Series 80 firing pin block

[Slamfire]

When the hammer is forward, as in condition two carry, is the firing pin block up, allowing the firing pin to free float, or is it down, acting as a firing pin block?

For me, to lower the hammer, I have to press the trigger, lower the hammer to half cock, then press the trigger again to release the sear from the half cock notch. But, I try to release the trigger before the hammer is all the way down. And I am wondering therefore, does condition two carry prevent the firing pin block from retaining the firing pin, if a M1911 series 80 is dropped on its muzzle?

 

[Steve762us]

Look at your second pic.

Hammer-down-on-loaded-chamber is not how the 1911 was
designed, to be carried, btw.

 

[JTQ]

Hammer-down-on-loaded-chamber is not how the 1911 was designed, to be carried, btw.

Oh, now you did it...

 

[earlthegoat2]

It would seem to me, as long as the trigger is in the forward position, the firing pin will be blocked.

If the gun is dropped on the muzzle, inertia will draw the trigger forward thereby ensuring the firing pin to be blocked. Theoretically, at least.

Who the heck knows how the gun was designed to be carried. The firing pin block wasn’t in the original final design.

Did the army decide to carry it hammer down with an empty chamber before or after it was issued? Did they make their decision for condition 3 carry prior to or as an end result of their own approved design? Did, years later, some “experts” deem new or better ways to carry a pistol of extant design and reputation?

The 1911 is what it’s final design meant it to be. We all created the rest.

 

[rbernie]

As far as I understand things, the firing pin is blocked until the trigger is pulled. This should be true regardless of the position of the hammer; the FPS mechanism has no connection to / insight into the state of the hammer.

 

[edwardware]

FP block is blocking with the hammer down and trigger forward. The only exception is if the FP is too far forward to allow the block up; that point is well forward of the FP Retention plate (forward of where the hammer holds the FP).

 

[Slamfire]

Oh, now you did it...

<Edit> But right now I have questions about how the series 80 mechanism works.

 

[Slamfire]

FP block is blocking with the hammer down and trigger forward. The only exception is if the FP is too far forward to allow the block up; that point is well forward of the FP Retention plate (forward of where the hammer holds the FP).

Thanks. You get a Gold Star!

Based on your comments on how the system functions, I figured out a way to test your advice. I removed the recoil spring from a series 80, pulled the slide back, flipped the pistol upside down, and pushed the firing pin forward. On a Remington 1911 R1, the firing pin tip can be pushed below the surface of the firing pin retention plate and then stops.

So, if the hammer is resting on the firing pin retention plate, while the firing pin is obviously being pushed forward by the face of the hammer, but there is enough movement allowed by the milling cut on the firing pin to allow this. And it does not defeat the function of the firing pin block. I believe the firing pin block is not defeated even if the trigger is held back as the hammer is rested on the firing pin retention plate.

Thus, a series 80 can be carried hammer down, and if dropped on the muzzle, the firing pin block will prevent the other wise free floating firing, rebounding, firing pin from moving forward and causing a discharge.

Drake's Gunsmithing tested a series 70 pistol, which was cocked and locked, to determine the drop heights necessary to cause the firing pin to ignite a primer. This scenario is not probable in a series 80 as that mechanism has a firing pin block.

 

[JTQ]

Fella's, please just let the whole "the 1911 was designed to be carried ..." drop. Nobody really cares what the US Army wanted their guys to do in 1911, unless you are an historian. It is immaterial to the way the gun is used today.

Let Slamfire march to whatever drummer he wants to march to, and maybe we won't have to have the lecture again.

 

[rskent]

And I am wondering therefore, does condition two carry prevent the firing pin block from retaining the firing pin, if a M1911 series 80 is dropped on its muzzle?

No, not at all.

 

[TonyAngel]

The firing pin block is in place in condition two, assuming that your 1911 is working properly. The lever that depresses the plunger is only activated when the trigger is pulled. Tension from the flat spring (I forgot what it's called) keeps the trigger forward.

 

[9mmepiphany]

I was going to edit out the "discussion" about how the thumb safety was designed/or not designed to be used, but that was over half the post in the thread...luckily we have the option to just close this one.

If the intent was to discuss what this thread devolved into, please have the courtesy of asking the question openly/directly