[RocketFoot]

I have a PT1911 that has developed a slow hammer fall. When you rack the slide and (safely) dry fire, the hammer almost stutters and slowly falls to the firing pin. If I then thumb the hammer back and dry fire, it snaps down like it should! It went from working fine to me noticing this after a few months of concealed carry. Any suggestions?

 

[GreenWolf70]

Take the grips off, punch out the main spring retaining pin and pull out the Main Spring Housing (MSH). Push down on the main spring plunger, remove the small retaining pin, and pull out the plunger, main spring and the piece on the bottom that holds the MSH retaining pin in place. Check the plunger and bottom piece for any burrs and polish/buff the bearing surface of the plunger that rides against the inside of the MSH. Then clean and polish/buff the inside of the MSH tube. Check your main spring for any issues and clean. Lube with a good dry film lubricant and then reassemble. This should smooth out the hammer binding during the firing sequence.

If not, take your PT-1911 down to the hammer and strut. Check for any signs of binding and clean/polish/buff the moving parts (DO NOT remove any metal) including the pins. If the hammer strut pin is not staked (it is OK if it is not) use a dab of grease to hold it in place during reassembly. If this little cleaning exercise doesn't fix the issue, you have bigger problems and should send it back to Taurus.

More than likely, you have some of that famous brown packing grease that has somehow over time migrated into the MSH and is causing your main spring to bind. The good news is that with a good cleaning and a little polish you will come out of this with a better smoother trigger pull.

If you don't know how to detail strip your 1911, find someone who does know how and get them to teach you how to detail strip a 1911. It is not hard to do and about once a year, depending on how much you use your 1911, you need to detail strip it and give it a thorough cleaning. Over time, especially if this is your carry gun, lint and other debris will find their way into all the places where they should not be.

 

[stallard]

Great answer GreenWolf,

My PT1911 had a bunch of that grease in it. I did not have any hammer fall problems but I only got through a couple hundred rounds before I got tired of dealing with the grease coming out of every crack and crevice so I performed a complete strip and detail.

As to why it only happens when you set the hammer with the slide, I have not seen that. There are a few differences, when using the slide you do cycle the disconnect, which you don't do when thumbing it back. So there could be something wrong with the disconnector. Also when using your thumb you can push the hammer farther down/back than it will go with the slide, possibly clearing some of the obstruction?

 

[RocketFoot]

Good advice! I will tear it down this weekend and have a look. The fact that it happens randomly and seems to get better the more I test it kind of leads me to agree with the packing grease idea. Maybe I have over lubed it in the 4 years that I have owned it? I don't shoot it often (read: high ammo cost!) so I never really detail striped it yet. If nothing else, it will be a good learning experience for me!

 

[sbninja]

Yes, detail strip and clean and lube! there is almost certainly crud in the Mainspring housing causing this. Though I highly doubt there are any "burrs" or sharp edges left that could cause this - especially after 4 years .

Springs are cheap. I would recommend changing your springs every year! - Recoil Spring/ Firing Pin Spring/ Main spring.

As far as the Disconnector, not cycling it by "thumbing" back the hammer wouldn't cause the hammer to hang up - i don't think anyway

you could just check that the Disconnector is functioning properly. FIREARM UNLOADED AND CLEAR! - Cock hammer , with slide or thumb back. Dry fire using trigger, keep constant rearward pressure on trigger, cycle slide back to cock hammer again and let slide forward(do not drop slide on empty chamber) the gun should not fire, release trigger, then press trigger again - hammer should now fall. Sorry if you already know this, I don't mean to unsult anyone's knowledge of the 1911.

 

[RocketFoot]

OK, I tore the thing down to an unrecognizable erector set, cleaned and re-assembled. I did remove a small amount of dried on funk from the disconnector and I think the leaf spring wasn't seated quite right...may have jacked when I pulled the MSH out. But anyway, I put it back together and it seems to be fine now! I think it was the gunk on the disconnector rubbing the hammer?? There were some odd rub marks on the right side of the hammer pivot hub.

