How to lighten 1911 trigger pull?

[BMartin1776]

any advice to lightening trigger pull on TM 80% 1911 I can do on my own (if so how?) or is it better to hand it off to gunsmith for "trigger job"?

[Twystd1]

There are so many ways to improve a 1911 trigger I could write a novel on it.
And I am a garage skilled novice... (At best)

To do it absolutely correctly. You would need a sear jig, the right stones, the right parts and most of all. A lot of trial and error on fitting parts and how and where to bend the sear spring fingers and where to file and/or polish.

I learned by tweaking on many of my 1911s for a couple of years till I understood how they work.
Then I spent a 5 or 6 hundred dollars on the real deal tools from brownells and other specialty shops.
And I learned how many different ways there are to take up trigger slack.
If I should use a 3 or 4 leaf spring.
What springs work best for each individual 1911.
Exactly how and where to file and polish a thumb safety. (That is part of a complete trigger job IMHO)
How to make trigger bows fit perfectly.
And on and on and on...................................

I highly suggest you try it on your own. Simply watch some videos and have a try at it.
The worst that will happen is that you will need to buy new parts if you can't get your 1911 past a safety check.

The learning curve is steep. And if you have a temper. Send it out for work.
As some 1911's are dam temperamental when it comes to trigger work for the novice gun smith. (Like me)

By the way.... Where are you located? Cuz I know a few peeps.

-T

Use your Youtubefoo and start to look at what videos are available.

[ar15barrels]

any advice to lightening trigger pull on TM 80% 1911 I can do on my own (if so how?)

Optimize the fit of the sear and hammer.
Make the hammer hooks 0.020" tall.
Relieve and polish the sear nose.
Take out all excess slop in the trigger, and thumb safety.

[Pardini]

Put in a reduced power main spring.

[PseudoTsuga]

Find and buy a copy of Hallock's .45 Auto Handbook.

http://www.amazon.com/Hallocks-Auto-Handbook-Kenneth-Hallock/dp/B0007BKXAY

By far, the best thing you can do.
Thank me later.

[av8erprince]

i am currently working on changing my para 1911 from series 80 back to series 70. hoping this helps with the trigger pull as well - 4 lesser parts

[GM4spd]

i am currently working on changing my para 1911 from series 80 back to series 70.

The 70 and 80 series still retain the SAME parts(hammer and sear) that make a good trigger
pull. I can make a series 80 have the same,CLEAN,SAFE pull as a series 70
and you could not tell the difference. Pete

[kmca]

If you plan on doing several 1911's, it's worth the investment in tools, learning and spare parts. If you're only doing one or two, have it done by a good gunsmith.

[Dakine_surf]

Quality parts from the get go also help.

On my TM frame, it was pretty rough in the sear-hammer area, and required a good bit of stoning to get it nice and smooth and even.

Then It was a matter of the EGW ignition kit. This this was almost perfect out of the box. I just used a 400 grit bench stone to polish the sides of the hammer and sear. Maybe 20 or 30 strokes per side to get them to a mirror. then it was on to the disconnector which needed a lot of polishing and lots of filing and cleaning up of the disconnector hole. The trigger bow also got polished to a mirror and the trigger bow tracks were also rough on the TM frame and needed a bit of filing.

Now mine breaks at 3.25lb