I have an old Springfield GI model 1911 that I tinker with from time to time, just because I enjoy doing it.

I'd like to install a Commander style hammer, and am wondering about the "drop in" kits I see available from Cylinder and Slide.  Are they really "drop in" on this model?  I have put on a Wilson drop in beaver tail grip safety, that actually was a drop in part.  True, I had to "bob" the hammer for clearance, but the grip safety worked as advertised.  The bobbed hammer looks pretty silly, so I'm now wanting to fix that visual gaffe.

Anyone have any experience with the Cylinder and Slide parts?

I have had Springfield do some work on the pistol early on, as it had function issues, they installed a new extractor, a competition ejector, lowered and flared the ejection port, and installed a stainless match barrel bushing.  Nothing wrong with their work at all BTW, but as I said I do enjoy working on this one myself now.

I put a cylinder and slide trigger kit in a 1911 years ago it works flawlessly I have over 15000 rounds through it.
And yes it was a drop in no fitting.

I second this. Best trigger I've ever felt on a 1911...

I've used Cylinder and Slide trigger kits in a Para Ordnance and in a Springfield 9mm.  Easy to install and have worked great.

Thanks gents.

Will be ordering soon.

OP, not sure if they even make it, but check Ed Brown for drop-ins before you pull the trigger. Nothing wrong with C&S parts, but Ed Brown is top of the line for 1911 parts.

C&S sells a trigger and hammer that are second to none.  I believe Extreme Engineering actually makes the parts; at least they used to.   Same as sold in Brazos Custom's store.

They will "drop in" but you may find that the sear spring needs adjustment.   Also, the thumb safety may no longer be safe or operational due to different sear dimensions.    The other side of that coin is that it may need fitting to take some metal off.

In some guns, due to improper location of the hammer and sear pin holes, the sear and hammer hook engagement may end up with improper geometry, making the sear angle unsafe.  This is a matter for a gunsmith who knows how to recut the sear primary angle.   The good news is that on a Springfield, it likely won't be a problem.

Be sure to perform the safety checks after installation, i.e. hand cycle with the trigger held back, and drop the slide on an empty chamber a few times to check for trigger bounce.  Thumb safety, too.  Leave the grip safety off and reassemble; then cock hammer & engage thumb safety and pull trigger while watching for sear movement.  There should be none.

Thanks for the tips.  Safety is the number one priority in any work done on a firearm.
I have my Kuhnhausen manual close at hand as well, and the Dremel is under lock and key as far away from my workbench as possible...  

I've used a couple of Dave Berryhill's kits, which I believe were from the same shop that make C&S.

They worked great.  My SA thumb safeties did not work with them, but I wanted an extended safety anyway so it was no big deal.

Extreme engineering low mass sear, extreme disconnector and Koenig hammer or extreme lite speed hammer.

Everything you will ever want in a 1911 trigger.

here

It's a shame Berryhill died a few years back.  I really liked his parts.  And he was local to me when I lived in TX.

The C&S kits are quite good.  I've used many of them.  I usually just buy a thumb safety at the same time and cut it to fit the new sear.  The C&S high grip safety is $27 right now on Brownells.  I've spent more on stupider things.

If your hammer and sear pin holes are square to the frame and in spec as Ken Mays stated, you should no have problem dropping in a quality ignition set. If I was going for a traditional commander hammer set, I would get this one without hesitation. Harrison Commander Ignition Set

He also has modern shaped ones. More Harrison Ignition Sets

I really like the True Radius sear option. John Harrison gave me some knowledge about TR sears when I ordered a Retro Hammer set from him. Google true radius 1911 sears for info. I think a new hammer strut and strut pin from the same manufacturer for a reliable fit and function is a good idea too.

Also, I bought a new Colt sear spring(I believe the C&S Light Sear Spring is the same) to go with it. You can tweak the sear spring to the perfect trigger pull weight with little difficulty.

More than likely, there will be enough material on your original thumb safety for you to remove to use with the new hammer/sear set. Harrison's sear was slightly thicker than the stock Springfield so I was able to use my stock thumb safety with a little fitting. I couldn't get used to the small original thumb safety so bought a new extended one a few days later.

One thing of note, replacing the slide stop with one having a .200" diameter shaft took out almost all of the slide to frame play. The original was only .195". I recommend checking yours. The Kuhnhausen books clued me in it's correct dimension. I also remedied the frame rail peening issue my mil-spec was suffering from by reading those books too.

Here's mine with a new Harrison ignition set and FPS. I did some contouring of the grip safety and it is awesome to shoot. Night and day more comfortable.

Thanks again for all the pertinent info.  You guys rock.

I long ago installed an Ed Brown slide stop.  The original Springfield part was not sufficiently profiled and some brands of ammo would cause premature slide lock as new rounds were presented during firing.  The Ed Brown part fixed this issue completely.

I got two of the Harrison True Radius ignition sets, and I have been very happy with them. I used one on my Springfield Mil Spec and one on an older Rock Island Tactical.  I had to do some minor fitting of the sear on the Rock for it to pivot freely. Which I feel was probably the fault of the Rock frame, and not the fault of the Harrison sear.

I bought a new Colt Gold Cup acouple of years ago and wanted a better trigger,
I installed a Cylinder and Slide 3.5 lb super match kit and their series 80 safety kit.
Parts pretty much dropped in, I set the weight of the trigger pull with a slight bend of the left leg of the Sear spring and a trigger pull gauge.
I readjusted the over travel screw on the factory trigger and set that with loctite.
Then it was off to the range. The gun is now a tack driver.

As others have said, do your safety checks.
You may or may not have to fit a new thumb safety to the Sear. Most guns don't need this.
And first time firing it, only load two rounds in the mag for about half a box of ammo till the gun proves itself. This is good to do anytime trigger work is done on any gun.

Success...



Well so far at least.  Passed all safety checks many multiples of times.  Will have to wait till next weekend for live fire testing.
I was pretty shocked that the Cylinder and Slide kit actually just "dropped in".  Didn't have to touch the thumb safety either.  The most difficult part was fitting the new hammer strut pin.  Springfield must really have taken the original Colt specs to heart, even on their least expensive model.

I re-used the original Springfield sear spring as is, and the kit still lowered the trigger pull weight from 6.25lbs. to an even 4lbs.
A really nice clean, crisp break as well.  I'm happy with that at this point.  Will check it again after a few hundred rounds.

Yeah, I know that Wilson drop in beaver tail isn't the greatest looking thing, but it works to save the web of my hand, and it too  just dropped in with no fitting of the contact point necessary.

Once again I thank all of you for the advice, it was quite helpful.

Now if I could only put some larger sights on it as easily...

Well, the live fire tests all went great.

150 rounds of 230 ball (S&B and GECO).  Trigger is so much better than stock.  Clean crisp break at 4lbs, which is a real leap from the 6lbs it was previously, and the Wilson drop in beaver tail grip safety made the session so much more comfortable, no more hammer bite or discomfort from the squared off GI grip safety tang.

I'm in love with the 1911 again.

John Harrison at Harrison Custom in Kennesaw, Georgia can mill and install a dovetail front sight and Retro rear sight and you'll be right as rain for at least 100,000 rounds.

Nice looking pistol!

Most will say fitting required, but older guns don’t have the tolerances of many made today. It may say fitting required, but if it is it will me minor and only take patience.

Cant go wrong with C&S Ignition kits, if you want really high end quality go Harrison Design...Most C&S kits
are truly "drop-in" with little to no fitting needed.

Good luck.