Why I don't have Ducktails, et al

[1911Tuner]

As promised...

This thread isn't meant to inflame, nor to challenge anyone's choices as to
custom accessories on their 1911 pattern pistols. It's simply an examination of some valid points that bear consideration before they're accepted or rejected. Diff'rent strokes for diff'rent folks applies
in full measure.
________________________

The issues that I have with the upswept grip safeties lie in repeatability
under stress and under extremely short time limitations, such as one will
very likely experience in a real-worldkilling situation.. Since my useage of the 1911 pistol is purely defensive in nature, I'm not concerned with what is comfortable on the target range, I have to go with what will give me the edge...because I have a real need to carry. I've posed these ideas to several experienced people who understand the difference between
range and street, and they all seem to agree.

I don't care for this style of grip safety mainly because they don't provide me with a spot weld on the grip of the gun. There simply isn't a positive index point for my hand to find in a hurry. The standard safety tang offers a positive stop which doesn't force my hand to search for its place the way
that an upswept safety does. The old beavertail safeties offered the
same comfort as the upswept safeties do without presenting a sloped
surface that can and does allow my grip to shift...during the grab from the leather and during recoil. The spot-weld is an advantage during a high-stress weapon aquisition in that I don't have to adjust my grip should I fail to get the correct grip...I can only grip it one way in the vertical plane...
with the web of my hand hard against the underside of the tang.

Long-range riflemen understand the importance of the spot weld. I've
come to transfer that practice to the defensive pistol...and it does make a difference. Since the pistol must be an extension of my hand, that's where the spot weld should be.

The Checkered Front Strap

Target accuracy with any weapon requires consistency, and target accuracy with a pistol requires consistency of the grip especially, to
keep from stringing shots. The pistol will readily throw shots from the group with even a slight change in grip. In this, the checkered strap
offers a surface that works to keep the pistol from shifting in the hand,
enabling the target shooter to focus on the sight picture instead of worrying
about whether he has the same grip as he did during the previous shot.
While this is an important consideration for the target shooter who strives for a string of perfect X's...the pistoleer who fights for his life hits what he must before it's too late.

During a hurried presentation, that non-skid surface can cause a problem that few truly consider until they have to shoot for blood. If the initial grip is misplaced slightly, it doesn't allow me to adjust my grip as easily or quickly because the texture has a grip on my fingers, requiring me to release my grip more than I'm comfortable with in order to adjust. That takes time, and time isn't something that I can afford if the situation has gotten bad enough for me to grab for the gun. It also requires breaking the strong grip on the gun as it came out of the holster, which can make it easier for an attacker to take it, even though it would seem that the texture would make it harder to do. My fingers still have to relax slightly in order to get the grip "right"...as opposed to simply milking the gun into correct position. For this reason, I don't have any sort of textured surface under my fingers. On the mainspring housing or backstrap..fine. Just not under my fingers.

Sticky rubber grips or grips with finger grooves are also on my list, and for the same reasons. Colt's black hard rubber grips are good, and so are
checkered wood grips unless the checkering is too sharp. Out comes the
scrape if they are...Same reasons.

Hi-Viz sights are okay for targets, but all my range practice is done reactively, quickly, and unsighted, other than a flash picture on the front sight only. Hi profile sights are just something else to hang up on clothing and foul a draw...even the ones that are melted or shaped. I subscribe to the Low-Drag/High Speed line of thought, and anything that might get in my way isn't on my pistols..not even my range beaters. A few of my range guns don't have a rear sight at all...Rear sights tend to slow me down
because I catch myself aligning them...and if I get in the habit of that, I'll do it in a fight. I'm thoroughly convinced that taking time to align sights
during a eat or git ate situation may well offer you the last thing that you will ever see on this side of the River Jordan.

