APOD Firearms

trigger job on a conceal carry 1911...

The #1 community for Gun Owners in Texas

Member Benefits:

  • Fewer Ads!
  • Discuss all aspects of firearm ownership
  • Discuss anti-gun legislation
  • Buy, sell, and trade in the classified section
  • Chat with Local gun shops, ranges, trainers & other businesses
  • Discover free outdoor shooting areas
  • View up to date on firearm-related events
  • Share photos & video with other members
  • ...and so much more!
  • htxred

    Active Member
    Rating - 0%
    0   0   0
    Apr 6, 2008
    588
    21
    inner loop houston
    So a lot of you shooters here fancy yourselves to be 1911 enthusiasts. man i really butchered the spelling of that word huh. lol.

    anyways so im at sort of a cross roads. I pride myself as a shooter to have the ability to get used to any trigger rather quickly and become very proficient with it in a shooters box or out infront engaging in defensive pistol style shooting. do i think a lighter trigger = faster shooting? no. do i think a lighter trigger = more accurate hits? im MY hands, yes. i've never been one to trade off accuracy for speed, since its been drilled in my head that you can never miss fast enough, but a few gunsmiths in houston have been known to do wonders to 1911 triggers...

    so those who carry a 1911 daily, not seasonal ohh i feel like carrying my 1911 today people, but those who are strictly 1911 concealers, have you had trigger work done to your CCW? have you thought about it? or do you trust the way your gun came from the manufacture and dont wish to make any adjustments other then cosmetic ones...

    i like my sti stock trigger. but i wonder what Eddie in fort bend could do to it
    Texas SOT
     

    Kerbouchard

    Member
    Rating - 0%
    0   0   0
    Jun 18, 2008
    133
    1
    Dallas
    I have not had a trigger job on any of my factory 1911's, but I have a fusion that was built to my specs. If I were to buy a 1911 purely for bullseye competitions, I would probably put the trigger at about 2-2.5 pounds, but for a carry gun, I personally do not want a trigger less than 4 pounds. My 1911's range from 4-5 pounds and I wouldn't consider making them any lighter.

    For your STI, are you noticing any pre-travel? Or does it feel mushy at all?

    A 1911 trigger should have no take-up/pre-travel, a crisp/glass-like release and minimal reset. If your trigger does not match that description, I would definitely have it worked on or send it back to STI.

    There are a few things to note about lightening the trigger of a carry weapon...obviously, the added risk of an AD or ND is one of them. Another is if you ever have to draw, an incredibly light trigger could cause you to fire before you were ready. As much as we train to keep our finger off the trigger, in a life or death situation, with your adrenaline pumping, and your nerves screaming at you, the phrase 'itchy trigger finger' comes to mind.

    Another, and one I do not know if I personally believe is a problem here in Texas, but can be in other districts(or even your district in Houston), is: if a shooting were to go to trial, some people think that any 'modification' to your gun to make it 'more deadly' could bias a jury. Decreasing trigger pull on an already light trigger could look bad to a jury full of sheep.

    In all, it has to be your call. There are a lot of great things that can be done to a 1911 trigger, but only you can decide if they are appropriate for YOUR carry weapon.
     

    brainiac

    Member
    Rating - 0%
    0   0   0
    Mar 7, 2008
    175
    1
    Parker County
    so those who carry a 1911 daily, not seasonal ohh i feel like carrying my 1911 today people, but those who are strictly 1911 concealers, have you had trigger work done to your CCW?

    I carry one of two religiously, every day, all the time.

    My Kimber Custom TLE II had a wonderful crisp light trigger from the factory and to this day is completely stock even to the grips. It is SO close to want I want in a carry weapon just as it is.

    The other one is a Commander-size S&W 1911SC. I had it bobtailed and while it was there I had the gunsmith do a trigger job and work on the thumb safety, both of which were a little mushy from the factory. I'm happier with it now; the trigger is not super light (don't like them that way) but is more crisp and consistent now. I'm glad I had that work done on that pistol.
     

    HighVelocity

    Member
    Rating - 0%
    0   0   0
    Mar 5, 2008
    66
    1
    DFW, TX
    So long as the action is smooth I don't see a reason to alter the trigger. Just my opinion.

    I agree. If it's already got a nice trigger, leave it alone. If it's gritty or sloppy, then I'd spend the money to make it right.

    My carry 1911's have not been altered other than springs, sights and grips.
     

    Army 1911

    TGT Addict
    Rating - 100%
    1   0   0
    Mar 17, 2008
    6,504
    96
    Dallas Texas or so
    My STI 9mm doesn't need one. It is smooth and light enough. I have a Colt Govt that got the Novak reliability pkg which came with a trigger job and it is great but maybe a little light.

