? Taurus 1911 DT trigger

[H Richard]

I know this is not a S&W, but I'm sure all the experts may have an answer. Friend "wins" and brand new Taurus 1911 DT. Tries the trigger, and it is terrible. He knows I do trigger jobs on 1911's and sure he is a good friend. I try the trigger, and I look to see if the safety is on! Put the trigger pull gauge on it and it only goes to 12 lbs and I need way more than that to break this trigger.

The matte finish rubs off black all over my hands and I have to wash it down with Hoppe's and wipe dry before can even start dis-assembly. The removal of the slide tells me that Taurus has changed their 1911 to a "Series 80" style firing pin safety. Having never worked on a Series 80, I am unfamiliar with what "else" may need to be done to lighten up the trigger. The sear appears proper, if not a tad short. The hammer hooks are at or below where I usually put them, measuring .018, but the hammer engagement surface is the same flat black matte finish as the exterior of the pistol. I stone it up nicely, and get a nice polished surface and when re-assembled I have reduced the trigger pull to a sort of decent 7 lbs. It still has a little extra "glitch" in the pull. I do not like cutting any coils off the mainspring, and am concerned the 4 (or more) extra pieces for the Series 80 firing pin safety has a lot to do with the pull. The two lever's in the frame are stamped metal, and do not lend themselves to fine fitting.

Can anyone tell me how I may get any better trigger pull on this?

I can normally get a 4 to 5 lb smooth trigger in a series 70 style trigger, and do have a 3 1/2 lb on my bullseye gun.

Since he only has $40 in the gun he can't complain too much, but don't know if I should recommend he send it back to Taurus. I have done a couple other Taurus in the past ,but they were both Series 70 style. Anyone know when Taurus changed to the Series 80 firing pin safety?

 

[OKFC05]

don't know if I should recommend he send it back to Taurus.

Now THAT's a waste of time if you're down to 7#.

Unless you want to start changing out parts for American aftermarket ($$), I'd call it good.

A properly done Colt Series 80 only adds about 1/2# over a Series 70.
I have a Colt Custom Shop Commander Series 80 tht breaks right at 4#.
But you're not working on a Colt, are you?

 

[H Richard]

No, this is definitely not a Colt. Do you know does Colt use this kind of double lever system to depress the plunger? It seem inefficient to me, but this is a Taurus.

 

[jerryg22]

It has a lifetime warranty. Definitely send it back to Taurus. My PT1911 had a 4.5# right out of the box.

 

[10 X]

Did you undercut the tip of the sear in the corner where it mates with the hammer? Take a look at Brownell's how to pages for a 1911 trigger job. That helps as well as polishing the tip of the sear with 1500 grit sandpaper.

Cutting coils on the mainspring(hammer spring) won't reduce force. You need a lighter spring. Wolff gun springs makes great products. Get a 19 lb hammer/main spring. Makes a world of difference.

The Colt series 80 firing pin safety parts have almost no effect on trigger pull weight. The most that I have ever done with them is to polish them with 600 grit sand paper. I haven't taken a Taurus apart to see if they are the same as a Colt.