Tag: firing pin safety

Categories
1911 9mm

I’ve Really Been Curious About Taurus 1911s

Initially, I was avoiding Taurus 1911s, as I considered them to be not much better than Girsan 1911s (next level from disposable). That is based on watching reviews and seeing folks that owned them share not-so-good experiences with Taurus 1911s.

I’m really curious though, because there have been more than a few guns that I bought that had similar stories, yet turned out to be free of problems – the Bersa Thunder, for example, or the Springfield Armory XD.

I think I’m going to buy two of them this coming spring. I don’t have a 5″ 9mm 1911, nor do I have an Officer-sized 1911. I can buy both for under $900 if I buy Tauruses. Or, I can buy one next year and one the year after that (because I still want a 2011 and a Kuna next year, too).

The Taurus 1911s have some features that you don’t normally see with guns under $1500. When was the last time you saw a $400 1911 that has checkering on the front strap? The last gun I saw that was under $1000 that had front checkering was a Tisas 10mm 1911, and that was priced at $800. Magnum Research and Bul Armory has them but those are usually $1000. Many $1000+ 1911s do not have front strap checkering.

Taurus 1911s are not all that pretty, either, but I’ve a few 1911s that are parkerized and look to be chiseled. I just need it to work – I’m not really looking for a sub-$400 masterpiece (those don’t exist).

I also do not have any Series-80 1911s. All Taurus 1911s are Series-80. The most voiced complaint of Taurus 1911s is that they’ve bad triggers – bad as in heavy and/or mushy. Part of those issues are almost certainly attributed to the guns being Series-80 1911s. The firing pin safety makes the gun drop-safe, which greatly benefits folks who will carry the firearm. The con is that the safety mechanism will make the trigger less crisp. The trigger will be less crisp than a 1911 that doesn’t have a firing pin safety, but still better than most striker-fired triggers.

For some reason, Taurus’ Officer-sized 9mm 1911 is $100 more than the Taurus 4.25″ and 5″ variants – I’m not sure why. I also don’t have any Officer mags, but I’m sure I can find some good quality ones that aren’t expensive.

I do wish they sold them with rails and also wish they had optics-ready versions. Then again, optics-ready will raise the price.

What I’ll do is watch as many Taurus 1911 videos as possible, focusing on both the 5″ and 3.5″ 9mm variants.

I guess it’s time to study up!

Categories
1911 2011

How to Make a Series-70 1911 Drop Safe

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.

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.