# Modified Series 80



## tcheleotis (Dec 27, 2018)

I was given a Series 80 1911 that someone had removed the internal grip safety parts thereby disabling the safety. The gun shoots fine. I have three questions:
1) should I “fix” the gun and put them back?
2) can anyone outline which parts I need to replace?
3) are these parts on the Series 80 the same as the series 70?

Tom


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## desertman (Aug 29, 2013)

If it ain't broke don't fix it.


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## pblanc (Mar 3, 2015)

There really aren't any internal parts on the grip safety of a model 1911 apart from the grip safety itself and the right sided leaf of the sear spring. The two common ways of permanently disabling a grip safety on a model 1911 was to pin the safety in its depressed position, or modify the grip safety by filing down the portion that bears against the back of the trigger when the grip safety is not depressed.

Refer to the diagrams shown in the eleventh post of this thread on Brian Enos' forum, specifically the lower 2 of the 3:

http://forums.brianenos.com/topic/47222-tuning-1911-grip-a-safety/

The relationship between the internal portion of the grip safety and the back of the trigger bow is shown on the cut out pistol. Notice how when the grip safety is not depressed a portion of it bears against the back of the trigger and prevents its rearward movement. When the grip safety is depressed, this portion is angled upward sufficiently to clear the rear of the trigger bow and allow it to move backwards.

Assuming the grip safety is still in place, does it move in and out against the pressure of the sear spring? If it does not it has been pinned in position in some fashion and it might be possible to free it up. Or it might not.

If it does move in and out, the internal portion of the grip safety has probably been modified in a permanent fashion and you would need to buy a new grip safety to restore its function.

It is partly personal preference, but I want the grip safeties to work properly on my model 1911. Some shooters, especially if they ride the thumb safety lever with their shooting thumb, have a tendency to not consistently grip the pistol firmly enough to disengage the grip safety and choose to disable it.

So far as I know, the grip safeties on Series 70 and Series 80 pistols have the same design.


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## desertman (Aug 29, 2013)

pblanc said:


> There really aren't any internal parts on the grip safety of a model 1911 apart from the grip safety itself and the right sided leaf of the sear spring. The two common ways of permanently disabling a grip safety on a model 1911 was to pin the safety in its depressed position, or modify the grip safety by filing down the portion that bears against the back of the trigger when the grip safety is not depressed.
> 
> Refer to the diagrams shown in the eleventh post of this thread on Brian Enos' forum, specifically the lower 2 of the 3:
> 
> ...


I think they meant the internal safety? Series 80 models came with a firing pin block in the slide that is actuated by two levers within the frame. Some people disable them by removing the two levers along with the firing pin block and spring. Once the levers are removed there is a metal plate that takes their place that keeps the sear in place preventing it from moving to the side where the two levers were. People do that to achieve a better trigger pull as there are less moving parts when the trigger is pulled. Colt's firing pin safety is activated by the trigger. Unlike the Colt, I have a Kimber RCP II that also has a firing pin safety, however it is activated by the grip safety. When putting the slide back on you have to make sure that you do not depress the grip safety otherwise you could shear the top off of the firing pin safety plunger that is within the frame.

I believe that the purpose of the firing pin block was to prevent the gun from going off if dropped on it's muzzle preventing the inertia of the firing pin from going forward and striking the primer. Since a lot of 1911's don't have that feature I doubt it's much of an issue.

If they want to return the pistol to it's original condition they would need the two levers, firing pin block and spring. I don't know why they would want to as long as the gun functions as it should.


