight. It is important that the mainspring is matched to the action springs. This is a Wilson Combat Bureaucrat. The main function of the mainspring is to transfer energy to the hammer. While some old hands are adept at modifying the spring, I prefer to switch and change springs in order to produce a smoother let off.

I have used the Clark spring in a custom pistol on several occasions with good results. The force needed to crack the primer or "pop the cap" is the deciding factor. Some primers are harder than others.

It is far different from other 1911s, but most 1911 pistols are pretty much the same. Foreign primers are less reliable and a dirty pistol with a dirty chamber may allow the cartridge to be compressed by the firing pin’s forward motion, im peding the firing pin from its chore of cracking the primer. This may result in a too-soft primer strike if the mainspring is a light version. There is a reason for the heaviness of the mainspring and the original spec is usually capable of cracking just about any primer.

The mainspring also helps in keeping the pistol locked upon firing. Using a light mainspring can create cycle issues in which the slide blows open too quickly, creating an unreliable and inaccurate handgun. Keep particularly alert when working with a lighter mainspring in the 10mm or a pistol intended for +P .45s. When examining factory 1911 mainsprings the majority of mainsprings will run to 23 pounds. I sometimes use an 18-pound replacement spring for a lighter press.

When properly applied to a handgun with the proper recoil spring and a good trigger action this will still allow good ignition reliability. Lets look at the trigger itself, especially the bow. Light material, such as aluminum, is desirable. A lighter part is less likely to rebound. The bow must move freely in the trigger channel. I always check all magazines to be certain they are compatible as some are thicker than others.

The Metalform magazine is high quality, and will lock and perform in pistols that have problems with other types of magazines. Some GI magazines are thicker than modern stainless or aluminum magazines. There is always the possibility of burrs on the trigger bow. The best procedure is to check the bow closely and stone away burrs. I do this as a matter of course when I have the trigger in hand. This type of work does not lighten the trigger action but results in a more consistent action.

Details Having addressed the major pieces, lets dig into the details. As mentioned before, minimal modifications should be done to the sear spring but it should be checked. The spring arm that runs to the rear controls the grip safety, while the middle spring bears on the disconnect and the far spring keeps the sear against the hammer. If the grip safety is springing back slowly you may bend the spring arm toward the grip safety but this is seldom needed.

Bending the sear spring just slightly away from the sear may make for a lighter action but you must bend, reassemble and check. I stone the disconnect to be certain that it rides correctly and smoothly. Always check the disconnect by pushing on it to make certain it pops up as designed. Practically every good 1911 now comes with an adjustable trigger from the factory, although this is a misno mer as the trigger is set at the factory.

When installing a true adjustable trigger you will set the trigger to break with as little movement as possible. The trigger screw bears against the magazine release and the set screw is adjusted ¼ turn at a time. Get it right, make it tight, and check the action. Then Loctite it in place. I hope this report gives you information and a perspective on a job we absolutely must get right. AG