kamikaze1a Posted October 11, 2011 Share Posted October 11, 2011 (edited) I have a used SV Infinity and so far have not really shot it much. Since I shoot Glocks for our matches, I felt that the light trigger of the SV will "confuse" my trigger finger. I think I am almost ready to give the SV a work out. I feel that the previous owner, a much better shooter than I, had the trigger adjusted really light and crisp. Breath on the trigger and it will go... I feel that I need it a bit heavier for now so have a question about sear springs. The SV has a four leaf sear spring now and I am thinking a three leaf might be a good option to start? Or any great advantage of the four leaf over the three leaf? From my searches, it seems to be not really... Any thoughts or recommendations? I see Dawson, Wilson, Ed Brown and even STI on one of the web stores... Edited October 11, 2011 by kamikaze1a Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Matt Cheely Posted October 11, 2011 Share Posted October 11, 2011 If you don't know what you're doing I wouldn't recommend working on it yourself, but... If you tweak the left (looking at the gun from the back) spring forward a bit it will add weight to your pull. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kamikaze1a Posted October 11, 2011 Author Share Posted October 11, 2011 (edited) That's what the previous owner said too... I took it apart and took a look at the spring. I might try that first. Search results also said I might want to bend the middle leaf forward too? In the case of a four leaf spring, which is middle? In regards to the replacement spring, searches hear said that the 1911 and 2011 springs are slightly different but the online store (one of the sponsors of this forum) has the springs as 1911/2011/Para. Are they interchangeable? Edited October 12, 2011 by kamikaze1a Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
a matt Posted October 12, 2011 Share Posted October 12, 2011 +1 with Mr.Cheely Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jerome Posted October 12, 2011 Share Posted October 12, 2011 According to a gunsmith that has helped me work on my guns, it's important where and how you bend the spring. It can take many attempts until you get it just right and not bending it correctly will cause other issues (including dangerous issues). It can be frustrating. It sounds like you want to do it yourself so I would recommend you befriend a local gunsmith and let him/her walk you through it. That's what the previous owner said too... I took it apart and took a look at the spring. I might try that first. Search results also said I might want to bend the middle leaf forward too? In the case of a four leaf spring, which is middle? In regards to the replacement spring, searches hear said that the 1911 and 2011 springs are slightly different but the online store (one of the sponsors of this forum) has the springs as 1911/2011/Para. Are they interchangeable? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kamikaze1a Posted October 12, 2011 Author Share Posted October 12, 2011 10-4 on that! That's why I wanted a backup spring on hand...just in case I mess up the original spring. Thanks! I think I will call the store and ask which spring they recommend... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lumpygravy Posted October 12, 2011 Share Posted October 12, 2011 I'll echo all of the other previous posts on either consulting with someone who knows what they're doing or taking the time to research 1911/2011 trigger jobs and learn how to do you own work safely. If it were me, I'd order up a new sear spring, either three or four leg and not mess with the one already in the gun. Presumably the one in there works and is safe so as long as you leave it alone, you can always put it back with confidence. I'd also get a good trigger pull gauge so I could take measurements and make measured, quantifiable adjustments. FYI - The four finger spring is a Clark and available from Brownells in a three pack. Good luck! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ryan45kim Posted October 12, 2011 Share Posted October 12, 2011 Wow do I need a certified mechanic to show me how to change the oil on my car? I can understand all the concerns if you were trying to make a trigger you measure in ounces instead of pounds, but all you want to do is add a little weight. 99% of that job is getting to the spring and reinstalling it correctly which it sounds like you know how to do already. All you need to do after that is bend the spring leg or legs forward. Looking from the back of the gun the left leg contacts the sear; the next two legs on a four leaf spring return the trigger and the disconector. These are the three legs you need to work with to increase the trigger pull, you bend these towards the frame. Just make sure you still have good engagement with the parts they are supposed to engage after you bend the spring. Reassemble the gun and make sure everything works with an unloaded gun. If you have any problem that’s what the forum is for and why I love it. Sear springs are cheap so worst case you have to spend $5 on a new one. I’m not a big fan of four leaf springs but I have tried them and they can work. