1911 Skool: Troubleshoot it

J

John Travis

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Subject: Bone stock 5-inch Norinco Model of the 1911A1

Problem: Pull trigger, hammer refuses to budge. Yank on the trigger a few times, and hammer falls to half cock. No bangs and no joy.

Clue: Whether the hammer moved or not, a distinctive "click" was heard and felt in the trigger.


The cure was quick, simple, and easy. No parts were replaced.

ReadySetGo!
 
almost like the disconnect was in backwards... but I don't think that's possible. Must be the sear spring needed tweaking.

These little tests of yours make me feel like all that time at your kitchen table was wasted!
 
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Going out on a limb, trigger overtravel screw was set too tight.
 
I been playing around with this. Trying to reproduce it and I think someone put it together wrong with the center leg of the sear spring under the disconnector.
 
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MacEntyre said:
almost like the disconnect was in backwards... but I don't think that's possible. Must be the sear spring needed tweaking.

These little tests of yours make me feel like all that time at your kitchen table was wasted!
Click to expand...

I think I'd have to spend a few days at his kitchen table, just to retain everything.
 
John Travis said:
Subject: Bone stock 5-inch Norinco Model of the 1911A1

Problem: Pull trigger, hammer refuses to budge. Yank on the trigger a few times, and hammer falls to half cock. No bangs and no joy.

Clue: Whether the hammer moved or not, a distinctive "click" was heard and felt in the trigger.


The cure was quick, simple, and easy. No parts were replaced.

ReadySetGo!
Click to expand...

Here is my WAG. The sear spring has slipped off the disconnector. It is now resting on the trigger. When you pull the trigger the click you hear is the trigger pushing on the sear spring. The gun won't fire because the disconnector isn't moving. When you yank the trigger hard enough the spring is moving enough to engage the disconnector partially releasing the sear but not enough to get past the half cock.
 
Does a Norinco have two slits into which the spring can be fit? If so, was the spring fitted into the wrong slit?
 
Is the back of the trigger bow deformed so it is not making good contact because it has been deformed by the misaligned sear spring?
 
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I was able to make the click by partially pushing down on the disconnector while I pressed the trigger, so I'm sure the clue is to tell us the disconnector is slipping off the sear. The only other idea I can come up with that's also an easy fix is a very badly adjusted sear spring center-leg. I'm not willing to futz around with my pistols to make that happen tho.
 
Catfish said:
I'm not willing to futz around with my pistols to make that happen tho.
Click to expand...
You're all over it...but you can't futz around and make this happen with the parts that are in your gun.
Catfish said:
the disconnector is slipping off the sear.
Click to expand...
Your diagnosis is correct. Only the "why" is missing.

Told ya this was an odd one.

The center leg of the sear spring was too long, and making contact with the 46 degree reset angle of the disconnect too high...which resulted in force forward, but not enough force upward to keep it in the connected position. When the trigger was applied, it would literally squirt the disconnect out from between the trigger and sear. Occasionally, it would maintain position just long enough for the sear to escape the hammer hooks before disconnecting, and the sear would reset and grab the half cock notch. Most of the time, the hammer just wouldn't fall.

The cure was to remove a little of the spring's length on a grinder until it was contacting at the right place. I offered to install a new spring, but he wanted to keep the gun original for some obscure reason. Anyway, it worked.

It's the little things that getcha.
 
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