- Location
- West Quebec
1911 tearing up my hand?
- Thread starter jory
- Start date
Looking at the pictures from post #28 I'd say there's nothing wrong with your grip. At least certainly nothing at all major in nature. To my eyes the one plinker is saying is out of line is due to your wrist being bent rather than that the gun is "twisted" in your grip.
The wear mark around the side of your web like you've got is due to the sharper edges of the frame and possibly from the side plate of the safety itself as MadCow points out above.
I got lucky with my first 1911 and all the edges of the grip safety, the frame and the thumb safety were well blended. The gun was and still is a joy to shoot. But my next two 1911's were not so nicely done and I quickly got the same wear marks as you're getting. Being an incurable tinkering sort of guy with a full shop it wasn't that hard to tear down the "sharp" guns and blend the shapes to closely match the smooth lines of my comfy 1911. A bit of polishing and some touch up blue and all was made well. But if you don't have the tools or anything to really work with all you can do is shop around the local smiths to see if there's anyone that can do the same sort of work for you. Or sell what you got and buy a brand and model that is more attentively shaped around that rather critical area of the gun for comfort.
Another issue can also be the big over size safties that folks seem to like these days pushing your hand into a position where you set the gun up to rub you raw. I thought it was only me that hates those things. But then in one of Hickock45's videos on the 1911 he goes on about how the oversize safeties don't fit his big paws as well. Again on that first 1911 I got it came with the low profile and well rounded military size thumb safety. And that safety's lines fit neatly into the soft part of my thumb between the base of my thumb and the joint when I had my most supportive grip. Yet it was easy enough to engage and disengage it in a natural manner. The follow on 1911's all had oversize safeties that were big enough to park a good size car on and which were always in my way and forcing me into a less than ideal for me grip. These were hogged down to "military" size as part of the blending of the lines and ridges already mentioned.
And for the intended use of these guns for local matches that involve holstering while cocked and locked I like the fact that the smaller size safeties can't be as easily nudged by accident. I like to ensure I keep the darn red stuff in me where it belongs. Knowing the safety will stay where I put it plays a big part in that.
The wear mark around the side of your web like you've got is due to the sharper edges of the frame and possibly from the side plate of the safety itself as MadCow points out above.
I got lucky with my first 1911 and all the edges of the grip safety, the frame and the thumb safety were well blended. The gun was and still is a joy to shoot. But my next two 1911's were not so nicely done and I quickly got the same wear marks as you're getting. Being an incurable tinkering sort of guy with a full shop it wasn't that hard to tear down the "sharp" guns and blend the shapes to closely match the smooth lines of my comfy 1911. A bit of polishing and some touch up blue and all was made well. But if you don't have the tools or anything to really work with all you can do is shop around the local smiths to see if there's anyone that can do the same sort of work for you. Or sell what you got and buy a brand and model that is more attentively shaped around that rather critical area of the gun for comfort.
Another issue can also be the big over size safties that folks seem to like these days pushing your hand into a position where you set the gun up to rub you raw. I thought it was only me that hates those things. But then in one of Hickock45's videos on the 1911 he goes on about how the oversize safeties don't fit his big paws as well. Again on that first 1911 I got it came with the low profile and well rounded military size thumb safety. And that safety's lines fit neatly into the soft part of my thumb between the base of my thumb and the joint when I had my most supportive grip. Yet it was easy enough to engage and disengage it in a natural manner. The follow on 1911's all had oversize safeties that were big enough to park a good size car on and which were always in my way and forcing me into a less than ideal for me grip. These were hogged down to "military" size as part of the blending of the lines and ridges already mentioned.
And for the intended use of these guns for local matches that involve holstering while cocked and locked I like the fact that the smaller size safeties can't be as easily nudged by accident. I like to ensure I keep the darn red stuff in me where it belongs. Knowing the safety will stay where I put it plays a big part in that.
I find when I try to get a high as possible grip on the 1911 that's when the safety's edge or the blend between the beavertail and the frame can become an issue. I've blended a few 1911's to smooth out the grip but I've also come to realize that you can only go so far with a high grip on a 1911.
Seems like most people prefer a flat mainspring housing but I find the arched shaped works better with my hand and makes for a better grip.
Seems like most people prefer a flat mainspring housing but I find the arched shaped works better with my hand and makes for a better grip.
