1911 Beavertail Grip Safety

[BuddingGunsmith]

I changed out the standard 1911 Grip Safety, with an Ed Brown Beavertail Grip Safety. I had to use the Beavertail-style because I installed a "commander" style hammer.
The problem is that the "foot" of the EdB safety is too short and/or out of place to contact the rear of the trigger bow. If the foot was too long, it would be an easy fix, but it's not.

What can I do to solve this problem?

 

[1911Tuner]

Use a punch on the sides of the lug to displace metal forward...essentially "stretching" the lug and allowing contact with the trigger stirrup. Be sure to support the finger to prevent bending it.

 

[BuddingGunsmith]

I gotta hand it to you, you fixed my problem! I exhumed one of the Ed Brown beavertails I had previously given up on, applied the punch as you described, gently peened it, installed it into my pistol, and it worked just as it was suppose to. Since you didn't specify, I used a center punch rather than a drift punch. That way, I could stretch the metal in the direction I needed it to go. If I were to use a flat or drift punch I thought it would stretch out in all three directions.
In your opinion, which do you think would be the better approach?

Thanks again!

David K.

 

[rcmodel]

A drift punch.
A center-punch is throwing up burrs and only moving a tiny patch of metel where it needs to go.
You want to stretch the whole end and make it longer.

Laying the safety on a steel block and peening it with a small hammer works too.
Anything going right and left can be dressed off before the final fitting for length.

rc

 

[BuddingGunsmith]

Good advice, thank you. I can see your logic. I did hafta spend some time smoothing the burrs. In my defense, I only have small drift punches, and no steel block. I'll get both when my e-bay stuff sells.

Thanks again,
David K.

 

[rcmodel]

These are worth having for only 20 bucks.
http://www.harborfreight.com/15-lb-anvil-3999.html

They used to have a smaller one for about $9 that was even handier.

I use my steel bench-block on top of mine, which gives much more solid support then just the steel bench block alone.

rc

 

[1911Tuner]

I use a center punch that's been a bit dulled from other punchin' jobs and just angle the punch to direct the displacement. It doesn't take a lot, and you'll learn how hard to strike.
I rarely have to do more than dress the burr with a stone.

 

[Mac's Precision]

When I do stretching operations on a grip safety I use a modified cold chisel. I simply take a chisel that is about 3/8" across the cutting edge and using my bench grinder make the edge into a 1/16" radius. This produces a rounded impact that doesn't impart areas of stress. It simply produces a radius bottom groove. You can rotate the chisel and "direct" the path of part growth as needed. Exercise caution if doing this with cheap parts that are MIM or cast as they can be brittle. You MUST use a good solid support when peening to stretch so that the part takes the impact and must grow. Soft backers will result in bending the part rather than stretching it. Additionally I don't like to "thin" the part more than about 25% maximum in any one area so that I don't create a thin / brittle component. That said it doesn't take a LOT of peening to make a part grow .010-.015" and often that is all that is needed to accomplish your task.