Soooo series 80 parts

Catchabullet · July 21, 2020, 11:08 PM

Excuse the rambling...but interesting fact, I bought two extra series 80 plunger levers from cylinder and slide.. noticed the new levers were a wee bit thicker and had no N mark designating national match. Emailed them asking if the part was manufactured by them or if Colt is omitting the N. Well before receiving a reply, I tried to install one and realized the thickness (.55 of an inch) was different from my TiN coated N lever and my 1 lever (both were around .40 of an inch).....So I decided to file it down with a diamond file then touch it up with a 10,000 grit stone until it fit nicely. It fits nicely now...

After this I check my email and have a reply from C&S. The levers they have on sale at this moment are made in house by them. They are machined from bar stock. This is due to series 80 parts being difficult to acquire from Colt. Assuming covid caused production delays

.... I followed that email up with notifying them of the disparities between parts width and asked if they were going to make the other series 80 actuator out of bar stock bc I'd purchase it as well for piece of mind as bar stock is superior to the stamped variety.

Sent from my Pixel 4 using Tapatalk

**44 AMP** · July 22, 2020, 03:34 AM

Pardon my ignorance of series 80 parts nomenclature is the "plunger lever" one of the parts in the firing pin block group?

Catchabullet · July 22, 2020, 03:59 AM

Yes, it is the lever that pushes the fp block up

Sent from my Pixel 4 using Tapatalk

**Aguila Blanca** · July 22, 2020, 06:53 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by 44 AMP

Pardon my ignorance of series 80 parts nomenclature is the "plunger lever" one of the parts in the firing pin block group?

The part in the middle, with the number "3" on it.

**44 AMP** · July 22, 2020, 02:09 PM

Thank you for the explanation, I was curious, I thought I knew what you were talking about, but wanted to be sure. None of my 1911s has (or will have) those parts.

RickB · July 25, 2020, 10:12 AM

Not sure that a part actuating a four-ounce spring needs to me made of extremely strong materials, but a source for properly-dimensioned S80 bits can't be a bad thing.

Catchabullet · July 25, 2020, 10:40 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by RickB

Not sure that a part actuating a four-ounce spring needs to me made of extremely strong materials, but a source for properly-dimensioned S80 bits can't be a bad thing.

You are correct, it's overkill... But I'm OCD. I mean everything else is bar stock now so might as well

Sent from my Pixel 4 using Tapatalk

**Aguila Blanca** · July 25, 2020, 12:00 PM

I doubt very much that Cylinder & Slide's Series 80 levers are machined from bar stock, and the C&S web site does not claim that they are.

Those levers are simply not a shape that can be economically produced by machining from bar stock. You would have to start with a length of round, square, or rectangular stock large enough to cover the entire cross-section of the lever, then carve the bar to shape, them EDM wire cut it to thickness.

I'm sure C&S has their levers made by stamping, just like Colt and everyone else. The difference (of there is one) is in the amount of work they put in after stamping to ensure dimensional accuracy.

Catchabullet · July 25, 2020, 12:44 PM

I didn't think I had to post the email but here we go.

Per Them, it is such.

1911Tuner · July 25, 2020, 01:57 PM

Quote:

Those levers are simply not a shape that can be economically produced by machining from bar stock.
I'm sure C&S has their levers made by stamping, just like Colt and everyone else.

Quote:

Per Them, it is such.

Aguila is correct, but since stamping...or blanking...is a machine operation, technically they're "machined" parts. They're just not milled.

Catchabullet · July 25, 2020, 02:59 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by 1911Tuner

Aguila is correct, but since stamping...or blanking...is a machine operation, technically they're "machined" parts. They're just not milled.

Hmm why would they specify it's made of bar stock steel n the email I posted if he's correct?
Maybe I'm misunderstanding you.

Sent from my Pixel 4 using Tapatalk

rock185 · July 27, 2020, 08:41 PM

Catchabullet, Interesting. I've attended some Colt O-frame classes and acquired a few internal parts along the way, including a couple factory N plunger levers. I miked them and found them to be .058". Came across one of those shims used to convert a S80 gun to S70. The shim miked .055"...

Catchabullet · July 27, 2020, 09:29 PM

that was per stock Colt parts that came with the firearm and also TiN parts from C&S...