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ck1 Posted October 12, 2011 Share Posted October 12, 2011 (edited) Let me be the first (or I guess the second) to say get yourself an extra spring (for just in case) and bend away if you want! Just know that you're probably going to be breaking down the gun a bunch of times and then putting it back together... it can really be more time consuming and slightly annoying (depending on how many tries it takes) more so than anything else, dry-fire and safety-check the snot out of it before you load it up and try any real rounds through it, and even then start with loading up no more than (2) at a time (just in case), before you're sure it's solid. IMHO sometimes the best way to dial in a trigger exactly as you want it is to do it yourself, and while many 1911-specific gunsmithing tasks are out of the realm of most "kitchen table gunsmiths" (like cutting sears and hammer hooks, etc.), bending a sear spring is certainly not. Basically, in layman's terms (or at least how I grasp it), with a a traditional 3-leg sear spring, looking at the back of the gun: the left one has the most effect on overall trigger-pull/break-weight, the middle one has the the greatest effect on trigger-reset, and the one on the right controls grip-safety sensitivity... BUT, each one effects the other one's somewhat, so it's not an exact science and requires some playing around to get what you want. The 4-leg spring you've got is a little more tricky as the middle leg is split in half, turning it into 2 legs instead of 1, so that half/one-leg can apply pressure to the trigger-bow and the other half/leg can apply pressure to the disconnector which is supposed to combat trigger-bounce in real light trigger-jobs. You MUST make sure there's no hammer-follow or trigger-bounce, and also that your grip-safety is working correctly before you try any live ammo through it (again, starting with 2 rounds only for at least a few mags). I had my gun(s) to a couple different gunsmiths multiple times, never quite getting exactly what I wanted before/until I just decided to learn how to do it myself. I wanted a pretty light/crisp pull, but more than that I wanted a lot of "snap" on the reset (more than most are used to with the average 1911) and the grip-safety as easy to engage as possible, what it took was me disassembling/reassembling the gun about 50 times and figuring it out... in that case, that ended up being a 3-leg spring where the left leg was only slightly bent back (nearly bone straight really), the middle leg was bent in towards the trigger-bow fairly strongly, and the right leg had a shallow backwards bend. It's bending a spring, it's not rocket science. If you aren't sure how to properly safety-check it though, you're indeed best leaving it to the more experienced. Edited to add: I'd recommend leaving the spring you've got alone and experimenting on another one so you don't have to ruin where it's already at, and so you can look at the existing one to ballpark your new one. Sounds like just a little more pressure towards the trigger-bow and/or disconnector on your middle leg(s) might deliver what you want... Edited October 12, 2011 by ck1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kamikaze1a Posted October 12, 2011 Author Share Posted October 12, 2011 Thanks guys! Reading the results of my searches, it seems that there is a right and wrong way to bend the spring, or rather which part of the leaf you bend. I guess following the original contour will work? And lastly, it seems some say that the 1911 spring is slightly different from the 2011 but a few say they are interchangeable. Most online stores list as 1911 and no real listing for 2011 springs. I am going to take the tips to heart and mess with a new three leaf spring and leave the original four leaf as is as a fail safe... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
z40acp Posted October 12, 2011 Share Posted October 12, 2011 Buy the new spring and go to Jack Weigands trigger pull instructions on the Brownells website. You will need a cheap spring scale. He shows how to adjust the two legs. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
392heminut Posted October 12, 2011 Share Posted October 12, 2011 Buy the new spring and go to Jack Weigands trigger pull instructions on the Brownells website. You will need a cheap spring scale. He shows how to adjust the two legs. Here's a link to the article z40acp referred to; http://www.brownells.com/.aspx/lid=10297/GunTechdetail/2-lb-Trigger-Pull Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kamikaze1a Posted October 12, 2011 Author Share Posted October 12, 2011 Thanks! I finally found it after searching and searching their site. It didn't come up with Jack Weigand or sear spring but eventually found the trigger pull title. Thanks guys! Got it bookmarked! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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