[Hal]

Why oh why oh why do they feel such an overwhelming desire to take a basic 1911,,,,,and turn it into such a grotesque abomination....:barf:

They being _____ fill in the blank mfg..

Beaver tails so big that at some point you just know they're going to curl up and over the hammer,,triggers with holes,,serrations where there shouldn't be any,,sooner or later, you just know some clown somewhere is going to get the bright idea to put cross -advertising on the ole slabsides of ole slabside,,, as in S&W 19111 - - Eat at Joe's,,,and the latest and greatest (?) of them all...

The TRP that says just that TRP,,,right above the safety....

Whew - now that I got that rant out of me,,,,,,

[Sarge]

Another sane human being! Sometimes I feel like Charlton Heston in The Omega Man , wondering if there is one other normal 1911 buff still out there!

PS- There is another one of us in Arizona, but don't tell anybody. They'll hunt us down, sedate us, and grind front serrations on our guns! :)

[GSB]

Try press checking a 1911 when your hands are sweaty and you'll learn to appreciate front press-check serrations (where the term front-cocking serrations came from is beyond me, as they are not for cocking).

[Nightcrawler]

I like the tradional 1911 look, too. My Gov't Model has a spur hammer, and it will remain there.

Now the beavertail/commander hammer helps ergonomics for many people, apparently, though they're not required for me. I think the Spur Hammer looks way better, though.

I fail to see the utility in front cocking serrations, other than for aesthetics, and while they can look cool they just don't look right on a 1911 (to me, at least).

Please explain to me what a "press check" is, as I genuinely don't know, and why front serrations are so critical for this.

[Zundfolge]

(where the term front-cocking serrations came from is beyond me, as they are not for cocking).

Its my understanding that front-cocking serraitons came about from IPSC guys with big optics on their guns and where originaly for cocking (since the optics got in the way of the rear ones).

[FJC]

I believe that's correct, as I recall seeing some of the Big Names of IPSC doing exactly that before a stage - looks like a sort of press check, but they're actually chambering a round that way. I always figured they must have some pretty light recoil springs with as easy as they make it look.

This is on those fully-tricked out compensated race guns.

[Sean Smith]

FJC is right. They also weld on side-handles to do that too.

GSB, I don't put my hand near the muzzle to find out if my gun is loaded. :D

Am I the only guy who pulls the slide back using the rear serrations if I have to check if my gun is loaded? Safer and you don't have to ??? up the looks of your gun to do it. This technique is demonstrated very clearly in "Terminator 2" for those of you who need video instruction...

;)

[Nightcrawler]

Is THAT what a press check is? Checking the chamber? Why do you need a special set of serrations to do that?

[Tamara]

While I'm not overly fond of front serrations, and never use them, they don't set my teeth on edge.

I used to really, really loathe beavertails. Then I started shooting "high thumbs". I am now completely fine with beavertails.

While most "no-snag" sights are merely annoying, the factory Kimber "low-profile" sights are simply idiotic. Hey! Kimber! You "streamlined" the wrong end of the sights! I don't care if they snag on something when I'm holstering the gun, ya idjits, but maybe you could do something about the undercut, serrated backside?

As long as extended slide stops and mag releases aren't the next fad, I'm cool. ;)

[45auto]

The good news is you can have the 1911 any way you want it, satisfy everyone.

For me, the way I shoot, I must have all those gadgets for it to be a comfortable and a controllable handgun.
Luckily, the extras like extended beavertail, safety and better sights do not affect reliability, just feel and shootability.

I consider those as "standard" now, mil-specs are either the lower priced alternative, historical or Colt's. I suspect Colt is not able provide those features on a non-custom basis.

I started to use the rear serrations to check, although not uncommon for me to place my thumb just beyond the ejection port, far from the muzzle where they usually place the front serrations. I think they have them in the wrong location, but it's done for looks anyway.

I stopped using my "pinch check" using the thumb in the trigger guard and finger practically on the muzzle.

[Dorrin79]

that's why I bought a mil-spec.

I too find a lot of the features on higher $ 1911's fugly as all get out.

that said, if you want them, feel free to pay for them.

