1911 for large hands?

[boy412]

How much can a "single stack" 1911 be "tuned" for those shooters with larger hands? Picked up a Sig 226 Blackwater that felt like a glove in my hand. I'm wondering how much of that feeling I can get on a 1911? Out of the box they feel kind of skinny in my hands.

Sorry for the noob post...I'm still feeling my way through my first gun purchase.

:)

[redhart]

check out the Pachmayer wrap around grips

[Chris_B]

Unless you're Andre the Giant...all you'd need is some wide grips on a single stack 1911. The 1911 ain't a small pistol...just how f'n big are you?? :confused:

[Chui]

You can obtain all manner of custom grips. Larry Davidson Knives is a great source for custom grips - some of them are wider than normal, too.

If the Sigarms fits you then definitely go for it. I don't like the expensive, slippery (and bulky for me) grips but everyone is unique.

[orionengnr]

Just out of curiosity--why not take advantage of those large hands and get a double-stack 1911?

[alfack]

Also, some models have a flat back-strap and others have a curved one. The curved one will give you a slightly longer reach. They can be easily swapped out.

[boy412]

None of the 1911's I've been looking at are available in a widebody. I'm not a huge guy, but my hands are larger than average. If I can make a 1911 fit my hand like that 226 Blackwater (fancy wood grips making the difference?) then I'll be happy.

Thanks...

[CortJestir]

I believe Para USA makes a couple of double stack 1911's that may fit you better. I saw one today at the range - 14+1 capacity in .45ACP. Nice looking gun too...have no idea how they shoot or how reliable they are though.

[Cloudpeak]

STI makes some very nice, double stacks.

http://www.stiguns.com/

Cloudpeak

[boy412]

Not really a fan of STI. They look a bit garish to me. If I can get away with a single stack by adding wider grips my choices are much broader. Looking at a lovely Dan Wesson PM7 at the moment.

[azredhawk44]

Blasphemer.

The 1911 fits all hands, great and small.

:)

Another thing you can do to trim the feel of it is to increase or decrease the "length" of the trigger. it will sit more forward or back in the trigger guard, making the length of pull from fingerpad to the meat of your hand vary based upon what you're looking for.

A non-1911 that might feel good to you, if you like a long trigger reach, is a CZ-75. Something to fondle in the next gunshop you go to, at least... it should tell you if you want a longer trigger reach or a fatter mag well.

[TacticalDefense1911]

There are plenty of different grips available for the 1911; you should be able to find one that fits you just right without any problems. Hogue's 1911 grips will add quite a bit more surface area to the grip, plus they are cheap and work very well.

Double stack 1911 you say :confused::barf:

:D

[boy412]

Ha ha...

Thanks for all the input everyone. I feel more confident that I'll be able to adapt my 1911 of choice to my hands. And I will check out that CZ if I can find one at the local gunshop(s). Not averse to spending some $ to make my new gun fit my hands better. I'm already planning to drop over $1k so why nt a few more bucks for comfy grips!

Cheers...

[JDG]

I put some Davidson Horned Lizard grips on my S&W 1911, they were quite a bit fatter than oem grip panels, and gripper then grip tape:D

[Tom2]

Ditto for some stag horn grips I had on a Colt once. They were plenty thicker than regular wood grips as they apparently make them that way to avoid breakage? Made the grip feel alot rounder and fuller in the hand. And they can make the gun look nice too. Cheaper than ivory. Actually they were a bit much for me and I sold the grips. Maybe if you tried an arched instead of flat mainspring housing. That adds a little bit to the grip profile too. Or those Pachmyer rubber grips that wrap around the frontstrap adds bulk to the grips also. Those are the cheapest way to fill in a bit and maybe you can try and bring them back to the store if they don't help.

[Catfishman]

I have always wanted to like the 1911 but the grip feels skinny to me also. If I was going to buy a 1911 I would shoot a double stack and see how I liked it before I bought an expensive add-on for an expensive gun, all the while hoping I would like the end result.

I have fired a Llama double stack 1911 and I liked it. But there has to be higher end, better quality, prettier ones available.

[Hirlau]

I completely understand, my 1911 feels small in my hand also;
"<>;?.Oh, Ahh, Sorry,:o that was my "Snubbie" I was talking about. :eek::eek:

[pilpens]

I put approx 7mm thick checkered wood grips and flat mainspring housing. Feels better than the 6.7 mm factory rubber grip.
The VZ gatorback I have feels thinner than the factory rubber grip.
Houge wraparound rubber grip will make it fell think also.

[robctwo]

When I moved to a 1911 I bought some Hogue palm swell grips to get more bulk in the grip. I was used to Sigs, 226 and 220, Glocks, BHP and CZ75. All double stacks except the 220. I have smallish hands and now prefer the slim grips on the 9mm 1911 and regular on the .45. Let me know if you would like to try the palm swells and we might do a deal.

[HorseSoldier]

I've got really big hands and don't have to do any special modification to a 1911 to make it fit well in my hand. In my opinion, it's just a different feel than a double stack pistol design. Some people advocate that arched main spring housings and possibly longer triggers, but I just don't feel a need for them personally.

I wouldn't invest too much time and money in revamping a basically stock 1911 grip profile before at least taking one out for a spin and seeing how it treats you.

[Tom2]

I still say you can buy or have made, 1911 grips as fat or as round as you want them to be. There is a limit on how thin they get for little hands, but you can add all you want. So you might have to buy some grips. Do you balk at getting better fitting grips for a revolver?

[Slopemeno]

Find a set of Breskovich "Advantage" grips. They are steel plates that go under the stock grips.

You can also find longer-than-stock triggers from Brownells. I think trigger reach will take you where you want to go, not necessarily grip width.

[longcall911]

My SW1911PD wasn't very comfortable which was rather disappointing after spending $1100.00 for it. (Good reason to try before you buy). Anyway, a month ago or so I put Pachmayer grips on and it completely changed the feel.

Now, it fits my large hands perfectly and I absolutely love the gun. It has also helped reduce muzzle flip, or so it seems anyway.

The thing is, you may have to try a few different grips. Maybe I got lucky on my first try, or maybe the Pahmayers are just that good, I don't really know. But bottom line, it is the best $35 I've spent on a pistol for sure.

/*tom*/

[Hunter Customs]

Wider grips, arched mainspring housing, and a long trigger should do the job.
Regards
bob Hunter
www.huntercustoms.com

[schmeky]

I had the same problem, the 1911 grip felt to "skinny" in my hands. I made what I call a set of "grip tuners". I took some old wood grip panels and shaved them to about 3/16" thickness.

I then added as needed until I had a perfect grip for me.