Colt’s new Model Series 70 and the Series 80 feature a firing pin block/drop safety. Here’s how to perform a trigger job on them.

by RK Campbell

It is difficult to address any report on Colt pistols without beginning biblically – in the beginning, there was the 1911. Likewise, 1911 trigger jobs have been discussed at length. In this article we’ll look at an area that doesn’t receive frequent treatment, namely, the firing pin block or drop safety on Colt’s new model Series 70 and Series 80 pistols.

I’ve found that some articles about Colt’s firing pin block are in error. The original 1911 features a simple inertial firing pin with the pin held to the rear of the firing pin channel by the firing pin spring. When the hammer strikes the firing pin it is driven forward against spring pressure, strikes the primer, then drawn back by spring pressure. The firing pin is shorter than the channel. Some designs, such as Spanish copies of the 1911, don’t feature an inertia firing pin.

Read more in the December 2016 issue.

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