deerslayer Posted January 31, 2011 Share Posted January 31, 2011 I have recently started shooting 1911s and am having problems disengaging the grip safety, even with a normal (not a rushed) grip. A friend has desensitized a couple for me, but it's still an issue. Does anyone know of/have a procedure for "building up" the speed bump on a grip safety? Since I shooot both IDPA and USPSA, disabling the grip is not an option. I don't think it makes a difference, but I'm a southpaw. Any help would be appreciated. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RangerTrace Posted January 31, 2011 Share Posted January 31, 2011 I have recently started shooting 1911s and am having problems disengaging the grip safety, even with a normal (not a rushed) grip. A friend has desensitized a couple for me, but it's still an issue. Does anyone know of/have a procedure for "building up" the speed bump on a grip safety? Since I shooot both IDPA and USPSA, disabling the grip is not an option. I don't think it makes a difference, but I'm a southpaw. Any help would be appreciated. Exactly what kind of 1911 are your shooting? I've had issues with widebody 1911's, but not single stacks. BTW, I'm left handed too. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Duane Thomas Posted January 31, 2011 Share Posted January 31, 2011 I have had the same problem. In my experience building up the grip safety doesn't do the trick - and I say that someone who's put, like, six layers of ladder tape on the already "built-up" speed bump, in the interests of experimentation, just to see if it would work. It doesn't. Or at least it didn't for me. It's necessary to sensitize the grip safety, both by (1) taking material off the underside of the grip safety tongue so the part does not need to move nearly as far for it to lift out of the path of the trigger bow, (2) carefully tune the rightmost (as you're looking at the gun from the rear) prong on the sear spring so that, while the grip safety is still perfectly functional, it will depress with much less pressure. IMPORTANT NOTE: Do not (NOT, NOT) attempt procedure (1) on a gun with a Kimber Series-II firing pin lock. If you do, it is very easy to get into a situation where the grip safety will depress far enough to clear the trigger bow, you can pull the trigger and trip the sear, the hammer falls, but the grip safety has not moved far enough to raise the firing pin lock in the slide enough to allow the firing pin to move forward. Click! In my experience, if grip safety sensitization is necessary on a Kimber, the guns are close enough to sensitized already, re parts interaction, that simply doing the (2) portion of the process, tweaking the sear spring, will allow the grip safety to depress easily enough to reliably disengage with any sort of functional grasp on the gun. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Turboprop Posted January 31, 2011 Share Posted January 31, 2011 I have the same problem. I have large hands and take a high grip on the gun which seems to conteract the grip safety. On my Idpa gun I have tuned the grip safety to the point it releases with very little pressure & still passes inspection. My USPSA guns are all pinned. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kmca Posted January 31, 2011 Share Posted January 31, 2011 I built up the speed bump with Bondo (about 1/4 inch) and painted it flat black to match. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
deerslayer Posted February 1, 2011 Author Share Posted February 1, 2011 Thanks for all replies. I'm currently tinkering with an STI Trojan, a Smith SW1911, a Colt Lightweight Commander, and a Springfield EMP. The Smith is by far the worst. All have thin grips. Oddly enough, the Colt, with its old-school non-upswept/duckbill/non speed-bump grip safety, seems to be the easiest to disengage, and it hasn't even been worked on. When I place my thumb over the thumb safety, it seems to relieve palm pressure, thus my hands eases off the grip safety. It's about to drive me back to a Glock. I would love these guns if not for the grip safety. The bondo is an idea. If only IDPA would let us pin the damn things! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
-JQ- Posted February 1, 2011 Share Posted February 1, 2011 Duane- What area were you building up, the top, bottom, etc? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pjb45 Posted February 1, 2011 Share Posted February 1, 2011 I was talking with a couple of Bianchi shooters over the weekend. Seems like building up the hump was their answer. They had big hands and a high grip. Call Don Golembieski at Kodiak Precision. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Duane Thomas Posted February 1, 2011 Share Posted February 1, 2011 Duane- What area were you building up, the top, bottom, etc? The "speed bump". Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
-JQ- Posted February 3, 2011 Share Posted February 3, 2011 Thanks Duane, I guess I had it in my mind that it was the hump (not sure brand) vs bump at the bottom. I was wondering about building up the top some, less leverage than at the end of the lever, but it seems to be where I put the most focused pressure when trying to get a high grip. I wonder how fat someone has built one up? Any pics? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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