1911 grip safety
I did a clean and polish of my 1911 trigger/sear and now my grip saftey doesn't work, AT ALL. I don't have to use the safety and the hammer still drops when I touch the trigger.
Any Ideas?
thanks
Any Ideas?
thanks
0
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Does anyone dislike the grip safety as much as I do? It seems like I am trying to strangle a chicken to get it to fire at times. Other than duct tape, is there a simple way to disconnect this safety? Only advantage I see is you sure can't limp wrist it. 0 -
Many of the replacement Grip safety sold by Brownells have a BUMP that will allow you to engage the grip safety if your hand is configured so a standard grip safety hard t engage. Many Colt clones come with this style grip safety.
editSome people have FAT hands . and othes like me very little meat on our hands. The old 1911 grip safety could for some people enable the hammer to pinch their hand while others like me cant even get a beaver tail grip safety to touch any part of their hand . Get a type of grip safety that works for you .0 -
You shouldn't be having those problems with a properly adjusted grip safety. You didn't say what make or model of 1911. I prefer Browns memory bump safety myself, but have never had a problem with any 1911 I have shot from WW2 era to modern. Sounds like theres something binding if you have to squeeze so hard.
Please do not tape it down, super liablity issue, Take it to a compentant gunsmith and have it fixed if not under warrenty.
Good luck and let me know how it goes.0 -
The grip safety is well designed and is easily moved with very slight pressure from ONE finger. If yours is not moving easily disassemble the gun and correct the issue. If WD-40 was used for a lubricant the varnish left from it can gunk up a gun big time. A good hosing with carb cleaner should get most of the gunk out, a complete tear down would be better.
A 1911 is properly gripped when the butt of the gun sits in the crease of your hand, not on the fat middle part of the palm.0 -
Some of this just has to do with anatomy.
Most people's hands just fit a standard 1911 grip safety fine when holding the gun properly (that's important!), but some people's don't.
I don't think taping the safety down is a "super liability issue" but its certainly both unaesthetic and unnecessary. There are plenty of similar auto guns that don't have grip safeties OR external safeties (eg Glocks) and so far as I know carrying a Glock doesn't carry extra liability over a 1911. The main thing is to make sure your gun is safe against accidental drop-discharge, because if your gun isn't and it goes off with a taped grip safety, you're going to have quite a bit of explaining to do!
On the problem, I second the suggestion of an extended grip safety. Its a pretty common feature/modification, and the part itself is pretty cheap, maybe only $35.
Here is a picture with standard grip safety is on the left, and extended "memory pad" safety with beavertail on the right.
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I've never had a problem with the standard 1911 grip safety, but I recall that "back in the day" it was a fairly common practice to pin the safety down with a cross pin going through the back edge of the frame and through the body of the safety. Wondering if this proved to be a particularly bad idea, or just something that fell along the wayside??? 0 -
The liability I was refering to is deactivating a safety on a firearm. I am a professional law enforcement officer and firearms instructor, also an expert witness on several court subjects. The liablity occurs when someone deactivates a safety then goes out and a negligent discharge occurs or even a straight up self defense shooting. When standing in front of a jury, which you will be doing, you will have to explain why you deactivated the safety. I know of several cases of both criminal and civil juries where the person responsible either was convicted or found responsible of misconduct. If a gun goes off do to a bonafide malfunction, well thats one thing, a discharge due to negligence well you will lose your shirt and maybe your freedom. I can't monday morning quarterback your call, but I can say its not worth it. There are sports where the safety is deactivated, normally that firearm is used only in that sport. Just be careful, and good luck. 0 -
www.novaksights.com has "THE ANSWER" It is a one piece 1911 backstrap that eleminates the grip safety.
JWB first designed the 45ACP 1900 with no grip safety. It was the US military that had to have it on the 1911.0 -
Do you mean JMB? 0 -
Also, if you go with the beavertail style safety you will need the commander-style hammmer. There are several ways to deactivate the grip safety and I first heard about the practice in the late 70's credited to Gunsite as a solution for small handed individuals. 0 -
quote:Originally posted by CSI21
When standing in front of a jury, which you will be doing, you will have to explain why you deactivated the safety. I know of several cases of both criminal and civil juries where the person responsible either was convicted or found responsible of misconduct.
