Disabling a 1911 grip safety

[RNB65]

How hard is it to disable/remove/abolish/vanquish the grip safety on a 1911? I've about decided that JMB was right since he originally designed the 1911 without a grip safety and only added it at the insistence of the Army.

 

[2RCO]

Duct tape is probably cheapest and easiest also a good strong rubber band can do the trick. I saw in a book once where a Texas Ranger used rawhide. It can be done fairly easily with basic metal working skills from what I understand. I like my grip safety though-to each their own

 

[MICHAEL T]

Rubber band works Or you can drill frame and safety then pin it. Not really a good idea to disable the grip safety. Lawyer might love that in court

 

[aaronrkelly]

The most common was is to "pin" the safety down.

I would love to have this done on my Kimber but not sure if there are any competent gunsmiths in the area to do it.

 

[dmazur]

I had a Series 70 Colt Commander that had a grip safety that had to be pressed in all the way to disengage. Then I got a 1991A1 that had a "proper" grip safety, that disengaged before it bottomed out. Both provide reasonable safety to assure that a short-travel 1911 trigger (at 4 lbs) doesn't release the hammer unless the user actually is holding the pistol (LOL), but the 1991A1 always fired when I pressed the trigger and the Series 70 would occasionally remind me that I wasn't holding it tightly enough. I had a gunsmith adjust the 70's grip safety to match the 1991A1's and now they both function the same.

So, I suggest that you consider having a gunsmith adjust your grip safety so it works without a "death grip" on the frame. This is a little tricky, as the finger on the safety has to be sloped so it doesn't capture the trigger bow and keep it from returning to the ready position. As others have commented, this might be seen as more "responsible" than pinning the safety down.

 

[MaterDei]

Don't take this question to be negative in any way but I'm compelled to ask...why would you want to do that? Is it the 'death grip' issue that dmazur mentions? To me the grip safety has always been a totally 'free' safety. I've never noticed it, it doesn't affect the trigger pull, and I've never even wondered whether it would work when I needed it to.

 

[tbtrout]

Why not pull it off and file down the step that touches the trigger until it can be pulled without touching.

 

[aaronrkelly]

I've never even wondered whether it would work when I needed it to.

I have.

I prefer to use the safety between my ears and to put very little mechanics in the way of the operation of said safety. I LIKE the Glock for this reason. The 1911 has a perfectly capable thumb safety.......no real need for the grip safety.

 

[combatantr2]

Im not sure but I believe ED Brown makes a one piece main spring housing all the way up to the frame, eliminating the grip safety.

 

[Old Fuff]

The Old Fuff has used both methods.

It is not necessary to drill the frame. If a small pin or screw (prefered) is installed in the top of the mainspring housing it will hold the grip safety in the "forward" position, with no further alterations.

For those who worry about lawyers, it is easy to modify the finger on the grip safety so that the slightest forward movement will unblock the trigger.

For some, the grip safety is an added security blanket. For others it’s a hazard that can prevent the gun from firing when it needs to. Each pistol owner should view it in light of their own needs and experience, but the Old Fuff would point out that the Browning Hi-Power, that dates from 1935, does not have a grip safety, and doesn’t seem to suffer for the lack of one.

 

[RNB65]

Don't take this question to be negative in any way but I'm compelled to ask...why would you want to do that?

Because I have a short thumb and to get a proper high grip with my thumb on top of the thumb safety I don't always press the grip safety down far enough to ensure that it disengages. I've had this problem with every 1911 I've ever fired, my natural grip position doesn't always disengage the grip safety. Since JMB considered the grip safety to be an unnecessary mechanical contrivance, I may take his advice and junk it.

 

[BigG]

Take the safety off and remove the small tit that blocks the trigger. It is disabled and the gun is not cosmetically altered. I wouldn't do it, because I like the grip safety, but that's how I would do it if I wanted to.

 

[Colt]

I LIKE the Glock for this reason. The 1911 has a perfectly capable thumb safety.......no real need for the grip safety.

I hear what you're saying, but the grip safety does more for a 1911 than it would for a Glock, given that the 1911 is SA and the Glock is DA. (or at least a significantly longer trigger pull).

And not just from a "safety between your ears" perspective:

An example could be dropping or having your 1911 knocked out of your hand after you've disengaged the manual safety. Despite what you *should* do, your instinct is going to be to try to catch it. I'd rather try to catch a 1911 with an operational grip safety that one with the grip safety disabled.

YMMV.

 

[BigG]

Old Fuff said

the Browning Hi-Power, that dates from 1935, does not have a grip safety, and doesn’t seem to suffer for the lack of one.

No, but the Browning High Power has about the worst trigger pull of any pistol I know of other than a Double Action auto. You have to pull the trigger on purpose on a BHP as it is so long you can't do it accidentally.

 

[SuperNaut]

I'm not sure if this is available yet, but HERE is a solid solution:

I like my grip safety, but TEHO.

 

[Golddog]

CZ 75's can go cocked and locked, and they have a nice SA pull, with no grip safety. Which is why I own them.

 

[mballai]

The Novak isn't quite yet a production item

http://www.novaksights.com/what's_new.htm#NOVAK_ONE_PIECE_BACK_STRAP_ANSWER

 

[tinygnat219]

Buy yourself a Ballester-Molina (Argentinian gun) and call it a day. These are basically 1911s without the grip safety.

 

[Old Fuff]

Big G:

The main cause for those heavy trigger pulls is the mainspring. It is extra-heavy to insure that the pistol can shoot sub-machinegun ammunition that have primers with thick caps. The reason being possible use in sub-guns that shoot from open bolt. A pistol-strength mainspring works wonders.