1911 grip safety ?

[mark carr]

I need to get some clarification I was reading through IDPA rules it says you can't disable any safety's but doing a search on this topic of grip safety's and I came across several post where guy's say you can disable the grip safety on a 1911 because it is a reliability modification.???

[Gregg K]

It must work for IDPA. A deactivated grip safety will get you a DQ.

[TMcGowan]

What Gregg K said, it will earn you a DQ in IDPA. If you have problems with your grip disengaging the safety, just have it set to barely engage. That is what I have to do for IDPA.

[GOF]

All safety devices that your pistol came from the factory with must work in IDPA. A well-known professional team shooter was DQed at an IDPA National because the grip safty on his 1911 did not work. IDPA takes deactivating any safety (including magazine safeties) seriously.

GOF

[Pat Miles]

You can pay attention to the IDPA rulebook or what some folks say here and on other sites... your choice. Guess who's going to prevail? Really kind of a no brainer.

Pat

[Aircooled6racer]

Hello: I have shot some big IDPA matches and they actually checked the grip safety on my 1911's. The grip safety has to work. You can make it less sensitive and that is what I have done. Thanks, Eric

[Steve Koski]

I was assisting with a sanctioned match equipment check in September. (A pre-match check) One guy's 1911 grip safety didn't work. He was not allowed to shoot that gun. A friend of his loaned him a gun for the match.

I have been at two sanctioned matches where Springfield XD's were DQ'd for non-functioning grip safeties. (a mid-match check)

I've never heard of disabling grip safeties being allowed as a "reliability modification." But I applaud the creative thinking.

Edited November 28, 2010 by Steve Koski

[mark carr]

Thanks for the info guys. I am going to try less engagement and give it a try. Mark,

[kct45acp]

if you do reduce the engagement be sure to keep an eye on it since it will not take much wear to deactivate it at that point.

A gunsmith for a high end 1911 company let his wear to much and was DQed from the nationals a few years back

[RickB]

In my experience, even though the rule book says no "safety devices" may be disabled, any testing for compliance with that rule starts and ends with 1911 grip safeties.

[EkuJustice]

What if the gun was a 1911 style gun but was built with with no grip safety aka "the Answer" novak has. Not talking about converting a gun to that but if the gun is built from the ground up and never had a grip safety build it.

For instance the MP comes with and without a mag safety so having the one with no safety is legal, but having the one with the safety and removing it is not. It would seem the 1911 would be the same way if it Never had a grip safety

Edited December 3, 2010 by EkuJustice

[Jim Watson]

Rick,

I heard recently of a check for presence of firing pin obstruction on Series 80 and similar. It is easy to do, all you have to do is turn the gun over with the slide back and look for the little round button next to the disconnector cut.

That made me nervous so I had my lawyer levers and obstructor put back in to be ready for a big sanctioned match.

FLG grumbled about having to dig a set out of his takeoff parts box and fiddle them back into place. "Are you going to have to have this crap added to guns that came without it to make them safe enough?"

He REALLY growled when he had to rebuild the beavertail. A cast part cataloged as "Series 80", it did not fit. Things got complicated and messy after that. That made me really glad I took it to the shop instead of tinkering with it myself. All that stuff interacts and when you have something added as an afterthought, it is worse.

Eku,

I follow your logic, especially with analogy to Plastic M&P, but I don't know if it would pass RR or what passes for tech inspection at a typical sanctioned match. After all, a factory full length dust cover is still considered a "modification" because it differs from the parent model.

Edited December 3, 2010 by Jim Watson

[p7fl]

I got DQ'd at the Florida State last year.

I knew there would be a chrono and grip safety check at the match so I left my Single Stack gun home. Unloaded my carry 1911 and shot the match.

We got to the chrono stage and the grip safety was not engaging. It was a five minute fix. I politely said thank you to the MD and left.

[Steve Koski]

What if the gun was a 1911 style gun but was built with with no grip safety aka "the Answer" novak has. Not talking about converting a gun to that but if the gun is built from the ground up and never had a grip safety build it.

If the was first sold by the original manufacturer without a grip safety, then nobody has disabled anything. However, it sounds like you send an existing gun to Novak, and he installs The Answer on it. This would be a no-no.

http://www.gunsandammo.com/content/answer?page=1

The gun in this article says Colt on it. It had a grip safety at one point, but doesn't now. I would say that is not IDPA legal.

Koski

[donnyglock]

My 1911 got DQed at the Mi state match two years ago. Grip safety was non functional. I ended up shooting a friends Glock.

[RePete]

What if the gun was a 1911 style gun but was built with with no grip safety aka "the Answer" novak has. Not talking about converting a gun to that but if the gun is built from the ground up and never had a grip safety build it.

If the was first sold by the original manufacturer without a grip safety, then nobody has disabled anything. However, it sounds like you send an existing gun to Novak, and he installs The Answer on it. This would be a no-no.

http://www.gunsandammo.com/content/answer?page=1

The gun in this article says Colt on it. It had a grip safety at one point, but doesn't now. I would say that is not IDPA legal.

Koski

Then there would still be the problem of requireing 2000+ units be sold.

[Steve Koski]

The 2,000 per year or 20,000 total for discontinued gun rule only applies to SSP.

CDP, ESP, SSR, ESR don't have this rule.

[GOF]

It's not really a complicated Rule. If the gun came from the factory with a certain safety device factory installed (thumb, grip, magazine disconnect, whatever) then the factory equipped safety device must work as the factory intended it to do. If the gun doesn't have all that stuff (like my bare bones S&W M&P .45 ACP) then you can just shoot the gun and not worry about all those extra parts.

GOF

[revomodel10]

It must work for IDPA. A deactivated grip safety will get you a DQ.

This man said all that needed to be said.

[mark carr]

Got a new one coming. Thanks. Mark,

[RickB]

It's not really a complicated Rule. If the gun came from the factory with a certain safety device factory installed (thumb, grip, magazine disconnect, whatever) then the factory equipped safety device must work as the factory intended it to do. If the gun doesn't have all that stuff (like my bare bones S&W M&P .45 ACP) then you can just shoot the gun and not worry about all those extra parts.

GOF

It's not complicated at all, but all but impossible to enforce with any sort of equity. Is there a list of "safety devices", along with a comprehensive list of all the safety devices that are supposed to be active on each gun? And a test procedure for each device?