Trimming 1911 Spur Hammer

[Duane Thomas]

A friend of mine recently purchased a Springfield Mil-Spec and the traditional spur grip safety/spur hammer combo is just eating his hand alive. Any reason not so simply solve the problem by trimming the hammer short? Any functional or other problems that might attend that?

[want2race]

I've done it. It still works (gun functions fine). It may also still eat his hand until he installs a better grip safety.

[bamf_shadow]

You can trim it but understand that you are removing mass. Most factory pistols use an uneccesarily heavy main spring so you probably won't have any issues with light strikes. If you do then consider a heavier main spring.

[anachronism]

One of the slickest 1911s I've ever seen had the hammer spur reduced, and the stock grip safety reprofiled to be bite proof. It was a work of art. I've always wanted to do one this way myself. I wish I'd have taken pictures of it when I could.

[Duane Thomas]

You can trim it but understand that you are removing mass. Most factory pistols use an uneccesarily heavy main spring so you probably won't have any issues with light strikes. If you do then consider a heavier main spring.

I have about 32k rounds through my Wilson 1911 with 17-pound mainspring (which is the same thing I've already installed in my friend's Springfield) without a single problem with light strikes, even on Wolf primers, and I doubt a trimmed spur hammer would be lighter than the almost completely hollow Comander-style hammer on my Wilson gun.

[blind bat]

IANAG, (I am not a gunsmith) but I would think a lighter hammer would mean less chance of light strikes. Less energy required to move the hammer.

[Brian Gonsalves]

One of the slickest 1911s I've ever seen had the hammer spur reduced, and the stock grip safety reprofiled to be bite proof. It was a work of art. I've always wanted to do one this way myself. I wish I'd have taken pictures of it when I could.

Like this?

It was done by Ted Yost

Edited April 30, 2011 by Brian Gonsalves

[anachronism]

One of the slickest 1911s I've ever seen had the hammer spur reduced, and the stock grip safety reprofiled to be bite proof. It was a work of art. I've always wanted to do one this way myself. I wish I'd have taken pictures of it when I could.

Like this?

It was done by Ted Yost

Very similar. The one I handled truly had the feel of a used bar of soap.

[Trader]

I eliminated the hammer spur on my Hi Power years back. Hammer falls is much quicker

and no chance of bite. The only way to put the hammer on full cock is to rack the slide.