1911 Full Auto

Cochise

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I had a strange experience at the range recently. I have a Les Baer 45 Ultimate Master and have shot it for over 30 years with no issues other than extractor tuning.

I had recently taken it to a gunsmith I use for shotguns who also does pistol work but is not a 1911 specialist. He reworked the front sight and converted it to a fiber optic sight and did a great job. While he had the gun I asked if he could reduce the trigger pull from 4 lbs to 2.5 - 3.0 lbs. The trigger pull ended up being 2.2 lbs. Less than ideal but I thought I'd give it a try.

When I took the gun to the range all went well at first. I was inserting the mag and racking the slide strictly by hand. The gun shot well as usual. When I went to change the target I locked the slide back and made the gun safe. When I came back I loaded a mag and released the slide but this time using the slide lock. The slide slammed forward but so did the hammer and the gun fired.

I experimented several times with only 3 rounds loaded and the gun went full auto on several occasions. Very disturbing to say the least. I took the gun back to the gunsmith and even with 3.5lbs on the sear the hammer always fell when the slide was released with the slide lock but did not release when hand racked. He didn't have an answer for the issue. He did work on the sear so I suspect a sear issue.

The gun is now with a 1911 specialist who builds custom guns. I've learned my lesson but I guess one moral of this story, there are several, is to regularly check the fire control of your single action with no ammo.
 
I had this happen with a 7 round loaded mag once....let's just say...it was Interesting. A new sear is usually a quick fix..unless he "worked" the hammer too.

You might just try a little more pressure on the disconnector also.
 
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Just from what I read here, it sounds like the "smith" reduced the trigger pull by taking tension off the left and center legs of the sear spring. I'd have to examine the gun before I could make a call, but that's what I'd look at first.

But, Cochise handed it off to a 1911 wrench, so it's probably gonna get handled.
 
Once upon a midnight dreary, while I pondered, weak and weary,
Over many a quaint and curious volume of forgotten lore
While I nodded, nearly napping, suddenly there came a tapping,
As of some one gently rapping, rapping at my chamber door.
“’Tis some visitor,” I muttered, “tapping at my chamber door—
Only this and nothing more.”
 
I'd take this to PM and delete this thread mate, before you hear from some Feds.

Stuff like this happens, I bought a Yugo SKS many years ago and it had the nasty habit of ripping through a full magazine when it got hot. Turned out it was the ancient cosmoline in the trigger group, once it got hot and the cosmoline became liquid again, the disconnector ceased to function as it should and fireworks followed until I got the trigger group properly cleaned up......
 
Back Many, many years ago when I was ranked an " A " shooter in IPSC, I thought a lighter trigger would bring me to the next level. I had my gunsmith guy reduce my trigger down to the 1 lb range and he warned me,, he didn't recommend it but I was dumb. The next match I was at in Florida shooting with the likes of Barnhardt, Leatham and Konig ? It went full auto, 2 rounds went off before I pull my finger off the trigger. The RO called a cease fire then said, " Guess whats happens now? " I replied with "Im going home". He said " yes you are and don't come back until you have a safe firearm"
 
The next match I was at in Florida shooting with the likes of Barnhardt, Leatham and Konig ? It went full auto, 2 rounds went off before I pull my finger off the trigger.

That sounds like a bump fire. Easy to do with a trigger that light.

There are specific things that have to happen to make a 1911 burst fire without shooter involvement and they mostly center around the failure of the sear to properly reset. That's why fiddling with the sear spring in an attempt to lighten the trigger sometimes goes wrong, especially with short, square hammer hooks and heavy escape angles on the backside of the sear crowns.
 
That sounds like a bump fire. Easy to do with a trigger that light.

There are specific things that have to happen to make a 1911 burst fire without shooter involvement and they mostly center around the failure of the sear to properly reset. That's why fiddling with the sear spring in an attempt to lighten the trigger sometimes goes wrong, especially with short, square hammer hooks and heavy escape angles on the backside of the sear crowns.
One of the things Ive noticed after years of shooting competitions using a 1911 is that unless your shooting bullseye competitions, a lighter trigger will not help your scores. You might think it might, especially after you spent some money on a lighter trigger and want to justify it,but in my experience it really does not. As long as there is no creep or mush and a quick reset, the standard 4-5 lb trigger pull will serve you well.
 
One of the things Ive noticed after years of shooting competitions using a 1911 is that unless your shooting bullseye competitions, a lighter trigger will not help your scores.

Exactly right. Even in Bullseye competition, the limit is 56 ounces.There's really no point in 2-pound triggers.
 
I had a strange experience at the range recently. I have a Les Baer 45 Ultimate Master and have shot it for over 30 years with no issues other than extractor tuning.

When I took the gun to the range all went well at first. I was inserting the mag and racking the slide strictly by hand. The gun shot well as usual. When I went to change the target I locked the slide back and made the gun safe. When I came back I loaded a mag and released the slide but this time using the slide lock. The slide slammed forward but so did the hammer and the gun fired.

I experimented several times with only 3 rounds loaded and the gun went full auto on several occasions. Very disturbing to say the least. I took the gun back to the gunsmith and even with 3.5lbs on the sear the hammer always fell when the slide was released with the slide lock but did not release when hand racked. He didn't have an answer for the issue. He did work on the sear so I suspect a sear issu.
Something similar happened to my 1911 Springfield.
 
Got the 1911 back from Deep River Customs. It shoots well now with no issues. According to them the trigger (with wings) had been adjusted too tight with zero pre-travel. This caused something during the cycle to put additional pressure on the sear and bent the sear pin and damaged the sear. Also the disconnector was a little short.

The sear was replaced and they did a 3 angle cut. The trigger is crisp now and measures out at 3.2lbs on my Lyman scale. It has a tiny bit of pre-travel, which I guess is a good thing. This is all my fault because I asked a "smith" some time back to take out all the pre-travel. He installed a new trigger with wings and gave me what I asked for.

Thanks to all for your helpful comments.
 
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