Broken Ejector on a Colt 70 series 1911 45acp

[Reloadron]

Steve,
Many thanks for sharing and the excellent images.

Thanks
Ron

[cw308]

Ordered part . I for sure will let you know on each step how it went. I can't thank all of you enough for all your time and helpful information . Great kicking the can down the road with all of you , if the gun doesn't shoot , heck it's nice to look at . If you believe that , I have a bridge for sale if anyone's interested .

Chris

[Steve in Allentown,]

Areas to polish on a disconnector. You should also polish the tip of the middle leaf of the sear spring where it contacts the disconnector, the rear of the trigger where it contacts the disconnector, and the disconnector rail of the slide .

[cw308]

Just love those diagrams .

Chris

[44 AMP]

Polish, but don't remove any metal from the disconnector's contact with the slide. You need it full length to allow for normal wear over time, and if you "polish" it too short, it won't do its job properly.

Hand tools /stones don't use power tools, its too easy to take off too much before you realize it.

Also make sure the frame tunnel is smooth and free of grit.

If you haven't heard it already, let me be the first to advise you that there are precious few 1911 parts that can be considered "drop-in". Nearly every part must be massaged in some way in order for it to fit and function optimally.

I won't argue with this at all. But because I worked on GI guns for the Army, I must point out that "optimally" and "fully serviceable" are different things.

[cw308]

44
I only polish by hand with Mothers Polish very mild polish . The 1911 is a great pistol to dissemble , no little pins to loose in a rug or fly across the room . When seeing how it opperates it gives you a good understanding what's going on , not into modifying things . I received a barrel and action for a Springfield 1903 30-06 , no sights , stock just a stripped barrel & bolt from a family member that brought it back from the Korean war . Cost me almost four hundred dollars to order every pin screws and sights mount or trigger . Once I had all the parts I told my wife I was going in the basement to assemble and would see her in two weeks . It took one hour if that all the parts fit like a well made puzzle . First time I shot it was alittle scary but the weapon grouped at 100 yards so tight , the barrel looked brand new . Let my Son in Law use it on his first deer hunt and shot a 8 pointer first time out go figure . Let him keep the rifle he loved it so much . After making this short story long . Hope the 1911 parts are made the same way.

[Steve in Allentown,]

Originally Posted by 44 AMP

But because I worked on GI guns for the Army, I must point out that "optimally" and "fully serviceable" are different things.

Quite right. As a tanker in the 70s and 80s I am well familiar with "serviceable" 1911s. They would rattle and shake but always go bang. Bullseye pistols they were not. I was pretty sure I could hit bad guys on the front slope or on the back deck. Bad guys further away than that were the responsibility of the coax (M73).

These days I'm into "optimal" fitting 1911s. I like them to function as smooth as snot on a door knob, as accurate as I can hold out to 100 yards, and 100% reliable with any ammo I can stuff in 'em.

[44 AMP]

Bad guys further away than that were the responsibility of the coax (M73).

Mention of the M73 brings back many memories...
Including what a piece of over designed crap they were...
The took out some parts and called it M73A1...
Then they took out some more parts and called it the M219...
which worked kind of, when it felt liked, until it broke...
I got to see some of the tests run when they replaced it with the M240...night and day, man,..night and day...

They would rattle and shake but always go bang. Bullseye pistols they were not

Considering the last new 1911s in GI service were bought in 1945 before they canceled the contracts with the end of the war, I think them still being serviceable n the 70s and 80s is quite the testament to their design and construction.

The 1911 is a great pistol to dissemble , no little pins to loose in a rug or fly across the room .

There are a couple pins you might lose for a while in deep shag, but they are really small...and I've seen trainees, shoot the recoil spring plug across the room. We used to joke it was the "8th shot" in a 1911A1 (GI mags standard 7 shot, there were no others in those days). DON'T get your face in front of it!

Here's one of the beautiful things about the GI 1911A1 design, you can detail strip the pistol using the pistol's parts as tools.

[Steve in Allentown,]

Originally Posted by 44 AMP

Mention of the M73 brings back many memories...

Completely agree that they were crap as was the M85 .50 in the TC cupola. We'd go to extreme lengths trying to make these things run including squirting 30W oil over the ammo after it was loaded into the trays and only running the M85 on its high rate of fire setting. We'd often swap machine guns around among the tanks so that whichever crew was making its Tank Table 8 run would have functioning ones.

Here's one of the beautiful things about the GI 1911A1 design, you can detail strip the pistol using the pistol's parts as tools.

Been there done that many times. Of course, you could always just shake them and they'd disassemble themselves

Originally Posted by cw308

Hope the 1911 parts are made the same way.

