I want to swap the 1911 thumb safety from my Wiley Clapp LW Commander to my Colt Series 80 1991. It passes the safety tests on the 1991, including the click test. When overrotating the hammer (a Harrison retro spur hammer) past full cock, it turns smoothly until it kisses the GS tang.
Now here's the odd part, with the thumb safety on, the hammer is locked, it won't move back. Using external pins on the frame, the hammer can overrotate past full cock and there is clearance with the body of the sear. Assembled without the GS, I see that the cam from the thumb safety rotates and locks the sear, but it also rotates into the hammer cutout and blocks it.
I thought the thumb safety had to cam in place to lock the sear from rotating even a small amount (the click test) and that was what locked the hammer. This one seems to also physically block the hammer by engaging the hammer cutout.
My other 1911s can rotate the hammer slightly past full cock with the thumb safety on and they pass the thumb safety tests. So what confuses me is this, if the other hammer/sear/safety combos can rotate slightly past full cock, does it means that the safety allows the sear to have some wiggle room so the hammer flat past the hooks can overrotate it a little? My Gold Cup Trophy has an EGW safety and the WC LW Commander has a Harrison, and the sear engagements are solid but they do not engage the hammer cutout to block it like the 1911 mil pattern safety from the WC Commander. Maybe the hammer flats do not push on the sear much when rotating it a small amount.
I think my firearms are ok and they just operate differently because of the different pattern parts and this is just a newbie observation, but I'd like to hear if anybody have any comments or cautions I should be on the lookout for. Thanks.
Now here's the odd part, with the thumb safety on, the hammer is locked, it won't move back. Using external pins on the frame, the hammer can overrotate past full cock and there is clearance with the body of the sear. Assembled without the GS, I see that the cam from the thumb safety rotates and locks the sear, but it also rotates into the hammer cutout and blocks it.
I thought the thumb safety had to cam in place to lock the sear from rotating even a small amount (the click test) and that was what locked the hammer. This one seems to also physically block the hammer by engaging the hammer cutout.
My other 1911s can rotate the hammer slightly past full cock with the thumb safety on and they pass the thumb safety tests. So what confuses me is this, if the other hammer/sear/safety combos can rotate slightly past full cock, does it means that the safety allows the sear to have some wiggle room so the hammer flat past the hooks can overrotate it a little? My Gold Cup Trophy has an EGW safety and the WC LW Commander has a Harrison, and the sear engagements are solid but they do not engage the hammer cutout to block it like the 1911 mil pattern safety from the WC Commander. Maybe the hammer flats do not push on the sear much when rotating it a small amount.
I think my firearms are ok and they just operate differently because of the different pattern parts and this is just a newbie observation, but I'd like to hear if anybody have any comments or cautions I should be on the lookout for. Thanks.