Posted: 12/30/2012 5:33:51 AM EDT
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I have a Clark Hardball gun built in 1978 on a Colt MkIV Series 70. I am ashamed to say how little I have shot it. Recently I added a set of Herret's National target stocks. Yesterday I decided to give it a little exercise. 30 MPH gusting winds were not the ideal conditions so I decided to go back to the shop and remedy the one dislike I have of the gun. The short trigger. This gun was one of a batch which were sent from a gun club to Jim Clark for modification. Somewhere along the way my request for a long trigger got lost. When I received the gun back NINE MONTHS later it had the original short trigger.
So... I removed the original trigger and substituted a brand new long trigger which I have had in my parts kit for many years. Put things back together and adjusted the over travel. The long trigger had a little slop in it as compared to the Clark modified trigger but not too bad. Except... I could not rack the slide back. It hung up on the disconnector. I took it apart again and reassembled a couple of times. Same issue. Tried a different disconnector - same problem. Tried a standard 3 finger spring instead of the 4 finger Clark spring - same issue. Put back the Clark trigger - no problems. Inspection of the Clark modified trigger shows the following: - the trigger is drilled and tapped for an over travel takeup screw - a small tab of sheet metal is welded to the bottom of the back of trigger - this tab is filed and fitted to the sturrup channel in the frame to reduce wobble - another tab of sheet metal is welded to the back of the sturrup where it engages the disconnector and sear - this is also filed and fitted, I am guessing to eliminate take up in the trigger pull The hammer and sear are of course custom fit. However, I do not see any obvious fitting on the disconnector. I will try a couple of other triggers I have on hand and see what happens. In the mean time... can anyone give me an idea why changing the trigger would cause the disconnect to hang up? I have studied the motion of the parts and watched several youtube animations of the operation. There must be a logical explanation but it escapes me at the moment. TIA, Ken |
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You could try backing off over travel on long trigger. I would be intimidated a bit trying to emulate a Jim Clark trigger, you may not be able to run take-up as tight as short trigger. Just be careful, take up affects sear to hammer engagement, too tight and accidental discharges can happen.
Might be coincidence, I know you've tried two sear springs. I prefer the four finger Clark sear springs over three. Disconnectors many times hang on sear finger. To check, cock hammer with grip safety removed. Kind of a side note, I sat at a table last May adjacent to two generations of Clarks, seated with them was Jerry Miculek. Down to earth group of guys. I've called their shop before, several times ordering parts and asking advice. You might give them a call seeings your going in behind their work. dc. |
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I've got a Clark Sr Hardball, I'd be a bit leery playing with it and changing the parts, and I have no issue with working on most of my other ones. Lot of the parts were modified/welded up "old school" as compared to most of the newer "custom" makes that have new parts that were not modified and are basically fitted to each other. That takes NOTHING away from the new one's, but it isn't taking parts and customizing them anymore to make them "better" anymore, you start with new parts designed specifically for what you want to improve on.
Even simple things like a barrel bushing, the Clark one was welded up, then fit to the slide a barrel, you just are not going to see that on new ones, you can buy off the shelf over sized ones, then just fit those. Both work well but one takes far less time and saves money. Or, look at improving the grip area, nowadays it sits in a fixture, someone loads a program, pushes a button and a computer runs the tool and it cuts everything perfectly. Sure beats the guy 90% done doing it by hand and then having some tool slip and ruining it. Plus, look at the hours of labor saved that could be spend making money elsewhere. I VERY MUCH appreciate the skills of the old time smiths but that time isn't coming back for 99.999% of the population because we can't afford it. I appreciate my Clark and shoot it on occasion but I save the long shooting sessions for my modern Colts, Briley, and LB because it would be far easier to replace any worn/broken parts. |
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Thanks dc,
I did back off on the over travel screw a long way - no change. The gun originally had the 3 finger spring. I came across a Clark 4 finger one at a gun show a couple of decades ago and purchased it. The 4 finger spring will help to prevent a hammer drop to half cock if one forgets to hold back the hammer when dropping the slide - at least I recall that was the rationale for the 4 finger design. As to your side note... I had another Clark gun made in the early '90s - a "Custom Combat" on one of the first Colt stainless 1911s made. Their smith got a little carried away on the sander and removed too much of the front of the slide thus exposing the recoil spring plug on one side. I was not happy. I called and spoke to Jim Jr. He said that they did not have any regular stainless slides. However, they did have some stainless Gold Cup slides which Colt had custom made for them. Would it be OK to replace my slide with one of them? "Well, if you twist my arm..." When it came back the front night sight was dinged and the tritium AWOL. No glow. This time Jim Sr. answered the phone "send the slide back and we'll fix it." I didn't wash that ear for a week after hearing THE voice 
Thanks fxntime, I too have been a bit leery. I guess that is why the long replacement trigger has sat in the parts box for 20 years. I will probably try one more trigger at least on the bench. Unless it seems to work perfectly I will not fire the pistol. Perhaps a trigger shoe on the original trigger is the safest approach. As to the cost of custom smiths... I spent a grand total of $400 on this piece. $200 for the new pistol from Colt and $200 for the conversion. That was back when $400 was worth something. Ken |
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Ken,
The only thing left is sear spring fingers hanging under the disconnector, that I can think of. Again, suggest you call Clark. There's a delicately hand fit relationship between trigger, sear, disconnector and sear spring. I'm no good at online diagnosis, not going to pretend to be. That's something that needs to be in front of the person fitting the part. dc. |
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Thanks again dc,
If the trigger stirrup of the Clark trigger is in fact lengthened by the addition of the add-on sheet metal it will change the angle of the disconnector with respect to vertical. Perhaps the new trigger causes the disconnector to tilt towards the muzzle enough to cause the spring to jam it. I guess I will stick with the short trigger - at least for another decade or two. Ken |
| Take off the top end. Remove the grip safety, leaving everything else on the frame, so you can see what's going on. Using a tool, press down on the nose of the disconnector and observe the disconnector paddle to determine what is keeping it from moving downward. |