Colt Mustang .380 Hammer Drops

[William Roth]

Hi,

I recently inherited a Colt Mustang .380. When I fire it, the hammer does not stay back (cock) after firing a round. It cycles the ammo flawlessly, but the hammer follows the slide back down after each round is fired and the next round is chambered. To fire the next shot I have to cock the hammer manually. A friend said it is probably the ammo, but I have tried 5 different premium brands and it does the same with all. My thinking is that if it was the ammo and the slide was not going back far enough that the ammo would not be feeding flawlessly ever time.

After a breakdown I found that both holes in the nylon trigger were broken out. I assumed that this was likely causing the problem, so I replaced the trigger with a C&S aluminum trigger. This was a needed repair but did not solve the problem.

I have little experience with gun repairs, but I am pretty good at mechanical stuff. My thinking is that he most likely culprit is the sear, but I do not know how to tell for sure.

If anyone has any experience with this issue, and knows what the most likely problem is, I would appreciate some advise before ordering and replacing the sear.

Thanks,

William

 

[D Rock]

Take a look at your hammer and sear.

You are looking for the hooks on the hammer to be intact, if they look worn that can be a problem. Also take a look at the sear for wear. I would imagine the trouble is an engagement problem. Trouble is, if you don't have experience with this you won't know what to look for.

I don't have any pictures, but do a search for "1911 hammer following slide" and you can probably find some solutions and hopefully some pictures to compare your parts to.

Dave

 

[William Roth]

Thanks,

After reading more here and looking at the parts diagram the problem is that the disconnect is actually missing! There is nothing in the groove to push down on trigger arm.

I cannot find one anywhere online. If anyone knows where I might find one, I would certainly appreciate it.

If I can't find one, I will have to try and make one somehow.

Thanks,

William

 

[rcmodel]

Might try here:
http://www.jackfirstgun.com/order.php

rc

 

[Jim K]

Those disconnectors are not especially hard or made of any special material. They are simply a small strip of steel with the edges cut at an angle to fit into the dovetail cut in the frame. If you are at all handy with tools, you can make one in a few minutes from any suitable piece of steel.

Jim