And here's the key statement. They are not all made to the same specs and tolerences. Unlike Glocks, 1911s and their parts are made by a multitude of companies each with their own manufacturing processes. Hence the need to almost always fit a replacement part to the specific pistol.

[cw308]

Too bad , most combat weapons are designed to be able to easily swap parts and get back in the fight , would think the 1911 Government would be the same .

[Steve in Allentown,]

Originally Posted by cw308

Too bad , most combat weapons are designed to be able to easily swap parts and get back in the fight , would think the 1911 Government would be the same .

The 1911s manufactured through the end of WWII under contract with the U.S. Government were as you described. You could put a box full of parts for 100 of them on the floor, pick out parts at random to assemble a pistol, and the resulting pistol would go bang.

These days there's not a 1911 pistol or parts manufacturer that is held to a single blueprint standard by a U.S. Govt contract so you get what you get.

[cw308]

Too bad , companies could sell parts in spec and parts that could be oversized to fit for guns with wear . If you have the skills and equipment it's no big deal . I completely break down every gun I own , that's just me . I like knowing how it opperates , most cases it's easier to take apart then put together . I once changed the trigger return spring on my S&W 65 3" revolver , had to modify a screw driver to install the new spring or it was impossible . There's a right tool every job , I seem to start the hard way , now I know better .

[44 AMP]

The 1911s manufactured through the end of WWII under contract with the U.S. Government were as you described. You could put a box full of parts for 100 of them on the floor, pick out parts at random to assemble a pistol, and the resulting pistol would go bang.

These days there's not a 1911 pistol or parts manufacturer that is held to a single blueprint standard by a U.S. Govt contract so you get what you get.

This is exactly the situation we have today. The WWII guns were made for government contract, and had to be made to govt specs, and there were govt INSPECTORS at each of the subcontractor's plants, to ensure things met required specs.

And that's why all the parts for a serviceable 1911A1 were "plug and play", no fitting required. And I can assure you that if a part didn't just drop in and work, it wasn't "fitted", it was tossed, and another part from the bin was used, a process repeated until a drop in fit and function was obtained. Did it myself in the 70s. The only time we ever "fitted" any part was when there wasn't another replacement part available. Never a problem with the 45, or most of the small arms, but was an issue with mortars (81mm & 4.2") in Europe in the later 70s. We could actually order a complete mortar and get it faster than we got certain mortar PARTS. (and this on an 02 priority, the highest available when not in actual combat! )

Today, seems like everybody and their Uncle Max are making 1911 PATTERN guns and parts, some holding to GI specs, many to their own "improved" specs, and expecting you to fit their parts instead of having them just drop in and work.

Other than talking direct to the makers to find out what philosophy they adhere to, its a dice roll.

[cw308]

44 AMP
You are right on . Ordered a few parts from Wilson combat the part that didn't drop in was the new sear , the sear looked great but the problem was the bottom hooks that rest on the disconnector are too long , cleaned up the original sear and reinstalled . The pistol is a pleasure to shoot

Chris

[44 AMP]

Glad you got it running cw308!

There are a lot of people who's answer to an issue is "go buy X from Mr Green's shop. its the best, it will fix your problem!.."

it might, or it might not. Some folks seem to think you need to replace everything with "custom" fitted parts or its not worth doing.

I think differently, if the gun runs reliably and is at least "minute of man" at desired range, its good enough for me. People knock the GI guns for being "loose and sloppy" and not able to hit anything...not bothering to think about how the newest of the GI guns was made in 1945, and they were never made to be match guns, to begin with.

I've got my Dad's Govt Model. Somebody who knew what they were doing tuned it for match shooting in the 60s. Gun still does 5 shots in one ragged hole at 25 yards, if the shooter is up to that. Had a 1943 Remington-Rand that would do 3-5 inches with ball ammo at 25yds. Not the greatest, but serviceable.

[Jim Watson]

Partly an Internet Phenomenon, too.
Not only do a lot of builders think they are smarter than John Browning, Colt's Pt FA Mfg Co, and the US Army; but there are a lot of guns CALLED 1911s that are not even close.

[cw308]

Thanks for answering back , yeah I gave it a try but I'm not qualified to be filing things down , smoothing out rough areas , burrs , changing springs and broken parts is about it . I do think having a good understanding how the firearm operates and being able to completely break it down make it that much more enjoyable shooting it . The 1911 is one hell of a weapon . And 44 that's some great stooting at 25 . I can hit what I'm aiming at but you turn a head shot into a eye shot . Nice talking to all . Be Well .

Chris