[IrishCop]

The majority of my few (4) 1911's have triggers with overtravel set screws. I am probably being over cautious, but on the guns I carry for self defense, I remove the set screw completely. I worry that over time, it might work itself into a position and block the trigger without my knowledge...one bang too many, I guess.

The only 1911 I have kept the set screw in is my Springfield Range Officer. It is set up like a target gun and I did drop in a Chip McCormick hammer and sear that gave me a really nice and relatively light trigger pull. Not set up for duty, but great for paper.

Let me have it, guys. I am just being unreasonably cautious? Or is there a possibility of that little set screw tying up the works?

 

[t-star]

well , I've tried both ends of the spectrum on my 1911( colt/Wilson) and it wouldn't fire with the o/t screw removed- no matter how much mashed that trigger- and on the other end would drop the hammer just by looking at it- I don't know what the foot pounds of an untensed finger is- so, based on my experience, leave it in, and maybe find the "setting" you like and loc-tite it in

 

[William R. Moore]

Yes, it is possible. So is another dinosaur killer asteriod strike.

Gum Cutter and red Loc-Tite are your friends here. I wouldn't try to remove every last micron of overtravel. A certain amount of over travel is preventative caution. Too much can detract from shot placement.

I confess I've never heard of a situation where removal of the over travel limit screw prevented firing. Perhaps you didn't get everything back in the correct position after removing the set screw?

 

[IrishCop]

Yes, it is possible. So is another dinosaur killer asteriod strike.

Gum Cutter and red Loc-Tite are your friends here. I wouldn't try to remove every last micron of overtravel. A certain amount of over travel is preventative caution. Too much can detract from shot placement.

I confess I've never heard of a situation where removal of the over travel limit screw prevented firing. Perhaps you didn't get everything back in the correct position after removing the set screw?

Mr. Moore, I know that I have never had removal of the overtravel screw stop any pistol from firing. Can't see where that could happen myself.

Thanks for the info. Even on my "target" gun, I leave a little overtravel. I have never used Loc-Tite with a trigger's set screw. Contemplated it, biut never tried it.

 

[Kevin Gibson]

A little locktite and you're good to go. Even without the locktite, the chances are very slim that it will tighten up. But I did put a lil drop of locktite on mine.

Here's the easy way to do it. Adjust the OT stop to where you like it. Remove the trigger, and then measure the protrusion of the OT stop with a dial caliper. Screw the OT screw in deeper, add a drop of locktite, then screw back to the original position.

 

[William R. Moore]

When I was doing a lot of 1911s, I was buying triggers by the dozen. The brand I was using had an interference fit on the O/T screw, Loc-Tite wasn't necessary. I did learn to create that fit on a couple of guns where the customer wanted to keep the original trigger.

There were a couple of customers who didn't listen to my "don't touch the O/T setscrew" speech and buggered their firing pins/firing pin plungers royally. Guns with the firing pin safety required more over travel than previous versions to keep from creating interference*. After a couple of re-works, their set screws got interference fit AND red Loc-Tite. One of the twits had the gall to complain he couldn't adjust the over travel (after previously ruining 2 sets of firing pins & safety plungers).

* If you have the firing pin safety plunger, your check for free movement has to incude the firing pin & plunger, not just the hammer & sear. After a while, Colt began making the plunger lift lever in several versions to help compensate for tolerances. I don't recall the coding of the sizes.

 

[Charlie Petty]

One more vote for leaving it alone. I don't set it as close for a carry gun as I would for target use.

A good check is to hold the trigger back and move the hammer back and forth to make sure it isn't hitting the half cock.

 

[Kevin Gibson]

When I was doing a lot of 1911s, I was buying triggers by the dozen. The brand I was using had an interference fit on the O/T screw, Loc-Tite wasn't necessary. I did learn to create that fit on a couple of guns where the customer wanted to keep the original trigger.

There were a couple of customers who didn't listen to my "don't touch the O/T setscrew" speech and buggered their firing pins/firing pin plungers royally. Guns with the firing pin safety required more over travel than previous versions to keep from creating interference*. After a couple of re-works, their set screws got interference fit AND red Loc-Tite. One of the twits had the gall to complain he couldn't adjust the over travel (after previously ruining 2 sets of firing pins & safety plungers).

* If you have the firing pin safety plunger, your check for free movement has to incude the firing pin & plunger, not just the hammer & sear. After a while, Colt began making the plunger lift lever in several versions to help compensate for tolerances. I don't recall the coding of the sizes.

For any series 80 pistol that I do trigger work on, I install an "N" firing pin safety plunger lever. That timing has to be right.

 

[phantom4570]

Just in case you missed it, Loctite makes the well known blue low strength and they added purple extra low strength a few years ago.

For years I have backed the mainspring strain screws on my S&W revolvers out about half to three quarters of a turn and secured the screw with blue loctite. I prefer this to the gunsmiths that grind the screw down. I am sure the same would work for an overtravel screw.

 

[IrishCop]

Thanks all. I'll refrain from removing any in the future. Darned if I'll put the ones I took out back in. Probably couldn't find them if I wanted.

Thanks for the tips, gentlemen! :bow:

Phantom, thanks. I do know about blue Loctite. Have a tube. Didn't know about purple though.

 

[t-star]

I don't know about you, but I got replacements from BOLT SUPPLY HOUSE-and it's a Wilson trigger- we don't ALWAYS have to buy gunstore supplied pieces