How do I fix my Colt?

[critter]

I have a Colt Delta Elite in 10mm. It, of course, has the firing pin block safety stuff. Only thing is, it works TOO well! The plunger does not move far enough to free the firing pin to go forward until AFTER the sear is tripped and the trigger overtravels. Therefore, with a trigger with an overtravel stop set to minimal overtravel, the gun will not fire at all. The firing pin batters the plunger pretty well when that happens too. (BTW, it works like a champ when the plunger is out of the gun.)

Will a new plunger fix it or will I need a new plunger AND a set of lil levers that work the plunger also? OR, is there some other thing that needs to be done to, both, fix the gun so it fires when you want it to AND so that the safety functions properly?

Thanks!

 

[1911 guy]

Visit Brownell's website.

They sell a filler plate that will take up the space once occupied by the frivolous and redundant series 80 crap. Remove the plunger and spring from your slide, install the plate, you've got a working 1911 again.

 

[Big Az Al]

If your Colt Has

An over travel adjustment for the trigger?

Back it off until the trigger as enough travel towork the firing pin block.

If the trigger then has so much travel it brothers you, go to instructions above.

If there was an after market Grip Safety installed it may also stop the trigger short of working the firing pin block.

So again make it work or delete all of the firing pin block.

Three things that may do this, Trigger adjustment, grip safety, or the part you see in the frame (that actually pushs on the FB) got bent and at full travel it can not push the FB up out of the way!

Adjust, fit, repair or delete

 

[ClarkEMyers]

Likely the

1911 AUTO FRAME SLOT BLANK 876-011-780
Mfr: T.J.'S CUSTOM
Fills Series 80 Frame Cutout
Fits in the firing pin block frame cuts, permitting Series 70 slides and components to be fitted to Series 80 frames. No alteration, drop-in fit.
SPECS: Steel, in the-white.

There have been reports of such devices working well for trial assembly during fitting and other work but being a tad soft and not doing well for a long haul high round count pistol. I've heard nothing adverse about this specific part as opposed to the Para part or any others that might be around.

Herewith a quote from a very well regarded source around here:

Somethin' for you to keep an eye on with your de-lawyered Series 80s...The blank fillers are dead soft,blank fillers are dead soft, and weren't designed...nor intended...to be long-term replacements for the frame levers. Their original purpose was for gunsmiths to keep from having to fiddle with the levers while doing trigger jobs. .......

The problem? The pinholes get pretty heavy flanges around'em within a couple thousand rounds, effectively increasing the thickness of the spacers. If the flanges aren't dressed before they reach the point of touching the sear and hammer, they can cause problems with free hammer movement and sear reset. I first noticed it as hammer followdown that a quick tweak of the sear spring didn't cure. When I stripped the gun, I found the flanging. Dressed it flush with the spacer, and the problem stopped. I've taken to hittin'em a light lick with a smooth mill file and a stone on every detail strip, and replace'em after 5-6 dressings...or when the holes begin to egg-shape.

Scott Auld has been kind enough to accumulate an extended discussion with lots of very nice full color pictures and talk about half cock notches and replacing hammers and other parts and really everything folks need to know. A google with the above quote - extended on site - and names will likely find it promptly.

 

[Hunter0924]

The spacer is not intended as a filler for the Series 80 levers. It is soft and can peen.
There is other levers that have different timing that will square away the problem.
I suggest a call to Colt.

 

[Jim K]

That is the drawback of the Series 80 firing pin block. The trigger has to move a certain amount to free the firing pin, but a "good" trigger job is intended to minimize the amount of trigger motion. So, either the block goes or the short pull goes. If the gun is intended only for range use, removing the block should be no problem, just don't drop the gun on the muzzle. But for a "street gun", removing any safety device could be a problem, not so much in a criminal case, but in a civil suit.

As to the spacer, once you remove the firing pin plunger and spring from the slide, the trigger bar lever and firing pin plunger lever should have minimal impact on the trigger pull. If you just leave them in, the spacer is not needed. If one is wanted, it is easy to make out of hard steel.

It is interesting that the need for a firing pin block resulted from the use of full length recoil spring guides. The original gun, if dropped on the muzzle, would not fire because the recoil spring took up the energy and the firing pin did not move forward enough to fire. But with the FLGR, there is no energy absorption and the gun fires.

Jim