The ramped Novak-type rear sights also prevent hooking the sight on a
pocket or belt for a one-handed slide rack. I don't care for the practice of pushing the recoil spring plug against a tabletop that may not be there, or a shoe heel that I may not have the time or opportunity to get to if I'm on the move. I CAN perform that trick on the run with a standard rear sight
by hooking it on my belt and pushing.

Front Slide Serrations/Grasping Grooves: Re-read the part about Low Drag/High Speed. I don't want the chance of anything slowing me down
for even a tenth of a second. Sometimes that tenth of a second determines who goes home and who doesn't.

Flat-topped/Serrated slides...Not an issue if they're there...not an issue if
they're not. Same for textured rear sights. They cut down on glare and provide a better sight picture if you use the sights...which I don't. A waste
of money, even if the gun comes with them. Machining operations cost
time and money for something that's not necessary on a fighting pistol.

I realize that this won't make sense to some. To others it will make perfect
sense. To a select few others, it will hit home. No flames intended...just food for thought.

 

[Dave Sample]

OOOPPPPSSSS!

 

[Dave Sample]

Very Interesting. No flames taken. You have just made everything I did to 1911 pistols for my clients seem like a waste of time and money. The problem is that you have never been in a gunfight with one of my 1911's. I guess the only thing that is really neat here is that I do not take the money for doing these things any more and I guess I retired in the nick of time. I do not disagree with anything you say here because it makes sense to me that you have your personal view of being a Pistolero and what it takes to win the day. It is your life and you have to live or die with your belief system, as I do mine. I carry a 1911 LW Commander that very closely mirrors your taste in pistols. It is almost perfect for your tastes. It is what I can win a fight with, not what I did for other people who availed me of my services to them for Yankee Dollars. I did very nice work for them and they are still happy campers and got what they paid for regardless, of what we think is a proper fighting handgun. Remember what your Pappy said about Shine, Tuner. "That stuff is for Sellin', Not drinkin'!" What I teach other to build is one thing. What I did for my clients is another thing, and what I carry is the Real Thing. You have an interesting mind and never bore me! Give 'em hell, Tuner Man!

 

[9x19]

Give any man a podium and a lecture is sure to follow...

Some who shoot alot have found the beavertail (quite unlike the Colt or King's ducktail) and front strap checkering to be no hindrance to obtaining a fast, consistent grip.

To each according to their tastes... I'm just so very glad we have a choice!

 

[Andrew Wyatt]

the only thing i really disagree on is the rear sight issue. guns need both a front and rear sight.

 

[Jammer Six]

What I teach other to build is one thing. What I did for my clients is another thing, and what I carry is the Real Thing.

So what's the difference between what you teach people to build and the Real Thing?

 

[Dienekes]

Concur on smooth grips, although my main concern is the wheelgun. I use smooth non-fingergrooved stocks. They are a variant of a name-brand grip maker's standard pattern and have served me well for almost 25 years now. At speed the smooth stocks allow "en route" corrections of the grip if necessary--as sometimes occurs.

Finger grooves are not always where you would prefer them, and can interfere with subtle adjustments as well.

Something often overlooked but very real: revolvers allow a lot more latitude for individual shaping of stocks than almost any semiauto. With the semiauto you pretty much get what you see. It either fits you or it doesn't. Maybe you can adapt, and maybe you can't.

With some intelligent experimentation some very "high speed, low drag" stocks can be put on J and K frame revolvers. Ns, too, if your hands are big enough. Mine aren't, much to my chagrin.

As to projections and sharp edges, someone once said that a defensive gun should be so smooth everywhere that you could rub it all over your face.

 

[Old Fuff]

Duck-Butt Rear Ends: Originally came about as a solution to hammer bite. The first ones worked, and offered a solution to the problem, but they weren’t the only answer. Hammer bite is caused when the hammer can “pound the top of the grip safety’s horn and use it as a anvil.†If you modify the hammer spur a bit on the bottom and back end, the bite is greatly reduced and if you use an original specification hammer spring it works even better. I believe Jeff Cooper originated the use of a Commander hammer in a Government Model along with a modified USGI grip safety. If this is done correctly one can pull the hammer backwards from the full-cocked position and depress the safety and then lower the hammer one-handed. When it is done incorrectly – which is common – it takes two hands to lower the hammer, which isn’t good. The currently popular “elongated Commander†hammers have to be used with a duck-butted safety, otherwise they’d be the worst biter of all time.

