For purposes unknown (LOL), Friend & Reader JC in PA sends me this link about a gun:
Of course, there’s a lot to like about this gun (it’s a 1911, for starters): Novak-style sights, lightweight hammer, beavertail grip (hammer bite, for the alleviation of), to mention just some.
For me, the flies in this lovely ointment are the extruded grip safety (unnecessary and a massive irritant in an extended range session) and of course the fact that it’s chambered for the Europellet.
Nevertheless, I think it’s a Good Thing (albeit not for me and in any event, I own a sufficiency of 1911s, and properly chambered withal).
Some might ask: Why not just use a Browning-type SA-35 (High Power), if one wants to use a John Moses Browning-designed gun?
There’s no reason not to, of course; as any fule kno, I yield to no man in my love of the High Power (despite its Europellet chambering).
If one is going to go the Euro way and use the 9mm Parabellum, then both are sound choices — the 1911’s shorter barrel may even make it more portable than the full-size High Power.
The problem, however, is that deciding on the 9mm does open up the choice of gun, bigly. Sticking with all-steel construction, there’s the CZ 75 series (e.g. the compact):
…not to mention the full-size SIG P210 (a longtime favorite of mine):
…and of course, the Beretta line (e.g. the 92X Performance):
…to mention but some.
Once you go completely over to the Dark Side and espouse such filth as the plastic guns, of course, the choice expands exponentially, and this post has gone on long enough already.
So thanks, JC; but I’ll be sticking to my beloved 1911 .45 ACP guns. If ever I do want to downsize, I’ll step down to the short-barreled Combat Commander type:
…but that’s as far as I’ll go.
Springfield makes damn good guns. Whether you like plastic or metal, 9 or 45, big or small.
Hahahaha! The Garrison is made in both 9mm AND .45, and the link was to compare the beauty of the gun with the original lines (mostly—the beaver tail is modern, but no front cocking serrations, light rail, magwell funnel, or other tom foolery to cock up the looks) and some other 1911 they also make but which has ALL of the aforementioned nonsense on it and makes it look absolutely awful. Squared off trigger guard (ugh!), big blocky rectangular things machined into it—you get the idea. From an aesthetic perspective it would be akin to dressing Sophia Loren in her prime in something like Lady Gaga’s meat dress. Oy vey! What they did to JMBs beautiful pistol!
It wasn’t (specifically) about the caliber, And a friend has the Garrison in good old .45 ACP like Saint JMB and God intended. Interestingly, you chose the CZ line of pistols to add to the post. Those are my favorite 9mms, although I also love the Beretta 92. That should not surprise me because over the years, I’ve discovered that you and I have very similar tastes in the looks of our favorite firearms, and those two examples are almost as gorgeous as the 1911. Almost. I love the compact CZs (metal, of course), but will likely never own one as I’ve picked the Wilson SFX9 as my 9mm carry gun, along with an often carried Kimber Compact (4”) CDP in good old .45.
About the bump on the grip safety, there is a reason for it, and two solutions to your issue with it. When I coach new shooters, I try not to badger them about all the minutiae you see on the YooToobz by the tactical instructor crowd—if they are shooting OK and having fun, I try not to correct their stance or change things that seem comfortable to them. But one thing I insist on is a proper grip, I tell them if it is uncomfortable, that’s a sign they are doing it right, and they should practice until it feels comfortable and natural to them. And one of the most frequent grip problems is them crossing their thumbs rather than having them laying parallel to each other pointing down range. When they do this, on a standard grip safety, there is a good chance they won’t activate it, and that is what the bump very effectively eliminates. With proper grip, the bump is unnecessary.
The two solutions? On my favorite 1911 (I’ll put a link to the work I commissioned on it and photos below) I pinned the grip safety so it is always depressed. GASP! HORRORS! If I ever use it in a defensive shooting I’ll have no chance of winning my case because of it!
Poppycock! Jeff Cooper advocated the same thing, and many of the original competitive shooting greats did the same thing. JMB’s original design did not even have a grip safety, the Army asked him to add one later for some reason. And of course, he did not include one on the Hi-Power. Nor does the CZ-75 have one. These guns are all best carried cocked and locked with one in the pipe. The bump solves the potential issue with not activating the GS, but just pin the damn thing and don’t worry about it.
Or, solution #2, already mentioned, do away with it altogether, a la Hi-Power or CZ. My SFX9 does not have one. Although associated with the 1911, a GS is not a necessary part of the design, and the gun probably would have been better off without it (although the original thumb safety was wholly inadequate) and hammer bite could have been eliminated by slightly bobbing the hammer and extending the tang at the top of the back strap slightly.
Anyhoo, here is a link to my retro 1911 project, which shows you how much I love the original lines of the gun, with plenty of gun porn to look at. This is the gun I pinned the safety on.
