1911 manual safety problem - now resolved, BUT..

[Bic]

...I was (un)moulding my new Crossbreed holster, as it was a little tight on the draw when in situ, using a hair dryer with the 1911 inserted (as per Crossbreed's instructions) and the grips removed, it got pretty damn hot!.

   After kinda getting the 'feel' I wanted I found that the aftermarket Wilson manual Safety lever would not go to the ON position, I tried everything I could think of ....but to no avail, so the next morning I took it to my gunsmith chum Jeff who stripped it completely and found that the central mainspring leaf had slipped from its intended position to the other side of the safety ( I think that's what he said)

Questions: Has anyone had this happen.
                Might the heating have caused the problem?
                What should I do next to prevent this from happening again?


MP
                 

[tombogan03884]

At a guess I would say that taking the grips off was what allowed the spring to move not the heat.
Best way to prevent it happening again would be just not taking the grips off unless you need to to change them or some thing .

[Big Frank]

Nothing I know of would cause that, short of taking the mainspring housing off.

[alfsauve]

I agree JumboFrank.   The main spring housing holds the mainspring tightly in place.  Only way I could see it coming loose is loosening the that housing.    Could it have not been installed correctly last time the frame was stripped?   Or is it possible your housing isn't the right size for your frame allowing a little slop?

[Ichiban]

It sounds like the spring may have gotten jostled partially out of alignment when the after-market safety was installed and was on the verge of failure since then.  All of the additional handling and heating was the straw that broke the camels back.

If you haven't done a detailed stripping of your 1911 I highly recommend it.  With simple hand tools (punches and a hammer mostly), a modicum of mechanical aptitude, a little patience, and the help of dozens of YouTube videos that step you through it it is not bad at all.  A little scary the first time, but not hard.  The only tricky part might be getting the firing pin safety level (for non-70 series guns) back in place.  I would not even mess with the portion of the FPS in the slide as that requires sight removal.  The exercise really demystifies the 1911 and helps in the understanding of how it all works and builds confidence in you and your gun.  Just be sure and safety check it after you are done (http://www.cylinder-slide.com/1911safetyck.shtml).  I usually detail all of my 1911s at least once a year.

[Sponsor]

[PegLeg45]

It sounds like the spring may have gotten jostled partially out of alignment when the after-market safety was installed and was on the verge of failure since then.  All of the additional handling and heating was the straw that broke the camels back.

If you haven't done a detailed stripping of your 1911 I highly recommend it. With simple hand tools (punches and a hammer mostly), a modicum of mechanical aptitude, a little patience, and the help of dozens of YouTube videos that step you through it it is not bad at all.  A little scary the first time, but not hard.  The only tricky part might be getting the firing pin safety level (for non-70 series guns) back in place.  I would not even mess with the portion of the FPS in the slide as that requires sight removal.  The exercise really demystifies the 1911 and helps in the understanding of how it all works and builds confidence in you and your gun.  Just be sure and safety check it after you are done (http://www.cylinder-slide.com/1911safetyck.shtml).  I usually detail all of my 1911s at least once a year.

+10

Most hair dryers only get to between 140-180 degrees so that shouldn't have been a major factor (unless the thin spring was tempered wrong or over-bent to begin with ?).

I tend to agree with Ichiban and say that it was flirting with the edge of failure (from being bent too far forward or from the safety installation) and just waited until now to fail. The middle finger (disconnector spring) that the gunsmith mentioned rides on the bottom rear surface (very small ramped surface) of the disconnector. That particular spring can be very temperamental if not handled correctly and it is kind of easy to get the top edge of the three spring fingers in the wrong place (like between the disconnector and the rear of the trigger bow).

Ichiban added a great link to Bill Laughridge's C&S site. There are some more links to other sites like Brownells and such on the DRTV thread linked below that might also help, as they have a lot of info on building and maintaining the 1911.

http://www.downrange.tv/forum/index.php?topic=3879.0

[Bic]

Many thanks all, the pistol is operating correctly right now, although the said safety is a little more difficult to engage than before the problem occurred - safety 'off' is smooth & crisp.

Are all 1911 mainsprings the same - should I just pony up for a new one and stick it in there ?

MP

[Big Frank]

No, they're not all the same. I stick with OEM.

P.S. the "3-fingered b*tch" is the sear spring.

[Ichiban]

I don't mess with the mainspring but have been known to change out the recoil spring to change operation.

FWIW here is a great interactive animation of how the 1911 works.  Turn various part on/off/ghost.  Very cool.
http://www.m1911.org/loader.swf

If you back up a page you can download it as a screensaver.  More coolness.
http://www.m1911.org/STI1911animation2.htm

[PegLeg45]

No, they're not all the same. I stick with OEM.

P.S. the "3-fingered b*tch" is the sear spring.

Hadn't heard that one before......WILL remember it for future use.