1911Tuner
Moderator Emeritus
Drop the magazine and clear the pistol...
Series 80 Colt pistols have a passive firing pin block that will enable the pistol to fire only if the trigger is pulled. There are 4 parts in this system. 2 in the frame, and two in the slide. The parts in the frame will not hamper disassembly in any way, while the two in the slide require that certain steps be taken in the proper order to remove the firing pin and extractor.
Frame disassembly is accomplished exactly the same way as a Series 70.
Reassembly is a bit more tedious. Before removal of the parts in the frame, take a minute to study them. One is held in place by the hammer pin, and will only go in one way. The other is buried a little deeper, and is held in place by the sear/disconnector pin. It will go in upside down, and will not allow the pistol to function. You will find it in the right side of the frame, beside the sear.
Disasemble the frame parts, and look carefully at the lower one...It looks a little like a boomerang with a hole. One end is shorter than the other. For reference sake, I call it The Bird's Head...because that's what it looks like to me. This one will be the tedious part of reasembly. The other one is a cakewalk.
The proper orientation for the bird's head is with the long leg pointing downward, the short leg pointing rearward at an angle. The bird's "eye" goes toward the front of the pistol. The long leg bears against the trigger stirrup.
To reassemble this part, it will be necessary to get the sear/disconnector pin through the sear, disconnector and the "bird's eye". The best way to do it is with a slave pin...enter the M-16 firing pin again.
Install the trigger bar lever...the bird's head..first, and slip the end of the firing pin through it. Push it against the inside of the frame, and slip the pin out far enough to keep it in place, but not far enough to let the lever fall. With the sear and disconnector properly oriented...(you did have them together...right?) carefully slip the sear/disconnector sub-assembly into place. Align them by nudging the trigger to the rear and moving the disconnector paddle until the firing pin will slide through all three parts. Turn the frame upright and test by shaking it. If nothing falls out, roll the frame back onto the side...left side up...and use the sear pin to chase the slave pin out. Re-test. If nothing falls out, you're done.
TIP:
A dab of Lubriplate grease on the right side of the trigger bar lever will stick it to the frame and help to keep it in place while installing the sear and disconnector.
Reinstalling the upper part...or the plunger lever, is a matter of laying it in the slot with the point facing forward, installing the hammer, and pushing the hammer pin home. When you are through, pull the trigger to make sure that the upper lever cams upward with light finger pressure on top of it. You will feel it try to lift if all is well. if it doesn't, remove it and try again.
Series 80 Colt pistols have a passive firing pin block that will enable the pistol to fire only if the trigger is pulled. There are 4 parts in this system. 2 in the frame, and two in the slide. The parts in the frame will not hamper disassembly in any way, while the two in the slide require that certain steps be taken in the proper order to remove the firing pin and extractor.
Frame disassembly is accomplished exactly the same way as a Series 70.
Reassembly is a bit more tedious. Before removal of the parts in the frame, take a minute to study them. One is held in place by the hammer pin, and will only go in one way. The other is buried a little deeper, and is held in place by the sear/disconnector pin. It will go in upside down, and will not allow the pistol to function. You will find it in the right side of the frame, beside the sear.
Disasemble the frame parts, and look carefully at the lower one...It looks a little like a boomerang with a hole. One end is shorter than the other. For reference sake, I call it The Bird's Head...because that's what it looks like to me. This one will be the tedious part of reasembly. The other one is a cakewalk.
The proper orientation for the bird's head is with the long leg pointing downward, the short leg pointing rearward at an angle. The bird's "eye" goes toward the front of the pistol. The long leg bears against the trigger stirrup.
To reassemble this part, it will be necessary to get the sear/disconnector pin through the sear, disconnector and the "bird's eye". The best way to do it is with a slave pin...enter the M-16 firing pin again.
Install the trigger bar lever...the bird's head..first, and slip the end of the firing pin through it. Push it against the inside of the frame, and slip the pin out far enough to keep it in place, but not far enough to let the lever fall. With the sear and disconnector properly oriented...(you did have them together...right?) carefully slip the sear/disconnector sub-assembly into place. Align them by nudging the trigger to the rear and moving the disconnector paddle until the firing pin will slide through all three parts. Turn the frame upright and test by shaking it. If nothing falls out, roll the frame back onto the side...left side up...and use the sear pin to chase the slave pin out. Re-test. If nothing falls out, you're done.
TIP:
A dab of Lubriplate grease on the right side of the trigger bar lever will stick it to the frame and help to keep it in place while installing the sear and disconnector.
Reinstalling the upper part...or the plunger lever, is a matter of laying it in the slot with the point facing forward, installing the hammer, and pushing the hammer pin home. When you are through, pull the trigger to make sure that the upper lever cams upward with light finger pressure on top of it. You will feel it try to lift if all is well. if it doesn't, remove it and try again.