1911 Clown Shoe! :)

[Lost River]

Back in the early/mid 90s I had a buddy that tended to buy whatever gun I bought and was influenced by what I was doing, shooting sports wise. I was shooting USPSA and using primarily single stack 1911s and the then new Glock 21 .45. I carried and used an old Colt Series 70 for much of that time. My friend wanting to do something similar, picked up an 80 Series Colt, bone stock. He asked me what mods he should have done. I told him just a few things, such as sight work, trigger work, a beavertail, and magwell. I said, you don't need a bunch of extended this and that.

I sent him to the same smith I used. My friend pretty much did the exact opposite of what I advised. Huge Ambi safeties, big mag funnel. Instead of sticking with the traditional recoil spring and plug, he read a gun rag and learned about the amazing "Dwyer Group Gripper" that would make him shoot like a Navy SEAL... or something like that. Plus he had the biggest damned clown shoe for a magazine release button I have ever seen.

As was typical, he got hard up for money, and he sold the gun for less than the price of the gunsmithing bill and parts. My dad ended up buying it. Eventually I ended up with it and took pretty much everything off of it. I had been talking about this gun and the ridiculous parts that had been on it just a few days ago with a friend, and sure enough, today I ran across the clown shoe in a little plastic baggy, while looking for a decapping pin for one of my loading machines.



Then looking in the box further, I found the Group Gripper.



You can see the stock mag release button is still threaded for the clown shoe.



So, just for kicks and to see what it looked like as it has been more than 25 years since it has been on the gun, I installed it.

Holy Heck! LOL.







Yep, still looks like a clown shoe as I remember!

[OfficeCat]

I remember the Dwyer Group Gripper. Put one in my 1911 as well in the early 90s. Your friend and I must have read the same magazine. I don't recall noticing much of an effect.

[randyho]

I love how ergos evolve on lots of stuff. I still think mountain bike shifters took a step back when you could no longer tell what gear you were in by the position of the shift levers.

With that thing, I would drop the mag every time my support hand got close to be where it should be.

[farscott]

That magazine button was ideal for USPSA/IPSC competition, especially with 2011 pistols. Dave Dawson still sells the part. https://dawsonprecision.com/mag-rele...son-precision/

[bofe954]

My last 9mm 1911 doesn't have one but my previous USPSA 1911's have all had that thing. Mine were Ed Brown. I kind of liked how when you push it, it bottoms out on the frame. There is a definite "end" to how far you can push it. If you cut a big thumb scoop in your grips or use skinny grips it is a little much, and I guess if you have big enough hands it's isn't needed. I need to kind of "flip" the gun to hit the release and it helped. I've never accidently activated it either, but I guess I might be concerned carrying IWB with one.

[gringop]

That thing is like knocking items off the shelf at the grocery store big.

Me being a lefty, it would drop mags out every time I fastened a seatbelt.

But what do I know my 1911 are Kimbers (filled chock-a-block with Wilson parts after the first year I had them)

Gringop

[fatdog]

Had those on my Para P-16 Limited guns back in the 90's, they worked great for USPSA.

[Hambo]

A friend gave me one, which I put on a 1911 I used only for competition. It's still on the pistol, and I've never inadvertently dropped a mag. On a thin frame (1911), an extended mag release is no problem. On a fat frame (92), even a Langdon mag release will have me dropping mags.