Springfield TRP Hammer Drop Issue

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ryanG19
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Springfield TRP Hammer Drop Issue

Post by ryanG19 »

So the last time I shot my 1911 was about a year ago. I took the slide off, cleaned it, oiled it, and put it in the safe. Got it out to shoot today (has less than 300 rounds through it new) and when I load up a magazine, rack the slide to load a bullet, and pull the trigger the hammer drops but it doesn’t fire. When I look at the back of the gun, there is maybe 1/8 of an inch gap from the hammer to the firing pin. The thumb safety engages perfect and nothing visually looks out of place. Does anyone have any ideas?

Thanks!

Ryan
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Re: Springfield TRP Hammer Drop Issue

Post by Brian D. »

Possible culprits are the three leaf sear spring, or "Series 80" Colt 1911 parts. I don't recall if Springfield uses the S80 plunger/lever in the TRP. There are other possibilities.
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Re: Springfield TRP Hammer Drop Issue

Post by schmieg »

Is it a Kimber and did you have trouble reinstalling the slide?
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Re: Springfield TRP Hammer Drop Issue

Post by SMMAssociates »

Mike:

I don't think anybody but Kimber used that loopy safety.

(Just FWIW, you can foul up some Kimbers if reinstalling the slide improperly.)

For others, verify that the gun is empty, and then drop a pencil into the barrel, eraser first. Cock the weapon and then point it slightly up and well away from anything you don't want to trash. Then pull the trigger. If the pencil goes flying, the problem is in the primer or the cartridge is not engaging the extractor, which can hold it away from the firing pin.

Put a fired casing (or one that's unprimed) into the chamber and see if the extractor goes over the cartridge rim. That should happen. If it doesn't, it should work itself out in a few rounds, but you can also think about re-tensioning it.

If it's an external extractor, pull it and lubricate everything. Could be a broken (or missing) spring. Re-lubricate and try again. Kimber had a mess with external extractors just not working properly. They finally fixed it, but ended up dropping the feature due to too many returns.

You could send it to me, but.... :mrgreen:

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Re: Springfield TRP Hammer Drop Issue

Post by schmieg »

The problem with the Kimber is that if you reinstall the slide improperly, you can (a) lock the slide up (if you're lucky) or (b) shear the hook off and need a repair. I did (a) when I first got my Kimber and learned quickly.
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Re: Springfield TRP Hammer Drop Issue

Post by Brian D. »

Hey guys, the OP stated it was a Springfield Armory TRP. Let's keep the train on the tracks here, a'righty?

Ryan, did you take this gun further apart than a field strip?
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Re: Springfield TRP Hammer Drop Issue

Post by ryanG19 »

Thanks Brian. Yes it is a Springfield Armory TRP in stainless, no modifications. Springfield doesn't use a Schwartz safety or series 80 style safety.

I tried the pencil test last night after googling around and the pencil doesn't move. I tried a ballpoint pen base first to confirm and that didn't go anywhere either. I CAN take the end of a punch and push on the firing pin. It slides with resistance towards the chamber and is pushed back into position by the spring just fine.

I removed the slide and checked for debris around the hammer mechanism and I don't see anything. I keep my weapons very clean and oiled it well last time as I knew I was going to be storing it for a while.

It's so odd. The hammer literally drops and doesn't hit the firing pin. It stops about 1/16 to 1/8 inch short.

Ryan
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Re: Springfield TRP Hammer Drop Issue

Post by Brian D. »

I could probably figure this out quickly if the gun was in front of me. Get some You Tube help for receiver disassembly (specifically, of the Springfield Armory 1911s) and have a look at that three pronged sear spring. Each has to have the proper bend amount and angle; if that's not the case, the spring can turn a little sideways and impede function in a few different ways. WARNING, SMALL PARTS CAN GET LOST WHEN TRYING THIS NEXT SUGGESTION: If your gun has the external keylock gizmo on the mainspring housing, take that apart and see if all is well. The nature and relationship of those parts is a design afterthought from Mr. Browning's original.

