1911 questions. not necessarily related to cast bullets

[Strtspdlx]

ive been looking at 1911's for awhile and researching them to get an idea of what id like to do. so far its either buy a production piece which I'm not fond of. or buy pieces and fit together my own creation. I'm more fond of building my own. I know well enough I could do it I'm just curious to see if anyone has done it and if they would again. I'm thinking id primarily use it for when I get into competition shooting more as a hobby. I cant see myself being good enough to be a professional. I'm not sure what options are on the market for hand built pieces but I'm researching and trying to make educated decisions. also id like to try and build a fairly nice piece for around $1500 give or take. I know I can buy one for less then $900 but itll never have the tolerances I want nor will it be something I put time and pride into fitting myself. any thoughts please express them as I'm heavily considering building my own. unless someone has a good argument as to why I shouldn't.

[PaulG67]

http://www.brownells.com/

Call these guys and get a catalog.

[floydboy]

Building can mean many different things. If you have a machine shop you can get really deep into it and that is way beyond my skill level. For a really tight fit competition gun some start with 80% finished frames and do the rest of the machining themselves. This doesn't sound like what your wanting to do. Sounds like this is your first attempt. There are several frames out there that can be built on. There are only a few that are really good and won't give you a lot of headaches. An internet search can educate you on which are the best. I have never used one. I have bought a few GI models that I have tuned and added the bells and whistles to. I have never ruined a pistol and find it a very enjoyable winter hobby. You will learn a lot just polishing and tuning one.

The only one I can say I "built" was really just assembling one from parts. I bought a brand new Rock Island frame in a box of parts at an estate sale. I already had most of the internals laying around. I stole a Springfield slide and barrel set off ebay and "fitted" the slide/barrel assy to the frame. Getting a barrel/slide assy that has been fitted together will usually save you the problem of timing them to work in harmony. This can be a very frustrating job that I wanted to avoid. Added the bells and whistles and have a very nice model 1911. It shoots great, looks great and I am very satisfied with my job. I have less than $400 in the gun. Couldn't do it that cheap without stumbling onto cheap/free parts.

I have no machining experience. I do own both sets of Jerry knuhusen's books on the 1911. I could have never done the job with them and would dare say not many inexperienced people could do a good/safe job without them either.

Will I do it again? If I get close to a complete gun in parts built back up sure I will. Otherwise probably not. You can not buy parts and build a gun and get your money back. In my opinion it is definitely worth the time and money for and enjoyable hobby to do once. It is very satisfying to make one work. I would never discourage someone from attempting it.

As far as tools I would recommend the previously mentioned manuals to lead you through the process. I have a good set of small files and some punches. These can be bought at Home depot or Lowes. Some good stones for polishing internal parts. I bought a nice Powers jig for reworking the trigger but cheaper ones will probably work as good. Brownells used to have a tutorial for doing trigger jobs that was very good.

Good luck.

Floyd

[reddog81]

Floyd did a good job of explaining some of the basics. Like him I would recommended getting a hold of the Kuhnhausen manuals.

I have done very limited modifying of a couple of 1911's and have considered building my own. You can find pre-fit slide/ barrel / frame kits in the $600 range. I'm not sure this is the route you want to go since most of the fitting would already be done, but it's what I would consider with my limited amount of experience.

Have you done much shooting of 1911's or ever disassembled one? If you've never disassembled one before you might be better off starting with a something in the $600 to $800 range and getting familiar with the platform first. You can buy a new Colt or other name brand model for surprisingly cheap and sell it if you later decide to build your own.

[Char-Gar]

I am never against anybody taking their hand a building a gun of any kind for I have done it plenty of times. When you get through, you will find you don't have anything better than a Ruger 1911 you could have bought for $700.00.

If the pride of doing it yourself is worth the extra $800.00 then have at it. But realize what you are paying for the pride of doing it yourself. I have spent that much or more to have the pride of building it myself, but these days my pride is not worth that much.

[Kraschenbirn]

1911s...I've bought 'match grade' off the shelf, had a couple 'built' by recognized 'smiths, and put together a couple myself and, performance-wise, there hasn't been significant difference among the lot. Yeah, going out for informal practice/plinking, I'll probably grab the 'parts' gun (Essex frame/Colt slide/BarSto barrel) I built 20-some years ago just because, like an old pair of boots, I'm comfortable with it. On the other hand, if were to allocate myself $1500 to spend on another 1911, I'd undoubtedly go straight to Kimber or SA 'cause, out of the box, either will equal (or better) my original Series 70 Colts for finish and function. Just my nickel's worth.

