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Thread: Why do 1911 style guns still have grip safeties?

  1. #71
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    I’ve owned a basket full of 1911 style guns over the years. In 40 years of carrying one I never had an issue with the grip safety. The newer styles with the bump are apparently an upgrade to something that always worked (for me and my XL paws) anyway.

    A grip safety adds complexity to the gun but since that design dates back over a hundred years there is some expectation of archaic machine foolery. The companies that have tried to “update” old slabsides have pretty much all gone under for one reason or another but there are more companies than ever making guns that JMB would be quite familiar with. Pretty much as long as the basic silhouette stays the same it sells.

    It’s a “cult” thing.

  2. #72
    Site Supporter HeavyDuty's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by MistWolf View Post
    ...or, something like a Glock, where the grip safety was moved to the trigger?
    A digression.

    The one single thing that solidified my return to Glock was the SCD. I’m a dinosaur that learned as a teen shooting revolvers in local unsanctioned PPC matches, and had it pounded into my head to always thumb the back of the hammer on reholstering. The Gadget allows me to do that.
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  3. #73
    Four String Fumbler Joe in PNG's Avatar
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    If you want to get pedantic & nitpicky, most of Browning's auto pistols designs of the era had grip safeties.
    The ones that didn't tended to have no safeties at all.
    "You win 100% of the fights you avoid. If you're not there when it happens, you don't lose." - William Aprill
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  4. #74
    When I got my Les Baer, I decided this time I’d try keeping the grip safety active. I tuned it so that a stiff wind would deactivate it. After well over a year, it finally bit me, twice. It was at a steel match, and I was shooting really well. The stage was smoke and hope, which is the fastest stage of the match. It was my last stage, and I was really pushing the draw, and 2 of the 5 runs I got the dreaded trigger lock.

    Now statistically you could say that is a very minimal failure rate, considering the thousands and thousands of draws without issue that preceded it. However I was fatigued and drawing like my life depended on it. Doesn’t that sound exactly similar to to what might happen when the SHTF?

  5. #75
    Site Supporter Oldherkpilot's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by RevolverRob View Post

    To be honest, I’m not sure how one fails to deactivate the grip safety if they can deactivate the thumb safety. I know people do it, but the physics don’t work for my hand to result in a bad grip if I can work the thumb safety.
    I am just the opposite. I've had my Colt Series 70 for 35 years. The grip safety gave me no issues for probably 15 years but failures to disengage crept in and today I am lucky to depress it properly half the time. If I shoot with my thumb below the safety, the problem goes away but that's just trading up (or down?) to inadvertently activating the thumb safety during recoil.
    My hands have been beat up pretty bad over the years and that seems to be the root of the problem. I recently put a Marvel Unit One on the Colt and it took me one trip to the range to decide to tape the grip safety down. You people here at PF have got me carrying HKs with LEM triggers and I am finally happy.

  6. #76
    For a few years Novaks sold a single piece MSH/grip safety replacement called "The Answer". I do not think that it is still in production.

  7. #77
    Hokey / Ancient JAD's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by MistWolf View Post
    ...or, something like a Glock, where the grip safety was moved to the trigger?
    The glock trigger safety is a little different from the 1911 grip safety, at least in intent. The GTS blocks the trigger from being bounced into actuation if the gun is dropped. The browning safety probably has a similar effect, but it really was intended as a user interface.
    Ignore Alien Orders

  8. #78
    Quote Originally Posted by Greg View Post
    You can tune a 1911's grip safety so that it disengages with 1/3rd to 1/2 of it's travel.

    This plus a memory bump makes it a non-issue unless you have boney cadaver hands.
    My problem too and so I had this done. it works and I've had nary a problem with it since. The GS on my Colt is the one that came with it, standard A1 style, it passes muster for IDPA and other games.

  9. #79
    Site Supporter ccmdfd's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Oldherkpilot View Post
    I am just the opposite. I've had my Colt Series 70 for 35 years. The grip safety gave me no issues for probably 15 years but failures to disengage crept in and today I am lucky to depress it properly half the time. If I shoot with my thumb below the safety, the problem goes away but that's just trading up (or down?) to inadvertently activating the thumb safety during recoil.
    My hands have been beat up pretty bad over the years and that seems to be the root of the problem. I recently put a Marvel Unit One on the Colt and it took me one trip to the range to decide to tape the grip safety down. You people here at PF have got me carrying HKs with LEM triggers and I am finally happy.
    Yeah. if i don't aim for a "high as you can " grip, and don't ride the thumb safety, then deactivating the grip safety is a non-issue.

    cc

  10. #80
    Site Supporter Tamara's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by JTQ View Post
    The 1911 grip safety fulfills the same function as the trigger tab on striker fired guns.
    Exactly this.
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