[RAD]

I have a Series 80 Cold Combat Elite and noticed a pronounced (ok, more pronounced than usual) "hitch" in the trigger pull at the range the other day.

Took the slide off and the hitch completely disappeared.

Checked the slide, and pushed in the plunger thing - lo and behold, resistance that felt the same as the hitch in the trigger.

Took the slide apart and cleaned everything and it got better, but it got me to thinking (a dangerous thing).

Went to my copy of Brownells and ran across Titanium Nitrate coated pieces for the series 80 safety (I think made by C&S). Plunger, spring, couple of levers - supposed to smooth it out a bit.

Anyone got any experience with this? Or other suggestions?

I have been spoiled by the trigger on my BCP Kimber Fed. 8D

<font size=-1>[ This Message was edited by: RAD on 2001-04-11 17:09 ]</font>

 

[Shane1911]

Titanium parts wear much quicker than steel. I believe they have no place except on a race gun. The lighter mass of titanium parts (firing pin, plunger, disconnector, sear, etc.) have a combined effect of giving a somewhat quicker lock time on competition guns. The sum of all the parts may lower your time by 100ths of a second.

Unless your gun is for competition only, I would suggest you stay with steel.

 

[Tom Freeman]

TiN coated parts are fine. Parts MADE OF titanium suck. Although I am working on a titanium comp for my Open gun.

Best yet, trash those series 80 parts.

Good shooting to you.

Tom
AF Shooting Team

 

[RAD]

Trash them? As in just don't put them back in the gun? And it will still work?

You were right, by the way, what I was looking at didn't say titanium parts, but TiN coating on (what I guess must be) normal steel parts.

 

[Hilton Yam]

The parts in Brownell's are TiN coated, not made of Ti. It is possible, also using Brownell's stuff, to replace the frame levers with a single spacer plate and simply remove the plunger and spring from the slide. The disconnector notch may wear weird, but it also may not. Steve Nastoff's personal pistol is a Series 80 with over 70k rounds, and though there's some peening, the function isn't affected. Heinie has posted before that he has found that peening of the notch can occur to such an extent that it will impede function. You can also have the Series 80 hole filled by either Heinie or EGW.

Lastly, the TiN parts may help, but look for obvious burrs and machining marks too.

 

[John Lawson]

Brownells lists a plate that replaces the cams and with the slide firing pin plunger removed, the pistol becomes a "Series 70".
Tin coated parts are used in my shop a lot. The milling cutters and drills, for example. There is NO WEAR evident. Titanium nitride is not soft like titanium metal; it is very hard and wear resistant. Every pistol in which I have installed tin coated cams and plunger are still pumping out shots with no change in trigger pull.
It might benefit some of you to read a book on pistolsmithing. I realize this is a shocking suggestion, but it will save you time in the long run, since you can bypass the pitfalls that others have found, and you can go ahead without sidetracks.
One of the best of all time is "Advanced Gunsmithing" by Bill Vickery. Written in 1939, it outlines the process of transforming abstract thinking into a finished product. You can learn empirical thinking and reasoning easily with his guidance.

 

[BBBBill]

Another note on this. I've often found burrs in the slide plunger hole and on the plunger of S80 guns. Carefull polishing usually solves it if you don't want to spring for the Ti coated parts.

 

[RAD]

It might benefit some of you to read a book on pistolsmithing. I realize this is a shocking suggestion, but it will save you time in the long run, since you can bypass the pitfalls that others have found, and you can go ahead without sidetracks.

But John, if I do that, just think of all the questions I won't be able to ask on the forum. :grin:

 

[Hilton Yam]

John:
You don't have a source for this book, do you? I'm guessing it's been out of print for a long time. What other books do you recommend?

 

[John Lawson]

Advanced Gunsmithing by Vickery has been reoprinted by Wolfe Publications.
If you ever need an out of print book or one that is not available to you locally, try: Bibliofind.com Every used book shop that will sell mail order is listed.

The reason I suggest that you read this book before others is that it was written by a gunsmith during the depression; he had to become his own toolmaker and engineer. From concept to finished hardware, he had to do it himself or it didn't get done. Do you follow my drift now? Despite the fact that he murdered syntax and Samworth was a pisly editor, the content will enrich your store of knowledge and change some of your attitudes toward expensive new tools.
(Actually I'm spying on you. If I catch you holding a book out at arm's length to read it, or if you tilt your head back to accommodate your Varilux glasses, I will shoot against you for money; otherwise, back to the bench and making money the hard way.)

 

[mikey357]

If you catch me holding a book at arm's length to read it and offer to shoot against me for money, will your feelings be hurt when I pull out my Decot Hy-Wyds--with the EXTRA-LARGE lenses--the ones that my optician ground specifically to refine my focus on the front sight??? Gee, I hope not....mikey357

 

[mike357]

i hope people dont get our screen names confused.

 

[John Lawson]

OK, I'll shoot for money, but I get to pick the course of fire.
The trouble with shooting glasses is that you have to put them on. I still prefer to practice with my everyday wear glasses. As you practice, you will react in a lethal encounter. There isn't time out for rummaging through your pockets for your shooting glasses.
I'm still trying to get used to my new glasses. I thought I had convinced my opthamologist that I needed a specific hyperfocal distance, but it went in her left ear and out someplace else; I got what SHE wanted to write in the prescription. And, my old opthamologist, who would listen, has passed away. I still shoot OK, but; the sight picture I see is like the out of focus one one I see during the fight or flight syndrome. Maybe that's just as well.

 

[mikey357]

John-EXCELLENT point about performing under stress as you practice...and my "everyday" prescription IS the same one that's in my shooting glasses...the shooting glasses just have BIGGER lenses...name the C.O.F.!!!
mike357-naawww, I don't think anybody here'll confuse a cowboy for a good ol' boy...in case anybody wonders, the COWBOY is wearing the ten-gallon hat, the GIGANTIC belt buckle and the custom-made boots--with $2.00 woth of clothes in between...the good ol' boy just has on $2.00 worth of clothes!!!....mikey357

 

[Desert Dog]

mike357 & mikey357,

Now this has to get the award for the most confusing two choices of screen names :???: I am not sure I would have noticed for some time, had it not been pointed out to me.

I thought mikey357 was the guy I knew from GunSpot -- or maybe not. What are the odds of two people picking names so similar? You are of course welcome to keep the names, but in the interest of not making us all go batty, perhaps one of you can contact Pete for a different screen name? If we go by registration date alone, then the nod to keeping a name would go to mikey...

DD