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## tcheleotis (Dec 27, 2018)

desertman said:


> I think they meant the internal safety? Series 80 models came with a firing pin block in the slide that is actuated by two levers within the frame. Some people disable them by removing the two levers along with the firing pin block and spring. Once the levers are removed there is a metal plate that takes their place that keeps the sear in place preventing it from moving to the side where the two levers were. People do that to achieve a better trigger pull as there are less moving parts when the trigger is pulled. Colt's firing pin safety is activated by the trigger. Unlike the Colt, I have a Kimber RCP II that also has a firing pin safety, however it is activated by the grip safety. When putting the slide back on you have to make sure that you do not depress the grip safety otherwise you could shear the top off of the firing pin safety plunger that is within the frame.
> 
> I believe that the purpose of the firing pin block was to prevent the gun from going off if dropped on it's muzzle preventing the inertia of the firing pin from going forward and striking the primer. Since a lot of 1911's don't have that feature I doubt it's much of an issue.
> 
> If they want to return the pistol to it's original condition they would need the two levers, firing pin block and spring. I don't know why they would want to as long as the gun functions as it should.





pblanc said:


> There really aren't any internal parts on the grip safety of a model 1911 apart from the grip safety itself and the right sided leaf of the sear spring. The two common ways of permanently disabling a grip safety on a model 1911 was to pin the safety in its depressed position, or modify the grip safety by filing down the portion that bears against the back of the trigger when the grip safety is not depressed.
> 
> Refer to the diagrams shown in the eleventh post of this thread on Brian Enos' forum, specifically the lower 2 of the 3:
> 
> ...


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## tcheleotis (Dec 27, 2018)

Thanks to all. 

Tom


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## pblanc (Mar 3, 2015)

Some disable the grip safety on a model 1911 for the reasons mentioned. Many disable the firing pin block safety on series 80 pistols in an attempt to enhance trigger pull and/or perceived reliability.

I have heard the drop-fire liability of series 70 type model 1911s debated ad nauseum. Many feel it is a non-issue, but I have read about a handful of alleged incidents in which a drop fire occurred which sounded credible to me. The original design of the model 1911 used a steel firing pin without the type of firing pin block safeties that are so common on auto-loading pistols today. Without the block, if the pistol was dropped muzzle down onto a hard surface with a round chambered from a sufficient height, the inertia of the firing pin could drive it forward with sufficient force to ignite a primer, at least in theory. Many do prefer series 70 pistols and many are still sold, but many of them now incorporate a lower-mass titanium firing pin and an extra-strength firing pin spring to reduce the potential drop-fire liability. I own two model 1911s and they are both series 70 type.

With the Colt series 80 mechanism, there is a cylindrical well drilled into the bottom of the slide that holds a firing pin safety plunger and its spring. The spring holds the plunger down and when it is down the plunger body fits between two collars on the firing pin and blocks its movement. There are two little levers that fit into a small recess milled into the right side of the frame and rotate on the sear pin and hammer pin respectively. The lower one is the trigger bar lever. This gets pushed and rotated by the trigger and it pushes against the upper lever which is the firing pin plunger lever. A stud on the firing pin plunger lever pushes up on the bottom of the firing pin plunger against the pressure of its spring. In its upward position, a cut-out on the body of the plunger provides enough clearance for the collar on the firing pin to allow it to freely move forward.

The addition of the series 80 parts adds a small amount of resistance to the trigger pull through the friction of four moving parts and the force of the firing pin plunger spring. Some claim that they can feel an improvement in trigger action after removing these parts. Others are concerned about the additional complexity and moving parts reducing potential liability. When the two little levers are removed, the recess milled into the frame must be filled to prevent excessive play on the sear and disconnector. Model 1911 frame slot fillers or blanks are sold by Brownells and others for this purpose.

If the series 80 firing pin safety is what the OP was referring to, restoring its function would require removing the frame slot filler (easy) and buying and installing the four named parts: firing pin plunger, plunger spring, trigger bar lever, and firing pin plunger lever, and these would have to be appropriate for the particular pistol. However, if the original firing pin and extractor were replaced, these might not work with the series 80 parts. Not all original 1911 firing pins had collars properly sized and spaced for the firing pin plunger. And series 80 extractors have a cut-out to accommodate the firing pin plunger that series 70 extractors lack. Unless one has considerable experience with disassembling and reassembling model 1911s, it would probably be best to allow a gunsmith to do this type of work and allow the smith to order the correct parts.


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## tcheleotis (Dec 27, 2018)

Thanks for the details. That’s what I was looking for. 

Tom


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