Vertical Movement in a Trigger. How much?

[VaughnT]

I fit an Infinity 2-piece trigger in my Colt 1991 and I absolutely love the look. The problem I'm having is deciding how much vertical play there should be between the trigger and the frame.

I just got her back from a local smith who fired 6 rounds through her to prove it fired. I witnessed it.

Today, I was dry-firing her when, all of a sudden, it was like the trigger locked up. You could feel grit as you pushed the trigger back and she refused to reset. It would stay in the full-rear position unless you pulled it forward.

Not including any sanding grit, I would surmise that the dirt from firing six rounds was enough to jam the trigger due to too little clearance between the trigger and frame.

The old trigger that I replace with the I2p had an incredible amount of slop and would literally clang around inside the frame as you walked. If you shook the gun, the trigger looked like the banger in a bell...and sounded like it too.

Should I sand/file the top and bottom of the trigger to allow for more slop? Is there a standard that I should be aiming for? Should I get out my Kuhnhausen books and stop bothering you folks?

 

[George Stringer]

Since this was "all of a sudden" I don't believe it has anything to do with the fit of the trigger body. It sounds to me more like the bow bent. Is it possible that you may have pulled the trigger with the grip safety not engaged? I don't know how sturdy the Infinity is but I've seen that problem several times with Dlask triggers. George

 

[VaughnT]

George, you're brilliant! I did do a function test on all of the safeties, including pulling hard on the trigger with the GS not depressed. There were even slight scratches on the trigger bow sides, indicating that it was rubbing on the frame.

I'm heading to the range in an hour and will run two-hundred rounds through her for evaluation. I might have to take the trigger down another thousandth but I'll wait to see how bad she gums up.

Thanks for the insight, Mr. Stringer.