Bill

[Ithaca Gunner]

I've built six so far and probably couldn't have done as good a job if I didn't have a good fully functional factory gun as a model/reference. Save the build for later and get a good factory or semi custom built gun first. A lot of measuring-handwork-measuring...goes into a build and it's good to have something to go on. Tooling alone can be more than a nice factory gun so plan on building more than one. To ease the frustration of a first build I suggest a mated frame and slide from Caspian.

[Tnfalconer]

I gotta say that there are some great "off the shelf" customs out there these days but I think your price range is really low. A full custom these days (made with actual steel and not MIM parts) is going to run in the 2300-3000.00 range. That is for what I consider a competitive gun in competition. I have built hundreds of custom 1911's for competition, myself and customers and while it will always be cheaper for you to do things yourself, the learning curve is steep. There are some complex, precise machining processes involved to get things to where they need to be. It isn't something I would advice for someone to tackle as a first project looking for a super outcome. Now I have said that to say this. If you take your time and start with a good platform (I will take heat for this) buy a Colt frame and hopefully a slide. The reason being that Colts maintain their value and people will pay more for a nice modified colt should you decide to sell at some point. I know that isn't the goal but things change and you may look to part with it at some point. They are plentiful and fairly inexpensive to buy at gun shows and gun shops. Unless it has a lot of work, strip it down and keep the slide and frame. The rest you can toss or sell on ebay. All the accuracy a 1911 will ever have starts with the barrel. For me that means Schumann Ultimatch. I am not aware of a better shooting barrel. Select and fit the barrel first. Next you'll want to get into the recommended books above and spend your time on slide to frame fit. I can go on and on but this is a good start for you.

[charlie b]

+10

I started with a Colt frame and Colt Gold Cup slide (cause I got it cheap). I was not going to do competition so a Barsto barrel was good enough for mine so my total cost in parts was less than $1000.

Fitting is an art with these things. Read up a LOT on what the key parts are in accuracy vs reliability. Trigger is another area that is really easy to screw up. Again, since mine was not a competition gun a stock lock set from Wilson was good enough out of the box, 3.5lb trigger pull with a nice, crisp let off.


Was it worth it and would I do it again? If I wanted a target gun, then yes. If just a fun gun, then no. Wife's Light Commander does really well with off the shelf stuff in it. Kimber, S&W, RI all do a great job on guns and you can pick the type based on your shooting style.

[Der Gebirgsjager]

Several ways to look at this: If you really want to build a 1911 you can. It's a lot of fun, very educational, and you'll have a certain sense of "I did it myself" pride. Building a G.I. level or somewhat better 1911 is fairly easy and straight forward. Another view--what you are proposing is to build something that is, or almost is, a competition grade gun using the best prefinished parts available, and a budget of $1,500 certainly isn't miserly. Since you stated that you don't think you could be a professional (not certain here if you meant professional pistol builder or professional in competition) I have to caution that taking all of the top notch components and assembling them into a much better than average pistol takes some gunsmithing knowledge and practice. The "how to do it" manuals and videos are o.k., but there's nothing like having done it, especially with some human instruction to oversee and check your first few jobs. There are so many manufacturers of 1911 parts, and amazingly most of them are close to being fully interchangeable "drop-ins", but the 2% that aren't can be very frustrating and fitting them is where the experience comes in. You'll probably find yourself needing to buy some specialized tools to assist in your build such as a slide stop/safety plunger tube staking tool, etc. So, if you've got the time, money, desire, and stick-to-it-tiviness to see the job through, and the willingness to learn by making a mistake or two I'd say, "go for it". If you think that it might be just a bit beyond your ability then I'd join with the rest of my colleagues and suggest buying a high grade new or used pistol My choice would be a Colt Gold Cup pre-Series 80.

[Strtspdlx]

you could say I meant I'm not expecting to be a profession shooter or gunsmith in either aspect. Ive been involved with machine and process' of that sort for the past 10 years. not on an everyday basis but ive worked in machine shops and ive helped build some pretty powerful motors along with making some precision parts including hand fitting but I don't believe its the same as fitting a gun. could I do it. given enough time I can do anything and that's just how I am. ill figure it out or ill break it and fix it until its figured out. I don't expect to have the best parts on the market in the gun. I just would like to have the experience of hand fitting and seeing exactly what its all about. granted I do not have anyone to keep an eye on what I'm doing so I very well may be better off buying an off the shelf firearm and tinkering with it as time allows. thanks for the honest words. this is what I was looking for.