These days it is difficult if not impossible to buy anything that hasn’t been “duck-butted†except for the least expensive Mil-Spec models from different manufacturers. Clearly the traditionalists are loosing out to the competitor crowd when it comes to accessorized 1911 pistols. The more extreme designs I think, look grotesque, but to each his own. I suspect the traditional grip safety will disappear soon after the Old Fuff’s time runs out.

Checked Forestraps: Tuner is “right on†about this. Checkered or stippled forestraps are very effective on bullseye target pistols where you hold the pistol in the weak hand while carefully wrapping the strong one around the handle to get and keep the “exactly correct grip.†If you grab the gun and get it wrong you’re up the creek. Bill Jordan pointed out to me that his revolver grip wasn’t checkered at all for the exact reasons Tuner explained. He was also against finger grooves for the same reason. In particular he said that the factory-made grooved grips were a case of one-size-fits-all, when it was likely in most cases they wouldn’t fit any at all.

Sights: My vision is long gone, but I like blocky, wide but low front sights combined with a low rear sight with a wide notch. Many rear sights have a “target shooter’s notch†which is too narrow for fast work. Some rear sights look like they were designed in a wind tunnel, and I see no reason this needs to be the case.

Slide Serrations At The Front: I think were first used by the competition crowd that mounted optical sights on their guns. When a pistol is so equipped it is easier to grab the slide at the front rather then the back. As the guns I carry are not set up in this manner I have no reason for serrations anywhere except at the back. I suspect someday someone will offer a slide that’s serrated for its full length, and so end the discussion.

Flat vs. Round Contour On The Slide’s Top: This matter is so superfluous that it isn’t worth discussing. The difference is purely cosmetic, and going one way or the other doesn’t have any practical consequences.

Many if not most of the above adaptations were originally designed for combat game competitors, and they serve their needs well. However they may not be as useful on a pistol that’s intended to be a real fighting machine. Of course it may be said that very few pistol owners will ever get into a fight – my Daddy told me to avoid them as the could be hazardous to one’s health. The requirements that dictate what a weapon should be differ sharply from that portrayed in popular gun magazines, and are even further removed from those found on the various game circuits.

 

[Wildalaska]

That part about hookin the rear sight on a belt always makes me laugh...

I look at it a bit more real world...but hey to each his own..

Wilcarriesanosighted32anywayAlaska

 

[Dave Sample]

Good Stuff from the Ancient One. The gun I pack does not have a guide rod or a shok-buff in it. It has a standard thumb safety and slide stop that I serrated on the bottom. It has the original ring hammer that I checkered because I like 'em sticky. The front strap is smooth. The grasping grooves are stock and they put them on the rear of the slide where I like to have them. The slide has large stock Colt rear and an MGW staked on front. I lowered the port for better ejection. I replaced the standard Colt Barrel with a Kart NM Barrel and also did a bushing to match. The front sight has been filed down to point of aim with the GI Ball ammo I use in it. I can get it out of the leather in 1.3 seconds and put two in the chest with a double tap that sounds like one shot. I used to do a 6 shot El Presidente' in about 4.3 seconds. I have carried these kind of guns for over 50 years and have fired about 500,000 rounds in my career as a hired gun on both sides of the law. My last gunfight was October 21st of 1983 at about 2:00 PM and I won. I have been in many more situations when I did not need to fire a shot, but was glad I had that gun on my hip. I enjoy your opinions and am having fun with this kind of stuff. Fire away!



Put this in your smoke and pipe it!

