Ever since Garand Thumb and Ben Steoger did their “drop a 1911/2022” contest, folk have been saying things like, “1911s aren’t drop safe”. Half the folks don’t understand the difference between Series-70 and -80 1911s.
Let’s discuss it.
What makes a Series-80 drop safe? It actually has a firing pin safety (it’s also called a drop safety.
Why is there a difference between a Series-70 and a Series-80 1911? Because the drop safety adds additional parts to the trigger mechanism, the trigger feel and weight on Series-80 guns tend to be heavy in feel/weight when compared to Series-70 guns.
Can the Series-80 parts be added to Series-70 guns? Not without serious modification by a professional and experienced gun smith.
The grip safety will not stop the firing pin from moving.
The thumb safety will not stop the firing pin from moving.
Can negligent discharges due to dropping be mitigated? Yes.:
- Negligent discharges due to dropping can be mitigated by not dropping the gun.
- As well, 1911/2011 discharges occur when dropped in a very specific manner – dropping 90 degrees on it’s muzzle. Don’t drop the gun on the muzzle.
- Titanium firing pins and a stronger firing pin spring will mitigate NDs from muzzle drops. The lighter firing pin will not move when sudden inertia is applied after hitting the ground on it’s muzzle. A stronger firing pin helps to ensure that light primer strikes don’t occur due the lighter firing pin.
I’m hoping this helps folks that are new to 1911, as well as folks that have owned them for years and didn’t know or though they knew but were wrong.
I’ve ordered two titanium firing pins with heavier pin springs for two of my small 1911s that I’ve recently carried. They are Series-70 1911s and they do not currently have titanium firing pins. I’ll be swapping the parts in one but will wait to do the other. The other is my current carry gun and I don’t want to alter how it’s configured without testing the new titanium firing pin.
As well, those pins weren’t cheap. Two sets of pins and springs were just under $70 (parts were sourced from Nighthawk).
I’ll report back later on if I find that there are issues.