Is there a 1911 manufactured WITHOUT the grip safety?

[rcellis]

Was talking with a fellow at the gun club today - the subject came up about grip safeties on 1911's. I mentioned that I dimly recalled seeing one without a grip safety. Was there/is there one out there? Just curious.

 

[freakshow10mm]

Novak has the "answer" one piece backstrap. I don't think they sell them, they just install them.

 

[mljdeckard]

Kind of depends on your reasoning. The safeties with a bump make engaging them easier, but I suppose you could just pin one in place, if you have a serious reason to not want it functioning. Without questioning your judgement, not knowing the reason you want one, but I could also cut off the trigger guard and have the trigger lightened. Not going to do any of these things.

 

[nj.piney]

the star pd45 was a compact liteweight copy of the 1911,it had no grip safety, i still carry one.

 

[Jimmie]

It wouldn't be a 1911 without the grip safety, so by definition, no. You can modify them easy enough to remove/disengage the safety, but any "1911" will have a grip safety from the factory.

 

[Eric F]

The answer is yes........sort of...........
I have seen them on cusstom builds for mostly IPSC shooters.

 

[rellascout]

IIRC the 1911 was design by Mr Browning originally without a grip safety. The Amry required one so he modified the design.

Technically yes a 1911 by definition needs a grips safety but they do no have to have one if you know what I mean.

I think Detoncis manufactured ones with a grip safety.

 

[tomkatz]

 

[BlindJustice]

Back in the day, a way of disabling a grip safety is to pin the safety

THis can be done to any 1911 for any sloppy gripping or limp wristed
shooters, who want to bypass a safety feature.

R-

 

[R.W.Dale]

The Spanish Star's are wonderful 1911 pattern firearms that didn't come with the retarded grip safety.

http://world.guns.ru/handguns/hg79-e.htm

 

[res1b3uq]

the star pd45 was a compact liteweight copy of the 1911,it had no grip safety, i still carry one.))) Nice little pistols. I wish I had mine back.

 

[steveracer]

Ummmm,
Sure. If you are having trouble, just get yours pinned. Takes minutes, and is reversible should you ever try to sell it. Certainly not a real safety issue. If it were, people wouldn't carry BHPs or CZ-75SAs.
Just my opinion. It's your gun. I say go for it.

 

[1911Tuner]

IIRC the 1911 was design by Mr Browning originally without a grip safety. The Amry required one so he modified the design

Nope. The grip safety was in place on the 1910 Prototype that Browning submitted for testing and approval. It was the thumb safety that was missing, and later added at the request of the US Cavalry.

Photograph courtesy of Charles W. Clawson

 

[bannockburn]

rcellis

Besides the Star Models A (.38 Super), B (9mm.), BKS (9mm.), BM (9mm.), P (.45), and PD (.45), there is also the Ballester Molina (.45) that was made in Argentina. Another M1911 variant without the grip safety, though not an exact copy, was the Arminex Trifire. As its name implied, it was capable of firing .38 Super, 9mm., and .45.

 

[freakshow10mm]

I thought the proto had a thumbsafety but no grip safety, and it was the cavalry that wanted a grip safety.

 

[1911Tuner]

I thought the proto had a thumbsafety but no grip safety, and it was the cavalry that wanted a grip safety.

Nope. The grip safety was present as early as the Model 1905.

 

[rcellis]

I said:

...I mentioned that I dimly recalled seeing one without a grip safety. Was there/is there one out there? Just curious.

mljdecard said:

Kind of depends on your reasoning. The safeties with a bump make engaging them easier, but I suppose you could just pin one in place, if you have a serious reason to not want it functioning. Without questioning your judgement, not knowing the reason you want one, but I could also cut off the trigger guard and have the trigger lightened. Not going to do any of these things.

I don't want one - please read my original question - I was just asking if there had ever been a 1911 platform sold without the grip safety.

BTW, thanks to those who mentioned variants and models. I was only interested from a historical perspective.

 

[BlindJustice]

1905 design differences....

http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m0BQY/is_3_53/ai_n27126481/pg_2?tag=artBody;col1

so a grip safety is NOT external?

Randall

 

[1911Tuner]

so a grip safety is NOT external?

Yes, it is. The author of that article apparently has it confused with the Model 1903 Colt pistol...or the earlier 1905s. Clawson's Commercial Series, Volume 2 has a picture of the 1905 on page 12, and a 1907 on Page 13...both sporting grip safeties. The 1905's shows the experimental grip safety, later incorporated on all subsequent 1907 contract pistols for the military.

 

[FXWG]

Besides the Star Models A (.38 Super), B (9mm.), BKS (9mm.), BM (9mm.), P (.45), and PD (.45),

You left out the BKM.
Shame on you.
I've had one for 16 years.

 

[bannockburn]

FXWG

I was just going off the top of my head; sorry about the omission. I had a Model B that was a great shooter and a real workhorse. Good service semi-autos that were really well made and reliable.

 

[XavierBreath]

I'm going to have to politely disagree with some members and state that the Star pistols are not copies of the 1911. While they may look similar, and they do have a barrel link, they also have a very different pivoting trigger mechanism with a draw bar rather than a stirrup. Few if any of the parts swap out. Still, Stars are good pistols, and I own a couple. 1911s, they are not though.

AFAIK, no 1911 has been produced without the grip safety unless you count Novak's one piece backstrap 1911s. Of course, they are converted Colt's so it's arguable whether they were "produced."

 

[Billy Shears]

The closest thing out there to a 1911 with no grip safety that was ever produced is probably the old Argentinian Ballester-Molina, which has already been mentioned. The Star is reasonably close as well, though it has more significant differences than the Ballester-Molina did. But there was a gun produced just a few years ago that comes pretty close as well: the Arminex, which was made by a company in Scottsdale, Arizona.

It's not an extremely close, copy of the 1911 though, since aside from omitting the grip safety (which many people don't like, though hang me if I know why it bothers anyone), they moved the safety up to the slide. I can't explain that one, since the frame mounted safety is far more ergonomic, and I can't imagine why you'd need a slide mounted decocker/safety in a single action pistol.

Here's a link if you want to see what it looked like:

http://books.google.com/books?id=QK39J3Tlt2sC&pg=PA72&lpg=PA72&dq=arminex+.45&source=web&ots=ErD26INdBy&sig=c3q0bi1Qe6lcAGuGms5wMl9Csng&hl=en&sa=X&oi=book_result&resnum=1&ct=result

 

[M203Sniper]

Custom made for a father and his daughter. This set solved a problem for them both. The Colt .45's were designed to help facilitate the use of such a large pistol by not only the father but also by his smaller framed daughter. All efforts were used to fit the hand of them both and allow for control and comfort. It took over 8 months to work out the details, fabricate the proto-types, and test the final product. It was displayed for the 1st time at Shot 2005, and is installed on the pair shown. The Novak One Piece Back Strap for the Colt 1911.

I refer to it as "THE ANSWER"®. Look for more information in the near future.

Wayne Novak

Still Waiting.

The 1 thing I dislike about 1911's is the Grip Safety. I hope Novak makes it available, or some other mfg picks up the idea as an option.

 

[TimboKhan]

Dudes, for the record, if you ever want to know anything about 1911's, 1911Tuner is one of a handful of guys on THR that can tell you pretty much whatever you could possibly want to know about the 1911. Not only can he/they tell you, but it would be pretty darn hard to ever prove him/them wrong. I only mention this because this was an interesting thread and one of our best sources on the topic chimed in. It's good to know who the no-BS, take-it-to-the-bank guys are, and 1911Tuner is one of them.