[Greg S]

As some folks have said here, there are two schools of thought. Either way, build from the ground on a quality factory gun. The money you put into a 1911 is probably lost because your name isn't Yost, Rodgers, Rogers, ect... If you start with a Norco, in the end it is just a Norco with some Lipstick. Some say you need a full machine shop which, I believe is helpful if your constantly tinkering with them and making sight cuts, flat top and serrating slides ect. You can build a quality custom the way you want it on the kitchen table with some outside help for specific machining opertion

Recommendation 1: Get a quality gun (Colt Government or a Springfield MILSPEC). Shoot the gun while reading Kuhnhausen's books. Shoot others 1911s and figure out what mods you want. For any serious work that you can't do at home, find a competant 1911 smiff that can go the mods you want or contact the Springfield Custom shop. In this senerio, you have a working model to go back to to see parts interactions as a reffrence. Two notes. Not all aftermarket parts are good and most aftermarket parts are made oversized for hand fitting based on the tolerance stack of your frame and slide. This isn't a G-lock or an AR. There is a certain sense of personal accomplishment after completing a nice high cut and checkered front strap yourself with nothing more than time and a couple of files.

The second option is to order a frame and slide from Caspian how you want it. They have many options to tickle your fancy and levels of fitment of the frame and slide. Again, go with a government size. They are easier to get running if you have some problems and are more reliable.

Right now, I'm still on builds 7 and 8 going on 2 years. At this point, I'm getting ready to send them out for some milling work because I've moved twice since starting them and I lost my easy access to a milling machine. They just need a flat top, serrations and sight cuts and they will be ready for parkerizing in about a week. Once those are done, I've got another Governmnet, then a Commander and something a bit differnt, an FN Hi-Power for some sights and trigger work.

There is a steep learning curve and if you rush through it the journey can be expensive. If you really love the platform there are a few build classes available but again, $$$$ but they will put you ahead of your peers by years in the knowledge gained. This is what I did. It was spendy, granted. Although it was simular to water boarding, there was a ton of information dumped on us in a matter of six days (picture drinking water from a fire hose for 5 of those days). It was probably the best vacation I ever had and shared with a great group of folks who were also gun enthusiasts.

As far as semi-customs and customs, there are alot of "1911 Smiffs" out there. As with anything, do your due dilligence because there is a reason why some have long que times and others don't.

[ole 5 hole group]

Before you start this project go back and re-read post #5 by Char-Gar, he's giving you good advice.

For $1500.00 or a little more you probably can purchase a nice, well made semi-custom 1911 such as a Baer, due to the fact there's always individuals out there that think it's the pistol that shoots those small target groups and not the combination of man plus pistol with decent ammunition. Once they realize that a Les Baer 1911 can't shoot any better in their hands than anything else - they sometimes will sell that pistol at basement prices.

Good luck to you in whatever you decide to do.

[pmer]

I'd say go for it and build away. If it was me I wouldn't expect perfection the first time out. Yesterday I was looking at an old Colt that RIA refurbed some time in the past. I was liking the needle thin sight picture and the side to side looseness of the slide. A true fighting 1911, it almost got me but I kept my money, at least for now.

[charlie b]

you could say I meant I'm not expecting to be a profession shooter or gunsmith in either aspect. Ive been involved with machine and process' of that sort for the past 10 years. not on an everyday basis but ive worked in machine shops and ive helped build some pretty powerful motors along with making some precision parts including hand fitting but I don't believe its the same as fitting a gun. could I do it. given enough time I can do anything and that's just how I am. ill figure it out or ill break it and fix it until its figured out. I don't expect to have the best parts on the market in the gun. I just would like to have the experience of hand fitting and seeing exactly what its all about. granted I do not have anyone to keep an eye on what I'm doing so I very well may be better off buying an off the shelf firearm and tinkering with it as time allows. thanks for the honest words. this is what I was looking for.

In that case I'd say go for it. It is fun and you know what is in the gun and what makes it go. Get a book or two first to see what the key parts are to a good build. Not many, just very critical.

[Bigslug]

Building your own hot rod is the surest way to end up with an immobile pile of junk rusting in your driveway with a tarp over it. . .and more money sunk into tools, parts, and seeking the expertise of others than it would take to get a new Corvette.