[George Hill]

1. I LOVE the cars of the 50's. All of them. They had character. Something lacking in today's cars. I assert that America hasn't produced a reall cool car since 1972, but the coolest was earlier in the 50's. But that's my opinion.

2. I love big beavertails. Big paddles that reach all the way back to my elbow. Because the last time I fired a 1911 that didn't have one, the hammer bite put a hole through the skin in the webbing of my right hand. During a competition. Painful, and the splattering blood was distracting. But that's my opinion.

[bountyhunter]

Beaver tails so big that at some point you just know they're going to curl up and over the hammer,,

My theory on that is that they function like a "roll bar". If you drop the gun and it lands on it's rear it will hit the beaver tail and not the hammer. If it hits the hammer it can shatter the sear and cause a discharge (if it's a series 70 type with no FP block).

[Destructo6]

Variety is the spice of life. What's the big deal?

Take it easy, nobody's gonna kidnap your 1911 and "modernize" it against your will.

[1911Tuner]

Sarge! Hal! I'm with ya, guys! Which is why I could never be
a successful custom builder...Everything I build looks pretty
much like a GI pistol. No fluff, no pretty stuff...and loose enough to
run when they're filthy as a dirt road.

Press check without front serrations.grasping grooves? Easy...
Lose the FLGR, keep your finger off the trigger and your thumb
on the hammer. Alternate method: Grab it by the REAR serrations,
the way JMB intended.

Cheers!

Tuner

[Tamara]

A device that allows you to vastly improve your shooting while preventing you from spurting blood from your hand hardly qualifies as "fluff & pretty stuff" in my book. JMHO and YMMV, of course. ;)

(Maybe pain, rusty blood spots on your gun and scar tissue on your hand is a "manly thing" and I just don't get it. :uhoh: ;) )

[Sean Smith]

If it is a manly thing, I'd better start shopping for dresses and Fendi bags! :D

That said, it is a cheaper and simpler solution to just shorten the hammer a fraction of an inch to make hammer bite go away. Likewise, you don't need a beavertail to get a higher, more comfortable grip on the gun; you can simply reshape the GI-style frame and grip safety to produce a similar effect.

An example of what I mean is in the attached pic: the left gun has a normal GI grip safety, and the right gun has the frame/gs modified for a higher (more "beavertail-like") grip. Both have the hammers shortened ("bobbed") for no bite.

[FJC]

I suffer from hammer/standard-grip-safety bite myself, so I consider a beavertail a necessity.

They don't have to be huge to work - but I find I like the ones that curl partway around the hammer. Why? Because they shroud it somewhat, which keeps me from scratching/scraping my arm on it while holstered. :)

[SAWBONES]

Front grasping grooves, magwell funnels, FLGRs and two-tone color schemes are all annoying to me, as considered for a 1911 employed for CCW. They're "gun fashion", derived from game guns.

If you like 'em, fine, but none of these changes improve the safety, usefulness or basic operation of a 1911.

Some variety of "grip enhancement", eg, checkering, and a beavertail-type grip safety are definite helps, however, IMNSHO.

Best.

[Nightcrawler]

Maybe the new Colts don't have as long a hammer spur as the old guns, but you'd have to have HUGE, meaty hands that were literally spilling over the top of the grip safety in order for the hammer to contact the webbing fo the hand.

That said, I don't fire it with my thumb on the safety. I don't see the point and, since I'm left handed and it lacks an ambi safety, I can't anyway.

That said, my preferance for spur hammers is purely asethetic; I think they simply look better.

[Navy joe]

I need a digicam. I'm not much on wunder pistols so I fixed mine right up.

USGI parkerized gun which has honest wear to put it nicely. Cocobolo stocks, grip tape, Wilson fixed sights from a long time ago, commander hammer, Wilson ambi safety, lanyard ring for cool retro look ;) , and no beavertail. How'd he do that? Well, it's actually no tail at all. I rustled up a grip safety from a Sistema and lopped the back end off. I kinda like it. Impolite people just point and stare.

