1911 hammer bite.

[NC-Mike]

I've just finished a rebuild on a second mil-spec 1911. The first one gave me a hammer-bite so I figured I'd bob the hammer on this one. I took off at least 1/8 inch from the back of the hammer and this one still bit me. OK, it doesn't hurt that bad, but I'd like to avoid this in the future WITHOUT putting on a beaver-tail safety. I have a Taurus PT1911 with one of those.

I head someone say it's not really the hammer that bites, but the grip safety itself. What to do? Take more off the hammer? Dehorn the grip safety? I don't know what's going on. I can't understand how it could be the hammer with a 1/8 inch trimmed off.


Thanks.

 

[DoubleTapDrew]

How about putting some tape from the tip of the beavertail all the way down the backstrap so it's smooth and the grip safety is depressed and find out if it's the safety or the hammer/slide that's biting you.

 

[Unisaw]

In my case, it was definitely the edges of the grip safety tang that hurt. An easy solution was to put some anti-skid tape on the frontstrap that kept the gun from rotating backward as much.

 

[45auto]

I would think you should be able to hold the gun and with the other hand/thumb pull back the hammer as far back as it will go. That should give you an indication of how close the hammer is coming to your hand.

Very likely it's the multiple sharp edges of the grip safety and/or the frame tangs. You can dehorn all of those or one at a time, more or less, and see how your hand feels. Try to match the "red marks" on your hand to the gun...see where it needs work.

 

[NC-Mike]

I tried pulling hammer back and it's nowhere near where the skin was missing.
I'm betting it's the grip safety itself. Maybe I'm loosening my grip and when the gun flips, the tail of the safety is doing the damage.

I believe both times it happened, it was toward the end of my shooting session so maybe I was getting a little fatigued and a loose grip contributed.
The more I'm thing about it, it may be a cumulative thing where after 100 rounds or so, the skin finally get abraded instead of a single event like a hammer strike causing it. I'll have to monitor it more carefully when I shoot. While I'm shooting, I may not feel the pain.

 

[MICHAEL T]

I always thought was hammer In my case its the grip safety Wear a band aid when shooting. If you need for real you won't ever notice the bite. You will be to busy living.

 

[zenner22]

I had a stainless Springfield Armory Mil-Spec and a friend had a stainless Springfield GI. At the end of range sessions we'd see who had the deepest tracks from the sharp grip safeties on the webs of our hands.

I traded mine for a Colt Government NRM, he traded his for a Kimber Pro Carry II. No more sharp grip safeties, no more tracks on our hands.

 

[NC-Mike]

I shot it again yesterday. I'm now convinced the injury was the result of cumulative abrasion by the grip safety. There is just no way for the hammer to come that far back. Since this is a rebuilt mil-spec and I did a cold-re blue on the entire pistol, it should be a simply matter to round off the back of that grip safety and touch up the bluing. I only shot of few mags through it yesterday and I can see where my hand was started to get roughed up. Didn't shoot enough to lose any skin though. Rounding off that GS should work out well but I'd rather keep getting "bit" than put a beaver-tail on this pistol.

 

[Tom Fury]

I used to change out the grip safety with a Colt "pig tail" style Commander grip safety and then add am aftermarket Commander style hammer (everybody makes one) That cured the problem without going to a BT and looked pretty cool as well. However now it won't bite, but will pound the webspace. Everythings' a compromise. BTW, I think Smith and Alexander are the only ones who do make a BT for the SA that cam be installed without welding up and recutting the tangs (what I presume you're trying to avoid) SA custom shop wants a rediculous amount to retrofit.
Cheers, TF

 

[mpthole]

I'm now convinced the injury was the result of cumulative abrasion by the grip safety.

That's what happens to me when I shoot a GI model. The grip safety rubs the web of my hand enough to jerk up a blister and eventually break it. Not fun. It's worse with a flat mainspring housing, not as bad with a curved one.

 

[whatbrick]

I've had both hammer-bite and a sharp grip-safety injuries the past couple of weeks. The hammer-bite came from a Springfield basic 1911. The grip-safety blisters occurred with a Colt 1911A1 reproduction.

Of the two, the blisters caused by the grip-safety were worse because they stung from sweat and constant rubbing from the firearm. I didn't notice the hammer-bite until after I was home from the range.

Hammer-bite I can live with if I had to choose.

 

[Hawk]

In the not too distant past I had both a Colt Series 80 Gov't and RIA standard. The RIA bit while the Colt didn't. I stared at both side-by-side until my forehead bled and measured everything I could think of but there was simply no discernable difference in the dimensions or geometry of the hammer itself or its travel.

Rather than stay puzzled, I sold the RIA.

Never dawned on me it might have been something other than the hammer. Learn something new every day around here.

I guess the mystery of why the Colt doesn't bite remains. Perhaps the difference in texture? The Colt is more of a polished blue to the RIA's parkerized. Slick vs sandpaper?

Strange brew.

 

[mpthole]

Hawk - did the Colt have an arched mainspring housing?

My Springfield mil-spec, bone stock, model arched-mainspring housing and all, hasn't caused me any problems yet. My RIA, in its original form did however, and that had a flat mainspring housing.

Maybe it's just the shape of our hands...?

Either way, even though I like the looks of the original GI, I've pretty much resigned myself to shooting "duck-tailed" 1911s with the commander hammer.

 

[Hawk]

MSH

Just dug it out - MSH is flat.

The bottom side of the Colt GI grip safety is smooth as is the frame portion to either side of the grip safety - my memory is still working in that regard. Regrettably, I can't remember the degree, if any, the RIA was rough. I do recall the RIA park being significantly more "sandpaper-ish" than the park on my Springfield.

Nice to know I wasn't the only one that got chewed on by a RIA.

It's not like I've been losing sleep over it, but unsolved mysteries annoy me. Too bad the RIA is gone. This thread has me wondering if buffing the grip safety underside (along with possibly the frame portion to either side of the safety) wouldn't have solved the entire issue. I can't even remember what the "wound" looked like - I believe it was only wide enough and centered enough to be the grip safety.

 

[Rob96]

My Mil-Spec is at the Custom Shop right now to get a S&A bt installed. At one time I had no problem with Mil-Spec grip safeties, but after two years of weight lifting, my hands seem to have gotten a little more flesh to them. Cost from SA to do this, $90 plus $45 for the skeleton hammer.