Another 2011 variant... Oracle Arms 2311

[Sensei]

I’m also agnostic to the grip safety as it doesn’t meaningfully add to the safety of the gun when applied to combat or competitive shooting.

Far more important to me will be the track record of durability and aftermarket support. By aftermarket support, I’m largely referring to holster availability, with or without light, from major duty and concealed carry manufacturers.

Once we start seeing the aftermarket support and a couple-year track record of durability I’ll probably be a customer.

[Tokarev]

So the grip safety would prevent a trigger bounce style drop discharge. That being said, a properly designed 1911 trigger system should catch the hammer in the half cock notch in such a scenario.

If I remember the Series 80 evolution correctly, Colt went to a safety shelf instead of a halfcock notch to help prevent discharge in case the gun was dropped on the hammer with the hammer lowered to the halfcock notch. It was a common occurrence for people to carry a 1911 with a round chambered, safety off and the hammer resting on the halfcock notch. A drop from waist height was enough to break the halfcock notch and allow the hammer to impart the firing pin with enough force to fire the pistol. The safety shelf is farther forward so the hammer is almost at rest and is also more robust. Springfield uses a version of the safety shelf also.

Anyway, the upswept shape of most modern beaver tails should help protect the hammer in case of a drop.

[Bucky]

If I remember the Series 80 evolution correctly, Colt went to a safety shelf instead of a halfcock notch to help prevent discharge in case the gun was dropped on the hammer with the hammer lowered to the halfcock notch. It was a common occurrence for people to carry a 1911 with a round chambered, safety off and the hammer resting on the halfcock notch. A drop from waist height was enough to break the halfcock notch and allow the hammer to impart the firing pin with enough force to fire the pistol. The safety shelf is farther forward so the hammer is almost at rest and is also more robust. Springfield uses a version of the safety shelf also.

Anyway, the upswept shape of most modern beaver tails should help protect the hammer in case of a drop.

It was my understanding the FPS was to prevent a discharge when dropped on its muzzle, a discharge involving the inertia of a firing pin, not the hammer. If you consider that the manufacturers that decided to address this issue without an FOS went with a very light weight firing pin and heavier firing pin spring, it further supports that theory.

A properly designed and properly functioning 1911 half cock notch should not release if dropped on the back side / hammer side of the gun. In fact, the hammer shouldn’t be able to move forward without some rearward movement. That’s my understanding anyway.

[Jim Watson]

I figure that the "safety stop" hammer introduced with the Series 80 firing pin obstruction was to discourage carry in the regular half cock notch. There were years of cries "My hammer will fall from half cock."

I have seen hammers with both undercut half cock and flat quarter cock, Springfield, I think.

If dropped muzzle up, the grip safety should shield the hammer, if dropped muzzle down, a firing pin inertia fire will be into the floor. Alarming but not as dangerous.


I tried my own drop tests in various orientations from head height onto a linoleum over wood floor. Slight mark on the primed case but no Pop. Internet reports say dropping on concrete will cause inertia fire at much lower heights.