You can pick up a Springfield Trophy Match for roughly your $1500 that is race ready and comes with a lifetime warranty. You won't need a pile of books, a pile of tools, or a pile of parts you goofed on - - all to gain the knowledge that will get used to build just one firearm.

The DIY itch can be strong, but bear in mind that the answer to "How hard can it be?" is frequently "A lot harder than you think". Put it another way, would you rather trust a 1911 built by a guy who's only done one with his collected plumbing tools between the interruptions of real life, or by a guy who's done hundreds in a shop set up with specialty gear designed to do nothing but build 1911's 9-5, M-F?

I'd suggest you pick up a good 1911 and do your level best to run it into the ground in competition, learning its intricacies through the detail cleanings and inevitable repairs that come with extensive use of any tool, all the while observing the quirks of the equipment of others. At that point you'll know the platform well enough to properly decide if beating out your own on a rock is preferable to taking advantage of a specialty market that is more extensive now than it's been in the entire history of that design.

[35remington]

Second the above and Chargar. First 1911 is best built by someone else with good pedigree including many brands.

Then when you know what you like and your preferences are set build one. Better appreciation of what you're in for and better ability to do it correctly as you know more about the how and why.

[DougGuy]

I have built my share too, a couple of full race guns that cost me a couple grand apiece, I did a LOT of checkering on customer's front straps and mainspring housings, and at the end of the day, the one I gravitated to the most was the one with the least amount of bells and whistles and extended stuff on it, it was a basic ****** business gun with a Caspian frame, a Colt slide, a Briley spherical barrel bushing and some McCormick internals. Plain Jane, even had a wide spur WWII hammer and grip safety but somehow it just felt "right." It was VERY accurate, and totally reliable. North Carolina State Police liked it so much they kept it after a traffic stop. Long story.. Ugh...

Aside from the advice you are getting, it comes to this. How many 1911s do you see yourself owning? If the answer is only one, then buy a decent quality already built gun. Baer, Kimber, the reliability and accuracy are there, the pride of ownership is HIGH with these above bottom end guns, and their VALUE stays high.

If you don't want to spend that much money, Ruger is the answer. The CZ 1911A1 is an EXCELLENT fit and finish for the money if you want a really well made GI style 1911A1.

After you have owned and shot a good one, and you still want to build one, then think about a Caspian frame and slide that you can order already fitted by Caspian, titanium frame would be the bee's knees for a carry gun.

[DougGuy]

There were only two 1911s that were important to me, they both had sentimental attachments that left me missing them, and the last two 1911s I built this year, closely copied the two that mattered.

One was a Commander that the NC state troopers took, and so I cloned it using an Auto Ordnance lower receiver that I paid about $300 for on Gunbroker, and a Colt slide I got from ebay, same Briley bushing, same WWII hammer and grip safety. It's not the same as the gun I had, but it's CLOSE and it scratches the itch.

This is one I bought the complete lower, the frame and slide needed lapping (which is a good thing!) and the fitment of all the parts is nice and tight. It has the frame machined out to take the Lippard barrel link which actually does provide a LOT of stability to the barrel, and it's as tight as any $2k Wilson Combat or Ed Brown would ever be.

New Commander built to replace the Old Commander:

http://i1202.photobucket.com/albums/bb374/DougGuy/1911%20Commander/NewCommanderJoined768_zpsbiiqkadl.jpg (http://s1202.photobucket.com/user/DougGuy/media/1911%20Commander/NewCommanderJoined768_zpsbiiqkadl.jpg.html)
Old Commander that was the favored 1911 of all of the ones I have owned:

http://i1202.photobucket.com/albums/bb374/DougGuy/1911%20Commander/OldCommanderJoined768_zpsefcsyiu9.jpg (http://s1202.photobucket.com/user/DougGuy/media/1911%20Commander/OldCommanderJoined768_zpsefcsyiu9.jpg.html)

The other 1911 I miss, is a 1943 Colt GI 1911 A1 US Army model, slide numbered to the frame, standard US Military issue, the original old warhorse that saved my grits one time in DC when I got lost and made a wrong turn. I don't have a picture of it, but another complete Auto Ordnance lower receiver from Gunbroker for $300 started the build, and I topped it with a WWII era Remington Rand slide and all WWII parts in the upper. I wanted to build one that mimiced as close as I could, to the old wartime Colt. Here it is, and man, does it EVER shoot good! Again, frame and slide had to be lapped, everything else is drop in exactly as a WWII armorer would have grabbed parts and put one together.

http://i1202.photobucket.com/albums/bb374/DougGuy/1911A1/20150609_135931crop640_zps8jlaettg.jpg (http://s1202.photobucket.com/user/DougGuy/media/1911A1/20150609_135931crop640_zps8jlaettg.jpg.html)

So.. Here are two builds, both VERY affordable, both VERY accurate, and I don't feel myself missing the ones that somehow got away. These two will probably be the last two 1911s that I own, and each build was STARTED with a specific goal in mind, and the exact purpose for the build was brought to fruition.

