How do you remove trigger pretravel in a 1911?

[Fumbler]

I've got a Rock Island Armory 1911 Tactical.
I absolutely love this gun. Works perfectly and has 95% of the fit & finish of a Springfield at 60% of the price.

I love tinkering with my guns and I've stoned the hammer hooks and sear engagement surface and have a pretty nice trigger pull.
However, the trigger still has about 0.045" of pretravel before it contacts the disconnector.
How much pretravel is typical in a "nice" 1911?

How do you remove the pretravel from a trigger that does not have adjustable tabs?

I plan on getting a different trigger group down the road, but money is tight. I'd like to make what I have now a little nicer.

Could you put a little hump of JB Weld on the front of the bow and file it down to fit?

I'll put in a set screw later for overtravel.

 

[Old Fuff]

Pretravel (sometimes called "slack") is there for a reason. If you remove it, and in particular do so after cutting the hooks down for that "better trigger pull," you may end up with a pistol that double fires or worse. The much safer solution is to take up the slack with your trigger finger, and then start in on the pull itself. This is a matter of training and practice, not a dab of JB weld.

 

[saltydog452]

What Old Fuff said.

Years ago, my Center Fire pistol had a thin piece of a feeler gauge silver soldered to the horizontal back of the trigger assembly.

There was zero free travel take up and a three pound trigger pull.

Worked great for Slow Fire, but in the sustained fire matches, I'd, on occasion, let one round loose early before the target turned to face the competitor.

In addition to the embarrassment, it also cost me ten points.

It did not take me long to replace that trigger assembly.

As Old Fuff mentioned, it probabally isn't a good idea, even on a dedicated Competition Pistol.

salty.

 

[ocharry]

you may try another trigger,,some of the manufacturers make the bow just a tad longer,,,i just replaced the original trigger in my commander with a Greider Precision med. length,,,and it has only about 1/3 of the pretravel it once had

but like old fuff said you need to have some pretravel,,,that way everything can reset,,,,make it to tight and you are gona have problems

my .02 YMMV

ocharry

 

[rcmodel]

Also, you have to have a certain amount of pre-travel to allow the Grip Safety to block the trigger bow while it is well out of contact with the disconnecter/sear.

If there is no pre-travel, or very minimum pre-travel, the gun would be dangerous for this reason alone, as well as the others already mentioned.


rcmodel

 

[MASTEROFMALICE]

There was zero free travel take up and a three pound trigger pull.

Worked great for Slow Fire, but in the sustained fire matches, I'd, on occasion, let one round loose early before the target turned to face the competitor.

In addition to the embarrassment, it also cost me ten points.

Saltydog makes a really good point. In competition it's potentially embarrassment and points.

In self-defence it's potentially a multi-million dollar lawsuit and years in prison, or even a dead innocent.

 

[Fumbler]

This is a range only gun.

I know some pretravel is necessary, but this seems excessive compared to other 1911s I've shot.

Can anyone tell me what a common amount of pretravel is?

Also, you have to have a certain amount of pre-travel to allow the Grip Safety to block the trigger bow while it is well out of contact with the disconnecter/sear.

The grip safety will still work fine if I took out 75% of the pretravel.

 

[Misfire99]

I don't know what the common pretravel is commonly. But I would like to suggest something to you for the time you replace your trigger group. I put in a pivoting trigger in my 1911 38 super race gun. I made a mistake that turned out to be advantages. When I fit the trigger I inadvertently put some side to side play in it. This was unintended but what it did was prevent a poor trigger pull to not move the gun. So if I put some sideways action when I pull the trigger it doesn't change the sight picture. In the heat of the moment I sometimes make mistakes, don't we all, but having some side to side play in the trigger actually helps. Try it you'll like it. The pivoting trigger also adds mechanical advantage to the pull.

 

[Fumbler]

I found my answer.
1911Tuner posted this on another forum:

The pre-travel in your pistol sounds a little excessive, but not too bad.
You don't want zero pre-travel. Most smiths set it at a minimum of .040
inch. I like a little more for a pure gamer or target pistol, and a tenth of an inch doesn't bother me at all on a carry gun. .060-.075 inch is good,
but I could live with an eighth with a little familiarization and practice.

The last 1911 I shot was my friend's S&W. He worked on the trigger and shoots the gun in IPSC. It had very little pretravel, so mine feels real long.
I was curious how mine compared to other triggers.