Hi me again with another problem. :D I installed the disconnector and sear along with the sear spring hammer and grip safety. When i cock the hammer back it may cock back 1 time and fire 1 time and then it will either cockback and not lock every single time or it might cock back again and just not fire when i pull the trigger even when all the safety is off. This happens everytime. Might get it to cock and lock back once and then fire or might not, usually it never locks back and when it does it just wont go forward even when i pull the trigger. However like i said before now and again it does lock back and fire but very rarely. Any ideas would be a great help because im lost. Thanks a bunch.
I've been watching this for a while and it is starting to sound like you have a sear and or disconector problem. I've never built a 1911... until I found this place it never occured to me to try... so my hat is off to you. It is hard to tell from here what the problem is... if I was there I still might not be much help. Don't take this wrong but I think the best advice I can give is get yourself a copy of Jerry Kuhnhausen's "The U.S. m1911/1911A1 Pistols, A Shop Manual. I know you can get it from Brownells... It is the bible on this gun. good luck with it.
Mike, try cycling the slide with the thumb and grip safeties removed. Just before the slide goes to battery, look behind the 3 finger spring and verify the disconnector starts to moves up. From the thumb safety side, verify the sear pivots about the sear pin (did you fix the oversized sear issue?). Make sure the left 3 finger spring is pressing against the lower sear leg and the center pushes on the disconnector shovel.. If this doesn't work, find someone local that is reasonably familiar with 1911's. It's hard to troubleshoot from a forum, better to have the pistol inhand to inspect. We assume you've done a correct assembly, but that assumption can cause us to miss something simple or subtle. Gotta give ya credit for getting this far, I know engineers that wouldn't try what you're doing.
watch these animations: m1911.org
Hey guys its working now. I think the problem was with the leaf spring being too low down on the middle leg. When i ajusted it inside the gap so it was on the top edge it now cocks with a few clicks and works great. I have an agi armourers course on the way on the 1911 so that should answer most of my questions. Im just pleased that i now know it's not a fault with the pistol or parts but rather a fault by me. One thing that does seem to be wrong is the length of the strut. When i assemble the slide and let the hammer go forward, the hammer rests heavily on the firing pin pushing it in and the mainspring housing wont line up with the hole as the strut when placed into it pushes it too far down. It's very close to the hole, like half a line up. I think i need to file it down however what i need to know is when the hammer is uncocked and resting forward should it be resting heavily against the firing pin enough to always be pushed in or should it be loose or not touching it at all? Need to know so i know how much to file off. Hope you understand what i mean. Thanks again.
Its not uncommon for a hammer when forward to push in the firing pin. I dont think it sounds like your hammer strut is too long. The 1911 uses a inertia driven firing pin, IE pushing in your firing pin (FP) flush with the firing pin stop should not make the tip of your FP stick out of the breechface at all. If it does something is out of spec. Its not uncommon to depress the mainspring housing pin slightly when pinning it into the frame.