Why do 1911 style guns still have grip safeties?

[JodyH]

Sounds like GJM was just gripping new STI incorrectly and someone should go show him to run a pistol instead of seeking “hardware solutions for software problems”

There's a reason you won't find a intact grip safety at a USPSA match, and it's not because the GM level shooters don't know how to grip a handgun.

[Duke]

There's a reason you won't find a intact grip safety at a USPSA match, and it's not because the GM level shooters don't know how to grip a handgun.

Concur

I like how no one suggests adding a grip safety to an SAO CZ75, converted p07/09 or any of the other cocked striker guns.....(in fact we shit on the xd version for being pointless and fragile)

But one mentions cavalry era parts on a new gun in 2020 and everyone gets all “well I’ve never had a problem with them “

[Baldanders]

1911s have grip safeties. Is it really a 1911 without a grip safety?

Might as well call it a Colt 1905 or something. Or maybe a Ballester-Molina.

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I think this is probably the "real" answer.

Even Jeff Cooper advocated deactivating it, but it's not a 1911 without it.

Colt should come out with a 1905A1 or 1907A1 model and market it as JMBs true vision.

Interesting responses here. I am usually not thinking about the grip safety while shooting most pistols with them. They always seem to engage fine for me. I have medium/large hands, and the G20/G21 fits me better than a G17 with the largest beavertail backstrap. I would theorize that most grip safeties have been designed for larger hands, but the posts indicating that competition shooters disable them whenever possible probably casts doubt on that theory.

If any "1911ish" gun came to be seen as the one true successor to the 1911A1, I think grip safeties would fade away. But I doubt 1911 fans are ever going to coalesce around one newish design.

[HeavyDuty]

Interesting that Wilson Combat discarded it for the EDC X9 series though...

I know I’m in the minority, but I prefer the grip safety. It’s one of the reasons I stopped looking at the X9s...

[Baldanders]

Concur

I like how no one suggests adding a grip safety to an SAO CZ75, converted p07/09 or any of the other cocked striker guns.....(in fact we shit on the xd version for being pointless and fragile)

But one mentions cavalry era parts on a new gun in 2020 and everyone gets all “well I’ve never had a problem with them “

It's funny how a feature that we can't get rid of from the design that is still the standard by which combat semiautos are judged against is a complete dealbreaker on new designs.

Has any gun design with a grip safety besides the 1911 achieved "gold standard" status with serious pistol shooters? None come to mind for me.

(I like my father's XD, but it seems he got "one of the good ones.")

[Baldanders]

I know I’m in the minority, but I prefer the grip safety. It’s one of the reasons I stopped looking at the X9s...

What do you like about it?

[JTQ]

While I'm a 1911 user, I'm not a big 1911 purist.

The 1911 grip safety fulfills the same function as the trigger tab on striker fired guns.

[HeavyDuty]

What do you like about it?

Second layer of safety that is transparent to me as a user. Hey, I’m a risk manager...

[Tokarev]

I think this is probably the "real" answer.

Even Jeff Cooper advocated deactivating it, but it's not a 1911 without it.

Colt should come out with a 1905A1 or 1907A1 model and market it as JMBs true vision.

Interesting responses here. I am usually not thinking about the grip safety while shooting most pistols with them. They always seem to engage fine for me. I have medium/large hands, and the G20/G21 fits me better than a G17 with the largest beavertail backstrap. I would theorize that most grip safeties have been designed for larger hands, but the posts indicating that competition shooters disable them whenever possible probably casts doubt on that theory.

If any "1911ish" gun came to be seen as the one true successor to the 1911A1, I think grip safeties would fade away. But I doubt 1911 fans are ever going to coalesce around one newish design.

Some info on the early prototypes:

https://cylinder-slide.com/1910hammerless

And one for sale if you have extra deep pockets:

https://cylinder-slide.com/Item/Pocket_Model

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[theJanitor]

I prefer the GS, and the Series 80 configuration too, especially if its going to be carried AIWB