Speaking of 1911's...

earlyagain

My post keeps being vaporized. So Im editing it in incrementally.
Forgot to say the plunger tube was loose, needing attention to maintain a useable safety.


Been waiting for these tools to be in stock. I can't say enough about Brownells. Standard shipping. Here in two days. Excellent tool.

Youtube said remove the ejector. Pin wouldn't budge. I left it in. No problem. At first I was afraid to apply enough force. Took a couple attempts to get it tight. Tool worked great. The hardened staking point uses the same allen wrench as an RCBS loading die lock ring to adjust or replace it.

Back in business.

I've had this gun along time. Knew nothing about them way back then. Hence the idiot scratch from the slide stop. Thanks to the internet, people here, and the printed info. I've had as much enjoyment learning about them as learning about handloading.

One of the things I learned about from this repair. Is some grips protect the plunger tube better than others. The ones I have on the gun now are firsr rate.

I also got a Wilson Combat bullet proof stainless replacement tube for a spare.

Bigslug

Well done!  I've used that tool a bunch of times - having evolved my technique to include a skin-bed of red Loctite between the tube and frame, making sure I aggressively, rag, pipe-cleaner, and Q-Tip away any excess when the job is completed.

Gotta appreciate the "armor" aspect  of the original grip design.  Unfortunately, the slimlines for the small-handed don't do that.

earlyagain

Next time it comes loose. I'll have give it some red locktite for sure.

earlyagain

Fixed the scratch.

Wambli Ska

Nice job!!!!  How did you do it?

earlyagain

Thanks.

I used super fine grit wet sand paper and oil. Went gentle and checked alot. Pretty forgiving finish.

Wambli Ska

Great work!  It’s all gone.

Diver43

Looks great

earlyagain

Thanks.
Not needed for function, but it still seemed to call for attention.

Wambli Ska

earlyagain said:

Thanks.
Not needed for function, but it still seemed to call for attention.

I agree!

Elk creek

Nice work!!! 

earlyagain

Thanks.
A lot of fun learning about these guns.

Wambli Ska

earlyagain said:

Thanks.

I used super fine grit wet sand paper and oil. Went gentle and checked alot. Pretty forgiving finish.

That’s really interesting because it sounds counter intuitive to me for a gun with a matte finish. Learned something new today!

Diver43

Wambli Ska said:

earlyagain said:

Thanks.

I used super fine grit wet sand paper and oil. Went gentle and checked alot. Pretty forgiving finish.

That’s really interesting because it sounds counter intuitive to me for a gun with a matte finish. Learned something new today!

I was going to ask about that. My SS Commander has an idiot scratch.  Light, but there, have always wondered how to get rid of it

earlyagain

I figured as long as I was gentle and slow. I could stop before any damage got done. The curved surface may have helped also. From what I've seen on youtube, a flat surface really shows it if you don't do it right.

earlyagain

More cleaning and inspection.

Extractor, FP, and the series 80 plunger were full of crud. 
Checked the FP stop for cracks. Saw a video that said they sometimes do. Even had a new one. That thing ain't gonna crack. Its solid steel. Put the original Colt part back in. Springs were recently replaced. Might get a front sight staking tool down the road. For now its solid. Used a pencil eraser and a soft ear plug to reassemble the series 80 cluster......

I think the guns ready. I just need some trigger time so I'll be ready too.

Edit
Also used a dummy round to check the extractor tension. Holds it against the breech face solid. Original Colt part. Still good.

Bigslug

earlyagain said:

 
Checked the FP stop for cracks. Saw a video that said they sometimes do. Even had a new one. That thing ain't gonna crack. Its solid steel.

You'd like to think that, but shoot enough of 'em long enough, it's something you'll see.

The place they crack is from the center hole to the sharp 90-degree corner at 7:00 as viewed by the shooter.  There's something about sharp angles that parts subjected to impact stresses do not like.  Saw it on the front legs of a few early Gen 3 Glock .40 locking blocks before they added some material and a curve, changing the frame pocket to accommodate.

The good news is that a crack in the FP stop is kinda like a crack in the slide rail above the slide stop window (that Colt now mills out entirely) - it's a stress point; it cracks; the stress is relieved; the gun typically continues to run like nothing happened.  Now, a lot of the small parts in the 1911 industry these days are MIM & I don't know how much of a factor that is in the breakage.  On a Colt the various bits should either be milled steel or polymer (trigger shoes and MS housings), but the stresses on them are the same. 

The other good news is that I've never seen one fail so badly you have a firing pin fly back in your face - it's always been just that hairline crack.  If you're an attentive 1911 parent, you'll be taking the slide apart every few hundred rounds to clean the goo out of the extractor tunnel, and changing firing pin springs every few thousand along with your recoil spring.  Spend five seconds inspecting the stop, replace if needed, and drive on.

Proud of ya Early.  When I am King, 1911 field stripping and cleaning will be required curriculum for kids to graduate middle school, and no high school diplomas until they can detail strip and troubleshoot one.

earlyagain

I checked it with a bright light. I'll do it again next time. I got a Wilson replacement if it does crack.

Might need less parts and tools for a Glock. But I'd never have this much fun!

Bigslug

earlyagain said:

I checked it with a bright light. I'll do it again next time. I got a Wilson replacement if it does crack.

I've also spotted less visible versions of that crack by seeing oil weep out of it after the exterior of the part was wiped dry some time before.

earlyagain said:

Might need less parts and tools for a Glock. But I'd never have this much fun!

When you've worked on 1911's and enough of his other stuff, it'll really start clicking that JMB was running on a really elevated level of mechanically intuitive brainpower.  The man was a meat 3D CAD/CAM computer!