Half cock question 1911 copy

[Keyless]

I have a question about a 1911 copy I recently bought . This is the second time I have owned this pistol and it shoots great. It is a Olimpic Arms Matchmaster and I noticed that when on halfcock you can pull the trigger and the hammer will fall. This pistol has had several modifacations done and I really like it.

I saw somewhere that on a series 80 the hammer will fall when on half cock. Is there something wrong with my gun or is it supposed to do this ? It has a great action and I took it all the way down to the bare frame and closely examined the sear and hammer. I don't see anything worn or damaged . Thanks

[LngRngShtr]

I don't know about a series 80 allowing that because my 1911s are all match guns and have had that piece of liability (firing pin plunger and lift arm) removed ( had one on a carry gun fail once, thankfully at the range..)

As far as I know the half cock is a secondary safety and should work it could be either an angular issue with the notch or sear nose or both or a sear spring needs to be replaced,.. I would handle this pistol with caution until I could get it checked by a gunsmith who knows 1911s

an extra check, will it do it from full cock ? if so hammer and sear replacement time, you can get matched drop in sets that are pretty good

....it isn't worth an unintentional discharge

John

[timcalhoun]

Well, without detail stripping it I can't tell you 100% if there is anything wrong with it, but I can tell you that what you are expieriencing is not uncommon at all.

The half cock notch is designed to catch the hammer if the parts get worn or are adjusted wrong to the point of allowing the hammer to follow after the slide cycles. It will prevent full auto in that respect also.

I had a friend that brought me his gun when he thought he was getting light primer strikes, but it turned out that his hammer was falling to half cock and then he would pull the trigger and the hammer was only falling from half cock and only denting the primer. A quick adjustment and the gun ran like a champ.

[timcalhoun]

Series 80 govt model hammer's have a follow-through ledge that makes contact with the entire length of the sear and is easier to pull the trigger at half cock. The series 70 makes contact in the middle of the sear and have a captive notch and is sometimes next to impossible to pull the trigger. The Gold cup hammer is a combo of both keeping the location of the 70 and the ledge of the 80 instead of the notch. But then you have so many after market hammers that change the two basic designs slightly in many ways.

[willis68]

Series 80 govt model hammer's have a follow-through ledge that makes contact with the entire length of the sear and is easier to pull the trigger at half cock. The series 70 makes contact in the middle of the sear and have a captive notch and is sometimes next to impossible to pull the trigger. The Gold cup hammer is a combo of both keeping the location of the 70 and the ledge of the 80 instead of the notch. But then you have so many after market hammers that change the two basic designs slightly in many ways.

[Keyless]

I guess I should have mentioned , all the saftey's work perfect on full cock. I am glad to hear that it is not uncommon . The action is so smooth it is hard for me to believe it has a problem , but it just doesn't seem " normal " to me that the hammer drops on half cock. It could have been like this when I owned it before and I just never noticed it. Thanks for all the replies .

[tnhawk]

I can see no reason to ever place the hammer at half cock.