Taurus PT1911 internals and safety replacement

[thesomnambulist]

I recently acquired a used Taurus PT1911. This is the second 1911 I've owned, the first being an old systema. Neither of them are high end 1911s by any stretch of the imagination, but still fun. I'm not a gunsmith, but I am technically inclined, and like tinkering with things to understand how they work. I've done a fair amount of reading and watching videos to know what I'm looking at. I have disassembled the lower to inspect and clean the parts, and I have a couple of questions.

1. Someone prior to me put Crimson Trace laser grips on the gun. The gun came with an ambidextrous safety, but it apparently interfered with the laser on the Crimson Trace grips, so it was partially ground off to make it fit, leaving an annoyingly sharp edge on the right side thumb safety. I am right handed, and don't really see a need for the ambi safety. If I simply remove this from the right side of the gun, will that negatively affect anything? I know I'll have the hole it was in, but if I understand correctly, it's just an extension of the left side thumb safety, so nothing is relying on it to be held in place.

2. The sear... Again, I'm not a gunsmith, and don't have any prior experience working on 1911s, but from everything I've seen, the edge of the sear that holds the hammer should have a flat face. That is not what I found on this one. The edge that holds the hammer was completely rounded, and it appeared to be that way from the factory. I can't imagine that this is ideal (or completely safe). Is a rounded face on the sear common? Is this safe? I think one of my first purchases is going to be a Wilson Combat value sear. If I do this without replacing the hammer, is there anything I should be watching for? I know this is only the start of what this gun needs, but I intend to very slowly upgrade, and this seems to me like the most important upgrade.

3. Other upgrades that I intend to do: definitely springs, probably hammer, maybe trigger. I have no interest in the laser grips, so I'm going to try to sell them to get a little money to invest back into the gun. Is there anything else I should be considering, or any different priorities? My goal here is to have a safe, reliable shooter.

 

[BBBBill]

If I simply remove this from the right side of the gun, will that negatively affect anything?

Yes. You need a full shaft to properly support the grip safety as well as stabilize the thumb safety. A new safety will need to be correctly fit to block the sear.

Is a rounded face on the sear common? Is this safe? I think one of my first purchases is going to be a Wilson Combat value sear. If I do this without replacing the hammer, is there anything I should be watching for?

Not common, but becoming more so. Chuck Warner has done a tremendous amount of R&D to develop what is now marketed as the TR or True Radius sear. I doubt that yours is one of those as they are not available from the factory on any gun. What determines the safety of a sear/hammer relationship is a combination of things - sear face angle relative to the center of the sear pin hole, hammer hook face angle/depth, hammer hook location relative to the hammer pin hole, etc. Sears and hammers (along with the disconnector, grip safety, and thumb safety) must be fitted correctly. No drop in parts on a 1911. Simply buying a sear and expecting it to drop in and work is a shot in the dark. If you do not fully understand the system you may think that all is working as intended, but actually be on the edge of disaster. Learn first or hire someone knowledgeable to do the work. What to watch for? Correct thumb safety operation is a critical step after altering or replacing any fire control part as the changes, however minute, affect the fit of the blocking lug to the sear foot.

 

[thesomnambulist]

Thanks! I did some research on the safety, but couldn't really find a clear answer about that. "Learn first..." - agree 100%. That's why I'm here. I recognize that firearms are precision machines that, if not properly maintained, can be very dangerous. I don't want to let that scare me away from tinkering, but I am committed to doing my research and treating it with the respect it deserves. Thanks again.

 

[entropy]

1. Just put a regular RH only safety of your choice in.

2. Replace the Taurus internals with quality non- MIM parts (Wilson, etc.) You'll be glad you did.

3. As BBBBill said,

No drop in parts on a 1911

Well, none you can count on. See 2. above as to what parts to replace. I like the Commander hammer on the Taurus, so I kept it, but replaced the internals when my PT1911 started jamming due to the Series 80 safety wearing and flopping around. I also put this in:
https://www.brownells.com/handgun-p...-to-series-70-conversion-shims-prod13121.aspx

Get this book:
https://www.amazon.com/Colt-45-automatic-shop-manual/dp/B0006EVYAU

if you want to be messing around inside 1911's. I learned the hard way; 3 years as an Army Armorer, back when the 1911 was still issued.