 

[sbninja]

I think it was the gunk on the disconnector rubbing the hammer??

Hmmmm.......interesting. you sure you have a 1911?


Just joking The Disconnector doesn't contact the hammer - not by design anyway(God Bless John Moses Browning!) The only thing that should contact your hammer is the Sear,! Glad you got functioning properly!

 

[stallard]

OK, I tore the thing down to an unrecognizable erector set, cleaned and re-assembled. I did remove a small amount of dried on funk from the disconnector and I think the leaf spring wasn't seated quite right...may have jacked when I pulled the MSH out. But anyway, I put it back together and it seems to be fine now! I think it was the gunk on the disconnector rubbing the hammer?? There were some odd rub marks on the right side of the hammer pivot hub.

Good to hear,

Sounds like you may have found the problem. I would do a bunch of dry firing, cocking it with the slide, to test.

As others have correctly stated the disconnector does not touch the hammer but it does touch the sear. It connects the trigger bow to the sear, when the slide is out of battery it pushes the disconnector out of contact with the sear, so the gun won't fire.

Just theorizing, but I would think that some crud on the disconnector could push against the sear and bind it up enough were it wasn't clearing the hammer as it fell. That could cause the hammer to slow down and once it fell it cleared out the grime a little only to have it redeposited when the slide cycles the disconnector. Or we may never know!!!!

 

[olfarhors]

cleaning the main spring and associated parts is one of the things that i just routinely do on the first strip and clean on my 1911's.
you can find all kinds of stuff down in that lil spring hole!
a lil buffing/cleaning and lube makes for a smoother pistol to.

 

[RocketFoot]

Sorry, first time detail stripping the 1911! The part that had the dried gunk was 4.17 in this diagram...firing pin block lever??

 

[stallard]

Sorry, first time detail stripping the 1911! The part that had the dried gunk was 4.17 in this diagram...firing pin block lever??

That's the firing pin block lever. When you push the trigger it pushes 4.16 (Trigger bar lever) which in turn pushes on 4.17, which then pushes 1.12 (firing pin block) up and out of the way of the firing pin. It is part of the 80' series safety and will not let the gun fire unless the trigger is pressed.

It sticks up through the frame and right into the path of gunk coming out of the fired rounds. It also shares the same pin/pivot point as the hammer, so getting gunk on it could definitely slow down the hammer.

Looks like you found the problem, Great Job!!!

 

[RocketFoot]

Yes! It is still dry firing nicely this morning after manipulating the slide! I think that was it! Strange what a little dirt in the wrong place can do!

 

[sbninja]

Just curious, while you had it stripped, did you detail strip the main spring housing to clean and lube?

 

[RocketFoot]

Yes, I took the spring out and cleaned and lubed it. It was actually pretty clean in there. I was happy with myself being able to get the spring in, recess it and drop the retainer pin in by my self! Used a small allen wrench to push and recess the spring. The only thing I didn't tear apart yet is the slide. Next time, I'll take the firing pin and extractor out but everything looks good on the top...didn't see any reason to dig in just yet.

 

[olfarhors]

Yes, I took the spring out and cleaned and lubed it. It was actually pretty clean in there. I was happy with myself being able to get the spring in, recess it and drop the retainer pin in by my self! Used a small allen wrench to push and recess the spring. The only thing I didn't tear apart yet is the slide. Next time, I'll take the firing pin and extractor out but everything looks good on the top...didn't see any reason to dig in just yet.

IF you haven't pulled the firing pin/extractor out of a series 80 -1911 , go ahead and look at the detailed strip of the 80 series 1911 and do yourself a favor.
its not hard but you kind of need to know how to go about it, and don't loose the spring (1.13) thats under part 1.12.

 

[RocketFoot]

Will do. After 4 years, I need to get out and shoot this thing more! I just got a Sig P220 in .45 to help share ammo, but I promise...the PT1911 will get some more range time! Also got a Colt Delta Elite in 10mm...definitive answer to the .45 vs 9mm debate! LOL!