Chiappa 1911-22 sticky trigger reset

[kingult]

Okay, so I've got this Cheapa 1911-22 that I bought accidentally (I meant to get a GSG and it was four in the morning), I've maybe put two thousand rounds through and it has issues, it's got a marred chamber (which means it's picky and it hates ejection/extraction), it doesn't lock the slide back on last shot and the slide hangs up when released because apparently the bar that actuates the internal lock is harder than the rails and is catching on the divots it's made... Oh, and the rear sight sometimes falls out. But more critically than those relative annoyances is that I either have to tap the hammer or jiggle the trigger to get the darn thing to reset the trigger! Now I know that the trigger isn't all that far off from a regular 1911, so what I'm really asking here is whether anybody has a tip or two for me before I disassemble it and potentially lose some parts (apparently the safety bar spring likes jumping into the abyss) in my messy room.

For lazy people: the trigger isn't resetting, look at question below.

What might be wrong and what can I do to fix it?


P.S. I like it and ain't getting rid of it because it's fairly accurate and I figure it jams about as much as a real 1911. So don't bother telling me to throw out the P.O.S. I also don't let go of what I have on principle, so there!

 

[kingult]

Update! You unhelpful gunnutz!

Okay, so since I last posted, I disassembled my Chiappa 1911-22 and after a very much needed deep clean, I polished the sear surfaces really lightly with the strop of a work sharp guided field sharpener. The surfaces weren't bad at all but this has seemed to make my trigger crisper (and somehow heavier, but all I care about is how nice it feels and the break), so I can't complain. However, this did NOT fix my trigger reset issue, so I disassembled the bastard again and looked over the parts, turns out the safety bar had burrs all over it and was catching on the rail in the frame it was set in as well as the grip that holds it in place. So I whipped out the field work sharp and "honed" the burrs away with the ceramic and finished some light polishing with the strop. I oiled it up and tested it. It works! No reset failure!
Btw, if you do disassemble your Chiappa 1911-22, a small flat needle looking thing is going to fall out and you won't know where it goes. the hole goes on the moving pin of the safety lever and the pointy end goes down and back a bit. I still have no clue what this part does. it's labelled as a "safety transfer bar" in the schematic. Good luck getting it back in, it's annoying.
One special note: I believe that polishing the sear surface did help with preventing the reset failure.

For lazy people: I took the Chiappa 1911-22 apart, swore some, polished some, and fixed my trigger reset problem. Look below for how to fix slide not locking back on last shot.

I also got to thinking, while I was swearing at the small parts and looking at the magazine, that the slide not locking back is because the slide lock lever isn't engaging with the magazine follower because the lever was too short. So, I puttered around the internet trying to find out if you can braze brass to pot metal (you can't, you can braze malloy 52 and some other sucky-er brazing rod to it, but no brass), which is what the slide and frame are made of (oh, I'm sorry. Chiappalloy. whatever, it's basically Zamac which is pot metal), so I figured the slide lock would be pot metal too. Seeing as that didn't work for me since brazing rod is like sixty british pounds and I'm a little on the cheap side, I said no! There is however a resource I already had, solder! So, I tried to find out whether you can solder it and what kind of solder would work. Well, too much mixed information, but one guy had photos of him successfully soldering with standard lead/tin solder and flux (you need flux), so I gave it a shot. First off, I sanded off the coating and cleaned the part with lighter fluid, the liquid stuff that goes in zippos. Second, soldering guns suck for this, I ended up using a butane jet lighter insert for zippo lighters and heated the metal until it melted the rosin core solder. I did this a bunch of times until enough had built up at the tip for it to engage with the follower solidly. I then noted that the spring tension of the mag wasn't pushing the slide lock up enough and the slide notch wouldn't engage one hundred percent and slip, so I added more solder to the bottom and that did the trick! Lock, drop and Mag change! I'll update whether the solder sticks under duress after range day tomorrow. I also still have no clue if the slide stop is actually pot metal, I'm just assuming it is because it's non-magnetic, it's isn't terribly hard, it looks like a cast part and why would they make a pot metal slide but a steel slide stop?

For lazy people: I made the slide lock back on last shot by making the slide lock lever that is pushed up by the magazine bigger with rosin core lead/tin solder and a butane jet torch. i will leave an update after range day.


That's all for now. Holy heck is this long!

 

[kingult]

So, much shorter update, the solder didn't hold, but jb weld has. Unfortunately, it isn't helping the slide lock back because the springs in the chiappa mags are rubbish. Also, the plastic feed lips of the mags are worn out, so cartridges have a tendency to randomly unload en masse from the mag.

I'm going to try jb welding steel feed lips to stop the feed lip wear and that might help lock the slide back through MAGIC. Maybe.

Wish me luck, I'll need it.

 

[kingult]

Just in case people are checking on this thread, because yes, I do have this pistol up for sale in the equipment exchange. I never did add steel feed lips to the magazines and yes they do sometimes like to spit rounds at you. Thankfully, they're cheap.
Also, apparently the marred chamber doesn't matter because it had that from the factory (I think) and it hasn't affected function...

Also, I do feel like a tool for actually selling it. I still don't particularly want to. But what ya gonna do when you want something new?

 

[marshall]

O.K. I don't quite understand, your ist post was in Jan, 2019, last one yesterday, I check these post everyday when I am home.
I don't remember these .
When you stoned the sear and it is heaver, that is because you may have changed the angles.
Mag feed lips don't lock the slide back, the follow does, if the springs or too week or the follower worn, than it will not lock back.
I have a old Jericho mag that is that way, part of the problem is the slot on the mag is also worn and the mag sits a little lower in the frame .
I am going to ad a little shim to the flat on the follow that the latch rids on, it is plastic follower on the 941, so will add a shim glue and small pins.
I may have some ity bity screws that are small enough to work for this .
burrs are the main issue with guns made out of what ever.
I am not sure what you where soldering, the lever, you have to have the steel super clean for solder to work good, It can be rough, but no oil, blue, rust.
For small parts ,I as a rule use a iron, it it is large I will use a torch, if you get it too hot, it will not work.

 

[kingult]

It's possible I changed the angle, but doubtful. I used green "fine" polishing compound and then used Jewelers rouge. There was no appreciable change other than being more slick.
Yes, I know that it's a little shelf on the mag follower that actuates the slide lock and not the feed lips. Separate issues.
Part was coating and oil free when it was soldered. Issue with heating it excessively is that I think it's a pot metal part. Heat it too much and it melts unexpectedly.