1911-A1 series 80 to 70 conversion

CDMead

On the auction side there's a listing for a Colt Combat Government 45 ACP with this in the description, "The 80 series plunger has been removed making it function like a 70 series with a much smoother trigger pull."

Is such a conversion easy? Is this typically safe?

I'm leary because the seller has a "No Shoot/Disassemble disqualifier."

Any input would be appreciated.

Thanks,

Charlie

lkannes

The conversion is easily done, however the sear may "drift" out of alignment therefore it is necessary to install a "frame slot filler" or "conversion shim" (Brownell's sells them). The conventional wisdom is such that in todays litigious society an attorney (and quite possibly the law) would have a field day if someone is injured with a modified pistol. YMMV.

perry shooter

Be aware that yes you can do this conversion . However you can have the pistol disqualified .If you try to shoot it in a NRA or CMP Bulls-Eye pistol match. Most matches don't have an inspector at their matches however at Camp Perry and could be any match you will be prevented from using any pistol that has had ANY safety crippled or removed . Like the cocking indicator on an early S&W model 41. . I have know a number of shooters that go to Camp perry for the first time and not been allowed to shoot . AFTER LONG TRIP and many $$$ [:(!][:(!][:(!][:(!][:(][:(][:(] . It is best to have legal guns .

CDMead

Thank you for the input.

I am more concerned about safety than anything else. I've been lucky so far (knock wood) in never having a kaboom, and I would like to keep it that way.

beantownshootah

quote:Originally posted by CDMead
On the auction side there's a listing for a Colt Combat Government 45 ACP with this in the description, "The 80 series plunger has been removed making it function like a 70 series with a much smoother trigger pull."

Is such a conversion easy?
Yes.


quote:Is this typically safe? "Safe" is a relative term.

If the conversion is done correctly, the gun is no less safe than any other series 70 1911 pistol (ie the same as all the US gov't service pistols that were in wide military use for 70+ years, the same as nearly every match 1911 pistol, the same as many current production ones, etc).

Remember "ordinary" 1911 pistols still have manual (thumb), grip, AND hammer "half-cock" safety mechanisms, and most people think they are fairly safe.

Yes, the conventional wisdom is that disabling any safety device on your gun is a potential legal/litigation nightmare, but I think it comes down to the circumstances in question. What are you actually using this gun for?

EG, if its a once-in-while range gun only, liability is going to be pretty darn low.

If some drug-addict with a criminal record a mile long tries to stab you inside your home, and you intentionally shoot them, I don't think whether or not some tertiary internal safety device on your gun was altered by gunsmithing is going to make the slightest difference. Bluntly, nobody is probably even going to check the gun in question to find out it was modified.

On the other hand, if you were to DROP said gun, and it were to go off by accident, if you had disabled a safety device in said gun, it would be a "bend over and write a check" situation (even with possible criminal negligence). A plaintiff's attorney would probably have no issue convincing a jury that you were reckless, and a prosecutor might be able to do that too.

In an in-between situation, where say you shot someone under somewhat questionable circumstances (deliberately or by accident) then things could get sticky. Even if you shot someone intentionally (ie the safety was irrelevant), a prosecutor could still try paint you as reckless by disabling a (completely irrelevant) safety feature of the gun. Whether or not they'd actually get away with this characterization would depend on the jury and totality of the circumstances, but I think this is the situation that most people are afraid of. I wouldn't use a gun like this as a primary carry or defense gun; that's for sure.

quote:I'm leary because the seller has a "No Shoot/Disassemble disqualifier."
IMO that's a deal breaker all by itself.

If the guy is telling you the gun is modified, but won't let you take it apart to inspect the job in question, forget it. Seriously, its better to pay $200 more for some other gun and have to worry about issues with bad gunsmithing, returns, etc.