One reason that I don't modify handguns that I might use for self defense is that I'm convinced that the factory of said handguns knows more than I do. I associate reliability with oem. One exception to the rule has been sights. With Glocks I learned to switch around trigger bars to find a pull that I liked better, but I'll be the first to admit that the difference in so called quality between triggers would not have mattered in a self defense shooting. With 1911's and other sa/da auto's I'm happy with a 4lb sa trigger pull, which can usually be achieved with range firing. I will not buy a revolver with a rough action or an action with hitches. Minor roughness(sign of the times)will clear up with shooting the revolver, and Flitz polish on a Q tip will fix the rest. I'm satisfied with factory springs.
Are you using equipment in good working order in such a condition that the factor would not deem your equipment risky, incorrectly modified or otherwise in a state of disrepair?
Is your equipment in factory condition or in an approved/accepted configuration such that the manufacturer or a reputable subject matter expert would deem it safe?
Modifications that bring a firearm closer to spec by removing slack in the design such as "Trigger pull should be 6 pounds - factory guns have a 5.2 to 6.7 pound trigger & contact surfaces should be polished to Z finish +/-A is acceptable...your gun has been worked on to make it 6 pounds EXACTLY and has contact surfaces with Z finish EXACTLY...", offer more control or better visual feedback so you can process the situation faster are fine. Probably.
Think about a fatal accident then explaining what mods you did to a car.
Using brake pads of a grade better than OEM? OK. Windshield with a glare resistant coating/anti-fog coating? Good...
Steering, suspension & tires upgraded so that you can stop faster, turn more exactly? NICE!
Racing tires that don't have sufficient traction for wet conditions? Oh...not good...
Cool tint that obscures your vision? Humm...
Disabling ABS because you don't like it? Er...
Last edited by Mitchell, Esq.; 09-11-2017 at 09:07 PM.
I'm going to stay out of the civil aspect because that's way outside of my lane (and also because it's boring).
On the criminal side...
"A good shoot is a good shoot" is not the way to look at this.
Generally speaking, if I'm paying attention to details like your trigger pull it's because I don't think it's a good shoot. If I have the opportunity to pay attention to your trigger, the investigators didn't think so either -- or at least they thought there was enough grey to send it my way. In some states, you may have failed to convince a grand jury that it was a good shoot. If you're spending time and money trying to sell a jury on why your Bald Guy in Arizona Brand TerroristKiller9000 (tm) trigger was a safe and prudent modification to your self-defense firearm, you are not in "good shoot" territory.
In the other thread, Mitchell made some mention of selling boiled cats as authentic Chinese food. That's a good way to look at it. Is your (blank -- clothing, statements/social media postings, firearm modifications, training resume, etc.) going to help make that sale? Hurt it?
As to what a trigger should do:
- Be no lighter than factory spec
- Maintain all safety values
- Not be stupid light even if within factory spec
As to modifications I've made to my carry guns:
I have a lighter connector in my Glock and I have a NY1 spring. That gives me an approximately 8lb pull weight, which is heavier than factory specs.
But I thought the "rules of gunfighting" say to bring multiple friends with guns amirite?
/sarc
Literally the first thing that popped into my head reading this story.
Anyways, looks like I'm cool with my 16lb hammer spring for my 92fs. I expect the WC grips, extended mag catch and the Pepperoni rear sight are probably less of a big deal also, as there is an articulated reason I have them (to make the gun fit my hand better, to get better sight picture and to improve reload speed)
From what I gather, don't carry around the gun with the 2.0lb gray guns modded trigger that will discharge if you drop it...wink wink...nudge nudge.
Sent from my XT1585 using Tapatalk
Completely unnecessary if it's not a dedicated competition-only gun.
A basic but thorough cleanup and smoothing on my GP100 gave it probably the smoothest, butteriest DA pull I've ever felt on any handgun (which doesn't include work by someone like Bowen) and an SA that would make the owners of most 1911s a little green. No geometry changes and still all the stock springs. S&Ws are supposed to be capable of even better smoothness due to the hammer spring being completely frictionless rather than sliding on a strut. I've so far only sampled well-used and NIB Smiths, none having received competent TLC internally, so the range has been highly variable, with the best of them falling short of my Geep.
With the kinds of burrs and defects that are common on the various action parts of NIB semis and revolvers I've inspected, I am not of the opinion that just shooting or dry firing a new firearm until it gets smoother is the best approach. If there's a burr or other defect creating roughness, it's better to remove it using tools that were designed for removing burrs, than by just blindly rubbing it against the other parts of the gun until it has either worn away or created corresponding wear on an opposing surface. I'm not aware of gun parts ever having been designed for the purpose of removing burrs or other surface defects from other gun parts. (Fire lapping a barrel might be a semantic exception, but that's not what is under discussion.)
Went googling for an @Mas opinion I recall reading not too long ago where he talks about polishing versus reducing spring weights. Didn't find it, but found this post, which is oft-linked around the web and certainly worth a read. It sounds pretty much the same as the posts by P-F's attorney members in the Punisher thread:
http://smith-wessonforum.com/conceal...liability.html
Another collection of opinions by people presented as SMEs:
https://armedcitizensnetwork.org/gun-modifications
Last edited by OlongJohnson; 09-11-2017 at 11:13 PM.
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Not another dime.