 

[Zardoz]

"Give any man a podium and a lecture is sure to follow."

BWAHAHA! Looks like theres two of them!

FWIW, I have 1911 set up differently and it don't really matter but I'd rather have the high hold.

 

[MICHAEL T]

Thanks 1911Tuner, my wife will be glad to know Ive been doing something right. I agree with everthing you said. Ive considered useing a shotgun bead on my 45 should pick up faster at combat speed and distance. My Combat Commander is as came from Colt other than trigger taken down to 5lb and polished feed ramp. KISS works for me.

 

[1911Tuner]

re: Many Responses

Nine by said:

Give any man a podium and a lecture is sure to follow...

Not a lecture mah fren...just meat for a discussion. Ain't that part of what
THR is all about?
______________________

WildrealisrealAlaska said:

That part about hookin the rear sight on a belt always makes me laugh...
I look at it a bit more real world...but hey to each his own..

Uh...Okay. Well, never mind then. Laugh on, brother...

Let's drink to your never havin' to learn about reality on the fly with a
radio in one hand and a pistol in the other and you could light a cigarette
off the tracers goin' past...Laugh on. The sight on the belt trick isn't
one of these newly-discovered "tactical" things...I had it demonstrated to me by a Gunnery Sergeant who had improvised, adapted, and overcome after having his left arm shredded by frag trash in the mean streets of Hue two years earlier....but do carry on...hear?
_________________________


The first ducktail (as opposed to Beavertail) grip safety that I remembered seeing was on a game gun. (Actually, I later remembered seeing the safety on a Safari Arms pistol, but hadn't paid much attention, Safari Arms being what they were.) I said to myself..."Hello here! What's that?"
Since it was on TV, I wasn't able to get a close look, but I kept my eye peeled for that accessory on a live gun. it was about 6 months later that I actually saw one...on an early .38 Super racegun. My standard question has always been: "What's it for?" The answer was so simple that
I laughed at myself for not figgerin' it out. The shape allows for a high hold
on the gun, which in turn changes the way the gun torques in recoil, forcing
it more straight back. The shooter gets the gun back on target quicker for
the followup shot.(s) Ingenious! I couldn't wait to try one. I obtained one of my very own, and since the jigs weren't commonly available, I spent a
few hours carefully fitting one to an old GI pistol that had been wearing a Commander slide and hammer and a modified beavertail for several years.

I shot the gun with the ducktail. Nice! Feels good! I loved it..until I
started doing my usual drills, and I noticed that the lack of a spot weld
was causing me some problems. My time for the first shot on target from the leather was slower. After trying to adapt for the better part of 500 rounds, I went back to the standard safety, and have stuck with it. It works better for me...Your findings, of course, may vary.

Standin' by for more incomin'...

Tuner

 

[Rob96]

I kind of agree with most of the stuff said.

Grip Safety : I prefer the one that came with my Colts. The original grip safety lets me know the gun is positioned in my hand the way it should be. The upswept ones that are all the rage, just don't feel right to me. I can never get the gun in the proper position.

Front Strap : On this one I steer a little away from the above mentioned opinions. Both of my Colts have grip tape on them. I just prefer it that way. I like the grip I get.

Grips : One of my Colts has the factory rubber panels, the other one has Ajax polymer ivory grips, because thats how it was when I bought it. The Colt rubber are a little slimer, the polymer ivory are a little thicker, but both offer good feel. The ivory ones will probably get switched with a pair of wood panels.

Sights : I like the Colt factory sights, but recently changed the rear sight on one of my Colts when I had the front sight re-staked. I had George Smith install a Novak tap in rear sight. It fits the factory dovetail. It is the same height as the factory sight but has the angled profile. It gives a much better sight picture.

That pretty much breaks down how I have my 1911's set up, the way I like them.

