Question for Umarex Colt 1911 owners

[Michal S]

Hi!
I'm having some technical problem with my colt, shots are really weak, pellets don't even leave the mag. I've read all the related posts on here and had my colt stripped down completely few times.

Valve is fine, mag indexes correctly, hammer spring is brand new but I don't like the look of that flat metal plate attached to the grip safety that raises between firing pin and hammer as you grip the pistol.

It seems worn and when I cock the hammer, look at the firing pin and press the grip safety it doesn't cover the whole pin. Could this be the issue? I've checked my S&W and in it the plate raises much higher. Should I order a new one?

To give you more precise description, if I cock the hammer and look at the firing pin, so that I align top surface of hammer with the bottom part of firing pin and then press the grip safety i can barely see that plate at all (from that point of view it only covers 1/4 of the height of pin).

Any suggestions?

[gingernut]

If the experts fail to appear ask on Umarexboysclub forum.

[steeleye]

I had a very simmilar problem with one of my colts, it was down on power so I ordered 2 new hammer springs as I have several colts. After fitting the "new" spring the power was even lower. I fitted the other new spring and power was right up to as new. So if your colt was OK before you fitted the new hammer spring then that could be the answer. i.e crap spring. Handy if you have another colt to swap hammer assemblies with. Cheers Andy.

[flatrajectory]

Michal,
That `plate` you refer to is called a `transfer bar safety`. On most pistols ,that have one fitted , the bar only rises up when you actually pull the trigger. So look at it whilst pulling the trigger and lower the hammer slowly with your thumb, that way you should be able to tell if it is still in contact with the firing pin. As to wether the transfer bar should cover the whole of the pin or not I don`t know, but I am sure someone on here who has the same pistol will check theirs and let you know.
Pete.

[Michal S]

Thanks for your answers.
Hammer spring is not the reason, problem started with the old one and still exists after I installed a new one.
On my Colt the trigger doesn't raise the "plate" at all, it's done by pressing the grip safety.
I would appreciate if someone who owns a Colt could check his the way I described in my original post.
cheers

[magicniner]

Thanks for your answers.
Hammer spring is not the reason, problem started with the old one and still exists after I installed a new one.
On my Colt the trigger doesn't raise the "plate" at all, it's done by pressing the grip safety.
I would appreciate if someone who owns a Colt could check his the way I described in my original post.
cheers

Michal,
On both my perfectly functioning Nickel 1911s the plate only just half covers the valve pin, I doubt your issue is there.
Regards,
Nick

[Michal S]

Thanks Nick, that's the kind of answer I was after. My second guess is that the Cartridge Lock (part EC148 on the parts diagram) has worn and doesn't push co2 bulb hard enough to puncture it properly. To make things worse I recently mirror polished it to make it smoother and I now realize I probably made it even thinner. I will have some co2 bulbs delivered today so I will try to see if that's the issue. I will update this thread in case someone else has similar problem.

thanks

[magicniner]

Michal,
If you're careful you can "dimple" the capsule by moving the lever just a little way, release & then adjust the screw that bit further allowing you to pierce the CO2 more positively,
Regards,
Nick

[Michal S]

Hi, just to give you an update I managed to fix my colt.
It was a combination of worn mags and a seal on the valve tightened too much.
Mags didn't index properly and co2 capsules were not punctured as they should.
Thanks for answers!