Truth About Changing Parts

WELCOME TO THE NO BS ZONE OF TEDDY JACOBSON

Please Note: I want you to know that I have no set schedule as to when I can write my commentaries. Each day seems to represent different problems or phone calls or life situations. I will try and keep you informed as often as possible, this is where you get the truth, you get a lot of BS in the chat rooms and in publications because the advertisers money call the shots. Here no one owns me, this is the real deal of what I am telling you in each commentary.

PLEASE NOTE: CORRECTION TO A PREVIOUS COMMENTARY, ONE OF MY READERS CORRECTED ME AND I CAN NOT MENTION HIS NAME BECAUSE I DO NOT HAVE HIS PERMISSION. REGARDING THE LEGAL LIMIT OF A FOLDING KNIFE BEING CARRIED IN THE STATE OF TEXAS IS 5 1/2 INCHES (blade length) AND NOT 5 1/4 as I PREVIOUSLY STATED, THERE WAS A MIS-COMMUNICATION IN MY INITIAL CONVERSATION WITH THE LOCAL POLICE DEPT. IT IS UNDER THE TEXAS STATUTE 46.01. (WEAPONS) DEFINITIONS, UNDER TITLE 10 "OFFENSES AGAINST PUBLIC HEALTH, SAFETY, and MORALS"... IT IS UNDER 6a.... Thankyou, TJ



I speak with other gunsmiths and pistolsmiths quite often and we always have a very honest and frank conversation about things in general. Many of the SMITHS I speak to are as frustrated with the establishment as I am. I decided that this commentary will cover the parts that people are buying and claiming they are drop in so as to be able to sell them easier. I am going to deligate a good portion of this commentary to the 1911 pistol as that is where most of my email I am getting is directed. Lets now cut the BS, I have been there and done that and I speak from experience and I will back up what I say because its all true.


I got an email from a very nice man this week that wanted to put a new trigger in his new 1911 pistol. Sounds easy but it is not and here is the reason, once you change a part in a 1911 pistol it may or may not effect the geometry of the other parts. For example if the back of the new trigger does not sit in the very same exact spot of the old or original trigger it will effect your thumb safety and your grip safety and your take up and your series 80 system if it has one and the list goes on and on and on.


How can a gun owner understand all this, well he can not. The 1911 is very misunderstood by many people in the fact they think its a piece of cake to just swap out parts. Well if its so easy to work on how come most of you have that traditional scratch under your slide stop because you have trouble installing the slide stop as the detent pin will not compress into your plunger tube like it was designed to do. Want to change hammers, its not that easy because it will change the geometry of the sear and disconnector and possibly the thumb safety and the grip safety.


When just one part is changed it multiplies the problems as the geometry changes and unless you really understand it you are in for real misery. There are many people that work on 1911 pistols that do not understand how important the magazine catch assembly is in the fact if your magazine sits too low in the frame while locked into position, you will have feeding problems. I am sure this is not what you want to hear but this is true. If making a 1911 pistol was that easy why do they have such a high initial failure of feeding and extraction.


I have been getting email regularly about the need for a straight spur hammer for a 1911 pistol. The only one that I like is in the Brownells catalog that we are using in the project street gun. It is only available in blue. MY OPINION is that the magazines pushed these oval and commander type hammers on the public for so many years because there was indeed money for the parts people to make. If you went to an oval or slotted hammer then you had to change your grip safety so there was more green bucks they could make. ITS ALL BS. You tell me what was wrong with the straight spur hammer, answer is nothing but one problem for a select few with a big hand that got hammer bite. This was easily cured by shortening the straight spur and taking some metal off the underneath side to remedy this situation. BUT THERE WAS NO BIG MONEY IN THIS REMEDY.


They had to come up with a fix that not only made them money but a cure for a non existant problem. Now you can not find any stainless steel straight spur hammers. Our last hope will be Bill Capone of Kings Gun Works. Bill is a good guy and he knows how much of a demand there is in this product. THERE ARE NO AVAILABLE QUALITY STAINLESS STEEL HAMMERS THAT I KNOW OF AT THIS POINT IN TIME.