[dsk]

There are more than a few of us who prefer the original "classic" configuration. Beavertails, etc may be nice to have (especially in competition) but are not absolutely necessary, and they spoil the looks of a nice 1911.

[Rob96]

I also prefer the classic look of the 1911. I don't get hamer or grip safety bite, so I have no need to change anything.

[Dr.Rob]

Ever shoot high thumb hold on a Commander?

Pretty much a guarantee by the end of the day you'll have paralell marks across the web of your thumb.

Still, I haven't modified mine because its an early 50's pistol. Adding a beavertail requires cutting the frame I'm told.

My franken-Colt has a Wilson Beavertail, I ordered it that way, never got a mammer bite from it.

Hammerbite is my only complaint abot the Hi-Power.

[Tamara]

A beavertail aids me in funneling my hand towards the proper (for me) high grip on the gun. I've sampled guns with frames/tangs/hammers reshaped to avoid "bite", but they don't work as well for me as an (admittedly silly-looking) beavertail.

In this case, pretty is as pretty does. ;)

My rule of thumb for 1911 mods?

"Can I sit down with the ghost of JMB and explain why each change is there, vis a vis my shooting style? If the answer is 'no' or 'it just looks cool', then I probably don't need it." ;)

[Tamara]

...in only 1,000 words. ;)

http://www.thehighroad.org/attachment.php?s=&postid=409185

[sm]

Gee, don't you just hate it when logic is used then qualified with a great picture...and the person using supportive arguments is ...is..a...oh my...a girl :D

Great Pic Tamara.

[sm]

I appreciate the classic JMB design. I don't care for FLGR, front serrations, two tone, or the various what -not gadets bell and whistles. I do believe in gun fit...but you people probably already had that impression of me.;)

I shoot high thumbs.

I can shoot a Mil-Spec as is, it is MY hands, that allows this ability. I do bob the hammer a bit, yep extended range sessions and not getting the grip just right,poor draw, getting fatigued- I get bit.

I have the factory beavertail on a Kimber Series I I carry, My hand fits this because I "whittled on it some". Why--When all heck breaks out and the potential for any diminished motor skills hits...my hand BETTER go where it needs to quick.

There is a place IMO for modifications to fit shooter. Yeah I'm a guy and agree with a girl...if it allows one to attain quick accurate hits...do it.

[Old Fuff]

Sarge:

There are plenty of folks in southern Arizona that tote .45's that look like the gun John Browning designed. Many are right good at shooting them too.

Just for the record, some of the first Colt .38 automatics had front serrations (but none at the back). Wasn't long before they got over it though .....

[Tamara]

Same grip w/o beavertail... (Call me girlie, but I hate "racing stripes" on my hand; something that's all too easy to get w/o a device to locate my grip properly each and every time... ;) )

http://www.thehighroad.org/attachment.php?s=&postid=409247

[Tamara]

There are plenty of folks in southern Arizona that tote .45's that look like the gun John Browning designed.

If John Browning wants to come shoot my guns, he can change them to look how he wants. When he gives them back, he durn well better put 'em back the way he found 'em, though.

(I'm sure that somewhere folks are driving Model T''s just the way Henry Ford built 'em, too, with no pansy electric starters or anything... ;) )

[Sean Smith]

Pointing out "a" way is different from claiming to have "the" way. :D

I've gone both ways (does that sound right?!?), and the beavertail has merit. But it is not the way to get no bite and a higher grip, just one way. There are some beavertails that can give you a higher grip than you can get other ways, but most of them don't lower the gun in your hand that much. Then again, there are very few people who try to do anything but throw a beavertail in there nowadays, either, so few people consider the possibility of another way.

And if JMB comes back from the grave to shoot my guns, I'm shooting his zombie ???!

:evil:

[NapAttack]

Trimming the hammer a little bit, reshaping the grip safety a little to eliminate hammer bite. Beavertail and commander hammer. What's the difference? In intent, none, in degree very little. So you draw the line in a different place than I do. Okay.

So, modifying the 1911 a bit to make it fit my hand better to where I can shoot better and more comfortably is wrong? The only right way is exactly the way John Browning designed it? Sorry, I'm not a masochist and if I have to go into harm's way, I'm going to cheat!!!