Sent from my Pixel 4 using Tapatalk

Don P · July 28, 2020, 06:13 AM

Quote:

I doubt very much that Cylinder & Slide's Series 80 levers are machined from bar stock

I concur after working in a machine shop.

Quote:

Hmm why would they specify it's made of bar stock steel n the email I posted if he's correct?

I'll throw this into the mix. Perhaps the person responding to your email is just a receptionist and has no knowledge of how and what parts are made of. Series 80 parts, the levers have to be stamped for cost effect. You wouldn't want to pay the price needed to machine the levers from bar stock. I couldn't imagine how you could fixture bar stock to machine those levers

Catchabullet · July 28, 2020, 06:15 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Don P

I concur after working in a machine shop.

I'll throw this into the mix. Perhaps the person responding to your email is just a receptionist and has no knowledge of how and what parts are made of. Series 80 parts, the levers have to be stamped for cost effect. You wouldn't want to pay the price needed to machine the levers from bar stock. I couldn't imagine how you could fixture bar stock to machine those levers

I'll accept that response even though it was the technical email address.

Sent from my Pixel 4 using Tapatalk

Don P · July 28, 2020, 06:24 AM

A little more info. To machine the levers from bar stock regardless of the stock shape you would have to be able to hold the bar stock while machining the levers from start to finish without it moving and I see no way to hold the lever to complete the process

**Aguila Blanca** · July 28, 2020, 06:26 AM

I have reached out to Bill Laughridge, the owner of C&S, and asked him how they make them. I may not receive an answer. His initial response just said that he started making them to National Match specs because Colt's machinery couldn't hold specified dimensions. He didn't provide any information on how he makes them. I have requested clarification.

If anyone has a C&S part, it's easy to see if it was stamped. When a part is stamped, the perimeter corners/edges on the "upper" side are slightly rounded off, and the corresponding corners/edges on the lower surface are sharp and probably protrude just a tiny bit beyond the surface plane.

The closest part I can think of that might be claimed to be machined from "bar stock" is Colt's 1911 hammers. For their hammers, they start with a "bar" that has been extruded to the outer shape of the hammer. These extrusions are, IIRC, 20 feet long (might be only ten feet). The extrusions are then put into a machine that cuts them to the thickness of a hammer using EDM wire cutting -- like the slicer in the corner deli slicing salami. Then the hammers are put into a jig and the holes are drilled.

I can't imaging that process working for parts as thin as the Series 80 levers.

Catchabullet · July 28, 2020, 06:29 AM

I'll post a picture when I get home from work. It seemed to have sharp edges all around.

Sent from my Pixel 4 using Tapatalk

July 21, 2020, 11:08 PM	#1
Catchabullet Senior Member Join Date: February 13, 2008 Location: Arizona Posts: 317	Soooo series 80 parts Excuse the rambling...but interesting fact, I bought two extra series 80 plunger levers from cylinder and slide.. noticed the new levers were a wee bit thicker and had no N mark designating national match. Emailed them asking if the part was manufactured by them or if Colt is omitting the N. Well before receiving a reply, I tried to install one and realized the thickness (.55 of an inch) was different from my TiN coated N lever and my 1 lever (both were around .40 of an inch).....So I decided to file it down with a diamond file then touch it up with a 10,000 grit stone until it fit nicely. It fits nicely now... After this I check my email and have a reply from C&S. The levers they have on sale at this moment are made in house by them. They are machined from bar stock. This is due to series 80 parts being difficult to acquire from Colt. Assuming covid caused production delays .... I followed that email up with notifying them of the disparities between parts width and asked if they were going to make the other series 80 actuator out of bar stock bc I'd purchase it as well for piece of mind as bar stock is superior to the stamped variety. Sent from my Pixel 4 using Tapatalk

July 22, 2020, 03:34 AM	#2
44 AMP Staff Join Date: March 11, 2006 Location: Upper US Posts: 28,839	Pardon my ignorance of series 80 parts nomenclature is the "plunger lever" one of the parts in the firing pin block group? __________________ All else being equal (and it almost never is) bigger bullets tend to work better.

July 22, 2020, 02:09 PM	#5
44 AMP Staff Join Date: March 11, 2006 Location: Upper US Posts: 28,839	Thank you for the explanation, I was curious, I thought I knew what you were talking about, but wanted to be sure. None of my 1911s has (or will have) those parts. __________________ All else being equal (and it almost never is) bigger bullets tend to work better.