WHERE HAVE ALL THE TRIGGERS GONE TO WITH THE BENDABLE TABS ???
The only trigger that I can buy that I like are the Greider Triggers and the King triggers but for those people that depended on the bendable tabs you will have a take up problem using King or Greider. I use a specially made rivet that after its adjusted I silver solder it in place that will be there forever. Past tense as I do not plan on doing much of this detailed work in the future.

After thought comment: written Tuesday at 2 pm March 15, 2005............ There is no point in waiting for McCormick triggers with the bendable tabs because these other triggers are just as good and in some ways much, much better. There is the Greider trigger that is the exact Videki trigger that is excellent and the King trigger that is excellent and it is available in many colors. The project street gun people are getting a Greider trigger and I have a few King Black triggers. NOW if you must have a good trigger with bendable tabs I suggest you buy the "DLASK" trigger that is readily available but it cost 2 1/2 times the money of a McCormick trigger but if you want a good trigger now, you do not have to wait for a McCormick trigger that may or may not become available as I have been given so many stories about delivery dates, I do not know what is the latest BS story to believe. I have lived my entire life with out a McCormick trigger and so its no big deal to use the ones I mentioned, it is only a matter of learning how to use the triggers I have talked about and being able to spend the extra money for them. My cost for a McCormick trigger is $12 dollars and change each and it is not the best as compared to others discussed in this commentary. I am tired of all the BS.............................TJ


I got a card from Brownells the other day telling me that the Nowlin trigger with the bendable tabs are no longer available. Maybe the people over seas are on strike .... I am just as confused as you are concerning the parts that are all on back order. I would have just liked to hear the truth. Brown used to sell a trigger with bendable tabs also but hes changed triggers and at this point in time I do not know what is in his yellow labeled poly bags. This mystery of the disappearing triggers with the bendable tabs used for take up continues.


INTERNAL EXTRACTORS VS. EXTERNAL EXTRACTORS, your choice but not easily solved if you have a slide where the extractor tunnel is off a few thousands. Its going to be very difficult for an experienced person to set the proper tension on a properly heat treated internal extractor if your slide cuts are off. I always prefer an external extractor with all these problems. I can fit an internal extractor but I am always at the mercy of the heat treating of that extractor. These problems never seem to end and this is the pistol that everyone thinks is a piece of cake to work on.


Want to install an ejector, not a drop in part, not that easy. Want to install a thumb safety, not a drop in part, not that easy. Want to install a grip safety, not a drop in part, not that easy. When is the last time you installed a grip safety on a para ordnance pistol that was made in Canada ?? Not that easy when you find the gap of 1/16 of an inch exists between the rear of the trigger bow and the interfacing portion of the grip safety. How do you make up the distance ?? You can add to the back of the trigger or extend that interfacing part of the grip safety. Either way will work but its not easy. No drop in part here. I have done it both ways and I prefer to add to the trigger bow.


BEFORE YOU BUY your favorite pistol be sure an examine the sights for marks that identify that they were installed by banging them on. If they are night sights having them banged on will destroy the integrity of the tritium vials. These sights that are banged on will soon be as dead as kelseys nuts. Pass on that gun and look at another one. If you doubt me call trijicon or Meprolight sight company. I am trying to give you honest advice to save you aggravation later on. If you own a Kimber you will not easily be able to change your sights because they are either pneumatically or hydraulically pressed in. You will have to let Kimber changer your sights. They can do it easily.


To sum it up keep you gun clean as you life depends on it. Use the factory rated recoil spring, for example if its a government model use a 16 lb recoil spring.
Do not install an 18 or 20 lb. recoil spring as your slide will be out of sync with your magazine spring and you will be feeding nothing as the bullets will not come up fast enough if you have a weak magazine spring. Do not listen to the ninja kommandos in the chat rooms.
Seal your primers.


AUTHORS PERSONAL NOTATION:
This commentary as well as all my previous commentaries are my personal opinion and my personal viewpoint only.


Teddy Jacobson / Pistolsmith (semi retired)
www.actionsbyt.com
281 277 4008
tjacobson@houston.rr.com
jaj45f@alltel.net
www.actionsbyt.blogspot.com/