PaleoMan Posted May 17, 2019 Share Posted May 17, 2019 (edited) Hi! I have a S&W 1911 E-series. Had a few instances where it seemed like it was difficult to disengage the safety, and then finally, yesterday, I could not disengage during dry firing. I found that the plunger for the thumb safety, which should press up against the thumb safety, seems to be riding up over and therefore the thumb safety cannot be pushed down. I had to manually push in the plunger to be able to operate the safety and then be able to rack and remove round/etc. A few questions... Is the plunger bent? Any idea as to how that could have happened (something I may have done, or possibly some design issue)? Should this be something I can replace, or should I send it to S&W or a gunsmith? The gun has under 2000 rounds of use. Thanks! Edited May 17, 2019 by PaleoMan Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jcc7x7 Posted May 17, 2019 Share Posted May 17, 2019 (edited) Safety usually stops on the slide or even the interior of the frame before it gets high enough to allow the plunger to slip out like yours did. Smith will fix it under warranty the but is, how long are you willing to be without the gun? So next step would be to bring it to a good Gunsmith and have him fit a new safety. It can be done by the owner but since you're asking the question I figure you don't have the knowledge on how the safety works and is fitted. You also may have to try a couple of different makers of safeties if your frame is cut slightly out of spec or your plunger tube is staked low etc. So now that I've thought enough to write that!!! LOL. you might be best off sending it to S&W. A phone call and a follow up email with that picture should get you a fast response since it's a safety issue. They will send you an RMA and pay the shipping and it can be sent directly back to you, since it's your gun already etc. Edited May 17, 2019 by jcc7x7 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dsa Posted May 18, 2019 Share Posted May 18, 2019 I think that the plunger tube has loosened up and is sliding away from the frame. As suggested above find a good gunsmith and have it looked at. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dranoel Posted May 18, 2019 Share Posted May 18, 2019 7 hours ago, dsa said: I think that the plunger tube has loosened up and is sliding away from the frame. As suggested above find a good gunsmith and have it looked at. Bingo! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
racknrider Posted May 18, 2019 Share Posted May 18, 2019 I have a S&E e series that I bought second hand. The plunger tube came loose from the frame just like above. Smith fixed it under warranty with no questions asked. I think turn around time was about 6 weeks, but this was probably 6 years ago. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pskys2 Posted May 18, 2019 Share Posted May 18, 2019 The plunger tube on most 1911's is a known weak spot. I went to Brownells and bought a tool to restake it myself. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dranoel Posted May 18, 2019 Share Posted May 18, 2019 1 hour ago, pskys2 said: The plunger tube on most 1911's is a known weak spot. I went to Brownells and bought a tool to restake it myself. One of the reasons I like Caspian frames. Get the integral plunger tube and it ain't coming off. Ever. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PaleoMan Posted May 18, 2019 Author Share Posted May 18, 2019 Thanks all! It does seem like the plunger tube is loose, as the safety is moving normally. The gun is out of the one year warranty period, but I'll call S&W anyways and see what they say. Is this just something that can loosen over time? Certainly is something I need to check periodically, as I found the issue while practicing (dry fire), and was planning on using it at a Steel Challenge match tomorrow. Fortunately, it's my back up gun Regards, Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pskys2 Posted May 19, 2019 Share Posted May 19, 2019 21 hours ago, Dranoel said: One of the reasons I like Caspian frames. Get the integral plunger tube and it ain't coming off. Ever. Yes I have one of the Race Readies I built a 45 on. Great frames. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PaleoMan Posted May 20, 2019 Author Share Posted May 20, 2019 Contacted S&W and will send it back to them for repair. Someone pointed out a tool for about $60 to stake the tube, but I'll let S&W fix it this time. I'm curious if it just a normal wear thing, if it is a weakness in the S&W (or 1911 in general) design, or if there is some action I'm doing to loosen the tube (not sure what that would be). If it occurs again (and based on what this costs to repair), I may consider getting the tool. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dsa Posted May 21, 2019 Share Posted May 21, 2019 3 hours ago, PaleoMan said: Contacted S&W and will send it back to them for repair. Someone pointed out a tool for about $60 to stake the tube, but I'll let S&W fix it this time. I'm curious if it just a normal wear thing, if it is a weakness in the S&W (or 1911 in general) design, or if there is some action I'm doing to loosen the tube (not sure what that would be). If it occurs again (and based on what this costs to repair), I may consider getting the tool. The plunger tube is the weak link in the 1911. I recently had one come loose after 50,000 rounds. I had a new one installed (properly staked) and silver soldered in place. I don't think it will come loose again. Yours came loose a little quick, may not have been properly staked. I don't think you are doing anything to contribute to the problem. S&W makes a good gun; shoot it until something else wears out or breaks, hopefully it will be 10's of thousands of rounds from now. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PaleoMan Posted May 21, 2019 Author Share Posted May 21, 2019 Thanks dsa! I've been enjoying the S&W E-series quite a bit. Looking forward to getting it out today and back soon (S&W says 3-4 weeks turn around). Regards, Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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