View Full Version : Random 1911 hammer question
txgunsuscg
December 17, 2009, 04:43 PM
I apologize if this has been covered somewhere before, but I did a search and didn't see anything. Can you utilize a Commander hammer without the beavertail safety? I know that if you install the safety, you have to install the hammer, but is it the same the other way around?
VHinch
December 17, 2009, 07:08 PM
You'll have to replace or modify the grip safety. The commander hammer won't have enough clearance for it's full range of motion with standard grip safety.
RickB
December 17, 2009, 07:11 PM
Or, you can do what I did, and cut off the part of the hammer ring that interferes with the grip safety. :eek:
Colt makes grip safeties already relieved for the Commander hammer, or, it's fairly simple to file or grind a semi-circular "bite" out of the grip safety.
dcody40
January 4, 2010, 06:41 PM
Look in the big toybook, I mean brownells catalog or on the web, you can find both the exact hammer and a beavertail grip safety you want and install both in just a few minutes if your handy with a small jewelers file. You sometimes have to file a tiny bit of metal off the grip safety tang, to get a smooth fit against the trigger bow. It's very easy to do, just look at the old parts and you will see what I'm talking about. Your new hammer may be just a simple drop in, use a small punch to get the hammer paw pin out and install this arm and pin in your new hammer. Good luck. BTW. All of my many 1911's have commander hammers on them, with various beavertails, except my gold cup, I wanted it left stock, no mods to the frame tail, so just bobbed the series 80 hammer and polished it up, then added a nice drop in beavertail, I got bit allot before that, no more. Have fun.
Retired Squidly
Duane
alloy
January 4, 2010, 06:45 PM
Irrelevant, so I omit.:)
Auto426
January 4, 2010, 07:29 PM
There are several common hammer/safety combinations used on 1911 style pistols today. The most common is probably the loop/skeletonized hammer and the beaver tail safety. However, you don't always need a beavertail safety with this style of hammer. Here are a few examples:
Colt uses a classic ring hammer and notched grip safety on it's blued 1991 Commanders. The safety is simply a G.I. style tang safety that has been notched out to make way for the ring of the hammer:
http://www.budsgunshop.com/catalog/images/D11/36/36335.jpg
Colt also uses the common elongated loop hammer with it's own so called "duckbill" safety. It works similar to a beavertail without being as large:
http://www.budsgunshop.com/catalog/images/D11/36/36433.jpg
Some people also have taken to simply grinding and shortening a standard G.I. style hammer to that it won't cause hammer bite.
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