[Matchlock]

Hi aris;

While I understand what you're saying, messing with the sear and/or the hammer hooks on a 1911 by anyone other than a professional is begging for trouble.

Quite often a 1911 "trigger job" includes work on the thumb safety because it is in fact a major concern in this area. For example, a poorly fitted 1911 thumb safety has often resulted in an unintentional discharge because the user has applied pressure to the trigger after the safety has been applied. Then, when the user disengages the safety, the gun fires. Obviously a very dangerous situation.

In these cases where the thumb safety is on, and pressure has been applied to the trigger, a sudden jolt could dislodge a improperly fitted thumb safety, and fire the gun.

I can't count the number of times that a 1911 has been brought to me with client wanting an ambidextrous thumb safety installed, and for no other "real" reason than the client has messed up the original safety with his trusty Dremel tool. I should send Dremel a thank you note because that tool alone has probably made me more money than any other tool in a 1911 owners possession.

After forty years as an armorer I've seen all sorts of excuses for trigger jobs, as well as the results of some of them. The worst case was when a young man I knew had "adjusted" the sear/hammer hook engagement surfaces to make his Colt Gov. Model 1911 trigger a little smoother, resulted in a .40 Cal bullet under the chin. After more than twelve surgery's, that bullet is still behind his left sinus.

Contrary to popular belief, a new gun owner does not a gunsmith make.

Bud
ps
I apologize for going a little off track, and in my own thread no less.

............. SNIPPED FOR LENGTH .....................
I’m not sure I understand how a “trigger job”, however poorly executed, could cause the discharge of a M1911 automatic carried in a safe manner.

 

[vytautus]

They didn't have health insurance in those days. In the 1800's you lived until you died and most people didnt think that much about safety. The modern facination with the value of human life; your own or others didn't apply. I just read a compilation of news stories from 1889. Compared to what happened on a daily basis. I bet many people then would have rather died in an accidental shooting.

 

[Mattmatt61720]

That's because the gun wasn't legal and had not passed the communist test act like in MA and Calli. That is the main reason why they are not sold in those states any longer. People are always dropping them and they are going off all the time.

No it’s not

 

[BobWright]

No matter what is said or written, I will continue to load with an empty chamber under the hammer on my Colt type Single Actions. And most of the time even load only five in my New Model Rugers. This because cartridge boxes are arranged in rows of five rounds. I do carry six in my daily carry Blackhawk.

Call me an old fuddy-duddy, but I'm very careful when using my guns, no matter what persuasion. I'm not obsessive, but do maintain a safe handling attitude. Maybe that's how I got to be over 80 years old with no bullet holes in my hide. And, in over sixty five years of gun handling, never had a negligent discharge.

Bob Wright

 

[GRI]

Zombie thread…the information that started this thread was wrong and came from Wikipedia, of course. The incident happened with Bill Hickok in a saloon with one of his Colt Navies. To add to this, by the end of 1875 very few commercial Colt SAA’s had been sold and they continued to be scarce on the market.

 

[GRI]

 

[Cozmo]

I just have to add Anyone that thinks it is easy to hit your Colt strapped on your side with a dropped stirrup aint saddled a horse much. Saddle cantle making a Colt fire? That I want to see.

Elmer Keith told of a misbehaving stirrup firing a Colt. Tall, inattentive men, short horses.

Patton and the 1911 story? May be, but way more likely a finger in a trigger on a cocked, unlocked 1911 when re-holstering that all the other details that has been written. "It was the gun's fault!"

Cap and ball gun going off by being dropped? Not likely with the hammer sitting in between the caps.

 

[GRI]

As to whether Hickok kept his pistol with the hammer between the pins I do not know, but I have read an actual newspaper account of the incident at the time.