Best resource for 1911 trigger

[crabo]

Anyone have a suggestion for the best resource for learning to do a 1911 trigger job correctly?

Thanks,

Crabo

[MtGun44]

If you can get a copy of "Hallock's .45 Auto Handbook" he covers the
topic quite well. However, I think he just sold them locally in the
KS, MO, OK region and I bought mine about 25 years ago. Ken is a
really wonderful guy, but he has been having health problems and
I wonder how long he will still be making it to the gun shows.
Try to contact Mihan Company in Oklahoma City, they may be listed
in the phone book, or maybe Ken Hallock is listed.

I learned from his book and have a simple jig bought from Brownell's
to get the sear top angle correct. Cutting the hammer hooks true
and square is also key, but can be done by hand with very careful
work and proper stones.

The biggest difficulty the avg person will have is getting the correct
stones. You need a pretty fine stone with extremely good square
corners and also an extremely fine finishing stone. I got some really
good quality ceramic stones made by Spyderco a number of years
ago, but have collected various stones over the years from a number
of sources, just buying what I found.

There is absolutely no reason that a careful person with excellent close
vision, working with a 10X magnifier, proper stones and a sear jig
can't get a good trigger job. OTOH, if you aren't really skilled with your
hands at fine detail work and have 'old eyes' syndrome like most of us
and can't see well up close, you'll probably be better paying for a good
job. I have the 'old eyes' but am nearsighted so with my glasses off,
I see very well up close, and I use 10X magnifiers, too. You absolutely
can't do it if you can't see it EXTREMELY well.

If you can't find a copy, or another book, I can give you the basics.
Getting the stones will be the hardest part, and you REALLY need the
sear jig for a truly flat top on the sear at the correct angle. Some
sear jigs are over $100, plus need a gun-type specific adaptor.
Rounded off sear tops and uneven and unsquare hammer hooks will
lead to an unsafe trigger.

Oh - and trial pins that go in the frame and let you look at the engagement
between hammer and sear on the outside with the same exact hole
spacing of the particular frame are great learning tools. I rarely use mine
anymore, but learned a LOT from them when I was learning to do it.

Good luck. :-D

Bill

[fourarmed]

I haven't seen Ken in a long time. He used to show up at Topeka gun shows pretty regularly, and I sent him a couple of 1911s to stipple. His book doesn't go into the detail you get with the "Shop Manuals", but it is enough if you are careful and think about what you are doing.

The last time I saw him, he was having a wonderful time reciting the sobriquet about George Washington "First in war, first in peace, first in the hearts of his countrymen." Then he had a new one about the then president: "First in graft, first in sleaze, first in the hearts of the red Chinese."

[GSM]

I think Gil Hebard (catalog sales only - no internet) carries Hollocks book.

[KCSO]

First look at the price of jigs and stones from Brownell's and then decide if you want to spend that much and how many triggers are you going to do. When I was young i could do one without a jig, but now days I find that I can do a better job with the jig. You DO need good stones and they aren't cheap, don't buy harware store cheapies get the good ones. I was lucky enough to learn from one of the best in persone and have my work examined till I could do the job right. One of the best solutions is to buy the parts pre preped from Cylinder and Slide and they you will know it is right and it will last forever. If you still want to do it yourself i think C and S has a video also.