Dysfunctional Half-Cock 1911?

[johnmcl]

Hi all,

I have a really nice full-sized SA 1911 Loaded that's a ton of fun to shoot. I noticed in the past days though that from the half cock position I can apply approximately twice the normal trigger pull and have the hammer slowly move with an audible click to the down position. To say this was a surprise is an understatement.

Two questions come to mind:

1) Is this a dysfunctional pistol? My local gun shop tells me I'm ok. They say that these days the half cock is not so much a safety position as it is a protection against accidental discharges from a dropped gun.

2) Since I never have the gun on half-cock, do I actually care?

Thanks in advance for any insight,

 

[Southern Raider]

This is totally normal in a Series 80 setup. This is defective behavior in a Series 70.

 

[Jim Watson]

Since Series 70 and Series 80 are Colt trademarks and designs and he has a Springfield, the actual situation is somewhat different.

In recent years Springfield, although they do not have the Colt Series 80 firing pin obstruction, has been using similar hammers without a true undercut half cock notch. It is just a ledge to catch on the sear if the hammer somehow gets jarred off of full cock without your pulling the trigger. The gun was never meant to be carried at half cock so they have left out the undercut so as to discourage you from trying. Also it is easier to make, undercuts are hard to do in MIM.

But that "past days" part is a worry. Did the gun ever hold the sear and refuse to be pulled off of half cock? If it used to hold at half cock, and does not now, then something is wrong, either a chipped sear or the half cock of an older conventional hammer broken out.

So if this is a new thing, it needs to be fixed. If it is normal over time, it is likely OK. I'd take it apart and look at the parts for signs of damage.

 

[redneckrepairs]

Jim pretty much summed it up .
Strip the pistol down ( or have a smith inspect it if you are not confident ) and have a look , it may or may not be normal for your springer , but where you mentioned its a " loaded " model i suspect its factory normal , if not absolutely right .

 

[roadrider18]

Sounds like an inspection of the 1/4 cock or half-cock ledge is in order. However, there is no definitive reason, that I know of, for you to attempt to drop the hammer from the half-cock position using the apparent trigger pressure you've described. Checking to insure the hammer doesn't drop using normal to slightly harder pressure yes, but, exerting tremendous pressure, I'm not so sure.

 

[johnmcl]

Hi all and thanks for quick responses,

Jim, this is a newly detected phenom, so I can't answer if the state of the gun changed recently. I do know the gun was returning to SA in April for another matter and recently came back. The possibility for a factory function test is certainly there.

Redneck, this is a factory configuration. The Loaded Model is a specific configuration available.

I'll do a tear down over the weekend.

Thanks guys,