Do thinner 1911 grips make it easier to use the mag button?

Most folks have to rotate the hand that way, mainly because the muscles of the thumb are set up to push forward, not sideways. You can easily try the idea of thinner grips just by removing the left grip entirely, but I don't think you will find operating the mag catch much easier. You can also cut away the grip behind the catch or install a large head catch if the gun is not carried in a holster (some large catches can be activated by a holster, so that when the gun is put in the holster, the magazine in released).

Thinner grips are an option, but IMHO they make the recoil worse.

Jim

Grips can be relieved (cut away and smoothed) around the area of the mag release. A note on its location: it is placed so it is easy to reach with minimal manipulation, but not directly beneath your thumb while your hand is in a shooting grip. If it were, you could press the button inadvertently when the gun recoils.

You can also get slightly extended mag releases that are easier to push. Mark

I don't like the "1911 flip" because it results in the gun not being pointed down range and often canted up and left, usually resulting in the muzzle pointing out of the range. Some people exacerbate the rotation and the gun is nearly 90 degrees left.

Thin grips allow me to reach the controls without a significant change in my grip. It can be done without rotation and upward tilting of the gun.

Thin grips also allow for a person with small hand (e.g., my wife) to ride the safety while shooting (which she could not do with regular grips) and makes it easier for her to reach the mag release.

It has been my experience that extended mag releases tend to result in inadvertant releasing of the mag on some carried guns.

Almost everyone has to shift their grip to reach a mag release that is not extended. (unless you're a bass player) You can either extend the button (can cause other problems), use your other hand to trip it, or have your thumb stretched. I wouldn't use a grip that changed the way you grip the gun just to make it easier to trip the mag release. Grip is more imporant.

I don't like the "1911 flip" because it results in the gun not being pointed down range and often canted up and left, usually resulting in the muzzle pointing out of the range. Some people exacerbate the rotation and the gun is nearly 90 degrees left.

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I was told by my trainer to rotate my body so the muzzle keep pointing down range, instead of rotating the gun. Of course, it's easier said than done...

Do thinner 1911 grips make it easier to use the mag button?

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Yes, slightly...

Speaking as a lefty ....yes

AFS

When I first got my Baer I wasn't sure about the slim grips, now I love them.

I can reach it just fine using some Crimson Trace. Then again, I've kind of got long fingers.....to each their own.

Here's a slightly extended mag release. Mark

http://www.midwayusa.com/viewProduct/?productNumber=244884

If you look around hard enough, you'll come up with a mag release that is elongated rearward. I wish I could instantly provide the link for you, but they are a bit hard to find. They'll move the button back, so to speak, and help you find the release without grip change. Nice for competition. Fast.

In any event, a button like this would solve you problem, OP, without going to slimmer grips. The grip should be sized to fit your paw, and the slim grips just feel a little harsh to me -- like holding a hockey stick. Some like them as a matter of CC since they ARE about a quarter inch thinner.

The Chinese need to start turning them out, so us poor folks can afford them.

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No offense intended but that is one of the main reasons why the US economy is in the toilet.

Before you replace the thumb release with an extended one, you might head to some gunstores and see if any have 1911's with relief cut into the full size grips, like my Wilson grips do. I like to keep the release standard for carry so there is less chance of accidentally bumping it upon draw from the holster or re-holstering after the draw.

^^^^^^Those Davidson grips are awesome! But found the standard versian a bit thicker than a standard 1911 grip. I prefer thin grips, and it does help the reach a bit.