Mainspring housing replacement

[1911WB]

Tuner- it's been a long time since I replaced a mainspring housing. Please walk me thru it. As I recall, I don't have to take the entire frame apart, do I?While it's off wouldn't I also be able to replace the sear spring, again without taking anything else apart? Thanks, WB

 

[stans]

I'm not Tuner, but I can tell you that although it may be possible to change the sear spring by just removing the mainspring housing, it is much easier if you also remove the thumb safety and grip safety.

Removing the mainspring housing: Make sure the pistol is completely unloaded, magazine out. You don't have to remove the slide, but it will make the process tons easier. With the hammer at rest, drift out the pin at the bottom rear edge of the frame, the mainspring housing will then slide out, releasing pressure on the sear spring.

 

[1911Tuner]

MSH

Howdy WB,

If all ya wanna do is swap the housing, you can wrap a rubber band around the grip safety to keep it depressed, lower the hammer, knock the pin out, and slide the housing out. Slide the new one in, and be careful
to line up the strut. Knock the pin back in. Done! Now...if the sear spring moves, you'll need to remove the thumb and grip safeties to get it back in place.

If you want to replace the sear spring, the thumb safety and grip safeties have to come out.

Cock the hammer. Remove the thumb safety by pushing it up and using your thumb to push the end of the pin on the right side of the frame. It
should pop out. Watch the plunger assembly! If the spring doesn't have a kink in it...it'll leave fast.

Lower the hammer and knock the MSH pin out. Slide the housing out and lift the grip safety out. Lift the sear spring out. When you put it back together, make sure the sear spring legs are on top of the sear and disconnect.

Slip the MSH part-way in to capture it. Lay the grip safety in place...center
the hammer strut up in the slot in the grip safety, and in the mainspring cap. Slide the MSH home, and install the pin. Install the thumb safety. Make sure the pin goes through the hole in the grip safety. Thumb safety snaps in place when it's pushed in and up. You'll have to depress the
plunger into the tube to get the thumb safety in place.

Ba-da boom ba-da BING! Done! Be aware that, due to differences between the two housings and the amount of sear spring pre-load, that your trigger pull can change...Lighter or heavier.

Luck!

Tuner

 

[1911WB]

Mainspring housing: good news/bad news

Wrestling with the mainspring housing on my new GI Springer produced both good & bad news. The good was I got rid of the stupid ILS system; i.e., I kept the stock housing, but replaced the insides with regular parts & retainer pin. But when I got the thing back together the sear spring seems to have twisted & now the hammer won't fall. I think I'm going to turn the mess over to a gunsmith, since there is some other work I want done anyway that I don't feel competant to do myself. I knew there was a reason that I stay away from working on the "lower" end of 1911's (except for polishing the feed ramp)!

 

[1911Tuner]

Twisted Spring

WB said:

But when I got the thing back together the sear spring seems to have twisted & now the hammer won't fall.

Sounds like the middle leg isn't on the disconnector...Disconnector
can't reset and become a connector...hammer won't fall.

Dr.Tuner's Rx:

Take it apart(grip safety and all) and try again. The middle leg has to be sitting on top of the angled part of the disconnect, and the left leg has to be on top of the sear leg. Nothing else will quite do.

Standin' by...

Tuner