The Old Fuff is always such a party-pooper…
There are those that say the grip safety doesn’t present any problems so far as they are concerned, because (for them) it works. This is true as far as it goes, but I can assure one and all that if it doesn’t work it can be a major and vexing troublemaker.
I have average to small hands with long fingers. Years ago I discovered that if I rested my thumb on top of the safety lock’s pad in the approved manner dictated by Jeff Cooper’s “modern technique” my thumb didn’t have enough meat at its base to fully depress the grip safety, and no matter how hard I yanked the trigger the pistol wouldn’t go “BANG!”
This sort of thing could get one into trouble…
At Cooper’s suggestion I blocked the safety in so that it was always in the off position, and this solved the problem in a most satisfactory manner.
Until…
The handwringer’s came along and pointed out that I had done a bad no-no by deactivating a factory safety device. Doing so I was told, would get me into trouble with the criminal justice and legal professions, especially if I ever used the pistol for the purpose it was intended. Since I was living in what is now called, in political terms, a left-wing “blue state” at the time I could see that while the likelihood was improbable it was not impossible.
So I went to an alternative solution. The grip safety was “adjusted” so the heel at the bottom stuck out as far as possible, and then the front was fixed so that the slightest forward movement would unblock the trigger. Thus the safety would pass a functioning test, but just barely work as a safety. This configuration satisfied the handwringers while at the same time it solved my problem. I much preferred the first method, but the second would do. My modified safeties would work either way.
Concerning the Star BM safety…
This will undoubtedly star a flame war, but the Star’s manual safety is far superior to the Browning/Colt’s design. In the 1911 pattern a lug on the safety lock (manual safety) blocks the nose of the sear into the hammer’s hooks. Thus the relatively fragile sear becomes a part of the safety system as well as for its obvious purpose. It also depends on a full set of hammer hooks as well as a sear nose with a minimal break away angle to insure its maximum reliability in the safety role. In this day and age when everyone wants and expects a crisp trigger pull of 4 pounds or less, a hammer/sear set that are still within original specifications are as scarce as hen’s teeth.
The Star is entirely different. The manual safety blocks the hammer, not the sear. The block is in the form of a substantial shaft that is supported on both sides of the hammer by the frame. When the safety is engaged the hammer is literally lifted off of the sear, and the sear plays no part in the safety function. Thus hammer hook/sear issues become moot so far as the safety is concerned. With this system a grip safety becomes superfluous, which is the reason Star didn’t incorporate one.
It should be noted that the Browning P-35 Hi-Power, which was probably the most widely distributed service pistol ever made, had the Browning 1911 style manual safety, but no grip safety. Even so, it has no history of accidental/unintentional discharges because of the lack of a grip safety.
Our moderator is quite correct when he says that deactivating a factory installed safety can lead to serious liability in today’s society. On the other hand a device that hinders or compromises the fast, effective deployment of a weapon may invite even more serious consequences. Careful adjustments or modifications short of deactivation may be acceptable in some instances. But the best solution is to make careful selections when buying the gun in the first place, and avoiding the kind that manufacturers have made “too safe.”
