1911 trigger kits

[CloserangeReaper]

Hello everyone. I'm new to the forum and I recently purchased a used Regent R200S 1911 from Umarex. I took it out yesterday and shot it and its got issues. It fires and loads ammo fine, but has a serious issue with the hammer dropping after every round fired. Fire one round and the hammer drops to half-cock. It does this continually and rarely fires semi-auto. More like firing a single action revolver.

So this brings me to my question. Who makes a good action enhancement kit for the 80 series 1911? I plan to replace the whole internals anyway, so who makes a good kit to replace the important parts?

[CloserangeReaper]

Bump. I'm so glad someone moved my post so no one can read it....

[Helix_FR]

Egw makes the best sears. hammers are best from wilson, ed brown, sti, c&s and egw. sear springs are all about the same to me, its how you tune them that makes them work well. replacing these parts does not guarentee you a great trigger. 1911s need their parts closly matched and tuned to get it right.

[CloserangeReaper]

Yeah. That's why I'm looking to get a kit from someone like cylinder & slide. Unless you think it would be better to buy pieces separately?

[Bindernut]

Are you looking to build a match-grade pistol or just a good solid daily shooter?

If you want a very decent quality drop-in/semi-drop-in kit, check out the Nowlin kits.
http://www.brownells.com/handgun-par...-prod9578.aspx
I've used the Commander kit on a Springfield and the ProMatch kit on a Taurus PT1911 with good results. Both of them turned out nice enough that I didn't do any fine-tuning or fitting on them other than fitting the safety. (I installed new safetys on both of these pistols since I'm a southpaw and needed an ambi).

I've never used the C&S kits. I'm not impressed with their safety levers though so I really haven't used any of their other parts.

Several years ago, I pieced together a new action for a series-70 Colt with assorted individual parts. Wilson, Clark, etc.
That was my first 1911 job so I spent a LOT of time being mentored through it by a local smith and I botched a couple parts until I got em right. It turned out just fine in the end but was a lot of hand-fitting. Without the proper jigs/fixtures it's pretty tricky, if not impossible, to fit oversize parts to your gun.

Helix is spot on about it not being a real easy job to get a match-quality trigger.

[jack404]

i've another thought on this ..

but is the action re setting and the hammer dropping ?

or is the action not coming all the way back , not loading a round ?

[CloserangeReaper]

I've had my eye on the Nowlin kits and think they will fit what I'm trying to do. I just want a good, clean, lightweight trigger for my 1911. I'll probably carry this gun from time to time so it needs to be reliable also. Was thinking about getting a 4lb kit. I'll check out the Nowlin kits and give them a try. I understand these probably will take some fitting to get perfect.

[CloserangeReaper]

Originally Posted by jack404

i've another thought on this ..

but is the action re setting and the hammer dropping ?

or is the action not coming all the way back , not loading a round ?

It's loading just fine. Fresh round gets loaded into the chamber each time. It's just the hammer not staying back like it should after you fire the gun. Try to replicate it without ammo and the hammer stays back. It's very odd to say the least.

[Helix_FR]

The Nowlin kits are nice but please note on them that they state 3lbs does not mean you will get 3lbs. Every frame can be slightly different which can alter sear engagement and spring weights

[CloserangeReaper]

Originally Posted by Helix_FR

The Nowlin kits are nice but please note on them that they state 3lbs does not mean you will get 3lbs. Every frame can be slightly different which can alter sear engagement and spring weights

I understand that. Also looking to change out the pins and 80s series safety parts with these:
http://classic.brownells.com/mobile/....aspx?pid=5501

Think it's worth it to install those?

[Bindernut]

Originally Posted by CloserangeReaper

I've had my eye on the Nowlin kits and think they will fit what I'm trying to do. I just want a good, clean, lightweight trigger for my 1911. I'll probably carry this gun from time to time so it needs to be reliable also. Was thinking about getting a 4lb kit. I'll check out the Nowlin kits and give them a try. I understand these probably will take some fitting to get perfect.

On the two that I've used (Taurus and Springfield), all of the parts were direct drop-in. Not as nice and tight as custom-fitted parts...but that's how they size them so they will be drop-in parts with no major fitting needed. You might need to do a bit of minor fitting on your particular frame. I don't really know that much about the Umarex frames so I can't say for sure.
The slightly smaller dimensions ensure drop-in fit at the expense of being nice tight-tolerance parts. Usually, for a ordinary working gun this is plenty good enough.
If you're thinking about target work though, I would do more customized fitting with oversize (not drop-in or semi-drop-in) parts instead.

A very good recommendation before you start would be to check out a several of the AGI 1911 pistol DVDs...or the whole series if you're really inclined.
-First one is by Bob Dunlap. It covers the basics of the 1911 theory and teardown but not much on in-depth parts fitting.
http://www.americangunsmith.com/app/...5-Auto-Pistols
-Second, and the top recommend on my list is Troubleshooting 1911 Style Auto Pistols.
http://www.americangunsmith.com/app/...e-Auto-Pistols. this one is a very good one to have on the shelf for troubleshooting and problems you've got or might have.
-Volume 3 of their full course is the most applicable to the parts replacement that you're planning though. http://www.americangunsmith.com/app/...ourse-Volume-1

Originally Posted by Helix_FR

The Nowlin kits are nice but please note on them that they state 3lbs does not mean you will get 3lbs. Every frame can be slightly different which can alter sear engagement and spring weights

Yup. Each frame will mount the parts just a bit differently.
On my Taurus, I got 3.25lb (just under 3.5lb) with a bit of takeup and overtravel. The actual sear engagment travel is nice and clean.
On my Springfield, the pull weight of the 4lb Commander kit actually came out at 4.75lb with a lot of initial take-up and way too much overtravel. I still want to replace the trigger on this pistol yet so the overtravel isn't a problem on it at the moment.

[Bindernut]

Originally Posted by CloserangeReaper

I understand that. Also looking to change out the pins and 80s series safety parts with these:
http://classic.brownells.com/mobile/....aspx?pid=5501

Think it's worth it to install those?

I've had two Series-80 style 1911s. Taurus and genuine Colt. I never had a problem with the firing pin safety system on either pistol but I've never done a really light trigger.
My Colt was 4.25lb, built for plate/pin shooting. I polished the factory firing pin safety lever & that's it. Been a few years since I've had this pistol...an ex-GF still owns it though.

The Taurus is quite a bit lighter @ 3.25lb. I tried the Taurus both with and without the firing pin safety parts installed and didn't get more than a couple ounces difference in pull weight or smoothness.
I just polished the factory parts (the original lever and new pins), reinstalled em, and never gave em another thought.