S&W 1911 Takedown help

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marcodo

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I recently picked up a new to me S&W 1911 dk 5". The gun seems great but the trigger pull is measureing a little over 6 lbs which seems kind of heavy. The grip safety also seems a little loose.

Although I tend to be "All Thumbs" I have really enjoyed tinkering with some of my other guns. I would like to detail strip it and see if I can make some minor adjustments that might make the trigger liveable...sand off any burrs, adjust the springs etc. This is my first 1911 and I saw somewhere there is an extra step in pulling this gun apart and putting it back together...?grip safety issue???. I checked by phone with the gunsmith at gander who said it would be $50 and up for him to do it.

I know the spring issue has been discussed in detail but what are my springs now and what do you suggest changing them to. How hard is to do this and does this really make a difference?

Does anyone have any advice...is it really that hard? How about some detailed instructions??? even pic would help alot. I guess I am asking about the S&W specifically. Perhaps the best advice is "Step away from the gun" and let the smith do it. I bought a detailed guide from Gander on stripping a Colt 1911...I am afraid I'll get it apart and never get it back together again.
 
I replaced all the guts in my S&W 1911 with Ed Brown barstock stuff.
Major improvement.
The fire pin safety disconnect lever is a half moon piece on the right side.
It doesn't pose any real problems with reassembly.

If you are going to replace the grip safety you need a Series 80 version with a 220 degree tang radius.

I also replaced the safety lever with an Ed Brown version and the Slide stop with a Wilson Combat version since this part seems to work best with Wilson 47D magazines.
 
check youtube for videos of guys stripping there 1911's. several are quite good. having the right tools is keys to push pins and what not. take your time and also realize it is HIGHLY LIKELY you will scratch or gouge the pistol in some way.

good luck.
 
also realize it is HIGHLY LIKELY you will scratch or gouge the pistol in some way.
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That's not right!
There is nothing on a 1911 that requires any real force to take apart & put back together. (With the exception of the dovetail sight's)

If you use enough force to scratch or gouge the gun, you are doing something very wrong!

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rcmodel
 
M1911.org has a good step by step on their site. I detail strip all of my 1911's periodicly and I can tell you that nothing should be all that hard to remove/inststall. The only exeptions can be the grip screw bushings, ejector and plunger tube since they are staked in place.

Really, the whole gun can be disassembled using no tools except for the tip of a spitzer bullet is needed to remove the firing pin.

I've been using Wolff Springs for years and I've been happy with them. As far as 'sanding' internal parts... I don't reccomned that. You can stone the engagement surfaces; there are a few poeple who make matched sear/hammer sets and I'd consider one of those.
 
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Really, the whole gun can be disassembled using no tools except for the tip of a spitzer bullet is needed to remove the firing pin.
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Here all these years, I thought that's what the hammer strut was used for.
That, and pulling out the ejector.

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rcmodel
 
I am not unskilled at taking down firearms, but to suggest that a first timer won't scratch the gun is a tad naive. Even my floppy, jangly springfield mil-spec is tight enough to warrant force when removing the safety and assembilig the slide stop ESPECIALLY the FIRST time. And no matter how much time you spend unscrewing the grips screws, screwdrivers do slip.

I was stating that one should be prepared to scratch the gun, and if you're worried about keeping your gun scratch free forever and ever, don't disassemble it.
 
Thanks Guys...Very Helpful
I did get it apart and litely buffed the surface of the internals with 400 grit paper to work off any burrs. It took some time to get it back properly but its working now. I really don't think it made much of a change to the pull however. I ordered a Trapper Springs kit...not sure what was included in this but for $11 I'll try it. Any experience with this? Did I read somewhere that lowereing the main spring down to lower weight helps trigger pull as well?
 
Did I read somewhere that lowereing the main spring down to lower weight helps trigger pull as well?
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Yes, it will lower the trigger weight slightly.

But it will also slow the lock-time, or the time it takes for the hammer to fall and hit the firing pin.

This gives you more time to move the gun between the trigger break and the round going off.

It may also cause light primer strikes that can cause ignition variation and reduced accuracy.
Or worse yet, in extreme cases, mis-fires.

The two main things that affect trigger weight on a 1911 are hammer/sear angles, and strength of the flat spring. It push's against the sear/ disconnecter & trigger, and adds "whatever force it adds" to the mechanical (sear/hammer notch setting) trigger pull weight.

However, unless you know exactly what you are doing, and have sear / hammer jigs, do not attempt to change the sear or hammer hook angles, or start bending on the sear spring.

Those adjusts can become a safety issue very quickly!

You might try burnishing the sear / hammer by pushing hard on the cocked hammer and pulling the trigger several times. That will burnish the engagement surfaces without any danger of changing anything drastically.

You might also try some GunSlick grease on the hammer & sear surfaces. That is usually good for close to a half-pound reduction.

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rcmodel
 
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