Moral of the story? If you are going to build, HAVE a specific goal in mind for what you want to do before you start, and stay to the course. It will be much cheaper that way and MUCH more rewarding in the long run.

I did not intend to photobomb your thread, but much has been mentioned as to the sense of pride and sense of accomplishment and this is a large part of building a 1911, ESPECIALLY in the beginning. I felt that this post shed considerable light on how one derives meaning and a personal satisfaction from an endeavor like this, and I wouldn't steer anyone away from building their own. As a second and third 1911.. Buy a good one first, buy the NICEST one you can afford, one that is likely to stick with you and stake it's own place in the safe.

Good luck with your process..

[wv109323]

I own professionally built 1911's pistol for NRA bullseye competition and have built 4 or 5 1911's. I don't think on your first attempt that you will end up with a bullseye level pistol. Over the years I have bought several of the specialty tools needed to build a 1911. Even with those, I can not equal the accuracy of a professionally built pistol. A good trigger job is not a job for an amatuer.
You can build a reliable.reasonably accurate pistol suitable for the shoot and scoot pistol disciplines.
If you decide to build, I would suggest a Caspian(or similar) frame and slide. They are oversize and can be fit by removing material for the slide/frame fit. Loose frame/slides need to be welded and re-cut or "hammered" to reduce clearances. Also figure out what sights you want and then buy your slide machined for the sights your are going to use. That saves you machine work that you may not be able to do.
Also I would recommend a Kart E-Z Fit barrel. I understand they can be easily fit with good accuracy. I would also recommend a trigger kit that is already made to provide a light trigger pull of 3-4 lbs.
With that said, the individual parts will cost you more than an a pistol of equal accuracy and your pistol will be worth less because it is seen as a "parts" gun. You may end up with a pistol of exactly the options you wanted.

[Bigslug]

I know I can buy one for less then $900 but itll never have the tolerances I want nor will it be something I put time and pride into fitting myself. any thoughts please express them as I'm heavily considering building my own. unless someone has a good argument as to why I shouldn't.

I would second Doug Guy's thoughts of having a very specific goal, and I would also ask what KIND of competition are you planning on, as this whole "tolerances" thing is perhaps my greatest 1911 peeve. Diatribe as follows:

One of the cool things about a 1911 is that the design allows one to be built up as a two-pound, 8.5" mini sniper rifle capable of cleaning an NRA 50 yard Bullseye slowfire target all day, every day, until the end of time.

Yet an annoying thing about a 1911 is that the design allows one to be built up as a two-pound, 8.5" mini sniper rifle , capable of cleaning an NRA 50 yard Bullseye slowfire target all day, every day, until the end of time, and that possibility has occupied a niche in the minds of buyers who have barely even heard of NRA Bullseye - let alone ever shot a match - and convinced them their EDC needs to be a $2500 target gun with the Bomars swapped out for Trijicons.

(To say nothing of the hard reality that a lot of target upgrades - hermetic tolerances that render parts normally drop-in to not-so-much, light springs, hair triggers with OT screws,etc... - are things that might not be smart to have on a gun you need stone-axe reliability from)

The net effect of this is that 1911's have become A LOT more expensive than they need to be, especially when you consider that rattletrap GI guns with frosty bores and the Parkerizing worn white are often capable of grouping better than the majority of the folks that shoot them.

I have nothing against the art that goes into building such things, but again, outside of the Bullseye game, it's just driving up our prices. I went through a case of "Gold Cup Lust" as a kid, but now apply more of a "keep it real" acid test of asking "What is this tool actually FOR?" The end result of this thinking is that, if I decided I actually NEEDED another .45, it would likely be a $500-$700 Rock Island from the Philippines. No sense in procuring a Ferrari when an F150 will more than do.

[shaner]

I am never against anybody taking their hand a building a gun of any kind for I have done it plenty of times. When you get through, you will find you don't have anything better than a Ruger 1911 you could have bought for $700.00.

