1911 Grip O Rings?? Silly me!!

[SW MP15]

I love my S&W's and Colt 1911's. That's just me? And recently picked up a Stainless Colt Government XSE and bought a set of Stag grips with silver medallions for it. A perfect match! And I might add, bought them from a well known grip and knife maker. Anyway I received the grips and they are beautiful!!! And look GREAT on the stainless! BUT, when I installed them, one was loose! Wouldn't tighten up? The screw bottomed out against the bushing! One grip was made a little thinner? Just a thousands, but just enough to keep it from seating. We all know stag is not perfect? And I was afraid I would break it, trying to over tighten it. I was heart broken! And couldn't stand the loose grip or the rattle! But they look so DANG good on it! I even thought about sending them back to the maker?

So I hunted the ole inner-web about loose 1911 grips and stumbled upon a article about 1911 grip screw o-rings? WHAT? I've Never heard of them! Never seen any? I've been collecting for years! Thought I'd seen it all? It seems all the yuppies use them on their 1911 hi-traction type grips that I can't stand!! So I ordered some off of eCrud (you know the worlds largest auction/rip off site) and got them today.

They WORK!!! They only cost me about $5 for 12. And I'm thrilled!! Absolutely perfect!

So I guess you can teach a ole dog a new trick!!

So I'll use them on all my 1911's from now on. They say they'll stop the grip screws from backing off and even help Wollowing the holes out on my expensive Custom Shop Grips! Or for fragile Ivory! Win Win.

All over a silly little rubber washer. Now I can sleep at night knowing my Stags fit PERFECTLY!! LOL

 

[shotgun693]

I could never figure out why the Colt 1911 had that goofy two piece screw to hold the grips on.

 

[Maddog 521]

You can also get those # 60 O-rings at any hardware or big box lumber store. They're a pretty cheap fix that works.

 

[824tsv]

The only thing missing from your thread is the PIC'S!!!

 

[Bullet Bob]

"I could never figure out why the Colt 1911 had that goofy two piece screw to hold the grips on."
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I'm sure that somebody somewhere knows the definitive answer; I'm even more sure that a lot more people think they do.

I'm not either one of those.

The best info I've seen is that the metal in the 1911 grip frame isn't very thick, so the fine threads used in the bushings can hold better, while giving the coarser threads of the grip screws themselves something to hold onto. Also, they give the thin grips of a 1911 more support.

Of course, JMB didn't know that far in the future people would spend more time taking his gun down to the last spring than they would shooting them.

The #60 o-rings work, but usually the screws will stand proud of the grips, unless like the original poster there's some extra slack in the grips to begin with. Challis sells o-rings that work great, and there's about a thousand other fixes if you have the problem of them coming loose - purple loctite, nail, polish, regular grease, bat tail stew, etc.

Edited to add random thought: Maybe it was a government requirement, like the grip safety.

 

[Watchdog]

I could never figure out why the Colt 1911 had that goofy two piece screw to hold the grips on.

Not sure what you're referring to as "two piece screw". If you're referring to the bushings, if the threads somehow get stripped, you can replace them. Seems pretty sensible to me.

 

[BigBill]

The area the bushings is screwed into is thin. It calls for a larger fine thread. The screws would strip out in the thinner materal

 

[Cyrano]

"I could never figure out why the Colt 1911 had that goofy two piece screw to hold the grips on."
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there's about a thousand other fixes if you have the problem of them coming loose - purple loctite, nail, polish, regular grease, bat tail stew, etc.

That's a real waste of good bat tail stew!

 

[GerSan69]

Not sure what you're referring to as "two piece screw". If you're referring to the bushings, if the threads somehow get stripped, you can replace them. Seems pretty sensible to me.

But what about when it's the threads for the bushing itself that get stripped? I have a used 1911 with that problem. 1 out of 4 is stripped...guess it's gunsmith time for a little repair.

 

[arjay]

There's a kit you can get from brownells with a tap and slightly larger bushings, btdt.

 

[LoboGunLeather]

For many years there was only one source for 1911-style pistols, and that was Colt. The term "standard dimensions" had some meaning, within very small manufacturing tolerances.

Now there are at least a dozen companies making 1911-style pistols on several continents. The term "standard dimensions" has less meaning, and manufacturing tolerances can be a bit broad.

Grips that are precision made to "standard dimensions" may fit some pistols very well, but not others. When a set of grips will not snug down completely on a particular pistol there are a couple of possible cures:

1. Replace the grip screws and bushings with shorter versions, usually intended for installation of very thin grip panels. This will cost about $10 or so for the parts.

2. Install rubber O-rings on the grip screws, then run them down snug. This will usually cure the problem, and the cost is under a dollar.

Ideal O-ring dimensions are 1.5mm ID, 3mm OD. A more common size that does a good job is 1/8" ID, 1/4" OD. In bulk quantities the O-rings will usually cost about $0.05 each. In a retail hardware store you might expect to pay about $0.20 each.

The guys selling by the dozen at $5.00 for use on 1911 pistol grip screws are making a pretty good little profit on each sale.

 

[jlrhiner]

I've posted this before, but when you get a loose bushing to frame fit, place the point of a toothpick in the hole in the frame and reinstall the bushing. Not a permanent fix, but it is surprisingly strong.

 

[Rick_A]

Colt's standard dimensions have been quite broad themselves from time to time.

That said I've never had grips loosen on a 1911 and I hope this internet grip screw curse will not affect me

 

[GerSan69]

There's a kit you can get from brownells with a tap and slightly larger bushings, btdt.

Thanks, Arjay! Purchased!

 

[Grayfox]

Yes, the frame where the grip bushings go is a bit on the thin side and there's really only a couple of threads holding the bushing in place. That's why properly installed grip bushings are staked on the inside to help keep them from working loose.
They make a special tool just for this. Grip Bushing Staking Tool
BTW: the most common cause of loose bushings is over tightening the grip screws. The screw wedges in the bushing and tries to back the whole thing out when you try to remove the grip screws.

 

[arjay]

I used a tiny drop of blue loctite on the bushings I've had to replace

 

[03hemi]

Yep, hardware store is where I get mine.

 

[Collo Rosso]

I prefer star washers. Thinner than O-rings so the screw heads don't stand proud of the grips.