There are a few things that you can do to adjust the trigger on 1911.
- First, you can adjust the sear spring tension. This will affect how much force is required to pull the trigger.
- Second, you can adjust the trigger pretravel. This will affect how far the trigger needs to be pulled before it fires.
- Lastly, you can adjust the trigger overtravel. This will determine how far the trigger travels after it is released.
You will need to experiment with each of these settings to find what works best for you and your gun.
To adjust sear spring tension secure the frame of your firearm in a vise so that the frame rails are even with the top jaws. Next, take a Trigger Pull Gauge and slowly pull it rearward until you reach the point where the disconnector just starts to move. At this time, note what is shown on the Gauge. If you need to adjust the tension of the center leg of the sear spring by bending its leaf above the pivot point located at the mainspring housing; raise pressure by bending inward or reduce pressure by doing opposite-bending outward.
The pretravel is how far you have to press the trigger before hitting resistance.
For its adjustment take a small screwdriver or pliers and bend the ears on your trigger bow outward. Doing this will make it so the ears push against the frame and set your trigger back, thus requiring less movement from you. Make sure to get the ears as matched up as possible before moving on. To test how well this works, put everything back together again and pull the trigger gently a few times. If you bend out the ears too much, then there’s a chance that during testing, the trigger might not fire at all–in which case you’ll need to simply bend those ears back in until they’re like how you want them.
Overtravel is how far the trigger continues to move after it breaks.
This is the amount of time you must wait until you can shoot again, depending on how far back the trigger was pressed. Changing this one is simple since all you need is a suitable Allen wrench to reach the overtravel screw in the trigger hole. To test the trigger reset, screw it inwards and cock it before firing.
Keep your finger on the trigger and rack the slide until you hear a click. After that, figure out how far you need to move the trigger before hearing a click.
To test your 1911, make small adjustments and conduct basic function checks to verify that it is operational. For example, if you’re noticing the trigger doesn’t press, it’s likely because you’ve screwed in too far–try Screwing out 1 full turn.
Learn more about the process in this video: