Officer's Grip Safety (pics)

[CJB]

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v214/bandersnatchreverb/RIA/20160504_200645_zpsg5ttvcr9.jpg

Maybe its just me, but....after some serious reading back in the 1980's, and enjoying a Detonics Combat Master in the 1990's, my own ideas of the Colt .45 Auto (aka 1911a1) grip safety are not exactly dedicated followers of fashion.

The Detonics has no tang whatsoever. But it also has a non functioning "grip safety", that does not move at all.

Please refer to the US Army manual, and note that the grip safety also allows the hammer to be drawn back with the thumb, the trigger pulled, and the hammer decocked with one hand. That is part of the design criteria and must be adhered to. My minimalist cut down still allows that to be performed, and quite safely too. I think, in a safer manner than a big scooped whale tail grip safety.

The minimalist tang will allow for the thumb of the drawing hand to swing behind the pistol and cock the hammer very easily if need be as well. And of course, there is much less to catch on, snag on, and hinder drawing the pistol.

Just givin' out some food for thought....!

Tomorrow after work, I'll ground glass blast the part, and finish it with some GunKote.

[Bawanna]

I've always liked the look of a nice Beaver. I'm kind of partial to Beaver Tails on 1911's too but the minimalist makes more sense in many respects, especially in the officer size guns.
I like the GI non beaver tail on my Remington. That and the wide spur hammer just make it sing to me.

[b4uqzme]

Any pics of the re-worked trigger yet? Curious.

[CJB]

Not yet. I put a shorty aluminum, non adjustable one in today. You can glimpse it in the photo above.

The RIA one is steel shoed... makes me drool a bit... mmm. I think I'm gonna clean that down to smooth metal, and GunKote it too. Probably not tomorrow though.

Let me say... grinding dust gives me almost a migraine, so I'm on 4 advil as we speak and will probably take two more to get to sleep with. My mask is at work, and I knew better, but sometimes ya just gotta do things.

[Alfonse]

I've always liked the look of a nice Beaver.

I have no doubt.

[yqtszhj]

I like that grip safety. Looks good.

[b4uqzme]

I like that grip safety. Looks good.

Agreed. I think I like most of the features of a typical GI 1911 over the modern stuff. I think this will make it more carryable.

[kenemoore]

How do you like the grip panels? I have two GI RIA's, on in .45 and one in 38 Super (nickel plated...BBQ gun). I had to replace the grips on both, the stock grips are so thick.

[Bawanna]

Grips almost look like Osage Orange.

Once you run thin grip panels, stock grip panels feel rather Glockish sometimes.

The Rocks I've held seemed like the grips were more than plenty thing.

I've thinned down a few. Sometimes just removing wood from the edge to the center, making it more straight fools the hand into thinking they are thinner

[CJB]

Got the trimmed grip safety in the oven, curing the GunKote as we speak.

It started life as this style:
http://picturearchive.gunauction.com/4664124821/12147559/p1010008.jpg_thumbnail04.jpg (http://picturearchive.gunauction.com/4664124821/12147559/p1010008.jpg_thumbnail04.jpg)

The one I got was a Remington one, stainless, from their more or less GI series.

(long phone call later)

The color match of the GunKote flat dark grey is very close to Parkerizing, so good to go there. The grip safety needs another coat, but looks good.

Also was able to correct the rear sight, only having to lower it about .002 inches. The ding looked worse, and when you got a sight picture, it was annoying! Made the slot wider, and a bit deeper for a better sight aquisition. Since that wasn't sprayed on, but Q-Tipped on, its got the 2nd and final coat in the over as I type this.

Colonel, I'm thinkin what we got on the grips is a form of mahogany, of which there are a few logged varieties in the Philippine Islands. They're a little thick, but shaped weird, and the outline is weird too. I dunno... they're ok to hold the gun, and not uncomfortable. They'll get replaced with something, dunno what yet.

[b4uqzme]

I dunno. I think those grips thinned and checkered by the Colonel...then stained a tad darker...would look pretty good. Just sayin'.

[Armybrat]

Agreed. I think I like most of the features of a typical GI 1911 over the modern stuff. I think this will make it more carryable.

Me too, but add 3 dot sights. I can't see those little bitty GI things.

[Armybrat]

I dunno. I think those grips thinned and checkered by the Colonel...then stained a tad darker...would look pretty good. Just sayin'.

Yup - that would compliment it very well. But it's a really nice piece as is.

[Redstate]

I've always liked the look of a nice Beaver. ...

:o:D This post is worthless without pictures. :D

[CJB]

https://s-media-cache-ak0.pinimg.com/236x/db/26/c9/db26c9412abfc093542fcd369e38050d.jpg

[CJB]

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v214/bandersnatchreverb/RIA/20160506_175334_zpsrlo7yqjv.jpg

There's the finished grip safety, done up in GunKote dark flat grey. Even though flat, its not "coarse" like the Parkerizing is, so it appears almost glossy. With any sort of lubricant on it, it is glossy! Its also slightly "cooler" grey than the Parkerizing on this particular pistol. I think a very very small amount of amber into the GunKote would fix that but I'm being a testy grumpy old fart to pick on the exact shade of the finish.

The thumb safety was smoothed out, so it got a quick spritz with GunKote. And the rear sight is deep, wide, and also GunKote'd but only on the surfaces that got altered.

Next is da gripz... dunno what yet.

I've got two other compact 1911's, both with nicer sights and such. This is a cheapo for the truck, I needn't get too fancy.

[Armybrat]

http://www.altamontco.com/experimental/shared/photos/CO-CP01-S01-SK04.jpg

[Bawanna]

:o:D This post is worthless without pictures. :D

13769

[Redstate]

That's what I thought you were talking about, Bawanna. :D

[CJB]

http://orig09.deviantart.net/d5b7/f/2015/044/d/4/zoey_s_butt_spanking__the_beaver_edition_by_codyki ns123-d8hv3tv.jpg

[Bills1873]

See what you started CJB!

[Planedude]

Wow! What a hard left turn this thread took...

I like the mods CJB, I have a Citadel compact 9mm I picked up at a black Friday sale a few years back (got two that day as a matter of fact). I picked it up as a project gun, but I currently have two other projects "in work" so that one is currently holding.
I look forward to updates as you feel free to post them.
Have a good one. Peace

[Redstate]

I have an RIA full size 9mm and a compact Citadel .45. I don't like the grip safety on any 1911 because they sometimes don't work for me. I think I use to high a grip that causes the grip safety to not deactivate. This only occurs when I am trying to shoot fast in competititon.