Brownells Gunsmith Tech Corner - October 2011

Brownells Gunsmith Corner
 

Adding a Palmswell to the 1911 Grip Safety
By
Paul Mazan

For the past several years I’ve carried a 1911 as my duty gun while making my rounds as a courier for an armored car service. Since I depend on the gun to protect me should things get ugly I shoot it almost every week. Following the advice of Clint Smith as well as several other folks that know how to best deploy the 1911 I have begun to shoot it with my thumb on the safety in a high hold. The only problem with this grip is that my hand was not always deactivating the grip safety. It wasn’t a huge problem and if I got the grip right everything was fine but I was concerned that the day I needed that gun there might be a bit of stress involved and old mother Murphy would pay me a visit.

When I need a part for my 1911 I know right where to go, Brownells catalog, and I sure wasn’t disappointed. There were grip safeties with palmswells galore but being the curious sort I began to wonder about the height and length of them and questioning if they would work for me. Now I’m a cheap hardheaded guy and the fact that they sell thousands of these gismos without hearing complaints just wasn’t enough for me. Always willing to invest more time in a project than it is worth I began to think of ways to modify my grip safety and create the perfect custom palmswell.

As with every project the first step is to be sure the gun is unloaded, there is nothing more dangerous and embarrassing than an accidental discharge. Disassemble the gun and remove the Grip Safety. Using a circle gauge the grip safety on my gun showed the arc of the contact surface to be 1 inch in diameter. To keep things simple I ran down to the local hardware store and was able to buy a 12” piece of threaded steel pipe with a 1 inch internal diameter for less than five dollars. That gave me enough material to make a couple of dozen prototypes. To get a palmswell with some bite I used the threaded portion of the pipe but the smooth section will allow for more customization if you’re so inclined. I measured the width of the Grip safety, laid it out on the pipe threads with Dykum and cut it out using a hacksaw. Starting with a one-inch length of the threaded section I dyed some Acra Glas Gel black and glued it to the back of the grip safety. The palmswell can be soft soldered in place if you prefer but by using Acra Glas you can save the finish on the grip safety and not have to refinish it.

Well. I wanted grip with bite and I certainly got it! The threads, as supplied, were far to sharp to shoot with any comfort. I also found that carrying them up to the curve of the grip safety was unnecessary, and painful to shoot. It looked neat but I needed to dull the tops of the threads and shorten the unit. I played around with the palmswell, shaping and then shooting it until I got something that worked for me. Some of the longer designs looked cool but didn’t workout due to the ergonomics of my fat stubby hands. In the end what I got is not as cool looking as some of the designs I tried but it is comfortable and works every time, THE critical consideration in a defensive handgun.

When viewing the pictures keep in mind that this is a duty gun not a decoration. I carry it every day in an armored car with a lot of sharp edged armored plate so it shows holster wear and scars from close encounters with some of that deburred steel. The photos should give you great insight into how to take a grip safety without a palmswell and make one to fit your hand and your needs. This is a project suitable for a hobbyist as it is not difficult and the end result will reflect your own sense of style.