Edited to add: Heaven knows, I've even done modifications to my guns just because I think they look cool and don't add one single thing to their tacticality.

[Tamara]

I'm still trying to figure out what exactly "eliminating hammer bite" and "keeping my hand from choking up so far it gets sliced by the slide" have to do with each other.

Maybe a dozen more years of shooting these things will lead me to a zen-like state of enlightenment. :uhoh:

As always, YMMV... ;)

[happyguy]

To some, their weapons are grownup toys.

To others they are status symbols.

To a few, they are tools.

Mine are tools, they were designed by JMB to kill the enemy. I will only change something if it enables me to kill the enemy more efficiently.

Regards,
Happyguy:D

P.S. Some folks sit around and meditate while staring at the folds of steel in the blade of a katana. I suspect that some custom 1911 owners do the same thing.

[Nightcrawler]

Why do you hold the pistol so high? Is it just more comfortable for you?

See, my Colt is not the first 1911 I've owned. (My first was a Charles Daly Commander clone that I must've put about 200 rounds through in the year I had it). It is the first I've owned since I've been a serious shooter, though.

I guess I haven't been to enough shooting schools to know how to "properly" grip a 1911, with everybody talking about high holds and such. I just grabbed it, lined up the sights, and went to town. *shrug*

As for shooting with the thumb on the safety. Why? I can see that for a quick first shot you'd probably fire with the thumb there, but is there any reason to leave the thumb on the safety during an extended shooting session?

Holding my Colt in my right hand (so my thumb can actually contact the safety), it's very uncomfortable to hold the pistol with the thumb up on the safety. The grip angle is awkward and I don't feel like I have a solid hold on the weapon. Perhaps a beavertail would facilitate this, but I still don't see a reason to leave my thumb way up there (and then on top of that modifying the gun so as to accomodate it). Also, my pistol has the original "Short" safety, not one of the longer ones you see these days. It is, however, very functional and all I require.

However, even with the spur hammer, there's no way the hammer, even in it's farthest back position, could hit my hand. All the way back to the point where it's contacting the grip safety, and it still doesn't appear to be in any danger of biting me, even with my thumb on the safety.

This all said, even firing right handed, I can't shoot the pistol with my thumb on the safety. Doing so brings the web of my hand too far away from where it's supposed to be (so awkward is this grip) to the point where it's no longer depressing the grip safety; the gun won't fire. (Unless I shift my grip a little bit. Still, I don't see the point of going through all of this just to have my thumb in a place it feels uncomfortable in.)

[dav]

I have only recently "seen the light" and started shooting.

These days, "modified" 1911s are as standard as old mil spec guns. All the exposure I had was to 1911's with beavertails, and extended this, and ambi that.

I didn't know any better, so I just got what I could shoot best after renting several 45s. Turned out it was a Kimber.

So, I have and like my two-tone, beavertail, extended ambi-safety 1911 clone. Next time I might get something different, but I sure didn't know I would offend anyone with my choice.

Sorry guys, I like fancy guns as long as they work, just as much as plain stock gun, as long as it works! :cool:

[FJC]

I like a good high hold as well.

And Tamara, I love that first picture above. All the lint within the hollows of the hammer shows me that it is a carry gun .

:)

[happyguy]

dav,

I don't think anyone is offended by your choice of weapon. There are a lot of individual choices to make when selecting a pistol and we don't all arrive at the same place at the same time. If you shoot your pistol well, then you shouldn't give a care what anyone else is shooting.

But the longer you shoot/live, the more opinionated you get. Then one day you will arrive at that state of total enlightenment known as curmudgeon. Then half the world will worship you and the other half will hurl animal feces in your general direction. :neener:

Regards,
Happyguy:D

[joenuclear]

Tamara,
Is the 2nd pic posted a Detonic?
Joe

[Sarge]

I hardly know where to start.

