Pinning The 1911 Grip Safety?
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- čas přidán 6. 09. 2024
- Pinning The 1911 Grip Safety?
It has come to my attention that some folks endorse pinning, or otherwise deactivating, 1911 grip safeties because Col. Jeff Cooper did so. Basically the logic goes, “If it’s good enough for Colonel Cooper, it’s good enough for me”.
OK. Sure. I am not going to tell you that Colonel Cooper was wrong. But what I will say is he attacked the problem the best way he knew how, reflecting the technology of the time, and the resources available to him.
Holistically my answer is no. Do not disable 1911 grip safeties to solve grip safety problems. Instead…fix the problem. Either have the grip safety modified to a modern, 21st century, gunfighter standard. Or alternatively, buy a 1911 without one.
My choice for such a gun is the Wilson X9 series. But there are other options for the consumer, with more and more coming online everyday.
Sincerely,
Marky
www.John1911.com
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“Buy one without a grip safety.”
Sure, once I’ve got 3k to burn on a Wilson.
Off the top of my head:
Wilson X9
Kimber DS9
Kimber Micro
Star Firestar
Star PD
Star PS
Star Model B
Ballester Molina
Detonics Combat Master
I am sure there are more.
Regards,
Marky
John1911.com
First, you must find a 1911 or 2011 without a grip safety. Pin the safety. Drill a hole in the mainspring housing and couple that with the safety. There is no problem. I have a number of high-end 2011s, including Atlad, and they pin the safety. Design a frame that does not have a safety.
Just a few:
Wilson X9
Kimber DS9
Kimber Micro
Star Firestar
Star PD
Star PS
Star Model B
Ballester Molina
Detonics Combat Master
Given the grip safety serves a similar purpose to the trigger blade safeties on many modern guns: preventing the trigger from being pulled by inertia when dropped (and we all saw what happened with the P320s that lacked either), I prefer keeping mine.
Agreed that the main way to “fix” the grip safety is to modify it so it’ll deactivate with whatever grip you have. The memory bump to help disengage it sooner and sensitizing it so the amount of travel you need is less than half of the full travel will ensure most people will never have trouble with the grip safety.
PIN the bloody thing! They are a pain in the butt.
Have it tuned first. If it’s causing you problems, it probably isn’t setup correctly.
-Marky
I considered getting the grip safety pinned on my staccato. It’s my first 1911 so I wasn’t sure how it’d be due to everyone I know telling me to pin it. Upon dry fire testing and taking it to the range without issue, I’d say it has to be depressed about 50% of the way in. As long as I have a semi good grip on the weapon it works flawlessly.
I suggest getting it “tuned” if you are using it as a duty gun. The chances you could end up in some crazy position shooting it one handed are much higher than the average user.
A easy test would be to hold the gun one handed, very lightly and see if it still fires. While not definitive, it’s a good indication something is wrong.
Marky
I've been planning on getting an atlas shielded safety so I could ask for it to be tuned then by my local gunshop who has alot of 1911 experience. Thanks for the advice!
Personally, I have never had a problem with my Grip Safety on any of my 1911s.
GS’s are fitted better today than they used to be. Also with all the high cut beavertails and high hand holds, some users hands do…sometimes…not engaged the GS fully. Then when you add in usual shooting positions or fouled master grips, it sometimes can rear its head. -Marky
That’s a no from me, Dog.
-Marky
john1911.com/pinning-the-1911-grip-safety/
Pinning a grip safety is a sure fire way to hand a slam dunk to a prosecutor.
"Oh, so you intentionally modified your gun to remove a safety feature so it will be MORE DEADLY?"
That's exactly how it would be portrayed in court if you ever used it in self-defense.
Yeah, I have never pinned a GS. It was very popular back in the 70’ & 80’s as I recall.
I think by about 2000ish, the idea via liability was turning negative.
As for how it can hurt you legally, there are two obvious angles.
First: if your actions are being viewed as reckless or irresponsible, the GS issue could be presented as a pattern of prior behavior.
Second, and more common. Sometimes lawyers can get very creative in their theories. One I have seen more than once is to take a justified shooting, and turn it onto an accidental shooting.
“Is it true, Mr. Wade that you pointed your gun at my client and he complied. Only to be subsequently shot by your negligence!!! So now you are claiming a justified shooting to cover up your crime!!!”
True story.
Marky