If the pride of doing it yourself is worth the extra $800.00 then have at it. But realize what you are paying for the pride of doing it yourself. I have spent that much or more to have the pride of building it myself, but these days my pride is not worth that much.
Agreed I've been to that mountain top lol

Sent from my SCH-I435 using Tapatalk

[Strtspdlx]

Alright I see both sides of how this could go. The main reason I'd build a 1911 is to say look what I've done. This is mine I took the time to put the work into it and this is what it is. Good or bad. And at some point I'd like to do that. Just to say I've done it. Right now may not be the right time as if like to have a mill and lathe when I start getting into it. Which I recently sold to buy a house. But that's another story. What would you guys recommend as a good inexpensive entry level 1911 that if I decide to I can fine tune for more reliability and performance while not breaking the bank. Budget for a built gun would probably be less then $900 depending on what it is.

[Ithaca Gunner]

I like Springfield Armory and Dan Wesson myself in that price range, but there's loads of good 1911's for under a grand. You probably won't go wrong with Colt, Ruger, S&W, SIG, Wilson, Kimber, Ed Brown either, although some may be above what you're looking to pay.

[DougGuy]

Ruger lightweight Commander would be very tempting, and they make excellent edc guns with their 4 1/4" barrel. For a 5" gun the choices are myriad. Do you want new or lightly used?

[Strtspdlx]

I'm not afraid to buy a used gun so long as I can inspect and shoot it. I won't be using it as an edc as New Jersey is worthless in allowing me to use my rights. I may try for a cc permit but right now isn't the time. I also have to apply for a permit that last time took nearly three months to get so I have plenty of time to research and start saving. I'm pretty sure I figured out what my next purchase will be. Now I need to figure out what it will be.

[Strtspdlx]

I'm thinking about something like this. http://www.ruger.com/products/sr1911/specSheets/6709.html

[B. Lumpkin]

I like Caspian frames and slides for my builds. I also like Les Baer Frames and slides. A Les Baer frame with .250 radius and 30 LPI checkering is $465.00 and add one of their slides. Have a file handy.

[Strtspdlx]

Would someone be so kind as to explain the difference between a series 60 and series 70 1911?

[Ithaca Gunner]

Would someone be so kind as to explain the difference between a series 60 and series 70 1911?


You mean a series 70 vs a series 80?

Simply put, a series 80 has a firing pin block in the slide and a coupling, lever in the frame to actuate the block out of the way of the firing pin when the trigger is pulled. The block can be done away with simply as well as the lever in the frame. There's a filler replace the lever in the frame, the block in the slide needs nothing to fill the void. Some claim the linkage for the block makes for a poor trigger pull, that's why some remove the series 80 parts. I've built guns on series 70 frames and used series 80 slides by removing the block. I have a series 80 frame awaiting my attention that will be built as a series 70 with the filler in the frame.

Colt simply tried to lawyer-proof their guns by adding the block. Theory being that if the gun were dropped muzzle first, the block would prevent the firing pin from moving against the primer accidentally allowing the pistol to fire.

[DougGuy]

I'm thinking about something like this. http://www.ruger.com/products/sr1911/specSheets/6709.html

Wow now THAT would make even ME jealous! That is a Talo gun, limited run which usually sees better components and a definite nod to better selection and better fitment of the parts.

Mister you made a DANG FINE choice for a first 1911.

Series 70 was a blah blah attempt at accurizing the old slabsides with using a collet style barrel bushing where it was only snug during the last .200" of travel at lockup when the gun went into battery. It sorta worked but for the most part was a failed attempt at fixing something that was a product of sloppy production methods and lax quality control.

Series 80 saw the addition of two levers and a plunger that actively blocked the travel of the firing pin unless the trigger was pulled to the rear which operated the levers that pushed the plunger up and unblocked the travel of the firing pin. This arrangement actually does work and work very well. Some don't like the extra parts bearing against the trigger but I have owned several series 80 Colts and never had a problem getting a decent trigger.

Two other improvements have been made over the years to lessen the possibility of an accidental discharge when the gun was dropped and struck either the muzzle on a hard surface or the hammer on a hard surface while a round was chambered. One was the introduction of the Wolff extra power firing pin spring, a great idea, the other is the introduction of a titanium firing pin, which by virtue of the extremely light weight would resist movement enough to cause a round to actually fire, if the gun was dropped against a hard surface with a round chambered.

The Talo 1911 is equipped with the titanium firing pin.