Tam, there was no need to play the 'gender card' here. The only cartridge/gun I am aware of that was designed specifically for girls was the .40 S&W, anyhow. :neener: But I digress... When going to a smaller gun like the Detonics you simply dangle your pinky daintily fom the bottom of the grip while holding it in the normal fashion. The reason they put the trigger down there on the bottom of the frame is because that is where your trigger finger naturally falls when you are holding the gun correctly. This applies to big guns, too. If you grab the 1911 too high, the slide/hammer will offer some remedial instruction on where your hand needs to be. John was correct in building these little 'reminder systems' into the pistol. It has simply become more fashionable (and profitable for the marketeers, who capitalize on fads doncha know?) to try and engineer around them- rather than to pay attention to them.

Big guns kick a little, no matter how or where you grab them. Get used to the recoil and it becomes a non-issue. My little 120-pound wife shoots a GI 1911 like she was born with it in her hands, and I have to watch her or she holds it too low . The last time we had a WWII-era (Ithaca) 1911 around here the recoil bothered her so much she just about shot me outta reloads!

Shoot whatever you like, however you like. Leaves more normal guns for me.

And for whoever insinuated that you need front serrations to press-check a 1911? I don't think so. I was press-checking 1911's when Jimmy Carter was pretending to be president, and it was accomplished by simply hooking the thumb of the off-hand into the FRONT of the triggerguard, AWAY from the trigger, and pressing backward on the recoil spring plug with the index finger, enough to crack the slide open a bit. No voodoo here, just simple ergonomics taking advantage of the hands natural gripping strength, and a superbly ergonomic design. Of course, it won't work with those cool, tactical guide rod assemblies in your recoil spring- but guess what? You don't need them anyway. The gun works fine without them.

I believe the correct answer for 'hammer bite' when it does occur, is to check your grip and then bob the hammer if the problem persists. The standard Commander hammer has been around since the 50's, and solves this 'problem' altogether.

That's all the schoolhouse rock we have time for today... see you next week. BTW, wasn't it Al Gore who invented front serrations, anyway?

[444]

I am with the people who don't understand the point of all this. Put your pistol together the way you want it; don't try to tell me how I should want mine to be. I have shot my 1911s fairly extensively. I have competed in IDPA, IPSC, bowling pin shoots, and formal classes. I have carried my 1911s and I have trained with them. After owning 1911s for over 20 years I have decided what I want my pistols to have. I enjoy a good discussion of the merits of various features, but in the end, I make up my own mind.

I shoot "high thumbs" and after being introduced to it, I feel it is the only "right" way to do it. For this reason, I have an oversized thumb safety. I want my grip as high on the gun as possible. I use a beavertail. I do have a "racing stripe" on the web of my hand not entirely from 1911s, but 1911s have contributed to it. The installation of the beavertail required a new hammer on my main "go-to" 1911. Those are the only modifications to my 1911s. I shoot stock sights, stock trigger, no throating, no action job, no trigger job, no match anything. The finish is worn through in places and I have nothing added for looks. I press check by putting my whole hand over the rear of the slide, the same as I do for charging the pistol or for doing a malfunction drill.

I am quite satisfied with my pistols in their present form.

[Tamara]

Why do you hold the pistol so high? Is it just more comfortable for you?

Because it allows me to shoot faster and more accurately. Would there be any other reason? ;)

I just grabbed it, lined up the sights, and went to town. *shrug*

Me, too. Then I experimented to see if there was a way I could do it better. :D

As for shooting with the thumb on the safety. Why? I can see that for a quick first shot you'd probably fire with the thumb there, but is there any reason to leave the thumb on the safety during an extended shooting session?

Because I found that changing the position of my thumb in the middle of a shooting string was counterproductive to the cause of speed and accuracy.

Sarge,

When going to a smaller gun like the Detonics you simply dangle your pinky daintily fom the bottom of the grip while holding it in the normal fashion.

