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questions about my Defender I bought 2day

skychaser53skychaser53 Member Posts: 344 ✭✭✭
edited June 2009 in Ask the Experts
I bought a nice used one today for CCW. I love it ! it was shooting great at 15 yards ! feeds ball ammo real good..

qustion 1 . In my other post
dfletcher said " It requires a different takedown usually requiring a small part to hold the spring set up in place. ""
What is involved here ? I don't want to take the Defender apart if I can't get it back together lol..
#2.. I would like an extended mag release and maybe slide release if someone makes them, any suggestions ?
#3. I know the cocked and locked therory on big 1911's and that most consider them safe cocked and locked, but unsafe at half cocked.
When I pull the hammer barely back something clicks in and holds the hammer off the firing pin. Is this unsafe to carry like the big 1911 or is the Defenders design different ??

Colts are Forever [8D]
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Comments

  • perry shooterperry shooter Member Posts: 17,390 ✭
    edited November -1
    Hello The series 80 hammer notches are Different then all other colts made before the series 80 . all early series have a full cock with flat hammer hooks and a half cock notch that is like an overlapped tooth It is made to prevent the trigger from moving the sear . Then came the series 80 and the hammer has TWO flat hooks the IDEA and a poor one is that the 1/2 -1/4 cock notch does not have enough spring tension built up by this amount to hit the firing pin with enough force to hit the primer [:(!][V][:o)]. This is why some of use HATE the series 80! I know it has a hammer/firing pin block but I hate this system . Your mileage may vary. Where you can really get into trouble is swapping parts between the series 80 and series 70 on the same pistol. The old SWARTZ safety on pre WW II was IMHO a much better system.
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  • skychaser53skychaser53 Member Posts: 344 ✭✭✭
    edited November -1
    thx perryshooter
    The Defender is a series 90. Will the extended releases I want fit the defender if they come from an 80 or 90 series parts?

    I guess what I'm wondering is will some 1911 parts from any 80 or 90's 1911 work ?
    triggers?
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  • dfletcherdfletcher Member Posts: 8,162 ✭✭✭
    edited November -1
    quote:Originally posted by skychaser53
    I bought a nice used one today for CCW. I love it ! it was shooting great at 15 yards ! feeds ball ammo real good..

    qustion 1 . In my other post
    dfletcher said " It requires a different takedown usually requiring a small part to hold the spring set up in place. ""
    What is involved here ? I don't want to take the Defender apart if I can't get it back together lol..
    #2.. I would like an extended mag release and maybe slide release if someone makes them, any suggestions ?
    #3. I know the cocked and locked therory on big 1911's and that most consider them safe cocked and locked, but unsafe at half cocked.
    When I pull the hammer barely back something clicks in and holds the hammer off the firing pin. Is this unsafe to carry like the big 1911 or is the Defenders design different ??

    Colts are Forever [8D]



    Like alot of the short barreled 1911s, the Defender uses a slightly different recoil spring set up than the standard 1911. Takedown of the Defender is the similar to a full size 1911, but the recoil spring is still under a bit of pressure after you remove the slide/barrel from the receiver. Reminds me more of the Browning Hi Power in that you've got to ease the spring assembly out & maintain control or it will launch itself a bit.

    When reassembling, that recoil spring assembly being under pressure causes the barrel link to swing to the rear - and of course it has to be to the front in order for the hole in the link to line up with the slide stop when everything's being reassembled.

    What some manufacturers do (Springfield for one) is include a little plastic tab to insert between the recoild spring rod that sticks out from the muzzle when the slide is retracted. This keeps the spring from pressing against the barrel link during reassembly.

    Personally I've always wanted manufacturers to use a better set up, Detonics uses a completely captive system requiring no tools and it's best, I think.

    I think you'll find any extended slide release works fine. So far as what parts are 80 series specific, aside from the frame and slide, the firing pin block system itself I think you'll find there are only a few - the slide, firing pin, the extractor and the grip safety (thinner tab) come to mind. Looking through Brownells you'll be able to see the schematics for 70s and 80 series, they'll show different parts.
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  • SpartacusSpartacus Member Posts: 14,415
    edited November -1
    like dfletcher said, the mag release is an easy replacemen.
    the spring is under pressure, so you'll want to controll it when you take the old one out.
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  • skychaser53skychaser53 Member Posts: 344 ✭✭✭
    edited November -1
    thx for the help, I'll have to read up on dissasembly instuctions about the plastic helper before I field strip it.
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