1911 grip safety issue

[Caballoflaco]

@TGS the radius around the grip tang on factory beaver tail Springfields is larger than on Colts or most custom aftermarket beaver tail grips safeties. It absolutely makes the gun sit higher in my hand. If you look at the gun from the side the GS on the Springfield will be thicker/deeper.

@Hstanton1 you likely won’t be able to just buy a new grip-safety to drop into your gun. On custom and most semi-customs the frame and grip safety are ground together to achieve that close fit. That means the gun will have to go back to nighthawk and possibly have the grip tang welded back up so a new grip safety can be fit, and then you’ll need to have the frame refinished.

[Hstanton1]

@TGS the radius around the grip tang on factory beaver tail Springfields is larger than on Colts or most custom aftermarket beaver tail grips safeties. It absolutely makes the gun sit higher in my hand. If you look at the gun from the side the GS on the Springfield will be thicker/deeper.

@Hstanton1 you likely won’t be able to just buy a new grip-safety to drop into your gun. On custom and most semi-customs the frame and grip safety are ground together to achieve that close fit. That means the gun will have to go back to nighthawk and possibly have the grip tang welded back up so a new grip safety can be fit, and then you’ll need to have the frame refinished.

I’m not expecting to drop a new GS into the gun at all. If I can’t resolve the issue with technique, I’d buy a colt or Harrison unit and send it and the gun either back to nighthawk or to a reputable smith for fitment and installation.

[rdtompki]

I've found that a "lower" thumb safety (I like the Harrison Extreme Duty) makes for a better grip out of the holster with increased engagement of the grip safety. What you describe is what I had experienced in transitioning to my Staccato P; the larger grip does tend to decrease my grip safety engagement out of the holster, but with some practice and working holster position I've solved this issue. I will be having Dark Side Precision rework the grip so I'm expecting the slimmer grip to be of benefit in this regard.

[Hstanton1]

I've found that a "lower" thumb safety (I like the Harrison Extreme Duty) makes for a better grip out of the holster with increased engagement of the grip safety. What you describe is what I had experienced in transitioning to my Staccato P; the larger grip does tend to decrease my grip safety engagement out of the holster, but with some practice and working holster position I've solved this issue. I will be having Dark Side Precision rework the grip so I'm expecting the slimmer grip to be of benefit in this regard.

Does holster position make a difference? IE: a duty holster vs. AIWB with heavy grip rotation? Another thing I’m noticing is that even with a relatively high nighthawk safety, I tend to depress the safety when my hands meet during the draw stroke and then my thumb comes up off the safety again to make room for my support hand.

I haven’t yet ferreted out whether or not keeping my thumb on the safety as my support hand comes into place makes a difference, but it doesn’t seem to change how much contact my strong hand has on the beaver tail.

[Hstanton1]

Sharp checkering can sometimes drag on your fingers and not allow for a consistent finger position. For this reason the best 1911 I have for AIWB has aggressive serrations, not checkering. The fingers more smoothly get around the frontstrap without checkering near the grips. Notice where the serrations start on my Colt

That’s one thing I really like about TDA sigs and beretta 92s. Whether it’s vertical or horizontal serrations or the coarse checkering on LTT guns, it’s not enough to catch my fingers during the draw.

Side note, that looks like a very comfortable beaver tail. Who makes it?

[theJanitor]

Side note, that looks like a very comfortable beaver tail. Who makes it?

Wilson

[Wondering Beard]

Wilson

Goes to show how different hand shapes affect things.

If there is one grip safety that just about always was hard to activate, for me, it was Wilson's.

Of the factory ones, The Ed Brown worked best for me. After that, it was a question of asking a gunsmith (Jim Garthwaite more often than not) to sensitize it nearly to the point of uselessness.

[theJanitor]

Personally, I feel like grip safety deactivation is a result of three things: Grip safety/frame shaping, thumb safety profile, and trigger guard undercut. Changing any of these three things alters the way the hand grips the gun.

MY preference for shooting comfort and efficiency, is an Ed Brown Grip safety AND thumb safety, along with NO (or minimal) undercut under the trigger guard. My hands are meaty enough to not have trouble with grip safeties, so I'm lucky

[DDTSGM]

I’m not expecting to drop a new GS into the gun at all. If I can’t resolve the issue with technique, I’d buy a colt or Harrison unit and send it and the gun either back to nighthawk or to a reputable smith for fitment and installation.

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.

[Hstanton1]

So I managed to get a picture of what my grip looks like on a draw that doesn’t activate the GS. My strong hand thumb is about in the position that it was in when I tried to press the trigger, maybe a bit higher. On this particular draw, the heel of my support had was a little bit higher than the thumb safety is in the picture.

Also of note, the narrow band of finish wear on the grip safety shows how far it needs to be depressed to deactivate.