1911 DW Valor problems....Trigger..safety...grip position?

HOSSONE

HOSSONE

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Hey Guys, hoping someone can shed some light on this. I am new to handguns and bought my first two pistols back in January, one of which is a Dan Wesson stainless Valor. I have only manged to put about 250 rounds through it using American Eagle ammo.(350 round bulk pack) The problem is it seems like the first mag or two will run through no problem then I start to have fail to fires. It cycles fine,empty case extracted, new round chambered, hammer cocked but when I squeeze the trigger it will not fire like the safety is on.(no firing pin drop either) Drop the mag, empty the round, put the same round back in the mag...reload and it shoots fine? I did notice last time I was at the range that it seemed like if I let the grip safety out and then pressed it back in that it would fire, last night it seemed that if pushed the trigger in and out and kind of wiggled it a bit for lack of a better term it would fire. Not sure if there is an issue with the trigger or grip safety or maybe its my grip technique? It also seems like when it starts to do this the trigger pull is heavier and not as smooth? Now that could be in my head. When the gun is dry fired the trigger is amazing and super smooth. The gun has had the basic strip down and cleaning and the problem doesn't seem to have changed. Any ideas guys? :confused::confused:
 
Sounds more like a sear spring problem, as it isn't engaging the disconect problem.

As both the trigger wiggle and beavertail release and engage both have direct effect on the disconnect.

If you are confident enough to completely tear apartvthe pistol, look for debris or grase where the sear and disconnect are.

Also could be the slide is not completely locking up with the round in the barrel if the hammer isn't dropping.
 
I finally managed to a full strip & clean. Didn't see any obvious issues but took it out for a test last night. It did seem better and i did notice one thing. If I kept a very very very ridiculous tight grip on the gun it seemed to work better but there was still a variance in the trigger pull from smooth and light to heavier and rough. I lubed everything inside with G-96 when i put it back together as this is all i have used on my rifles for years. Should i be using something else? Looking for ideas again. Thanks
 
Run tape around the grip: holding the grip safety in.
Re-test the gun.
If things are better: start looking at the grip safety.
If things are the same: look elsewhere.

-ivan-
 
That gun has a REALLY big beavertail grip safety with an enormous sweep. Even though it has a memory bump on the bottom of the grip safety, my experience has been that when you grip high on the gun (as you should) the pressure on the beavertail can sometimes push the grip safety away from the gun and engage the safety, preventing the gun from firing on an erratic basis. Do some dry fire tests to see if the trigger drops the hammer consistently if the bottom of the grip safety is fully depressed into the grip. If yes (as I expect) then see if the trigger fails to drop the hammer if you are gripping the top of the beavertail without your palm having a good contact on the bottom of the safety. You should not load the gun for these tests.
 
Check the underside of the tab on the front of the grip safety for marks. It might not be clearing the trigger bar enough.
 
I had a problem with a BUL 1911 .45 a few years ago in that the trigger pull
would vary from normal to heavy & sometimes VERY heavy.
Took me a while but I found out the problem. It had too short a trigger for my hand.
What was happening on some shots was that my trigger finger was actually touching
the frame behind the trigger and as I was pulling the trigger I was also pressing the frame.

I installed a longer trigger and the problem went away.
 
HOSSONE said:
Plinker 777, if i shoot single handed it runs flawless. What does that mean?
Click to expand...

The 1911 is a handgun as opposed to a handsgun. (It's a cavalry pistol in actuality, and wasn't originally designed with a palm safety.) :p It's your grip when you are taking on both hands, my advice is to take a pistol course at your range (black badge?). Some new shooters sh1t their pants when they realize the cost associated with some courses, but in the long run, I believe they actually save you money...ammo ain't cheap, and trying to figure out how to make the most out of every pull of the trigger on your own equates to a lot of trigger time; which is great if you are practicing proper technique. If you're not (through no fault of your own), you may just be "practicing" a lot of bad habits...which becomes very expensive.
Colinjw is absolutely correct, I have too put long triggers in all my 1911's because I have fingers as long as a martian in a UFO cartoon (think the movie ET from the 1980's.). So make certain your gear fits and makes sense for you, then take some courses. You will quickly become proficient, you will save yourself some needlessly wasted time and ammo, and shooting will become more enjoyable and less frustrating...which is why I shoot and gave up playing golf:).
 
Thanks For the advice guys. I do believe the culprit was my grip. Did some reading, watched some good old you tube and worked on my grip technique a bit. Ran a box through flawless last night. No issues and consistent trigger pull. I am 6'5" so my hands are fairly large, not sure if that has anything to do with it but all is good now. Lots to learn and think about!
 
Another tip that will help you with your grip, with the gun in your trigger finger hand out stretch your arm to aim and look at the position of the gun in relation to your forearm.
If you picked up the gun naturally, as you would another tool (hammer), you'll notice that the slide is not lined up with your forearm at all...and in order to properly reach the trigger and engage the grip safety every time it has to be in-line with your forearm. For RH shooters you will modify your grip by moving the muzzle counterclockwise to about the 11 o'clock position...then take note of what happens, the left side grip panel will offer itself to the palm of your left hand with a lot more surface area than before when you picked up the gun naturally!
After 1,000,000,000,000,000 practice holster draws this new grip will become "natural" :p. Then, if you're anything like me, revolvers will take your interest and everything changes. :)
 
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