 

[mete]

My 1911 is checkered on both front and back straps.However the checkering is flat top , not pointed . This makes it much easier on your clothing [I remember the S&W M39, notorious for wearing out your clothing]. It also provides a smooth enough surface to adjust your grip but at the same time when you squeeze down a very secure grip. You also have a choice of course or fine checkering .Twenty lines per inch is what I prefer but I have 30 lpi on one pistol.

 

[stans]

Well, lemme chime in on this one too!

Grip safety: Doesn't really matter to me, as long as it works, does not pinch or grab my skin, and protects my hand from the hammer. My IPSC 1911 does have an Ed Brown beavertail, no hump. When I installed mine, Ed had not yet thought of the hump. I think I like the hump better, but not enough to refit the gun.

The Checkered Front Strap: I like something to keep the gun from twisting in my hands, especially when my hands get sweaty. It doesn't have to be real sharp, don't need to be donating skin and blood to the gun, just a textured surface is fine with me.


Sticky rubber grips or grips with finger grooves: Absolutely hate finger grooves, none fit me! I do like Pachmeyer wrap around stocks, they give me a relatively non-slip grip and make the grip just fat enough for my hands without being too fat.

Hi-Viz sights. I thought this was a dab of flourescent green paint on the front and white on the rear sights. Nice for combat shooting, but the seasoned shooter really needs all black and in a do or die situation? What sights?


Front Slide Serrations/Grasping Grooves: Waste of time and money unless your gun has a scope and you cannot access the rear serrations or a slide cocking handle.

Flat-topped/Serrated slides: Don't care as long as they fit in just about any holster.

There you have it, yet another opinion!

 

[1911Tuner]

Opine Away!

stans said:

There you have it, yet another opinion!

Which is exactly what the thread is all about! Point/Counterpoint...
Food for thought and nothing more. Odd that some seem to take it
personally though...

 

[Delmar]

Where can I get a standard GI grip safety these days, especially for a series 80? I know you can grind down an old style but I would prefer not to do that if I can buy it off the shelf.
Seems a lot of people want to have upswept this or that, but not me.

I do not care for the front slide serrations, but there seems to be enough choice available so both camps can have their favorite.

I like the Pach grips myself-my hands are on the large side, and the grips are not so sticky to me, but smooth plastic or wood is okay too. The Pach grips obviate the need for skate board tape or serrations.

Hammers-I like the old wide style and the newer standard spur type, and thats about it. Mostly anything which will work with a GI grip safety.

Had my day with the extended slide stops and safeties-I personally don't need anything which sticks out and is the size of a Catapillar clutch pedal. The old thumb safeties are ok, but I do like the teardrop style Colt came out with quite a few years ago.
I'm a southpaw, but I find that I have better trigger control with my right hand, so ambi safeties don't figure into my rig.

Tried the full length guide rods too, but they didn't do much of anything for me except mar the bottom of my magazines on field stripping.

I do like the older wide low profile sights-they don't scrape leather or get shiny from repeated draws from leather.

Lowered ejection ports are okay too, but I handload and do not have ejection issues with what I make.

I do realize the benefits of stainless, but to me, there are few things more beautiful than a highly polished 1911 with Colt's royal blue finish or similar.

Long triggers/short triggers-doesn't much matter, and the mainspring housing can be arched or flat. I have flat-long trigger, arched long trigger, flat/short and flat/long setups on my 4, and do well with all.

Haven't tried the mag funnels yet, but haven't got the bug to try them either.

 

[farscott]

This one really interests me as I have a wide variety of Colt Government Models, from bone stock Series 70 models to customs built on Colt base guns. By trying different things, I have learned what works for me (but it may not work for others).

1) Checkering on the front strap both hinders my draw and presentation and inhibits practice. I have a desk job and soft hands, and my hands bled after several draws and a hundred rounds from a 30 lpi checkered front strap. Lots of practice allowed my speed and accuracy to improve, and a checkered front strap did not allow for optimum practice.