I am holding it in a "normal" fashion. Adjusting where the top of your hand indexes on the gun based on which gun you are holding would seem less "normal" to me. (Incidentally, the Detonics picture would have looked the same whether I was using my Detonics or my roommate's WWII GI gun; it's the upper part of my hand that indexes my grip, not the lower. My pinky is tucked underneath the mag floorplate in the Detonics photo. :neener: back at you. ;) )

If you grab the 1911 too high

If I grab the 1911 "too high", then I will miss and shoot slower. If I shoot faster and more accurately, and the gun does not jam, then, ipso facto, I am not gripping the gun too high. Nicht wahr?

[Tamara]

I guess I haven't been to enough shooting schools to know how to "properly" grip a 1911, with everybody talking about high holds and such. I just grabbed it, lined up the sights, and went to town. *shrug*

Then it has passed the test: It works for you. :cool:

Leave it that way and be happy. :)

(My favorite 1911 has very sharp 20 lpi checkering on the frontstrap. Some friends complain that it hurts their hands when they shoot it; for me, it's just right. That's why they make all different kinds of guns. "One man's trash is another man's treasure." :) )

[10-Ring]

After exeriencing hammer bite for the first time, I discovered I didn't enjoy bleeding while shooting my guns. The beavertail, hammer & in turn trigger & trigger work just make the shooting experience more enjoyable.

[clubsoda22]

my dad has an original series 70 gold cup national match (not the new series 70). No beavertail, good old fashioned spur hammer. only time i ever get bit is when i'm being a dumbass, which was only once. I like the classic look myself.

Looks just like this: http://www.colt.com/CMCI/images/Series70_O1970A1CS_SMALL.jpg

Thank colt for bringing back the series 70!

If i was gonna buy a 1911 i'd get a Springfield Mil Spec. No nonsence.

If you want a dead on WWII replica, go Auto ordnance. Old timers will tell you ther are junk, but ever since kahr bought out auto ornance, there has been nothing but good thind said about their 1911's. Only problem is that they kept the bad name. oh well. (i'd still buy the springfield as i'm not interested in a dead on replica, which happens to cost the same, just a good old fashioned 1911)

[Hal]

**** sigh ****

Guess, I'm just gettin' old....course I have been known to say lately I'm glad I'm old and gonna die soon..

Ain't that I mind the froohickeys - doo dads as much as it's the extreme that they're taking them too. I mean come on,,,even the most ardent proponets of the enhanced features can_not_argue the merits of that hideous TRP Operator.

I mean really, that thing is so ugly, and sooo aptly named - - Operator - - just like the lyrics from the song by Sade- - "Smooth Operator"
"Coast to coast, LA to Chicago" <-- sounds catchy, but think about it.

The saddest part here, is that to get a normal 1911 like Crawler did, you almost have to pay a premium. IIRC, his ran a bit over $600.00. Now, I'm sitting here looking at my Kimber (yes, I'm a closet hickey-dooer) and thinking,,,, I paid ~ $700.00 for it, and to turn it into a "normal" looking 1911 would take about $200.00. :banghead:

[Nightcrawler]

You know, that's what attracted me to the Colt. I was hesitant to get a 1911 at first. I have this thing where I like having guns that not everybody has, and durn near everybody has a 1911.

But how many people are buying Colts anymore? And with spur hammers and the original lines? That configuration made it that much more appealing to me. There was a like new in box Springfield Mil Spec next to it that I could've bought for $160 less...yet I went for the one with the Horsey on it. *shrug*

But yeah. A "classic" looking 1911 is so uncommon these days as to appeal to me. A lot of people that buy Mil-Specs do so intending to customize them, and they make a good platform for that.

I don't know. Maybe I payed that $160 extra for the name, but I'm more than happy with the Colt. And it rattles like a good 1911 should. :D

[Ky Larry]

I have a Kimber Custom Defender II. It has a black frame and a stainless slide. It also has a Beavertail and a bobbed hammer. Yesterday, at the range, I managed to shoot a one-hole 8 round group with it at 20 yards.Some people may not like the looks of my Kimber but I don't think a BG would notice. I can shoot this gun better than any gun I've ever owned and I don't really care what anybody thinks of it's looks. Different strokes for different folks.

P.S. I was using WWB Valuepack ammo.

[Sean Smith]

Isn't it a little wierd for people to get so wound up over stuff that isn't even on their gun?