Cheers,
https://www.1911forum.com/threads/my-john-harrison-work-of-art-is-back.147589/#post-1281477
Thankfully, most of the photos are still there, although one of two are broken. Check out John Harrison’s masterful reworking of a Cylinder & Slide oversized thumb safety to be actually functional but to not do much violence to the design. I love this gun.
My first thought was that’s a really nice looking 1911. Didn’t really think much past that until I read your comment. I had to scroll back up and look again. You’re right, of course, none of that tacticool bullshit is on there, just a plain and simple 1911 and it looks so much better that way.
And let’s face it, I’m no “operator”. I’m never going to mount a flashlight, laser, range-finder, red dot, blue dot, scope, and forward grip to the damn thing anyway. So I don’t fucking need rails and stuff. And I’m not John Motherfucking Wick either, so no cool but unnecessary moves to rack the slide after reloads either. Forward cocking serrations are again not needed. If the first 7 rounds don’t solve my problems, I’m pretty much hosed since I rarely carry a spare mag anyway.
If I didn’t already have several old 1911’s laying around already I’d definitely take another look. As it is I’m in the market for another .38 snub, but who knows what will catch my fancy once I dare myself enough to walk back in a gun store.
My thoughts exactly!
However, I do suggest you carry a spare magazine. NOT for extra rounds, if 7 .45 ACP hollowpoints don’t solve your problem you are somewhere you shouldn’t be. I think the main reason to carry a spare mag is because mags can fail. I have Cobra mags in my .45s so they never have, but they can.
When I carry my Kimber Compact CDP I carry one spare mag only. I don’t expect a magazine-induced failure, but wouldn’t it suck if you had one that ONE time you need the damn thing?!
JC,
you are repeating an old story about the grip safety. You can look up photos of the original Government Test Guns on the web. The grip safety was the ONLY safety that JMB designed for those Test guns. After the gun was accepted for Army use, a thumb safety was requested. I have seen no info on whether he had any input on that addition, or if Colt engineers handled it in house.
The only problem that occurs with the grip safety is Cooper’s demand that one shoot with your thumb on top of the thumb safety. The ergonomics of this change in hand shape to accomplish this pulls the palm of your hand away from the backstrap/grip safety. Even Cooper, with his large, meaty hands, couldn’t reliably keep it depressed, which is why he had his 1911’s pinned. This problem is also why it became so common for gunsmiths to add rough surfaces all over the gun in an attempt to get the gun to stay in place in your hand. The addition of the beavertail with the undercut frame to get the gun to sit lower in the hand magnified the problems. This is the reason for the bump at the bottom of the grip safety. The palm of your hand ends up so far from contact with the backstrap that the gun WILL move around under recoil. Your palm is only in contact at the bottom of the palm and at the web. Putting your thumb on top of the thumb safety to shoot leaves you with only TWO POINTS OF CONTACT. The gun WILL move around. Cooper’s idea of shooting with the thumb on the safety was probably his only mistake.
JMB put a grip safety on several handguns. May have also done it on a long gun. When you look at photos of JMB shooting guns in a casual situation, he shoots left handed. Only in official photos is he seen shooting right handed. A grip safety makes a cheap ambi safety. He wanted to make firearms cost effective and left hander friendly.
Never been disappointed in my 92FS but I’m always on the lookout for others.
Do you have the old school black 92FS or an Inox in silver?
I prefer the Sig P229 series. Would also at some point like to get a 226 maybe but for now the P229 does well.
I like old school DA SA. I have striker guns too but DA SA is great.
The cost of these guns has gone up a lot lately like everything. I hope you find a good price if you find something to add to your collection.
Didn’t like the long reach that my thumb had to make on the 92FS to engage/disengage the safety, so a bought a Taurus 92 which has the safety down on the frame where it belongs – and Beretta final got a clue about that. Plus, the Taurus got me a free de-cocker.
While I don’t take issue with 9mm, in fact , having more 9’s than 45’s, I just don’t get the point of a 9mm 1911. One of my sons in law has and carries one and is quite content with it, but if I’m going to carry a full size shooting iron in 9mm it will likely be a hi power or a Beretta px4 or a sig 226. For more a compact hammer gun, I believe Girsan makes a compact hi power and beretta makes a px4 compact. There are many more choices but I’m only mentioning what I could pull out of my safe. My EDC is a S&W shield as its the most concealable of my non 22 guns.
If only the safety was on the correct side for us lefties.
I’ve become halfway decent at installing ambidextrous safeties on 1911’s after doing it 4 or 5 times. It never seems to “click” as well as the original, always a little mush in there, but they work. But yeah, I wish companies would better cater to those of us who are sinister.