Manual & Grip Safeties
On the subject of deactivating manual or grip safeties on 1911 platform pistols, it is interesting to note that William E. Fairbrain, of Fairbrain and Sykes fame, had the manual safeties in the .380 Colt pistols issued to this Oriental police officers in Shanghai, China blocked in the “off” position with a screw. It was his stance, based on considerable experience, that in a fast gunfight they were more of an impediment then an aid.
Grip safeties can also get one in serious trouble if they aren’t fully depressed, and this is often a matter of an individual’s hand size and grip on the handle. I found this to be the case when I took a high hold, with my thumb resting on top of the safety lock (manual safety). With my thumb below the safety, things were fine. To make sure I could use either hold, I deactivated the grip safety with a screw, so that it could be removed, and the safety’s function restored if for any reason I changed my mind. So far I haven’t. On pistols belonging to others I sometimes modified the safety, at their request, so that a slight movement would render it “off.”
Others of course may find themselves in different situations or circumstances, and do things differently. But I agree with Fairbrain’s view that a proliferation of safeties in fighting pistols is not a good thing, and in this John Browning also agreed.
On the subject of deactivating manual or grip safeties on 1911 platform pistols, it is interesting to note that William E. Fairbrain, of Fairbrain and Sykes fame, had the manual safeties in the .380 Colt pistols issued to this Oriental police officers in Shanghai, China blocked in the “off” position with a screw. It was his stance, based on considerable experience, that in a fast gunfight they were more of an impediment then an aid.
Grip safeties can also get one in serious trouble if they aren’t fully depressed, and this is often a matter of an individual’s hand size and grip on the handle. I found this to be the case when I took a high hold, with my thumb resting on top of the safety lock (manual safety). With my thumb below the safety, things were fine. To make sure I could use either hold, I deactivated the grip safety with a screw, so that it could be removed, and the safety’s function restored if for any reason I changed my mind. So far I haven’t. On pistols belonging to others I sometimes modified the safety, at their request, so that a slight movement would render it “off.”
Others of course may find themselves in different situations or circumstances, and do things differently. But I agree with Fairbrain’s view that a proliferation of safeties in fighting pistols is not a good thing, and in this John Browning also agreed.