:neener:

I've never had any use for the high thumbs technique either, but it isn't like people are forcing me to use it instead of the Weaver or Modern isosceles.

[happyguy]

If I had a gun that made me bleed when I shot it, I would change something. But most of what I see at the range is folks competing with each other to see who can have the coolest doodad encrusted pistol.

Personally, when someone at the range outshoots me, I figure they just train harder and or have more natural talent than I do.

Regards,
Happyguy:D

[1911Tuner]

Tamara...What kind of rear sight is that?

Grip safeies that make you bleed should be changed. I use King's
Drop-Ins for my heavy-use range guns, and retain the option of
returning the original safety without grinding on the frame. No
blood...No blister on the web of my hand...and no pain. A calloused
web, yes...but that's been there so long, it's about a quarter-inch deep.:D

For the life of me, I can't figure out why the upswept grip safety is
called a Beavertail...It doesn't look at all like a beaver's tail. It
looks like a duck's tail. Go look at a beaver and then look at a duck.

Cheers!
Tuner

[Shaughn Leayme]

I have a Wilson beaver tail grip safety an ED Brown extended tactical safety and yes my slide has forward serrations, long trigger and arched MSH.

I have a 1911 with the old style broad spur hammer and small grip safety and long trigger and I liked it, but it bit everyone else and since it tended to take the enjoyment out of it for my lady, I had one built that had some more user friendly accounterments and would feed everything and shoot stuff that I won't subject my classic 1911 too, it has now become my primary carry gun.

It all comes down to different strokes for different folks.

What I may like, you might hate, that's the way goes.

[tex_n_cal]

I've got a Wilson Beavertail and S&A magwell on my Delta Elite, which gives a little more comfort when shooting...ummm...energetic loads.

Otherwise, except for a Colt Defender and enhanced Gold Cup, mine all have stock grip safeties, and they all work fine for me.

[Tamara]

Tamara...What kind of rear sight is that?

On the second gun? That's the factory Detonics Mark I sight. (The first gun has plain ol' Novak night sights.)

[1911Tuner]

I thought that was a Novak...Looks like a change has been made in
the last few years..or maybe it's my old eyes playin' tricks.:banghead:

Thanks!

Tuner

[Keith]

The hammer bite issue goes back to the beginning of the pistol.
The Beavertail was not even on the original gun! It was added by JMB after comments by the army ordnance board who had reviewed comments made by test shooters who didn't care much for having their hands chewed up by the gun.
After WWI, it was recognized that beavertail did not entirely solve the problem so the ordnance board (among other changes) ordered that the hammer be bobbed slightly to try and overcome that problem - which it didn't, entirely.
Many of the things we like about the 1911 (and a1) come from the army, not JMB!
If Browning would have had his way, the gun would have been a .38. It would have no beavertail at all. It would have two links (one forward and one where we find it today) and hence, would have been less reliable when it got dirty. It would have no grip safety. It would have a thumb safety so small as to be ridiculous. It would have a bobbed, unserrated hammer that was difficult to cock and dowright dangerous to uncock. It would have no slide stop. It would have a heel clip magazine release that required two hands to change mags.

This link is to the pistol as Browning first submitted it:
http://www.sightm1911.com/1911pix/historic/1905%20Colt%20.45%20ACP.gif

If you like the 1911 as it is, then thank the Army, not Browning!

Keith

[happyguy]

That just goes to show what I know. I always thought that the original submission had a grip safety and no thumb safety. You learn something new every day, whether you like it or not. :)

Regards,
Happyguy:D

[Keith]

I forgot to mention the grip angle. Does that thing look like a natural pointer? I don't think so...

Keith

[Andrew Wyatt]

I find the front cocking serrations annoying, because they grab the leather on my summer specak and make the draw difficult and increase wear on the holster.


I press check the proper way, by hooking my thumb in the trigger guard and pressing the bushing plunger to the rear, retracting the slide.

[happyguy]

I don't believe in doing press checks so I don't have a use for front serrations. I don't want any part of my anatomy near the muzzle of an unholstered weapon.

Regards,
Happyguy