2) Serrating the front strap allows for me to keep a secure grip, not tear holes in my hands, and shoot well. Stippling also works well for me. Smooth front straps also work well for me.

3) Colt 1911's need a "carry bevel" to avoid tearing up leather holsters and cover garments. I prefer smooth grips to avoid damage to cover garments, and the smooth surface is not too much of a penalty since most of the grip "force" is applied to the front strap and mainspring housing. After lots of experimentation with rubber, wood, synthetic materials, and other natural materials, I decided on smooth ivory. It is smooth to the cover garments, but it grabs the hand nicely once grip pressure is applied. Ivory is not slick when the hand is wet or sweaty. Too bad the stuff is so expensive due to importation bans. Micarta also works well and is less than 20% of the cost of ivory; it is also more durable.

4) I practice with my sights, and my sights are mostly black serrated front posts and black rears. I do not like dots in my sights since I shoot the dots to a different POI versus the sight outline itself. I like the sights to be higher than the Series 70 Colt sights. Sight brand is a personal preference.

5) The flattened slide top makes the front sight appear taller, and I can acquire it faster due to the front sight appearing more prominent. It does not matter if the slide top is serrated, but it is elegant when combined with all of the other serrations. The flattened slide top can also act like a shotgun barrel rib when sighting without the sights.

6) Serrating the rear of the slide does reduce sight glare, but it is a maintenance headache. My Series 80 Colt keeps trying to start to rust in the rear slide serrations. All in all, this is something I will not do again.

7) Grip safeties are immaterial as long as one practices and the grip safety and hammer on the pistol do not cause pain. Stock spur hammers tear holes in cover garments. The original Commander ring hammer works really well.

8) For IWB carry, it does not matter if the pistol is an Officer's ACP, a Defender, a Commander, or a Government Model. So I carry the one I shoot the best.

9) I will rust a blued pistol if I carry it long enough in the summer. The fourteen hour days finally caught up to me. Nothing that did not polish out, but enough to convince me of the value of stainless steel, NP3, or hard chrome.

10) I do not need a FLGR. I do not need hex head screws although they are nice when one is dealing with ivory grips.

11) The stock Colt thumb safety works well for me. I have had some extended safeties wipe off in the holster, including the XS Defender safety and a Baer ambi. I prefer the stock Colt safety. I do not need the ambi safety.

What do I carry? A bone-stock Series 70 stainless pistol with the sharp edges broken that has enough rounds through it for me to trust or a very lightly customized stainless Series 70 with different sights, a carry bevel, and new fire control components. Third, my full-custom 1991 that John Harrison of Precision Gunworks did for me. In that order.

 

[45auto]

Good thread,

This is what "discussions" are all about, otherwise it would be boring.

I could live with everything you said except the beavertail. Since I shoot with the thumb on the safety I find the edged tangs of the standard grip painful when shooting. I never experienced true "hammer bite". I'm sure they could be modified, but at that point, I just put a beavertail on them.

A well fit Brown beavertail seems to give me that index point with my hand with how I grip. Not true with some other beavertails IMO and experience.
I think there is a BIG difference between the different styles IMHO.


The standard sights of the 1991A1 that I have (had) were fine, no better or worse than any other defensive type handgun you buy like a Glock, Sig, S&W, etc. I changed them because there are better sights for range stuff.

Bald front strap is fine. Serrations may be a compromise. I have both and can't decide to be honest. It is harder to adjust a grip with checkering or grip tape... I'm cheap.

I've never shot or handled the 1911, not the A1, but from pictures it seems that would be a better frame confiquration(rear tangs) with a low grip hold??

Smoke if you got 'em.

 

[BigG]

I think that anybody who selects a tool for a purpose should think about their needs and the purpose they are applying it to , try some practical tests, and then choose what will work best to satisfy those needs.

