Beavertail upgrade help

[oscarflytyer]

I have a 1911A1 clone (Thompson Auto Ordnance; Worcester, MA) in straight GI guise. Want to keep it that way as much as possible, but the std grip safety eats the web of my hand up - still have the scar from the very first round I ever fired in the Army...

Every aftermarket beavertail grip safety I look at says it takes gunsmith fitting. I read the beavertail sticky above, but don't know enough for it to be completely helpful. I am somewhat handy with simple gunsmithing tasks.

How hard is it to fit one of the beavertails? What is required? It doesn't have to be a 'race gun' design, just wide enough and long enough to ride up and over the meaty web of my hand to alleviate breaking the skin every time I shoot.

The part is not that expensive. Should I give it a go on my own (and willing to screw one up and go back to a gunsmith)? Or engage a gunsmith? Any information and recommendations are appreciated. Thanx

Steve

[MoneyTree]

Welcome to the forum Oscar ! Hopefully someone will now jump in and answer your question . I'd personally use a gunsmith but then I'm not very handy when fitting new parts . Good luck .

[kenhwind]

If you install a drop in grip safety you need to change the hammer to the round one. If you want to keep the spur hammer than, that's an issue.
Anyway Wilson Combat makes a drop in grip safety, so did Kings Gun Works. See the parts thread Kings # 203, maybe its a gunsmithing thread.
Its not a big deal to install the drop in type.

Ken

[gfavaron]

There are some novel beavertails out there which will accommodate a spur hammer but they aren't drop in, and quite frankly are a bit strange looking to me. The Wilson drop in requires you also fit a Commander (round or oval) type hammer. Other than that it is an easy modification to make.

[oscarflytyer]

Great info! I like the spur because it is the nearly the same as my SA revolvers. But I have no problem going to a round hammer vs original spur if that is required to get to a drop-in beavertail.

Looks like I will order both the round hammer and a drop-in BT and give it a shot myself.

Thanx again.

[rock_bond]

Great info! I like the spur because it is the nearly the same as my SA revolvers. But I have no problem going to a round hammer vs original spur if that is required to get to a drop-in beavertail.

Looks like I will order both the round hammer and a drop-in BT and give it a shot myself.

Thanx again.

theres fella on here that has a couple ria's and he bobtailed the spur hammer when installing the wilson combatdrop in beavertail.

[Cap]

that's me

I was too cheap to buy a hammer
(honestly, I was too insecure about fitting a new hammer to the sear, being a complete absolute rookie neophyte when I installed the drop in)

anyway, if you don't want the added expense of a new hammer, just bob off 1/8" or so of the spur.
sand finish smooth, and a touch of cold blue

it will look like this


http://i70.photobucket.com/albums/i84/larycap/Picture482.jpg

those are both Wilson drop-ins with stock spur hammer bobbed

it's tough to get the safety to blend well with the frame tangs.
I took quite a bit of steel off the safety to keep it from sticking out so far below the tang/frame area.

you can see in it in this pic a little better.
Notice at frame and tangs.
i filed quite a bit off and called it good enough for now

http://i70.photobucket.com/albums/i84/larycap/100_0045.jpg


I worked on this one a little more and got it as best I could

http://i70.photobucket.com/albums/i84/larycap/Picture768.jpg

still not as good as a fitted non drop in, IMO
I would been farther ahead to buy the GS jig to radius the frame tangs and fit a GS

other than cosmetics, the drop in functioned fine

..L.T.A.

[kenhwind]

This is were the "Drop in upgrade" is a misconception. apparantly the RIA was polished or finished slightly higher than a "GI spec" gun. A bobbed hammer is an old option, and what I mean is that is was done when all of these upgrades were created.
Changing the hammer or sear can lead to some other issues for sure, unless an ignition kit is installed, and then the thumb safety may not be right.
Ken

[wjkuleck]

I have a 1911A1 clone (Thompson Auto Ordnance; Worcester, MA) in straight GI guise. Want to keep it that way as much as possible, but the std grip safety eats the web of my hand up - still have the scar from the very first round I ever fired in the Army...

Every aftermarket beavertail grip safety I look at says it takes gunsmith fitting. I read the beavertail sticky above, but don't know enough for it to be completely helpful. I am somewhat handy with simple gunsmithing tasks.

How hard is it to fit one of the beavertails? What is required? It doesn't have to be a 'race gun' design, just wide enough and long enough to ride up and over the meaty web of my hand to alleviate breaking the skin every time I shoot.

The part is not that expensive. Should I give it a go on my own (and willing to screw one up and go back to a gunsmith)? Or engage a gunsmith? Any information and recommendations are appreciated. Thanx

Steve

Here's my original M1911 with a beavertail I added about thirty years ago. This pistol came with the original short-spur 1918-vintage grip safety and wide hammer; chewed my hand up something fierce. Don't know if you can still get that "drop-in," though:

http://www.fulton-armory.com/PatchworkColt-800.jpg

Installing a "gunsmith-fitted" beavertail is not a really tough job. There are hardened guides down to which you file the existing tang. It takes a bit of artistry to blend in the part, but all you need to do the job is the installation jig and a selection of files and abrasive papers. When you're done, you'll have to refinish the frame, of course.

Regards,

Walt