grip safety won't engage when reassembling

[boo radley]

This is freakin' embarrassing -- I can't seem to reassemble a 1911 after complete stripping it, and getting the $%*(#@ grip safety to work properly.

Trigger, mag release installed.

Put in the sear and diconnector...

Put in leaf spring being careful of fingers.

Partially put MSH on

Install hammer

Install grip safety, push MSH up, and pound in the pin*

Install thumb safety*

Install grips, and admire my handiwork. Curse and fume when I can drop hammer w/out touching the grip safety.

* somewhere here, something is happening. When I use an MSH w/out a spring, so I can easily install it, the

grip safety does seem to work. I can't drop the hammer w/out engaging it.

Hell am I doing wrong??

[Scout454]

Boo,

Pull the slide off and look down inside the grip and see if the tang on the grip safety blocks rearward movement of the trigger bow. It sounds like the grip safety isn't going all the way into position.

Did you make any adjustments on the trigger? I.e., decrease the takeup? That will often move the trigger bow back far enough that the tang on the grip safety will no longer drop down below the trigger bow.

[HSMITH]

Something is keeping it from releasing all the way out from your description, and the fact that it worked before you took it apart. Try pulling forward on the trigger itself and see if the grip safety pops out a bit, knock the pin out and slide the mainspring housing down just a bit and see if you get the grip safety to pop out a little more.

[sfinney]

I usually do this:

Trigger, mag release installed.

Put in the sear and disconnector, and hammer/strut in fully forward/down position...

Put in leaf spring being careful of fingers being on top of the rear of sear and disconnector

Partially put MSH on to hold sear spring in place

Install grip safety, then push MSH up, and pound in the pin

Cock hammer, install thumb safety

Test for function

If the gun will still fire with the grip safety not being touched, your either:

a) have to light of a bend on the finger of the sear spring that touches the grip safety, its not fully extended

the sear finger for the grip safety is slipping off the pad on the grip safety, no tension

c) the extension on the grip safety that rides the trigger bow and prevents firing is not dropping below the trigger bow (bent trigger?)

d) something has been changed; a new sear, or hammer, or disconnector, or trigger can be reasons a grip safety is now not fit properly.

Best I can do from memory. Have another set of eyes look at it, and if its still "broke" take it to the 'smith.

Edited June 21, 2007 by sfinney

[boo radley]

Boo,

Pull the slide off and look down inside the grip and see if the tang on the grip safety blocks rearward movement of the trigger bow. It sounds like the grip safety isn't going all the way into position.

Did you make any adjustments on the trigger? I.e., decrease the takeup? That will often move the trigger bow back far enough that the tang on the grip safety will no longer drop down below the trigger bow.

Well...I, uh, did bend on the sear spring a bit, and polished the trigger bow (trigger on this STI Lawman was really gritty and horrible from the factory), but I don't think I did anything really dramatic.

I will take a careful look this evening, and see how it all goes together -- I appreciate the tips!

[Radical Precision Designs]

I usually do this:

Trigger, mag release installed.

Put in the sear and disconnector, and hammer/strut in fully forward/down position...

Put in leaf spring being careful of fingers being on top of the rear of sear and disconnector

Partially put MSH on to hold sear spring in place

Install grip safety, then push MSH up, and pound in the pin

Cock hammer, install thumb safety

Test for function

If the gun will still fire with the grip safety not being touched, your either:

a) have to light of a bend on the finger of the sear spring that touches the grip safety, its not fully extended

the sear finger for the grip safety is slipping off the pad on the grip safety, no tension

c) the extension on the grip safety that rides the trigger bow and prevents firing is not dropping below the trigger bow (bent trigger?)

d) something has been changed; a new sear, or hammer, or disconnector, or trigger can be reasons a grip safety is now not fit properly.

Best I can do from memory. Have another set of eyes look at it, and if its still "broke" take it to the 'smith.

This is pretty much the way the sequence goes, for installing parts back.

I find it easier, though, to avoid snags sometimes, to put in a slight variation.

Install trigger and mag catch, install sear and disconnector, then install hammer in place. Now carefully install sear leaf spring and hold in place as you insert mainspring housing, but DO NOT push all the way up. Make sure at this time that sear leaf is over left side of sear and center leaf is over center and in top of disconnector "cam". Now, gently place grip/beavertail safety into position and depress fully (keep it in this position), follow by cocking hammer back into full cock. (You will notice that the hammer strut will push down the mainspring housing, that's ok!) NOW, with the hammer fully cocked, and the grip safety properly positioned GENTLY "wiggle" the thumb safety in place. Now, squeeze the trigger and push the hammer forward fully down. Now you can push the mainspring housing completely up and push/install the pin to hold it it in place. This will all work better if you have the slide/upper removed from the frame.

