what is meant by “showing it some love?”

[Lilboog82]

First off, I know with the thread title that this could go way off into left field or worse being this site mostly made up of men but I am curious as to exactly that. What is meant when people send in their 1911’s, say to Allen m, to show it some love. What all is entailed with that? I have a few 1911s and always wondered when other people send in theirs what they have done to it.

Thanks

 

[88E30M50]

It means that it’s been worked on by someone with some talent. A stock 1911 can be nice, but one that’s had someone that knows there way around the guts of a 1911 can make them much, much nicer. There are many areas in the 1911 that are good enough as it comes from the factory but that taking a stone to them can make the whole package sing. Trueing up the trigger bar, cleaning up the channels, cleaning up the contact surfaces and taking the slop out of the shoe fit. There’s a lot of work that can be done to the non engagement surface of the sear and disconnector that will slick up the action. Even polishing the hammer strut and MSH internals will yield benefits.

Take some of those too far and you risk having a full auto .45 when you are not expecting one. Even the best 1911 guys can occasionally run one a bit close but a newbie in 1911 guts can make them dangerous.

 

[88E30M50]

I should also mention that to do it right, it takes an investment in tooling. Something as simple as fixing the trigger bar issues takes an anvil to correct it on. Sear engagement or the fitting of a new safety is best done with the right jigs.

 

[churchmouse]

When I say I have "Loved" on it just means I have spent some time and effort in making it slick. Anyone can buy a dermal and some stones and gt after one with a few youtube vids.

Taking some time. Setting up your fixtures and using the stones properly, delicately.
Actually doing the process.

 

[churchmouse]

It means that it’s been worked on by someone with some talent. A stock 1911 can be nice, but one that’s had someone that knows there way around the guts of a 1911 can make them much, much nicer. There are many areas in the 1911 that are good enough as it comes from the factory but that taking a stone to them can make the whole package sing. Trueing up the trigger bar, cleaning up the channels, cleaning up the contact surfaces and taking the slop out of the shoe fit. There’s a lot of work that can be done to the non engagement surface of the sear and disconnector that will slick up the action. Even polishing the hammer strut and MSH internals will yield benefits.

Take some of those too far and you risk having a full auto .45 when you are not expecting one. Even the best 1911 guys can occasionally run one a bit close but a newbie in 1911 guts can make them dangerous.

Nah "WE" have never seen a full auto 1911. The G**** guys would never believe it anyway.....

 

[gregkl]

I have a neighbor who loves that comment. Her house "needs a little love." Her car "needs a little love." Her yard "needs a little love."

She's been saying that for 4 years now. At this point to make any of them presentable, she will need to show them a "lot" of love!

Personally, I don't use that terminology. I love my wife, children and dog. The rest just gets worked on.

 

[88E30M50]

Nah "WE" have never seen a full auto 1911. The G**** guys would never believe it anyway.....

Nah, never seen one.

 

[88E30M50]

I have a neighbor who loves that comment. Her house "needs a little love." Her car "needs a little love." Her yard "needs a little love."

She's been saying that for 4 years now. At this point to make any of them presentable, she will need to show them a "lot" of love!

Personally, I don't use that terminology. I love my wife, children and dog. The rest just gets worked on.

I don’t like using that phrase to mean ‘Needs fixed’. My dog needs fixed and there is no way in hell I’m going to tell someone that I need to give my dog a little love.

 

[Sigblitz]

I don’t like using that phrase to mean ‘Needs fixed’. My dog needs fixed and there is no way in hell I’m going to tell someone that I need to give my dog a little love.

But why would your dog need fixed if you're not...

 

[Sigblitz]

Nah "WE" have never seen a full auto 1911. The G**** guys would never believe it anyway.....

Those don't exist.

 

[Kirk Freeman]

Yeah, I don't understand love either . . . in any context.

Trigger, sights, de-horning/soapifying, one of the new indestructible springs . . . that's it for me for a 1911.

 

[Leadeye]

Mine are all old, 1914-1927 mostly so some clean and oil or replace broken parts is the love they get.

 

[Sigblitz]

I bubbaed a 1911. Thought I'd post some sage advice from another forum.

Serpico1985
Member
Join: Aug 2007
Posts: 586
Central NC

Sep 19, 2010 · #43
Possibly relevant post to this discussion???
Instead of posting a link to the thread I'll just post the content. Credit goes to Jammer Six for posting this valuable bit of knowldge in a most excellent thread titled "More sear/hammer geometry questions ". This is post #53 from that thread...

Start of Quote.....It's what I did... Then I learned what everyone else knew, and joined the ranks of "do it right or take it to a smith".

I had a weapon for a long time, six months or so, that I had bubba-sized the trigger, and it was nice and light and smooth. Like three pounds light. Then one day it put one hole in the bullseye and one hole in the ceiling ten yards in front of the line, and I thought "wow, that's really light, I'll have to be really careful!"