July 25, 2020, 10:12 AM	#6
RickB Senior Member Join Date: March 1, 2000 Location: Boise, ID Posts: 8,518	Not sure that a part actuating a four-ounce spring needs to me made of extremely strong materials, but a source for properly-dimensioned S80 bits can't be a bad thing. __________________ Runs off at the mouth about anything 1911 related on this site and half the time is flat out wrong.

July 25, 2020, 12:00 PM	#8
Aguila Blanca Staff Join Date: September 25, 2008 Location: CONUS Posts: 18,468	I doubt very much that Cylinder & Slide's Series 80 levers are machined from bar stock, and the C&S web site does not claim that they are. Those levers are simply not a shape that can be economically produced by machining from bar stock. You would have to start with a length of round, square, or rectangular stock large enough to cover the entire cross-section of the lever, then carve the bar to shape, them EDM wire cut it to thickness. I'm sure C&S has their levers made by stamping, just like Colt and everyone else. The difference (of there is one) is in the amount of work they put in after stamping to ensure dimensional accuracy. __________________ NRA Life Member / Certified Instructor NRA Chief RSO / CMP RSO 1911 Certified Armorer Jeepaholic

July 22, 2020, 03:59 AM	#3
Catchabullet Senior Member Join Date: February 13, 2008 Location: Arizona Posts: 317	Yes, it is the lever that pushes the fp block up Sent from my Pixel 4 using Tapatalk

July 27, 2020, 08:41 PM	#12
rock185 Senior Member Join Date: September 2, 2001 Location: Out West in Rim Country Posts: 1,093	Catchabullet, Interesting. I've attended some Colt O-frame classes and acquired a few internal parts along the way, including a couple factory N plunger levers. I miked them and found them to be .058". Came across one of those shims used to convert a S80 gun to S70. The shim miked .055"... __________________ COTEP 640, NRA Life

July 27, 2020, 09:29 PM	#13
Catchabullet Senior Member Join Date: February 13, 2008 Location: Arizona Posts: 317	that was per stock Colt parts that came with the firearm and also TiN parts from C&S... Sent from my Pixel 4 using Tapatalk

July 28, 2020, 06:24 AM	#16
Don P Senior Member Join Date: December 17, 2005 Location: Swamp dweller Posts: 6,187	A little more info. To machine the levers from bar stock regardless of the stock shape you would have to be able to hold the bar stock while machining the levers from start to finish without it moving and I see no way to hold the lever to complete the process __________________ *NRA Life Member, NRA Chief Range Safety Officer, NRA Certified Pistol Instructor,, USPSA & Steel Challange NROI Range Officer, ICORE Range Officer, ,MAG 40 Graduate* *As you are, I once was, As I am, You will be.*

July 28, 2020, 06:26 AM	#17
Aguila Blanca Staff Join Date: September 25, 2008 Location: CONUS Posts: 18,468	I have reached out to Bill Laughridge, the owner of C&S, and asked him how they make them. I may not receive an answer. His initial response just said that he started making them to National Match specs because Colt's machinery couldn't hold specified dimensions. He didn't provide any information on how he makes them. I have requested clarification. If anyone has a C&S part, it's easy to see if it was stamped. When a part is stamped, the perimeter corners/edges on the "upper" side are slightly rounded off, and the corresponding corners/edges on the lower surface are sharp and probably protrude just a tiny bit beyond the surface plane. The closest part I can think of that might be claimed to be machined from "bar stock" is Colt's 1911 hammers. For their hammers, they start with a "bar" that has been extruded to the outer shape of the hammer. These extrusions are, IIRC, 20 feet long (might be only ten feet). The extrusions are then put into a machine that cuts them to the thickness of a hammer using EDM wire cutting -- like the slicer in the corner deli slicing salami. Then the hammers are put into a jig and the holes are drilled. I can't imaging that process working for parts as thin as the Series 80 levers. __________________ NRA Life Member / Certified Instructor NRA Chief RSO / CMP RSO 1911 Certified Armorer Jeepaholic

July 28, 2020, 06:29 AM	#18
Catchabullet Senior Member Join Date: February 13, 2008 Location: Arizona Posts: 317	I'll post a picture when I get home from work. It seemed to have sharp edges all around. Sent from my Pixel 4 using Tapatalk