• We are now running on a new, and hopefully much-improved, server. In addition we are also on new forum software. Any move entails a lot of technical details and I suspect we will encounter a few issues as the new server goes live. Please be patient with us. It will be worth it! :) Please help by posting all issues here.
  • The forum will be down for about an hour this weekend for maintenance. I apologize for the inconvenience.
  • If you are having trouble seeing the forum then you may need to clear your browser's DNS cache. Click here for instructions on how to do that
  • Please review the Forum Rules frequently as we are constantly trying to improve the forum for our members and visitors.

PT1911 going back to Taurus, due to catastrophic hammer follow

triehl27

Regular Member
Joined
Jun 12, 2008
Messages
165
Location
, ,
imported post

Anyone who shoots a 1911 knows what hammer follow is. When the hammer falls on recoil of the gun and not on having the trigger pulled. This can lead to catostrophic hammer follow where the hammer falls the whole way and strikes the primer setting off the round in the chamber. And in real bad cases it repeats this process til the mag is empty.

I had a REAL bad case of it.

I have had the PT1911 for a couple of years or so, maybe shot 500rnds through it. Never an issue. Shoots what ever I put through it without problem.

Today on the second mag I had the hammer fall to the half cock. Didn't realize it at the time thought it was a dud primer, recocked and fired fine. Fired the rest of the mag without incident.

On the next mag fired the first shot, fired the second, Then the mag was emptied all 6 rounds without my aid. Damn good thing I had a good hold on it.

Sufficient to say the range is pissed off. I let their smith look at it. and it is completely stock with only one obvious issue. The firing pin safety spring in the slide was completely gummed, like gelled motor oil gummy and non functional. but even after cleaning that out, it would still drop the hammer when sling shotted with a snap cap and no one was about to try a live round like that.

I have three things going fo me.
1. I am a member in good standing
2. I was more then happy to have them inspect it
3. I was obviously freaked out by the incident.

The judgement: get it fixed immediately, send it in to Taurus. If it happens again it will be reported to authorities as a possible class 3 manufactured weapon, by the original manufacture.

Taurus will be called in the AM pronto. I have lost all confidence in the gun I had had 100% confidence in it before this. I'd like it fixed cause it is so super accurate. 50yds for fun with it. But it scares me now, that really hurt like hell when it happened.

EDIT: the smith did find the firing pin safety spring was gummy and sticky
 

SpringerXDacp

New member
Joined
May 12, 2006
Messages
3,341
Location
Burton, Michigan
imported post

trofwa wrote:
Anyone who shoots a 1911 knows what hammer follow is. When the hammer falls on recoil of the gun and not on having the trigger pulled. This can lead to catostrophic hammer follow where the hammer falls the whole way and strikes the primer setting off the round in the chamber. And in real bad cases it repeats this process til the mag is empty.

I had a REAL bad case of it.

I have had the PT1911 for a couple of years or so, maybe shot 500rnds through it. Never an issue. Shoots what ever I put through it without problem.

Today on the second mag I had the hammer fall to the half cock. Didn't realize it at the time thought it was a dud primer, recocked and fired fine. Fired the rest of the mag without incident.

On the next mag fired the first shot. Then the mag was emptied all 8 round without my aid. Damn good thing I had a good hold on it.

Sufficive to say the range is pissed off. I let their smith look at it. and it is completely stock without any obvious issues. I have three things going fo me.
1. I am a member in good standing
2. I was more then happy to have them inspect it
3. I was obviously freaked out by the incident.

The judgement, get it fixed immeadiately, send it in to taurus. If it happens again it will be reported to authorities as a possible class 3 manufactured weapon, by the original manufacture.

Taurus will be called in the AM pronto. I have lost all confidence in the gun I had had 100% confidence in it before this. I'd like it fixed cause it is so super accurate. 50yds for fun with it. But it scares me now, that really hurt like hell when it happened.
You mentioned that you had it a couple of years, but was this aNIB (New in the Box)purchase? Also, just out of curiosity, have you dry-fired this pistol excessively and have you let the slide slam-home on an empty chamber numerous times?
 

triehl27

Regular Member
Joined
Jun 12, 2008
Messages
165
Location
, ,
imported post

This was a new pistol when I bought it. I shot it, broke it in caried it for a bit, and then got a kimber.

Dry fired it excessivly, no, not really maybe a dozen times maybe double that total. If I pull the trigger it's usually with a snap cap in it.

I haven't slingshot the slide empty either, again maybe a dozen times total that I can think of.

THe gun really hasn't been fired all that much. 3 range sessions were of about 100- 150rnds each. Then I got the kimber and it went to the safe.
 

antispam540

Regular Member
Joined
Apr 17, 2008
Messages
546
Location
Poulsbo, Washington, USA
imported post

At least with my Springfield 1911, if something goes wrong I have only myself to blame. I never really feel like I should trust a gun completely until I've taken it apart, checked every single piece, and put it back together with some modifications.
 

1245A Defender

Regular Member
Joined
Jul 7, 2009
Messages
4,365
Location
north mason county, Washington, USA
imported post

damn,, ive been waitin for an interesting thread for a long time.
i bought 3 star modelo supers a while ago,, and they were gun smith specials.
one of them had a short trigger disconect in it, even tho the #s matched!
im glad i dont go shooting much,, because i didnt detect that problem for quite awhile, but i found the defect and engineered a fix before it could become an issue!

that must have been a rush to have that go full auto, out of controll, in your hand,
im proud you didnt freak out and let it loose!

good its all reported and documented, the damn batfe can get all up in your sh5t, if they think they can charge you with ANYTHING!!!!!!
 

Vandal

Regular Member
Joined
Jul 1, 2008
Messages
557
Location
Spokane, Washington, USA
imported post

Don't send it to Taurus, unless you have time to kill. Take it to a good 1911 smith and let him fix it. When I have friends buy a PT1911 the first thing I tell them to do is replace the safety, hammer and sear assembly. I do this mainly because the hammer lock and safety both have known issues but I guess I can add this to the list too.
 

1245A Defender

Regular Member
Joined
Jul 7, 2009
Messages
4,365
Location
north mason county, Washington, USA
imported post

FunkTrooper wrote:
Clearly it's not a class 3 manufactured weapon ATF will think you modified the gun. Why is the range pissed at you?
batf wiil concider that any thing that fires more than once per trigger pull a machine gun.
some years ago a guy got them to rule that a 12" piece of string was a machine part,:what: cause he attached it to the trigger and bolt and got full auto out of the arrangment. :cuss:
check oath keepers web site and read about a guy in jail cause his old ar-15 would sometimes slamfire :banghead:
 

OrangeIsTrouble

Regular Member
Joined
Oct 15, 2009
Messages
1,398
Location
Tukwila, WA, ,
imported post

1245A Defender wrote:
FunkTrooper wrote:
Clearly it's not a class 3 manufactured weapon ATF will think you modified the gun. Why is the range pissed at you?
batf wiil concider that any thing that fires more than once per trigger pull a machine gun.
some years ago a guy got them to rule that a 12" piece of string was a machine part,:what: cause he attached it to the trigger and bolt and got full auto out of the arrangment. :cuss:
check oath keepers web site and read about a guy in jail cause his old ar-15 would sometimes slamfire :banghead:

I know what you are talking about, the bolt pulls the trigger so it really isn't full auto.

Another case....

http://www.cnn.com/video/#/video/bestoftv/2008/03/13/ldt.tucker.govt.guns.cnn
 
Top