Jump to content
Brian Enos's Forums... Maku mozo!

Grip Safety Pinning


Rocket

Recommended Posts

My SVI Competition was pinned like this:

- remove the mainspring housing.

- drill and tap a small hole (2 mm diameter) in the top portion near the spring plug (looking from top of housing, inner part facing you, hole location should be approx at 5 o'clock).

- screw into the tapped hole a small threaded grain (allen head embedded).

- leave grain protruding enough to pin the grip safety in place.

I'm not sure this is the best method, besides, this method is really easy on plastic housings, not sure on steel ones (much harder to drill).

I ended up filing the grip safety activating/deactivating lever, because sometimes the grip safety was stepping over the grain, locking the gun.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I just take a dremel tool cutting wheel to the arm that blocks the trigger from moving in the "safe" position. I guess if I ever sell a gun, I might have to install a new grip safety (for liability reasons), but I'd just keep the old deactivated one, so no big deal.

Drilling and tapping is too much of a pain in the butt for me.

Tape has never worked well for me. It always tends to shift and slip off or not stay secure. Rubber bands (and at one point, a piece of bicycle tire inner tube) feel wierd.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

like Mark says. You might also want to experiment with just *sensitizing* the safety by removing material from the top of this arm. This way the safety disengages earlier, but is still functional. In IPSC Production Division (e.g.) you are not permitted to completely remove any safety device (but making it work for you is allowed).

--Detlef

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I guess I am low tech, I just wedged a little half-moon shaped sliver of shock buff inbetween the msh and the grip safety. It has not failed me on either of the two guns I have done this to and I can undo it if I like.

-ld

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Half moon was misleading. It is more of a sliver.

I just took a shock buff and trimmed the thickness down to about 1/2 of its previous size. If you have thin buffs you could probably skip that part.

Then I cut the top arc off of the buff which left me with a little sliver of buff that strongly resembled a fingernail clipping. Ideally this sliver will have enough arc to clear the hammer strut and at its tips be almost as wide as the MSH (main spring housing). If the sliver is too tall, as in it sticks out of the back of the gun when installed, then just trim the back a bit. You can also trim the tips. Make sure you can still clear the hammer strut when doing so.

Drive the MSH retaining pin out. Lower the MSH just enough to slide in your sliver of buff. The hammer strut should still be in contact with the cup in the MSH. With the sliver in place depress the grip safety and slide the MSH up untill you can replace its retaining pin. The grip safety should be secured in the depressed position.

-ld

Link to comment
Share on other sites

You might also want to experiment with just *sensitizing* the safety by removing material from the top of this arm.

Actually, if you're "sensitizing" a grip safety, the material is removed from the underside of the grip safety tongue.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I had the "light strike" problem using the shok-buff. It drove me nuts trying to fiqure out the cause because it only happened 1 or 2 out of a hundred.

It finally occurred to me when I noticed the grip safety was "wiggling" around more than normal. The buff must have adjusted itself after awhile.

I'm still waiting for a 1911 without a grip safety- fat chance probably, but I'm surprised STI or SV doesn't "try one".

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I had the "light strike" problem using the shok-buff. It drove me nuts trying to fiqure out the cause because it only happened 1 or 2 out of a hundred.

I had the same problem, same frequency with a new unmodified S&W M945. The gunsmith at S&W in Australia suggested my "IPSC grip" may not be fully activating the grip safety causing it to touch the hammer strut. Problem disappeared when I taped down the grip safety.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Wow , thanks for all the responses . I tried the shok buff method , and while it seems to work , it is a real bitch to get it in just the right spot so you can get your mainspring housing back on. I also agree that it might work loose and end up rubbing on the hammer strut I'll give it a try for awhile , but I think the best way might be to modify the top of the mainspring housing with one or two small allen screws , or I guess I could silver solder some material onto the back of the grip safety tabs ? Does anyone know how most of the top gunsmiths do it ? All the real high end custom race guns I've seen seem to have very flat grip safetys with little or no travel.

Bill

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Most gunsmiths won't pin a grip safety (or even tell you how) because of a stupid lawsuit in which a custom gun with a pinned safety was stolen from the original owner, then used to shoot somebody. The weasel lawyers went after the gunsmith for making the gun "unsafe". Should you pin your GS, you may also end up in the same boat.

It's technically simple.. Drill a small hole vertically in the MSH on the opposite side as the spring cap retaining pin. Insert pin cut to length so as to block the grip safety 'feet'. If you want to get fancy, drill the GS as well and use a longer pin that connects both. Welding up and recutting the GS feet also works.

A few years ago somebody (from some country with less weaselly lawyers, no doubt) was selling a one-piece backstrap that replaced both the GS and MSH, but I've not seen one in ages.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Create an account or sign in to comment

You need to be a member in order to leave a comment

Create an account

Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!

Register a new account

Sign in

Already have an account? Sign in here.

Sign In Now
×
×
  • Create New...