2011 Hammer Spring Replacement

[m0dnar]

If my gun has a pinned grip safety from the factory, does that mean it should be super easy to swap out the hammer spring? I've done the job on a regular 1911 years ago and did the rubber band method to hold the sear spring in place so I didn't have to re-align everything, but since my current grip safety is pinned, does that mean I just need to drop the mainspring housing, do the spring swap, and then re-seat the MSH? Nothing to align?

[Sarge]

I’m certainly no gunsmith but mine that are pinned are attached to the MSH. Pull the MSH down and nothing is pinned.

[m0dnar]

So to be safe use the rubber band trick anyway to keep the grip safety pinned so I don't need to mess with aligning things?

[MikeBurgess]

easier than a rubber band is to install the mainspring housing almost all the way, after you install the sear spring and ensure its sitting properly, this will hold the sear spring in place and allow you to install the grip safety ( just slide the mainspring housing down just enough to let you put this in )  and thumb safeties.

 

 

[m0dnar]

Now I'm confused. Isn't the hammer spring the one that's in the mainspring housing? I'm trying to figure out if there's a way to remove my MSH without having to mess with sear spring and hammer strut alignment if my gun has a factory pinned grip safety. 

[dansedgli]

Use the rubber band. The pinning is likely done with the mainspring housing. The grip safety would tuck behind it or a pin somehow depending on how its done. 

 

It should slide right out in any case. 

 

[CHA-LEE]

How about simply learn how to properly assemble a 1911? So far more time has been wasted talking about rubber bands as a work around to not learning how to do it properly vs just doing it properly. Also, how do you properly clean your 1911 if you don't take it completely apart on a regular basis???

[MikeBurgess]

On 9/27/2022 at 5:00 PM, CHA-LEE said:

How about simply learn how to properly assemble a 1911? So far more time has been wasted talking about rubber bands as a work around to not learning how to do it properly vs just doing it properly. Also, how do you properly clean your 1911 if you don't take it completely apart on a regular basis???

I tried,

[m0dnar]

On 9/27/2022 at 7:00 PM, CHA-LEE said:

How about simply learn how to properly assemble a 1911? So far more time has been wasted talking about rubber bands as a work around to not learning how to do it properly vs just doing it properly. Also, how do you properly clean your 1911 if you don't take it completely apart on a regular basis???

 

I'm here to shoot guns. I have no interest in learning gunsmithing. I do a field strip, solvent bath, and re-lubing as normal maintenance. Anything more than that and I have no problems sending it out to an actual professional. If you like to tinker, that's great for you. I enjoy tinkering with LS motors, but I seriously could not care less about how my 2011 works. That's why I paid someone to build it for me and I didn't go read 20 books, watch 500 hours of YouTube videos, and build it myself from parts. 

 

I also keep a spare for competitions so if I needed to send one out, I still have my backup. But if a rubber band allows me to do a 5 minute spring change myself, that's worth it. If a rubber band won't, I have no issues shipping it out and having someone else do it. I'd rather spend my time doing something else. 

[zzt]

2 hours ago, m0dnar said:

But if a rubber band allows me to do a 5 minute spring change myself, that's worth it

 

So give it a try.  Bear in mind the grip safety does not retain the sear spring.  So if it goes sproing and slips off the sear it will be a real pain to get it reseated properly.  Sometimes you can't and have to take off the grip safety and the thumb safety to get it on right.

 

Here is my suggestion.  Rubber band the GS down tightly.    Find a short piece of plastic or metal about 1/2" long, as wide as the main spring housing and thick enough to rise above the grip.  Pull the MSH down slightly, but not off the spring. Put the plastic/metal between the GS and the MSH and rubber band down tightly.  That will keep the sear spring from moving when you take the MSH all the way off.

[CHA-LEE]

7 hours ago, m0dnar said:

 

I'm here to shoot guns. I have no interest in learning gunsmithing. I do a field strip, solvent bath, and re-lubing as normal maintenance. Anything more than that and I have no problems sending it out to an actual professional. If you like to tinker, that's great for you. I enjoy tinkering with LS motors, but I seriously could not care less about how my 2011 works. That's why I paid someone to build it for me and I didn't go read 20 books, watch 500 hours of YouTube videos, and build it myself from parts. 

 

I also keep a spare for competitions so if I needed to send one out, I still have my backup. But if a rubber band allows me to do a 5 minute spring change myself, that's worth it. If a rubber band won't, I have no issues shipping it out and having someone else do it. I'd rather spend my time doing something else. 

 

You like tinkering on LS Motors? So do I. Let me put this in terms you may understand. Learning how to fully disassemble & reassemble a 1911 is about as "complex" as swapping a water pump on an LS motor. Yes things have to come apart and go back together in a specific order for it to happen properly, but NOTHING involved is rocket science nor requires special tools.

 

An experienced 1911/2011 owner can fully disassemble, clean, inspect, relube and assemble the gun in less than 30 minutes. And that is going at a normal steady pace while doing it. Sure, you can send your gun off to an "Expert" to do this basic stuff for you. But just like you would rather swap an LS water pump yourself because its "easy" the same goes for this basic 1911/2011 gun maintenance stuff. Stop treating this effort like its some mystical black art that would take forever to learn. That simply isn't the case.

[donnyglock]

15 hours ago, CHA-LEE said:

 

You like tinkering on LS Motors? So do I. Let me put this in terms you may understand. Learning how to fully disassemble & reassemble a 1911 is about as "complex" as swapping a water pump on an LS motor. Yes things have to come apart and go back together in a specific order for it to happen properly, but NOTHING involved is rocket science nor requires special tools.

 

An experienced 1911/2011 owner can fully disassemble, clean, inspect, relube and assemble the gun in less than 30 minutes. And that is going at a normal steady pace while doing it. Sure, you can send your gun off to an "Expert" to do this basic stuff for you. But just like you would rather swap an LS water pump yourself because its "easy" the same goes for this basic 1911/2011 gun maintenance stuff. Stop treating this effort like its some mystical black art that would take forever to learn. That simply isn't the case.

100%

[Joe4d]

On 9/26/2022 at 8:01 PM, m0dnar said:

Now I'm confused. Isn't the hammer spring the one that's in the mainspring housing? I'm trying to figure out if there's a way to remove my MSH without having to mess with sear spring and hammer strut alignment if my gun has a factory pinned grip safety. 

inside the mainspring housing........  is the main spring..  hence the term,,, mainspring housing.
But yes that spring puts pressure on the hammer strut, and in turn the hammer.  The sear spring is the flat fingered one that puts pressure on the sear and trigger and grip safety... May also be another spring if you have some kinda firing pin block model.  

I have tried pulling the MSH a few times for one reason or another without dropping the rest. Dont think I have ever been successful on getting it back together without pulling the grip safety

Edited October 1, 2022 by Joe4d

[m0dnar]

On 9/30/2022 at 3:53 PM, zzt said:

 

So give it a try.  Bear in mind the grip safety does not retain the sear spring.  So if it goes sproing and slips off the sear it will be a real pain to get it reseated properly.  Sometimes you can't and have to take off the grip safety and the thumb safety to get it on right.

 

Here is my suggestion.  Rubber band the GS down tightly.    Find a short piece of plastic or metal about 1/2" long, as wide as the main spring housing and thick enough to rise above the grip.  Pull the MSH down slightly, but not off the spring. Put the plastic/metal between the GS and the MSH and rubber band down tightly.  That will keep the sear spring from moving when you take the MSH all the way off.

 

I'll give this a shot. Thanks!