Fitting 1911 Parts

[45 Carry]

I had the slide lock break on a Kimber Pro Carry II. When the replacement arrived the paper with it stated that fitting may be required and to have a qualified gunsmith perform the operation. It fit right in and all of the safewties work correctly. By the way the slide lock from a Norinco also worked without any modification, as did the Kimber thumb safeties in the Norinco. Is this a coincidence? What about other parts like a trigger, sear, disconnector, grip safety. Do they really need to be fitted or is the fitting by a gunsmith just to make everything super smooth? On the Norinco if I change the grip safety do I really have to radius the frame and pean the extension that touches the sear? What is the real story?

 

[kimbernut]

Kimber drop in

In my very limited experience the slide locks seem to interchange quite readily along with sears and disconnectors but I've had to work to fit thumb safety,grip safety, and triggers.Some were minor,some major fitting jobs.The grip safety that you choose will determine if the frame must be radiused.There are some beaver-tail safeties out there that do not require a radius of the frame. The Wilson that I used has taken quite a bit of alteration but I attribute most of that to the Essex frame I'm building on.
Every case is different. Be prepared to do some fitting or have it done. Particularly to get the trigger you want.

 

[stans]

Generally speaking, the slide stop is a drop in component. About the only thing that might need adjustment is the tab that engages the magazine follower. Sometimes these are a little long and engage the side of the bullet as the rounds move up in the mag.

 

[1911Tuner]

Parts Swapping Caveat

"Drop-in" swapping with the hammer, sear, and disconnect is an iffy proposition. Might work...Might not. While the parts will usually drop
in and work, they may not be working correctly. The problems can range from function/reliability issues all the way to being downright dangerous.
It's best to have a full understanding of the relationship of these three parts before rushing in where angels fear to tread. At the very least,
some basic checks should be run before firing the gun.

After a sear change, check the thumb safety function. Rack the slide briskly
to cock the hammer with the trigger pulled. If the hammer stays at full cock, repeat with finger off-trigger, and engage the safety. Pull the
trigger slowly with steadily increasing pressure up to about double
the amount needed to cause the hammer to fall. Take note of any
feeling of sear movement. Release the trigger and hold the pistol to
your ear, and pull the hammer back past full cock. If you hear even the
slightest click, the thumb safety isn't blocking the sear's movement. Repeat the test. When the click is heard, thumb the safety off and pull the trigger slowly until the hammer falls. If the trigger pull is noticeably "hairy". don't load the gun until the thumb safety function is corrected.

If the hammer doesn't stay at full-cock during the test with the trigger pulled, the disconnect isn't disconnecting, but rather is staying in contact
with the sear during the cycle. If conditions are just right, it can result in a
slam-fire double, triple, or even full-auto, which can be very exciting but
not conducive to good relations with the ROs and spectators.

Proceed to live-fire. Load one round in the magazine and release the slide
while holding onto the gun firmly with both hands. Fire the round, taking note of any change in trigger pull from the dry test. If the trigger is noticeably lighter, stop. If not, proceed to load two rounds and repeat...
three rounds and repeat, etc, until a full magazine has been fired to slidelock.

Load a fresh magazine and slam it home. Pull the trigger slowly. If the
trigger is lighter...stop. If the trigger pull gets lighter during a string...stop.
Don't load or fire the pistol again until it's corrected.

Be safe!

Tuner