Plunger tube and spring.
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Your plunger tube has come loose at the rear, and it needs to be replaced, as this can cause the safety to lock in the up position, and the only way to get it to move downward is to depress the plunger - not a good thing to happen when you need the gun. I've never had one successfully be re-staked, so I'd suggest you have someone install a new plunger tube properly.
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Emhasis added. Make sure whoever you hire knows what they are doing. Many of the amateurs here can do a better job than lots of the local "smiths" that work in gunshops, etc. If you don't know what right looks like then ask and we will be glad to tell you.
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8,277 Posts
1911 pistols and loose plunger tubes....
The above is not an uncommon problem with 1911 style pistols...... I like STI 2011 pistols, and they have an integral plunger tube that is part of the frame...it will never come loose....LOL!
The above is not an uncommon problem with 1911 style pistols...... I like STI 2011 pistols, and they have an integral plunger tube that is part of the frame...it will never come loose....LOL!
That means relieving the frame holes on the inside of the frame to create a place for metal to go when staking.
A small ball shaped tip on a rotary tool works well.
A ball smaller than the width of the opening.
Pass it though the hole, then pull it back and against the edges with the ball working against the far edges of the hole.
Move it all around the hole to create a chamfer on the far side.
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8,277 Posts
STI 2011 with plunger tube integrated as part of the frame...
You will never have a problem with a plunger tube on an STI 2011 since they don't have an external plunger tube.....
I would rather not have a plunger tube that is staked to the frame.... I have had two become loose and required new plunger tubes, making the staking area inside the frame a little deeper, and re-staking the fastening tubes.
You will never have a problem with a plunger tube on an STI 2011 since they don't have an external plunger tube.....
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5,246 Posts
Once the two that you repaired correctly were used, did the tubes ever come loose again??
Joe
Joe
Plunger tubes only loosen when they are poorly installed and yes, today many are poorly installed. That's a manufacturing problem - not a design problem. Replacing one that is staked on is much easier and cheaper than fixing one that was milled into the frame. I have to think that if staked plunger tubes were really a problem the Dept. of Defense would have stopped using them shortly after the gun was placed in service. They were made as a separate part for a reason.
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8,277 Posts
Plunger tube and spring....
The STI 2011 guns have withstood the test of time in USPSA, IDPA, and other pistol competitions. The receiver is drilled for a plunger tube spring as part of the frame.... It would be difficult to damage a frame to the point of crushing the plunger tube area of an STI 2011 pistol.....they simply seldom if ever, have the need to "fix" a plunger tube area problem.
From my experience, the 1911 frame is more susceptible to issues with the plunger tube assembly most likely due to manufacturing problems.....
Nope! But I did not shoot them as much as my action pistol competition guns.
The STI 2011 guns have withstood the test of time in USPSA, IDPA, and other pistol competitions. The receiver is drilled for a plunger tube spring as part of the frame.... It would be difficult to damage a frame to the point of crushing the plunger tube area of an STI 2011 pistol.....they simply seldom if ever, have the need to "fix" a plunger tube area problem.
From my experience, the 1911 frame is more susceptible to issues with the plunger tube assembly most likely due to manufacturing problems.....
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5,246 Posts
Perhaps the width of the frame and scales being double stack makes impact to the plunger difficult.
Joe
Joe
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