View Full Version : Colt Gov’t firing pin problem
“It’s okay to dry fire your 1911” they said.
I think what I have here is the result of dry firing my Colt Gov’t 1911. Firing pin shoulder is dinged and flattened. Because of these flat spots the firing pin jams inside the firing pin channel and will not travel far enough to strike a primer.
My 1911 has a plunger between the extractor and firing pin surfaces. The shoulder on the plunger is also showing dings and flat spots; presumably from where the firing pin rams into it.
Do I have a bigger problem here? i.e. Do I have a lifter or follower that is not moving the plunger out of the way properly?
Sad to say, but I’ll be brutally honest here. I’ve probably conducted a thousand dry fires since the last time I actually fired the weapon, stripped it down, cleaned, lubed, and reassembled. Ergo no telling how long this has been a problem.
60509
60510
SeriousStudent
01-21-20, 20:40
Ah, so you have a Series 80, do ye?
Both those parts are not horrifically expensive to replace. I like the Wilson Bulletproof stuff myself. Their Bulletproof firing pin is $15, and a Colt replacement firing pin plunger is $5 from Brownells.
Grab a spare extractor and some springs while you are at it.
“It’s okay to dry fire your 1911” they said.
I think what I have here is the result of dry firing my Colt Gov’t 1911. Firing pin shoulder is dinged and flattened. Because of these flat spots the firing pin jams inside the firing pin channel and will not travel far enough to strike a primer.
My 1911 has a plunger between the extractor and firing pin surfaces. The shoulder on the plunger is also showing dings and flat spots; presumably from where the firing pin rams into it.
Do I have a bigger problem here? i.e. Do I have a lifter or follower that is not moving the plunger out of the way properly?
Sad to say, but I’ll be brutally honest here. I’ve probably conducted a thousand dry fires since the last time I actually fired the weapon, stripped it down, cleaned, lubed, and reassembled. Ergo no telling how long this has been a problem.
60509
60510
The firing pin flattening is a common issue....happened to my series 80 rail gun as well...
Have already selected “add to cart” on some needed new parts and some spares.
But just for sake of mind, isn’t the lifter in the grip frame supposed to lift the firing pin safety plunger when the trigger is pulled? As it is now I do not think this is happening hence the firing pin hitting the safety plunger. How can I attempt to see if the lifter is working correctly?
60511
The slight timing issue that chews up the firing pin and plunger isn't too uncommon. The 'N' marked lifter used in the Colt Gold Cup models provides the highest lift and usually solves the issue. You can pick one up at Midway or Brownells. Pick up a new plunger and firing pin too while you're there.
More than a few good posts on this over on the 1911forum. I had some nice picks up showing the difference between a 1 marked lever and the N marked part, but lost them in the photobucket purge.
I believe the Cylinder and Slide trigger pull reduction kit which uses coated S80 safety parts includes the N lever.
The firing pin should -not- be hitting the plunger in normal dry-firing.
With the trigger held all the way back, the tip of the plunger lever ought to be raised (convincingly) out of the frame.
If it does not, the trigger bar lever or the plunger lever need to be inspected and possibly replaced.
You can replace the Series 80 junk with 70 Series and a TJ's shim:
60518
I think the culprit is the trigger bar lever (birds head shape piece) that rocks the plunger lever. With slide off, shouldn’t I see the plunger lever lift when I pull the trigger back?
Should I consider a Steel or titanium Wilson bullet proof pin? Price is doubled for titanium. Or, the Ed Brown firing pin is half the price of the Bullet Proof steel one. Anyone have a comment on that?
Titanium is a little more brittle and doesn't take to shock like steel. If your steel one is getting chewed up now the titanium one will probably get abused/peened just as quickly.
As mentioned above, an "N" lifter may fix your problem. I've seen broken lifters (missing the "Finger") that completely prevented the pistol from firing -- and is why I won't own an 80-series.
https://i.imgur.com/TSdkSeL.jpg
https://cylinder-slide.com/media/ecom/prodlg/CS0302lg.jpg
Immediate problem solved!
Pretty sure my trigger bar lever was not installed correctly by none other than myself; either backwards or off-can’t.
The plunger lever moves as it is supposed to now when trigger is pulled. Only myself to blame and more so for not recognizing something was incorrect.
I polished up my firing pin shoulder as well as plunger shoulder using a Ken onion knife sharpener (miniature belt sander) with the extra fine belt. Merely polishing until smooth again, no material removal. Firing pin slipped right into place and moves smoothly now. Reassembled CORRECTLY this time and performed the pencil eraser test. Shot it across the room. At least I know the firing pin is moving correctly now and the trigger bar actually rocks the plunger lever as it should. It was not before this tear down and reassembly.
I’m happy to have my gun fixed, but even happier that I learned a few things such as correct reassembly and which parts to have on hand as spares as well as upgrade. May be replacing the #1 parts for N parts and a new firing pin is definitely on order so I’m not using this “repaired” one any more. Will keep a spare from now on as well.
Thanks gents.
The slight timing issue that chews up the firing pin and plunger isn't too uncommon.
Yep. I've had this happen when I did some "home" gunsmithing work.
The slight timing issue that chews up the firing pin and plunger isn't too uncommon.
Yep. I've had this happen when I did some "home" gunsmithing work.
You can replace the Series 80 junk with 70 Series and a TJ's shim:
60518
I like this idea. What all would I need? Just that shim to replace the plunger lever? And leave the trigger bar lever and plunger in place to keep the extractor in place? Or get a 70 series extractor and leave the plunger out? But then what about the firing pin stop?
Yep. I've had this happen when I did some "home" gunsmithing work.
and you'll see it on factory Colt S80's too.
I like this idea. What all would I need? Just that shim to replace the plunger lever? And leave the trigger bar lever and plunger in place to keep the extractor in place? Or get a 70 series extractor and leave the plunger out? But then what about the firing pin stop?
You can remove the Firing pin Plunger and spring from the slide, put them in a plastic bag and keep that with the manual. Then it will be just like a Series 70.
You can leave the levers in the frame or remove them. If you elect to remove the levers, you will need the shim to occupy the space in the frame originally used by the levers.
The plunger is not there to keep the extractor in the slide, the Firing Pin Stop does that job. (actually the extractor keeps the plunger in the slide).
Gotcha. So just remove the plunger and spring; the shim is needed in order to remove the levers. I’d like to do that much since I’ve gathered that the plunger lever could lift into the vacant plunger hole causing a slide movement issue.
Thanks. Clearing it up more and more.
I suppose the firing pin safety system does exactly what it's supposed to -- keep Colt liability lawyers under-employed.
People all over the world must be dropping their 1911s directly on to the muzzle from 10 feet up. Certainly all the horsemen armed with government models who ride on pavement. Surely everyone knows of failed 1911 drops.
Otherwise there are at least seven unique Series 80 parts that must all work in harmony to give you the same peace of mind and smooth trigger as the legacy lockworks.
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