Another often maligned feature of the 1911 has been the grip safety. Said to be unnecessary, awkward, sometimes unreliable in disengagement, it's prompted users to deactivate it by various means.
The grip safety was, and is, a drop safety...not a carry safety. Think about that for a minute. It engages when the pistol is at rest or holstered. It disengages when the gun is held in a firing grip, and automatically resets to the safe position when released from that grip.
We have to bear in mind that the pistol was primarily intended for mounted cavalry, and as such...when in use...would travel a greater distance if dropped than it would be by a man standing on the ground. Because a fully loaded pistol is butt-heavy, that distance would give the pistol an opportunity to rotate and strike the ground in a muzzle up attitude. Because of the heavy steel trigger that moves in a straight line, the possibility of such a strike made a discharge well within the realm of possibilities.
The US Cavalry wasn't overly concerned with a muzzle down drop-discharge. If that happened, the bullet would pass harmlessly into the dirt. Even on a hard surface, it doesn't present nearly the hazard that many would have us believe.
Neither is it a backup to the thumb safety for carrying the pistol. The problem wasn't carrying a holstered pistol. It can actually be carried cocked and unlocked. Once it's nestled in a holster, it's not going to just go off by itself.
The problem was in getting it into the holster, which was why the cavalry insisted on the manual safety to start with.
Another oft overlooked function of the grip safety is that it has a built in trigger overtravel stop that we see under the lug...or finger...that blocks the trigger.
The use of modern lightweight/low mass triggers greatly reduces the possibility of a muzzle up discharge, but doesn't eliminate it entirely. And, some offerings still come with steel triggers, so there's that.
So, think before you disable that worrisome grip safety. The butt cheek you save could be your own...or mine...or BO Billy's.
The grip safety was, and is, a drop safety...not a carry safety. Think about that for a minute. It engages when the pistol is at rest or holstered. It disengages when the gun is held in a firing grip, and automatically resets to the safe position when released from that grip.
We have to bear in mind that the pistol was primarily intended for mounted cavalry, and as such...when in use...would travel a greater distance if dropped than it would be by a man standing on the ground. Because a fully loaded pistol is butt-heavy, that distance would give the pistol an opportunity to rotate and strike the ground in a muzzle up attitude. Because of the heavy steel trigger that moves in a straight line, the possibility of such a strike made a discharge well within the realm of possibilities.
The US Cavalry wasn't overly concerned with a muzzle down drop-discharge. If that happened, the bullet would pass harmlessly into the dirt. Even on a hard surface, it doesn't present nearly the hazard that many would have us believe.
Neither is it a backup to the thumb safety for carrying the pistol. The problem wasn't carrying a holstered pistol. It can actually be carried cocked and unlocked. Once it's nestled in a holster, it's not going to just go off by itself.
The problem was in getting it into the holster, which was why the cavalry insisted on the manual safety to start with.
Another oft overlooked function of the grip safety is that it has a built in trigger overtravel stop that we see under the lug...or finger...that blocks the trigger.
The use of modern lightweight/low mass triggers greatly reduces the possibility of a muzzle up discharge, but doesn't eliminate it entirely. And, some offerings still come with steel triggers, so there's that.
So, think before you disable that worrisome grip safety. The butt cheek you save could be your own...or mine...or BO Billy's.