You know of cases where individuals were convicted of criminal charges merely for deactivating the grip safety on their 1911 pistol? Could you share the details of these incidents?
I think whether or not you'll be standing in front of a jury depends on the nature of the circumstances surrounding the incident in question, and also your jurisdiction. In the Northeast, you can expect to be hauled before a jury if you fire ANY shot from a weapon outside of a gun range, regardless of the circumstances.
Deactivating a grip safety is going to make you look worse, but if you shoot someone or something negligently, you're probably going to be liable regardless of the grip safety status.
In contrast, I personally know a woman who deliberately shot her husband TO DEATH, but was never criminally charged with it, let alone hauled in front of a jury. She claimed he abused her. . .case was dropped. Yes, this actually happened. No, a grip safety was not involved.
I know of another case where a police officer negligently discharged his backup gun INSIDE OF AN AIRPORT CONFERENCE ROOM when the dumb@#$ was showing it off to another cop. After it happened, some passenger ran up to him swearing she just heard a gunshot! He said "are you sure it wasn't just a slamming door"? Anyway, he was never charged or disciplined for this. Again, no grip safety. . .it was a DAO gun!
Ultimately, if a shooting is "clean" its clean. If you deliberately shoot someone who is attacking you, what does it matter if the grip safety is active? It wouldn't have prevented that shooting, and I think juries are savvy enough to understand that bringing it up in that context is just a a red herring.
Where deactivating a grip safety *WILL* matter is if you have a negligent discharge. If you want to try and argue in court that your gun went off "by accident". . .you're already fighting an uphill battle. Even if in reality the lack of a grip safety didn't contribute to your discharge (and lets face it. . .it probably didn't) you're going to look REALLY bad having deactivated a "safety" feature on the gun. So yeah, in THAT circumstance, you're making things worse for yourself with an altered gun. If you drop a gun with a deactivated safety and it goes off, that's just bend over and write the check, or "do not pass go, go directly to jail".
Incidentally, the worst negligent discharge I have ever personally seen was by a professional (and I use the term loosely) firearm instructor who was also an ex-law enforcement firearms instructor. This clown took a loaded gun from a student he was teaching, and while holding it FACING HIS CLASS shot off a random shot into the air. . .simultaneously violating at least 2 or 3 safety rules. Fortunately nobody was hurt. The gun in question didn't have a grip safety. . .but it DID have a conventional safety, which this bozo didn't bother to engage before negligently placing his finger on the trigger and waving the pistol in the air.
quote: If a gun goes off do to a bonafide malfunction, well thats one thing, a discharge due to negligence well you will lose your shirt and maybe your freedom.
Things will probably go worse for you if you're truly negligent, but you're still liable if your gun goes off due to a mechanical malfunction. Why was your muzzle not pointed in a safe direction? Why were you handling a loaded firearm in an unsafe manner at the time of the mechanical malfunction?
Even if you can convince a jury that the discharge truly was due to a mechanical malfunction (which I think would be pretty hard given the redundant mechanical safeties in virtually every modern firearm), you're still going to have to convince them that your handling of said gun in wasn't a contributing factor.
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I can't monday morning quarterback your call, but I can say its not worth it. There are sports where the safety is deactivated, normally that firearm is used only in that sport. Just be careful, and good luck.
Again, I don't see a good reason to deactivate the grip safety on a 1911. If its a function issue, they're easily replaced with something that functions better. If you just don't like the idea of a grip safety, there are any number of other guns that don't have grip safeties you can choose from.
I'm just saying that if you take your 1911 to the range and can't shoot it, putting a piece of tape over the grip safety so that you can do so more easily probably isn't going to land you in jail or the poorhouse!0 -
I agree with you about going to the range to just shoot, will not land you jail. I have never been involved with a case where the grip safety was deactivated and someone was charged. I have seen where an old 3 screw Ruger (which had been recalled to have the transfer bar installed) was removed and restored to the original condition. The fellow then shot his friend when the gun fell out of his nylon/crap holster. He was charged with involuntary manslaughter. He was not convicted, however in the civil trial he was found responsible and lost everything. I watched the same video where the DEA agent shot himself in front of a bunch of children. Stupidity knows no bounds. I was giving my opinion. I have been to accidental shootings, some died some didn't, and its just not worth it. Take it as it is, and good luck. 0
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