One of the guys in our league, who was watching, asked if he could try it, and when I handed it to him, he cleared it, then racked it empty, and it followed. It would follow every time you racked it empty.

It was dangerous, but I thought it was safe, because it had passed all the "tests" that I found on the web.

So I set out on my quest. I hunted down every last little fragment of information I could find on 1911 trigger jobs, I watched videos, I read books, I called people and talked to them, and I ended up talking to a big-name smith. He explained things, some things dropped into place, and a couple lights came on. We talked, in fact, about these very pictures, as I recall.

I tried again, with parts he prepped for me. I wrote notes, and followed his instructions step by step, without derivation, without question.

And if you racked the slide good and hard on an empty chamber, it would follow. Not every time-- I made progress. But sometimes. And a 1911 hammer should never follow, no matter what, so help me god.

I ended up sending the weapon to him, and having him do the trigger.

When I got it back, the pull measured right at four and half, which is what I had asked for, and no matter how hard I tried, I could not make it follow. He had done other things to the weapon, things I didn't know about. He had checked things I didn't realize affected the trigger, and he had corrected problems I thought weren't connected to the trigger. He solved problems I never saw, and he solved at least one problem that I created.

Learning to do a 1911 trigger job that is safe is not easy. You need to have access to someone who actually knows how to do one, and the best way, by far, is to have someone show you, in person.

It also is not cheap. Doesn't matter if you buy videos, attend a class, pay an instructor or mangle parts, you're going to pay the tuition.

Bubba U puts out an easy, cheap class. You buy a stone from Brownell's, you swipe your hammer and sear across it a few times, and you convince yourself that you've improved the pull. You ignore the tests, or you perform everything you've found on the web, and you skip the ones you don't know about.

Then you go to the range, and if you're lucky, the hammer follows.

If you're not lucky, you put holes in the ceiling, or your weapon fires three round bursts.

I don't really look down on people who are following Bubba. After all, I did it. I thought I could learn to do triggers over the net or through the phone.

But I didn't get it until I was shown, and then practiced. And practiced. And practiced.

It's a painstaking, thorough lesson in anal-ism. Every tiny thing must be just so, it all has to work together, and the thing you glossed over, skipped or didn't know about will cause you trouble.

I can see doing it for fun, but I can't see doing it for a living. You'd never make a decent wage per hour unless you do it the way Springfield does it, and after about a week of trigger after trigger after trigger I'd go out and become a sniper on a water tower in a clown suit.

If you're not a 'smith, and if you did your trigger based on the information you found on the web, and if you're all excited that you managed to get the pull down below three pounds, I'll bet my milspec against yours that I can make it follow. And a 1911 that follows simply ain't safe, I don't care what your buddies at the range say. (One of mine told me that they ALL do that when you rack it empty! Well, how can I put this politely, no.)

When I shoot a 1911 that needs a trigger job, my first thought is "I can fix that!" and my very next thought is "oh, god, here we go again..."...End of quote

 

[churchmouse]

^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^Perfect^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^

The last sentence is relevant.

And if you peoples don't get it (love) you are not doing it right or you have never went "ALL" in on much of anything you did with your own hands.

 

[Lilboog82]

can they take some of the rattle out of the slide frame contact, make it a tighter fit? Thanks for the responses as well.

 

[churchmouse]

can they take some of the rattle out of the slide frame contact, make it a tighter fit? Thanks for the responses as well.

Yes. What brand gun...???

 

[Lilboog82]

Ruger and Remington have some, not terrible amount of rattle... unlike my trp, valor or other higher quality ones. Can definitely tell the “you get what you pay for”.

 

[churchmouse]

Ruger and Remington have some, not terrible amount of rattle... unlike my trp, valor or other higher quality ones. Can definitely tell the “you get what you pay for”.

Yes those guns are not as well fit as the others you mentioned. More luck of the draw from the parts on the line. If you ever see the video floating around of the lady on the Colt assembly area building a 1911 it will make you look at that brand differently.

Question...is the slop side to side or vertical.....or both ???

 

[Lilboog82]

I’ve only really noticed it side to side, never actually tried it up or down. Well crap now I gotta go see!

Oh yeah, it’s there all around...up and down and sized to side.

also noticed the Kimber has side to side but no vertical play

 

[churchmouse]

I’ve only really noticed it side to side, never actually tried it up or down. Well crap now I gotta go see!

Oh yeah, it’s there all around...up and down and sized to side.

also noticed the Kimber has side to side but no vertical play

You can fix that but on those 2 guns it is hardly worth the effort/expense. Unless you are getting silly deep into the mods. There are 2 ways to do this. Weld up the rails on the frame and put the frame in the mill. Or you can go straight up old school and get the tools to beat the rails into submission. I have done a couple this way. Bought all the tools just so I could see what is what if you go that route. It is a process. If they shoot and you hit what is in the sights just run-em and pass that knowledge along to anyone that says those guns are up to TRP quality.