Edited June 21, 2007 by Radical Precision Designs

[boo radley]

This is pretty much the way the sequence goes, for installing parts back.

I find it easier, though, to avoid snags sometimes, to put in a slight variation.

Install trigger and mag catch, install sear and disconnector, then install hammer in place. Now carefully install sear leaf spring and hold in place as you insert mainspring housing, but DO NOT push all the way up. Make sure at this time that sear leaf is over left side of sear and center leaf is over center and in top of disconnector "cam". Now, gently place grip/beavertail safety into position and depress fully (keep it in this position), follow by cocking hammer back into full cock. (You will notice that the hammer strut will push down the mainspring housing, that's ok!) NOW, with the hammer fully cocked, and the grip safety properly positioned GENTLY "wiggle" the thumb safety in place. Now, squeeze the trigger and push the hammer forward fully down. Now you can push the mainspring housing completely up and push/install the pin to hold it it in place. This will all work better if you have the slide/upper removed from the frame.

Thx Venri -- might try that way, first...I assume I'm going to need tape/rubber band or something to hold the grip safety in place while I put the thumb safety in? It's hard enough trying to wiggle in the thumb safety while depressing the plunger with two hands. For me.

So here's the other question -- the relationship between sear and disconnector. I try to put the parts in so that the two arms (or whatever they're called) of the sear are just resting on the spade-shaped surface of the disconnector. But by the time I've wiggled in the retaining pin, they've seperated a tad. But since the pistol is otherwise functional except for grip safety, I assume this doesn't matter?

I need to take a picture, if I'm still having problems tonight....Man. I really have done this before, just on other guns, and don't remember it being this tough. All the fault of the SVI magwell, that led to this.

[boo radley]

Never mind -- fixed.

Spend another 1/2 hour dicking with it, then put the original MSH on, instead of the SV/Magwell combo. Go figure it works. Odd.

[boo radley]

Never mind -- fixed.

Spend another 1/2 hour dicking with it, then put the original MSH on, instead of the SV/Magwell combo. Go figure it works. Odd.

I hate mechanical mysteries, so I messed with this some more. Wrapped a rubber band around the GS, and replaced the factory MSH with the SVI magwell/msh combo. Grip safety no longer worked. Switched back to the factory, it worked. Ah ha!

Emailed SVI, and received a prompt reply from Brandon Strayer (gotta love companies that respond quickly to email)

suggesting the geometry of the tops of the MSH was different, and the tab on the factory MSH was cut back, allowing the grip safety to pivot farther backwards. He suggested an easy fix would be to bend the engagement tab of the grip safety downwards a bit, allowing it to engage sooner.

Hmm...broke everything down again for like the 27th time, studied the parts, and decided to file the tab back on the SVI MSH rather than tinker with the grip safety. Damned if it didn't work.

[HSMITH]

Boo, good to hear. Experience is what you are left with after you have screwed something up. Sometimes not knowing the answer isn't so bad LOL.

[Mo Hepworth]

Funny, I replaced my MSH from my STI, with an SVI metal one...and the grip safety (although barely working), doesn't work at all now. IS this ok..as I care not for the grip safety. Will I run into any problems?

[yoshidaex]

Mo Hepworth,

interesting how a change over in MSH could cause your grip safety not to work. I recall the grip safety prevents the trigger bar from going to the rear when the safety is not depressed. try reinstalling your old MSH and see if the grip safety still works. But reading post #9 a slight MSH mod may get your GS to work again. If you could care less about the GS, leave it.

Edited October 11, 2007 by yoshidaex

[HSMITH]

There are two tabs on the bottom of the grip safety that engage the mainspring housing, they capture the bottom of the GS and keep it from swinging out of the frame. These two tabs are not being allowed to come out as far with the new mainspring housing as they were with the old one. Either re-fit the grip safety or modify the mainspring housing to correct.

[DACP-KS]

I had the same problem after replacing my MSH with new magwell/MSH. I had to remove metal of the forks on top of the new magwell housing.

http://www.brianenos.com/forums/index.php?...mp;#entry610675

[DACP-KS]

I had the same problem after replacing my MSH with new magwell/MSH. I had to remove metal of the legs on top of the new magwell housing.

http://www.brianenos.com/forums/index.php?...mp;#entry610675