There is also "The Answer" made and installed by Novak which completely eliminates the grip safety.
There is also "The Answer" made and installed by Novak which completely eliminates the grip safety.
Played around with a few Springfield Armory 1911s at the range yesterday, the SA beaver tail grip safety seems to be thick and uncontoured enough to eliminate the issue. I gripped the guns high and in the same manner that fouls the GS on my nighthawk, but some combination of a thicker tang and taller memory bump kept the GS depressed appropriately on both the Range Officer I handled and the EMP.
On of my commercial Colt 45 Autos bought new in 1970 came with paperwork explaining that the pistol could fire if dropped with a chambered round. S&W's Model 39, Ilama's, Stars, P-38's, and many other pistols also shared this trait. This group includes the vast numbers of war surplus and commercial pistols imported after WW2. I admit to having removed firing pin blocks from 1980 type 1911's. However, I replaced the firing pins with titanium pins whose smaller mass gives them less inertia if bumped.
About 1911 grip safeties. Drop in jobs are not created equal. Many place the hand too low. The big name smiths offered their own designs having a somewhat complex fitting procedure which involved contouring(grinding)the frame.
I start with the bottom (the pinky side of the hand) hitting the grip first and then almost roll the rest of the hand up into the beavertail, laying the thumb along the space between holster and pistol. Then use pressure from fingers and palm to start the draw. When pistol has cleared enough of sweatguard I put my thumb under the safety. This works fine on stock WC Elite and TRP Operator. But no matter what, with the right pressure, activating the grip safety shouldn't be an issue.
The original prototype did not have a grip safety. The Army requested/required one, so Browning went back and re engineered it to have one.Originally Posted by DDTSGM
One of the problems with solving a problem with technique is that under stress technique may degrade.
Are you comfortable taking the grip safety in and out? Generally a few stokes with a file - checking after each stroke - will adjust the grip safety to you.
IMO, all the grip safety is intended to do (Series 70) is block the trigger bow from rearward travel with the hand off the pistol. I don't think Browning intended it as a 'good shooting grip safety' rather as a safety to prevent discharge when dropped or otherwise mishandled.
JMO.
I messed that up, and can't figure out how to edit. I meant to say I start with jamming the the skin between the thumb and pointer into the underside of the beavertail and then roll the rest of the hand down onto the grip, with thumb between holster and gun, then position thumb under safety on the draw
Not sure why I got it backwards, I don't think I had had enough coffee
I'm happy now with the grip safety of my Ed Brown EVO-KC9. Europe's SVI importer tuned it, he's also a multiple German IPSC champion (I live in Germany). The grip safety still works but no longer needs to be pressed as deeply. He also decreased the trigger pull weight from 5.0 lb to 3.5 lb. I like it this way, I use the KC9 as a sport shooter (want to shoot IPSC Classic Division with it).
Last edited by P30; 12-21-2023 at 02:16 PM.
I am trying to understand why; 1- OPs hand starts so high on the grip that the thumb knuckle looks to be on the end of the hammer/beavertail, see pic in post #20, 2- Revolver Bob's pictures seem to show the same thing. I don't shoot 1911s but my goal in the initial grip of the pistol is to slam the web between thumb and forefinger up under the beavertail, not on the end of, or over the beavertail. When I first got my Beretta 92X Defensive w/ it's frame mounted safety, I gripped it the same way, tight up UNDER the beavertail.
Do you carry appendix?
Carrying appendix and using the “claw” grip on every gun other than a 1911 that I’ve carried, including glocks with beavertails and berettas is why my grip looks this way, at least as far as I can tell.
My sincerest apologies. Somehow, even though I went through your thread twice, I missed that you carry appendix. Now I see how the problem occurs.
Reply With Quote
