How to tune a series 80 trigger?

[cochise]

I was at the range with some friends shooting my 1911 with a series 80 trigger disconnect. Boy, what a difference. I don't like it at all. It has way too much creep and a heavy let off. My friends said the same thing after shooting it. It was 100% on feeding and I want to use it more but I hate the trigger. I know about lightly stoning the sear and hammer, adjusting the sear spring tension, but I understand that disconnect is the problem. Any suggestions where to find information on how to lighten the trigger pull on a Colt series 80?
Thanks in advance for the help.

[dfariswheel]

The Series 80 safety is not a "disconnect", it's firing pin lock.

When the trigger is pulled, a lever rises up out of the frame and pushes upward on the firing pin lock plunger in the slide.
In truth this system has very little to do with bad trigger pulls. In the early days of the 80 Series many people assumed it would cause bad trigger pulls. After a number of custom gunsmiths looked it over, they decided that it would have virtually no discernible effect on the trigger.

In blind tests, the vast majority of shooters can't tell which of a batch of guns had the Series 80 system and which did not.
I suspect you simply have a 1911 that needs to have some tuning to the trigger system to improve the pull.

If that simply isn't what you want, the Series 80 system can be removed.
To do so, you have to buy a spacer to replace the two levers in the frame, and totally remove the firing pin lock plunger and spring from the slide. That will leave a hole in the bottom of the slide.
You can buy the spacer from Brownell's.

1911 AUTO FRAME SLOT BLANK - Brownells

From my experience, once the Series 80 system is removed you'll likely be able to tell no appreciable difference since the problem is a poorly adjusted trigger system, not the lock.
One way to tell for sure is to use a trigger gauge to gauge the trigger pull before and after removal.

In short, your problem isn't the lock system, it's a poorly adjusted trigger system. A "trigger job" by a good 1911 gunsmith can give you a great trigger WITH the Series 80 still in place.

[cochise]

Thank you for the info and the detail explanation. I guess stoning the hammer and sear is the first step. :-)

[a454me]

You can improve the trigger feel on series 80 Colts by tuning the sear spring and using a reduced power hammer/mainspring .I ordered the filler to replace the series 80 levers but the real improvement came when I replaced the sear spring and mainspring .

[cochise]

I think there are a couple of issues I need to address. One is the travel of the trigger (creep). And the other is the gritty feel of the hammer and sear. I see Brownels has a 19 lb and a 23lb main spring for the hammer on the 1911. Any suggestions on which one to buy?

I have allot of reading and studying to do. :-)

[haggis]

In no particular order...

• 23 pounds was the original mainspring weight. Many companies today use lighter springs. I think that 19 pounds is about the lightest that will reliably light off anything. Keep in mind that the mainspring is one of the factors controlling slide velocity. You may have to adjust recoil spring weight upward if the slide opens too fast.
• Before you "lightly stone anything", examine the sear-hammer hooks interface to be sure it is square. There are a number of ways to do this, but the easiest is to get (from Brownells) a set of pins which allow you to mount the hammer and sear on the outside of the (stripped) frame. Use a 10X eye loupe to examine the interface. If it's not square, use a squaring file (again from Brownells) to square it.
• Now examine the interface surfaces. These don't have to be glass-smooth, just moderately smooth. Stone them by hand if you're comfortable - get a Powers jig assembly (again from Brownells, these guys should pay me a commission) if you're not. Check squareness often.
• Now you need to decide on the height of the hammer hooks - 0.020"-0.022" for a competition gun, 0.025"-0.030" for a self defense gun. Then relieve the sear to get about 0.015" flat on that surface. And did I say that these need to be square and in full contact across the interface?
• Now adjust the sear-disconnector spring to get about 3.5-4 pounds trigger pull on a competition gun or 4-5 pounds on a defense gun.
• You can get a replacement trigger that limits back and forth motion. The back motion limit involves a set screw. Once you get that where you want it, fix it in place with blue loctite. Make sure that the trigger slides smoothly inside its frame channel.

BTW, I've got a Combat Commander with 0.035" hammer hooks that is glass-smooth at 5 pounds pull. You don't need a competition trigger on most guns.

This is just a short summary. Consult those manuals of yours for more exact details. I hope this helps.

Buck

[dfariswheel]

The key to a good trigger pull is to not try for a Match quality super light pull as done by a top 1911 pistolsmith.
Almost invariably, this results in an unsafe and/or defective trigger that fails to stay cocked and follows the slide, or has an even worse trigger than what you started with. That means buying new parts and having to fit and adjust them just to get back to where you were when you started.

Unless you have a real Match Target gun, go for a good combat gun trigger which will be heavier and not as refined as a true Match gun.
Part of doing a good trigger job is understanding what you're going to use the gun for and resisting the urge to "gild the lily".

[cochise]

Yes I agree I do not want a target match trigger. I have a Series 70 Gold Cup and an Les Baer I used for NRA bulls eye competiton. I want to get rid of the over travel and that slow gritty let off on my officers model. I saw this jig at Brownells site.

COLT 1911 SEAR PIN - Brownells

I will buy that, a new beaver tail grip safety, and the spring for the hammer strut and maybe a new sere. Not much money at all. I plan to take my time, hell i'm 63 and don't work so there is no rush. :-)

Thanks for the comments, and suggestions from everyone!

[dfariswheel]

You're on the right track. Read your Kuhnhausen.

[broknaxl]

Are any of these drop in kits that Brownells or Midway sell any good? They usually have the hammer, sear and springs.