This is what pisses everybody off about an old curmudgeon like Jeff Cooper who gives a description of what works for HIM. The true believers hang on every word and punctuation mark trying to extract "hidden" meanings from Der Kernel's obscure prose. In reality, all JC is doing is what you Tuner did here: tell his audience how to make an intelligent decision although I don't think Jeff gave as clear a description as you did here.

The "1911" mfrs look at it as a cash cow and put on as many bells and whistles as their accountants will let them. Some features are kinda like lipstick on a pig. Makes em purdy but still a pig. Only kissin a pig won't kill you whilst using a substandard tool that won't work when you need it might.

Well done, ole chum!

 

[bradvanhorn]

Interesting thread...

'Tuner presents reasonable, understandable justification for why he chooses to build his guns a certain way. I've learned to do things differently, so my choices are different because my techniques are different. I see this as the joy of living in a society that offers some freedom of choice. In most cases we each can have it our way, though it may require more or less money for us to get what we want vs. what someone else manufactured for us.

Some of my choices include:

Grip safety - I prefer the higher, more comfortable grip I get with the upswept beavertail. I acquire my grip differently than most, so I don't have to seek the spot weld that 'Tuner finds more easily with the older generation grip safety.

Front strap - Finger grooves bug me to no end, but checkering and grip tape work very well for me. Again, I acquire my grip differently than most, so I don't worry about overcoming the grit/grip of checkering or grip tape to adjust my grip.

Rear sight - I like Novak-type rear sights because they accommodate my reloading and remedial action techniques better than the standard rear sight. I also learned different techniques for cycling the gun when I'm partially disabled, so the old hook the sight on the belt thing isn't necessary (but I do think it's a good technique to know).

Thumb safety - I like narrow (or "tactical") ambi-extended thumb safeties. My grip incorporates the positioning of the safety lever(s), so this works fine for my techniques.

Recoil Spring Guide Rod - I've gone back and forth on this one, but I've settled on standard length guide rods in all but my Delta Elite (2-piece tungsten FLGR installed). I find using the standard guide rod is just a lot more convenient for assembly/disassembly.

Mainspring housing - It seems to me the current trend is flat mainspring housings. I originally liked this idea, but I've since found that arched mainspring housings fill my hand much better, so I've put arched units in all my 1911s.

 

[1911Tuner]

A Few More Points to Ponder

We seem to be split about 50/50 on the questions.

A few points were made on the checkered front straps to the effect that
they helped some in grabbing and holding the gun correctly...and I can
understand how they can help on the range under mostly controlled
conditions.

A question still looms large in the debate between the game on the range and the game of Kill/Git killed...To wit:

Can you...or are you willing to bet your life that, when the awful time
comes that you have a need for the gun...that you'll be able to obtain
your firing grip in exactly the same way as you do on the range?

Will you be backpedaling to get away from a knife? Will you be sidestepping to get out of the way of the initial incoming fire? Will your
hand be clean and dry...or covered with mud...or blood? Will it be raining?
Snowing? Hands warm or cold? Will you even be on your feet when you slap leather? Can you get that correct grip on the gun when you suddenly
realize that the end of your life could be seconds away...under any or all of the adverse conditions described above?

All these things should be taken into consideration if we want to stack
the deck in our favor. Since our action will essentially be a reaction to an aggressor's opening stroke...it had better be a good one, or we stand a very good chance of losing that fight.

 

[BigG]

For me, the front strap checkering allows you to get the wrong grip and keep it. Nix on it. Smooth grip panels on my favored Colts, also. YMMV

 

[Mossyrock]

Friend Tuner,

So I am guessing, just guessing you understand, that the gun that is on my hip right now in Kramer leather would meet with your approval...

Engraved 1945-vintage Remington-Rand with a Storm Lake match barrel, Cylinder and Slide internals, Videki trigger, King's sights, GI thumb safety and McCormick Rosewood grips. The slide could stand to be tightened a touch, but I can ring the 200 yard gong with it as it sits and it's pretty enough for a Texas BBQ.