If you aren't comfortable tearing the gun down that far, don't do it. But with the help of so many video tutorials, it's not that daunting.
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Re: Springfield TRP Hammer Drop Issue

Post by Mr. Glock »

Could it be an issue with the grip safety? I’m not sure how that works on a Series 70 1911, but thought I’d throw out the idea.
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Re: Springfield TRP Hammer Drop Issue

Post by schmieg »

Mr. Glock wrote:Could it be an issue with the grip safety? I’m not sure how that works on a Series 70 1911, but thought I’d throw out the idea.
It could be as that is tied into the three spring sear. It could also be something out of alignment with the hammer or a foreign object in the mechanism.
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Re: Springfield TRP Hammer Drop Issue

Post by Sevens »

Does the trigger have a set screw for overtravel?

If yes, there is chance that the trigger's overtravel set screw has migrated on it's own, preventing you from actually pulling the trigger as far as it needs to be pulled, which allows for the hammer to fall but not enough to get past the half-cock notch. To further complicate this, Springfield Armory 1911 pistols (ummm... some, many or maybe all?) have an added "feature" of an internal lock, a non-standard item that is contained in the mainspring housing.

I'm not intimately familiar with the design and execution of this widget but it is supposed to hinder the hammer strut in some manner... I would be looking at that lock also, though I'm not sure how that could cause this particular issue.
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Re: Springfield TRP Hammer Drop Issue

Post by Brian D. »

Sevens wrote:Does the trigger have a set screw for overtravel?

If yes, there is chance that the trigger's overtravel set screw has migrated on it's own, preventing you from actually pulling the trigger as far as it needs to be pulled, which allows for the hammer to fall but not enough to get past the half-cock notch. To further complicate this, Springfield Armory 1911 pistols (ummm... some, many or maybe all?) have an added "feature" of an internal lock, a non-standard item that is contained in the mainspring housing.

I'm not intimately familiar with the design and execution of this widget but it is supposed to hinder the hammer strut in some manner... I would be looking at that lock also, though I'm not sure how that could cause this particular issue.
Earlier I referred to that gizmo but not by its proper name. Think Springfield Armory calls it the Internal Lock System or ILS for short. Your idea about the overtravel set screw is worth checking out too.
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Re: Springfield TRP Hammer Drop Issue

Post by Brian D. »

Topping this thread because I want to know how it turns out. Let's hope the OP gets back to us, with a fixed gun and hat tip to those of us who "helped".
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Re: Springfield TRP Hammer Drop Issue

Post by ryanG19 »

I am so glad I checked this thread again this morning before I shipped it out to Springfield.

I called and discussed it with their tech department a few days ago, who ran me through a few things and couldn't figure it out. They sent me a label to send it in. FYI for those who don't know (I didn't), the TRP actually has 3 different cocking positions: 1/8 cock, 1/2 cock, and full cock. They concluded that my gun was stuck at 1/8 cock and wouldn't drop all the way to actually hit the firing pin. We figured this out when I was trying to get to 1/8 cock as the technician was asking me and all I had were two cocks: 1/2 and full. I would drop the hammer and it would then stop on 1/8 cock.

To make sure I wasn't wasting anyone't time, I tried all listed here and I really appreciate the help. The ILS worked fine and locked/unlocked the backstrap just fine. Messing with that didn't do much.I tried screwing the trigger overtravel screw in and that did nothing. I then backed it out quite a bit and the hammer dropped all the way :). Took it outside and she fired just fine through two different magazines.

I'm not quite sure why the overtravel screw would effect the 1/8 cock block on the sear, so I'd be interested if that makes sense to someone so if this happens again I can mentally picture what the issue is.

Thanks!

Ryan
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Re: Springfield TRP Hammer Drop Issue

Post by Mr. Glock »

Personally, I’d still send it back. If you don’t know for sure, best to let the factory look at it.
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