Whats Wrong With Series 80 Pistols?

[dihappy]

Thanks 73, btw, nice pistol.

[TxD]

For the record the pistol I was carrying when my accident happened was a Para Warthog.

Here is a discussion and pictures on the Para safety system with a failure similar to Gregg's except the plunger was stuck up instead of down.

Again, this should not be confused with a "Series 80" safety system.

http://forums.1911forum.com/showthread.php?p=1726916

[frankie_the_yankee]

For the record the pistol I was carrying when my accident happened was a Para Warthog.

Here is a discussion and pictures on the Para safety system with a failure similar to Gregg's except the plunger was stuck up instead of down.

Again, this should not be confused with a "Series 80" safety system.

http://forums.1911forum.com/showthread.php?p=1726916

I'm the author of that thread.

I also started a similar thread on this forum with photos. The thread here has more recent information.

http://www.texasshooting.com/TexasCHL_F ... 23&t=13523

I found that my gun has a defective slide. The rear sight dovetail cut intrudes into the hole in the slide that the firing pin safety plunger rides in. If the sight is drifted to the left (as when making a sighting adjustment) the sight dovetail can interfere with the movement of the plunger.

Depending on what position the plunger is trapped in, this can render the gun incapable of firing or put it in a condition where it will always fire but the safety is deactivated.

Para has been fully informed of this. I am awaiting their response.

Since Greg had a similar failure to fire after his rear sight accidently got drifted to the left, I suggest he detail strip his slide and check it out (or have a smith do it).

[DoubleJ]

I had all the firing pin blocks on my series 80s welded shut and I sold that pistol since everytime I looked at it I got a chill up my spine.

Frankie, looks like he done got rid of it.

[frankie_the_yankee]

I had all the firing pin blocks on my series 80s welded shut and I sold that pistol since everytime I looked at it I got a chill up my spine.

Frankie, looks like he done got rid of it.

Yeah, I overlooked that post.

To each his own but I would never do that, especially with a carry gun.

And yes, I'm aware that Browning's original design was and is a good one. And that "impact firing" is a very rare, almost non-existent occurrance that can be made even more rare with lighter firing pins and heavier springs.

But I still wouldn't disable the Series 80 hardware.

I belong to the school that says you never disable a safety device. If you don't like the way the gun is designed, you're better off getting a different gun.

So if I didn't like the Series 80 hardware on my Gold Cup, I would (Reluctantly!!!!) sell it and buy something similar in a Series 70 type on the used market.

As for my Para, I like the way it carries and shoots way too much to throw in the towel on it. I'm gonna find a way to make it work reliably, one way or the other.