1911 Grip Safety

Over the many years I have used the 1911, carried the piece, and worked with the handgun, I have had interesting discussions concerning the grip safety of the 1911. I regard the grip safety as a fine feature that offers an extra margin of safety. Some do not. We may acquiesce to their wishes on a Bullseye gun but not a carry gun. Some point out that John Moses Browning did not originally incorporate a grip safety into his design. He did not include high visibility sights and a lowered ejection port either.

The 1911 was a pistol with plenty of stretch in the design. It is true that the grip safety of the 1911 handgun was not originally incorporated into the design by Browning but by the designer in charge of the Colt program. The addition was proposed by the U. S. Cavalry, at the time the most influential branch of the Army. The pistol was intended to be used during a cavalry charge and fired from horseback. It’s worth noting that if you fire from the back of an untrained horse, you’ll likely need a parachute.

If a trooper dropped a cocked pistol the grip safety would prevent the pistol from firing and shooting the trooper or horse. The grip safe- This is NOT correct. This is a Coonan .357 Magnum. ty is pressed out by a spring and in doing so blocks the trigger. In away, the grip safety is a "free" safety in that it doesn’t have to be consciously manipulated. Spring tension from the grip safety is controlled by the right hand tab or finger of the spring as viewed from the rear of the pistol. You may affect

On the right is a curved mainspring housing and old style grip safety. Some prefer the older design, especially for fast work. Consider and fit each as an individual. the trigger pull by altering or moving the left hand tabs, but the right hand controls the grip safety. The proper release is for the grip safety to allow the trigger to move about half way into grip safety compression. I have checked factory pistols that required the grip safety to be pressed until it bottomed out against the frame. This isn’t ideal.

It is possible to polish the contact points on the spring and also polish the very back of the sear and disconnector to make for a smoother trigger action. Do not go overboard with this as the sear may "bounce" and cause the pistol to fire. While sometimes referred to as sear bounce, it is actually inertia from the trigger causing it, allowing the sear to roll away from the hammer hooks. If it rolls out enough, the hammer follows and stops on half cock—if all goes well.

A problem that occurs with competition shooters using the popular thumbs forward grip style has the palm rising off the grip safety where a cup is formed by the hand. The result is that the grip safety isn’t properly pressed. Modern beavertail grip safeties go along way toward curing this problem but they are not immune to this type of difficulty. I have seen a number of solutions to the problem. Some use duct tape, a wide rubber band, or rawhide thongs to block the grip safety shut.

Perhaps the most elegant solution is drilling a hole in the frame and inserting a wire to block the safety. Note, these were for competition pistols and I would never do this under any circumstances in the case of a personal defense or service pistol. The important point is that while the modern beavertail safety cures many problems, it does not cure them all. It’s also worth pointing out this problem is exacerbated by an arched mainspring housing.

For those that prefer the grip safety’s advantages but are having trouble with a grip safety that may not be properly set up, the spring may be adjusted. By moving the

spring backwards (if looking at the rear of the gun) the arm that controls the grip safety, the far right hand arm, may offer less pressure. For more pressure, press if forward. Always remember to bend from the bottom of the spring, not right at the tip. This movement adjusts the amount needed to block or release the grip safety as needed. Another concern is the final fitting of the grip safety after we have installed a modern grip safety. The grip safety arm is a point of concern.

You will be able to adjust the fit of this arm to the mechanism and con- This is OK for a Bullseye gun. Modify only very carefully. trol how much travel is in the grip safety arm so that it will rotate to clear the trigger bow when the safety is depressed. The safety must move when released and butt against the rear of the trigger bow preventing trigger movement. There are a number of ways to properly fit the grip safety. My method is one used by the majority of gunsmiths and one I learned many years ago.

You will use a file to begin and a stone to finish. The portion of the grip safety arm overlapping the bow is filed to a good fit. This is sometimes referred to as an interface. A tip: No one gets this right the first time. Be certain the mainspring housing isn’t crowding the grip safety for a false reading for fit. I have a friend that uses an alternative method. First, he relieves an area on the right hand corner of the trigger bow.

Then he reassembles and checks the operation after working the bow and weights the trigger. This approach costs less than buying and installing a modern beavertail grip safety. I am too old to change gears but it has worked for him. If releasing the grip safety doesn’t cause the grip safety to spring out, you will have to file more. Go slow as the portion filed is very small. Rarely you may find the tip of the grip safety rubs the frame. If so, file a little.

The grip safety is a great invention but not always as simple as it appears. AG