    I have another Colt with a 1919 frame/slide series 70 barrel (God only knows why that was done and it was done before I got it). Has some other custom stuff but I did a trigger job on it myself.

    They aren't hard to do. But the easy way is to order the kit from Cylinder and Slide in Nebraska. I have used them before and will do it again. They usually drop in with no hassle at all.

    My 5inch Springer doesn't need one. Nor my Les Baer or other springer.

    I like a 3.5 to 4.5 trigger pull and that is pretty easy to get. The hard part it getting the "breaking glass" feel.

    Check 1911forum.com they have good info and great smiths that hang there.
     

    Duman44

    Member
    Rating - 0%
    0   0   0
    Mar 28, 2008
    67
    1
    Houston
    Everyone else has said leave it alone, but should you want to tinker with it, then one easy way to reduce pull is listed below. This does not mess with the trigger or hammer.

    Does the STI have an 80's style firing pin block (FPB)? If so then every one of those I have come across has a very strong spring on the FPB and you can lighten the trigger simply by cutting a coil off of the spring. Easy way to check is pull the slide back and invert the gun, look at the right or top rail area. If it has a block you will see it protruding in this area. Easy way to see what the FPB is adding to your trigger pull is to remove the slide and pull the trigger on the frame only. Don't let the hammer slam into the frame, catch it with your off hand. This will show you what the FPB spring is adding to your pull. Even if you cut off too much on the spring, it's a $6.35 part on e-gunparts, (this is for the Colt series 80), so it's easy to get back to square 1.

    I like the Schwartz safety on my Kimbers, because the grip safety engages the FPB and does not add anything to the trigger pull.

    Both of my Colts, my Para and my Taurus use the trigger actuated FPB and I was able to reduce them by the above method. On the other hand my Auto Ordnance does not use either style block just an extra power firing pin spring.
     

    jfrey

    Active Member
    Rating - 0%
    0   0   0
    Apr 8, 2008
    419
    1
    Coastal Texas
    I would suggest doing one of two things if you are unsure about your trigger. First, call or email Teddy jacobson at "Actions by T"(he has a website too) and get his opinion. Second, call Claudio Salasa at Briley and get his opinion. Both of these guys know what they are doing and will be honest with you about it. Teddy does a "carry package" fotr about $150.00 and it works. That may cure your problems.
     

    JKTex

    Well-Known
    Rating - 0%
    0   0   0
    Mar 11, 2008
    2,011
    31
    DFW, North Texas
    For a 1911, most prefer 4# or so minimum for a SD pistol. But I think most good production guns are about that anyway. Most important, smooth and clean break.

    Kimber did some trigger work on mine and it's really clean and crisp, but so is my Combat Carry (a true Custom Shop gun form the old days) but the Combat Carry is a little heavier trigger.
     

    LHB1

    Active Member
    Rating - 0%
    0   0   0
    Mar 4, 2008
    311
    1
    Houston
    If I were to buy a 1911 purely for bullseye competitions, I would probably put the trigger at about 2-2.5 pounds, ...

    Not allowed. In Bullseye competition, .22 caliber guns must have a minimum trigger pull of 2.5 pounds. Now if you put a .22 LR conversion unit on a 1911 frame and shot that in .22 class, you might get by with a 2.5 pound trigger. M1911 pistols are mostly fired in Centerfire class and .45 Class. Minimum legal trigger pull for .45 class is 3.5 pounds and 4.0 pounds for Hard Ball/Leg matches. Don't remember the exact minimum allowed in centerfire but it was more than for .22 class. Most of us just used our .45 class guns for centerfire class also.
     

    TexasHK

    Member
    Rating - 0%
    0   0   0
    Jul 7, 2008
    82
    1
    Seguin, Tx
    I carry a Kimber Custom II with extras to bring it past TLE II minus front stap checkering, but I've never considered messing with my trigger.

    It is around 4 to 4.5 pounds from the factory and has zero take-up.

    If yours is similar, In my humble opinion: don't mess with it.

    The saying that comes to mind: "If it ain't broke...."
     

    ranburr

    New Member
    Rating - 0%
    0   0   0
    Feb 28, 2008
    2
    1
    I have a number of pistols done by Eddie Jiminea (Sp?). Fantastic work that is far superior to Teddy Jacobson, Claudio, or even Vandenberg (I have owned their guns also). I usually get a 3-3.25# trigger on my guns. I have several with round counts well over 50K mark. Eddie's sear angles still hold up and the trigger wts are the same as the day I bought them. I can't say the same for the other mentioned smiths. If you can get Eddie to do the work, (he has scaled back on what he will do), it is as good as anyone in the country. The only problem with Eddie doing the work is that if you are going to seel the gun, nobody knows who he is.

    ranburr
     
    Top Bottom