1911 Hammer follow

[jumbopanda]

How does one fix hammer follow on light triggers? I bought a EGW Ultimate Trigger kit and found that the hammer follows every now and then. I then tweaked the sear spring and I think I've resolved the problem but then if I use my 22lb recoil spring, I get follow again. So is there any way to prevent hammer follow other than increasing sear spring pressure? Or are heavy recoil springs just not meant to be used with light triggers?

[SCMA-1]

I guess, the question is why are you using a 22lb recoil spring? Most 1911's are setup from the factory for 230 FMJ and come with a 16lb spring. If you are shooting very hot loads all the time, try dropping to an 18-20lb but use a nice thick shock buff.

I run 15-16lb in most of my 1911's; they're setup for carry loads or IPSC Major PF. I use shock buffs and never had an issue with frame battering.

If you've arc'ed the sh*** out of your sear spring and still get hammer follows, make sure your hammer/sear engagement isn't beat up; may need to be re-dressed. Also, you can try a Clark Custom 4-leaf sear spring which is a clever way to deal with hammer follow due to trigger bounce. I use these in my 1911's and they work well.

SCMA-1

[J-cat]

Maybe he has a 10mm?

[SCMA-1]

Maybe he has a 10mm?

That would explain it. We need to hear from him.

[jumbopanda]

No, it's a .45, but I shoot a lot of high powered loads through it.

[SCMA-1]

No, it's a .45, but I shoot a lot of high powered loads through it.

OK. 22lb is excessive for even the hottest 45's. Try dropping down to 18-20 and use a shock buff if you are worried about frame battering.

SCMA-1

[jumbopanda]

OK. 22lb is excessive for even the hottest 45's. Try dropping down to 18-20 and use a shock buff if you are worried about frame battering.

SCMA-1

I've already got a shok buff in there, and am currently using a 18.5lb spring. The hammer follow seems to be gone but the trigger is still a wee bit creepy.

[BamBam-31]

I personally wouldn't trust a hammer-sear combo w/ hammer follow. Just not something to mess around with. Get thee to a gunsmith!

[B Strong]

This is the problem with shade tree gun plumbing.

I know you're an experienced guy, and this isn't meant to be a flame, but if you have to ask for advice on trouble shooting your plumbing work, you ought not to be doing the work in the first place.

First of all, unless you're shooting 10mm full house or .45 super, 22lbs is way over sprung for a .45 ACP, even with +P rounds. I run standard 16 lbs. springs in Government sized pistols, maybe an 18 in a Commander.

Second, all the "drop-in" trigger kits are half measure short cuts to a decent trigger, not a real solution. There is no substitute for a professional trigger job on any 1911 type pistol. Any "D-I" kit you can buy will provide a slightly lighter pull, with at most a bit of crispness and break, over a factory trigger.

Over the years, I've tried every kit that came down the pike, and none of them can match up to a Chow, Swenson, Wilson, Jardine, King's or Pachmayr tuned trigger in a 1911.

If you want to invest the time at a school to learn the art of 'smithing, and are willing to learn how to do the job by hand, you're gtg, but those drop in's are a waste of money, imo.

[jumbopanda]

This is the problem with shade tree gun plumbing.

I know you're an experienced guy, and this isn't meant to be a flame, but if you have to ask for advice on trouble shooting your plumbing work, you ought not to be doing the work in the first place.

First of all, unless you're shooting 10mm full house or .45 super, 22lbs is way over sprung for a .45 ACP, even with +P rounds. I run standard 16 lbs. springs in Government sized pistols, maybe an 18 in a Commander.

Second, all the "drop-in" trigger kits are half measure short cuts to a decent trigger, not a real solution. There is no substitute for a professional trigger job on any 1911 type pistol. Any "D-I" kit you can buy will provide a slightly lighter pull, with at most a bit of crispness and break, over a factory trigger.

Over the years, I've tried every kit that came down the pike, and none of them can match up to a Chow, Swenson, Wilson, Jardine, King's or Pachmayr tuned trigger in a 1911.

If you want to invest the time at a school to learn the art of 'smithing, and are willing to learn how to do the job by hand, you're gtg, but those drop in's are a waste of money, imo.

This trigger kit isn't supposed to be a drop in, but I just put it in without tuning it because I don't have the proper tools to do so. Right now I only have hammer follow when I drop the slide on an empty chamber, gripping the gun loosely, and even so it only happens about 10% of the time. I couldn't get it to follow when chambering snap caps. I think it shouldn't be a problem, although it does still bother me a little.

This particular hammer comes out of the box with 0.019" hooks I think, so it's probably more prone to follow than others. I'd like to have a smith look at it if possible, but I'd like one that's reputable and local.

[aplinker]

I've already got a shok buff in there, and am currently using a 18.5lb spring. The hammer follow seems to be gone but the trigger is still a wee bit creepy.

please don't use shok-buffs... plastic in a wear spot is not meant to be inside a gun. It's a great way to gum up the works.

[GM4spd]

Hammer follow one time is one time too many. As another poster pointed out your pistol needs to be
repaired properly,spring rates have nothing to do with it. Your hammer and
sear engagement notches are not right. Pete

[tankerman]

No, it's a .45, but I shoot a lot of high powered loads through it.

Weren't you warning possible ammo buyers against doing that, in some guy's F/S thread?

Anyway, sounds like your still having issues with your 1911 trigger jobs. I have a 'Power Custom' fixture you can borrow. Let me know if you're interested and I'll send it your way.

[SCMA-1]

This trigger kit isn't supposed to be a drop in, but I just put it in without tuning it because I don't have the proper tools to do so. Right now I only have hammer follow when I drop the slide on an empty chamber, gripping the gun loosely, and even so it only happens about 10% of the time. I couldn't get it to follow when chambering snap caps. I think it shouldn't be a problem, although it does still bother me a little.

This particular hammer comes out of the box with 0.019" hooks I think, so it's probably more prone to follow than others. I'd like to have a smith look at it if possible, but I'd like one that's reputable and local.

Dropping the slide on an empty chamber is a bad practice, especially for 1911's with lightened trigger pulls, and may lead to damaging the hammer/sear engagement surfaces.

[Mikeb]

Simply holding the trigger back when you rack the slide to load a round will keep the sear off the hammer and the hammer is controlled by the disconnector until you realease the trigger and allow it to reset. They say this will help protect the sear engagement edges.
Get Kuhnhousens Shop Manual for every thing you want to know about the 1911 and much, much more.
take care
Mike