macd

I sometimes have a problem putting on the safety on my Hi Power. It is never a problem taking it off, just putting it on safe. If I retract the slide a half inch
and let it go into battery again , it usually goes on . Sometimes I have to do this a couple times. The gun is on its second safety. The factory ambi safety broke, so I fit a Cylinder and Slide safety. This problem happened with both the factory ambi and the one I fit so I can't blame the new safety. If anything it happens a bit less but it still happens.

I have done no other work to this gun except to bob the hammer. Mag disconnect safety is intact and I have never touched anything else as I like the trigger pull as it came. Can anyone solve this?

Thank you

one eye joe

Welcome to the forum, macd. I know squat about the BHP, but I called on a friend of mine, Bob Reed. He knows his way around the BHP very well. He should be around shortly to help you out....

JohnnyT

Pull the hammer slightly past full cock and see if it engages easier. Then, thumb it back off-safe and watch the hammer closely. My bet is that the safety will engage easily...and the hammer will move forward a tiny bit when it goes off-safe.

one eye joe

What does that indicate, Johnny ? ?

JohnnyT

The aftermarket safety is probably oversized in the lug area...the part that bears against the sear to block its movement. Correctly fitted, it should touch the sear without placing hard pressure on it. If it's too tight, it presses so hard that it tries to move the hammer, and forcing it will move the hammer a little.

If this is the issue...and I suspect that it is...getting the hammer off the sear will give it a little more room to move, and the safety will engage normally.

Bob Reed

Hello,

It sounds like the sear is bouncing up when the slide slams home, or there's a piece of debris in there somewhere that's preventing the sear from fully rotating into the full cock notch (if the sear isn't fully engaged in the full cock notch, the safety will be hard to operate because it has to slip in behind the sear and in some cases, it may be totally unable to). It's also possible that the sear spring is beginning to weaken and in turn allowing the sear to bounce - but I suspect the searing surfaces are worn.

With the gun Unloaded, hammer down and magazine removed. Cycle the slide and let it snap forward and then under good lighting look through the rear "between the hammer and the bottom of the firing pin retaining plate" and see if the sear is fully engaging the hammer hook. If it's not, you'll see part of the searing surface (sear nose) above the hook. Now, while still looking, thumb the hammer back and watch the sear drop down and fully engage the hammer hook.

If this is the case, then the searing surfaces are more than likely worn and it's on the verge of hammer follow, and if you can't manually induce the problem - then the next time you're out firing the gun and the safety doesn't want to engage, look at the sear nose from behind as described above and I bet the sear isn't fully engaging the hammer hook.

Bob Reed

Hello again,

Johnny is right on track as usual, but since it was happening with the factory safety as well - I'm more inclinded to think that it's sear bounce, or a piece of debris that's preventing full engagement.

Like what happened here. Hi power sear problem - Handguns and Ammunition Forums

JohnnyT

Ah! I missed the part where it's doing it with the OEM safety. That's what I get for tryin' to be a speed reader without knowin' how.

I've seen what Bob is describing in 1911s when sear movement is caused by trigger bounce that doesn't quite move the sear enough to release the hammer...trigger bumping the disconnect when the slide goes home...and it does make the safety more difficult to engage. Basically, the safety is having to move the sear back to the full reset position against the mainspring's tension.

It'll be interesting to see which is causing this one.

one eye joe

Well macd, it looks like you fell off the turnip truck onto just the right forum. Ya got a coupla concurring expert opinions. Can't get much better than that. Keep us posted on your progress, and good luck........

JohnnyT

Hey, I know just enough about High Power lockwork to get into trouble with one. I've fitted up so many aftermarket safeties on 1911s, that it was just the first thing that popped into my mind. I'll defer to Bob's diagnosis. He most likely nailed it.