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The
Safety Fast Shooting System
By: Rob Campbell
I have
carried the 1911 .45 caliber automatic pistol for
almost thirty years with complete confidence. For
most of that time, I carried the handgun in its
proper carry mode. That is cocked and locked,
Condition One. Hammer to the rear and the slide
lock safety on. The grip safety is never
deactivated on my pistols. On late model variants
I have enjoyed the addition of a positive firing
pin block or drop safety. Having seen sidearms
dropped or thrown hard enough to raise sparks, I
appreciate the many safety features of the Colt
1911.
There is
no pistol faster to a rapid accurate first shot
than the 1911, and none which allows such rapid
delivery of powerful anti personnel loads.
The very
action type which gives the pistol it’s deadly
efficiency is sometimes criticized on the basis of
safety. While this seems a contradiction politics
is often the final consideration. There are many
who are genuinely uncomfortable with a cocked
hammer near their tender bodies. I have had well
meaning comments from the public such as,
“Officer, your gun is cocked!”
In
revolver days, cocked revolvers did get holstered
and we were taught not to startle the man in such
a situation but to carefully alert him and let him
handle the problem-while we stood clear! Telling a
citizen or Chief the gun is supposed to be cocked
lent a kind of cavalier attitude to the carry
which was frowned upon. While I believe safety is
between the ears and favor the cocked and locked
handgun, this is a difficult situation to work
through when attempting to have a single action
auto cleared for duty use.
SAFETY
FIRST
There
have been attempts to convert the single action
Colt auto to self cocking or double action fire.
The Colt Double Eagle was one such disaster. You
simply cannot take a single action and install an
external drawbar and double action trigger and
have a viable double action pistol. The frame of a
purpose designed double action places the trigger
finger above the trigger, allowing the finger to
swing down in an arc and manipulate the trigger.
The frame and bore axis differ in a true double
action pistol. A lash up just doesn’t work,
making it a lousier double action than the true
double action. Self cocking levers such as the
Caravelle worked in a similar fashion to the
Heckler and Koch P7M8, cocking the hammer of the
Colt by pressing a lever. But these mechanisms
added unnecessary complication to a relatively
simple pistol. The problem has been to allow the
pistol to perform in its intended fashion while
eliminating cocked and locked carry. Well, the
locked part was no problem. The cocked hammer was
the red flag!
The
best answer to the problem yet seen can be found
in the Safety Fast Shooting system offered by
Cylinder and Slide Shop, incorporated. Originally
offered in a slightly different version by
Fabrique Nationale for the Browning Hi Power, the
SFS is now offered for both the Hi Power and the
1911. Cylinder and Slide Shop is a long time
supplier of quality parts and gunsmithing for both
the 1911 and the Hi Power. I have had excellent
luck in the past, using their parts in several
custom handguns. (The Maximum HI Power, Handguns
Annual, 2000) The SFS is offered as a factory
option by at least one maker of top end 1911s. The
firm is High Standard of Texas. There has been
some confusion as to who owns the High Standard
name, but documentation shows this firm is indeed
the real McCoy. You can once again buy a real High
Standard target .22 or have yours repaired by
trained experts. Tradition is wonderful, but as
far as the 1911 pistol goes the company can stand
on it’s modern merits. This gun is very well
executed. I chose to evaluate the SFS in this
pistol for many reasons, availability being
foremost. The 1911 sent by High Standard is their
G Man version. It is obviously intended as a SWAT
Team or operator’s pistol, built to exacting
Federal standards. The pistol is fitted with a
National Match barrel and barrel bushing, self
luminous iron sights, striking walnut grips, a
flat mainspring housing and long trigger, and
finished in space age Teflon. The pistol showed
excellent fit and finish. Preliminary inspection
showed good slide to barrel and locking lug to
slide fit. I could detect no rough spots at any
point when working the slide or inspecting the
action. According to my RCBS trigger pull gauge,
the trigger of the G Man broke at 3.5 pounds. This
trigger action would prove to be very crisp. I
double checked trigger compression at several
points during the test. It never fluctuated. Even
today, with 1,000 rounds fired in the gun, the
trigger remains crisp and clean. In typical 1911
fashion, the trigger has settled in a little
lighter with use. I am impressed with the
performance and accuracy of this pistol. As an
example, 1911 type pistols have a reputation for
requiring a break in period to insure reliable
operation. This often wears off high spots or even
a too long link. One or even two hundred rounds of
full power ammunition is required. The G Man
functioned out of the box. This function
continued, with the pistol feeding, chambering,
firing and ejecting each round fed it. The SFS
system is an option on the High Standard line and
a good one, but the pistol is an excellent
performer on its own merits. We did not
shortchange the SFS by evaluating it in a less
than top grade handgun. In practical terms, it
would be just as desirable in an economy grade
defense handgun.
The Safety
Fast Shooting System would hold little surprises
for a user of the Daewoo Fast Action pistol,
although the particulars are different. In a
cursory examination, the SFS is not readily
apparent.
To use the
SFS, load the 1911 in the normal fashion. Whether
dropping the slide on a loaded magazine or
actuating the slide by hand, the hammer is in a
cocked position when the pistol is loaded. Then
things become interesting. The hammer is pressed
forward until at rest. It is not in a half cock
position but close to the rear of the slide. The
slide lock safety pops up when the hammer is
lowered, locking both hammer and slide. As an
additional safety, a firing pin and hammer block
rises. To fire the gun the slide lock safety is
released. The hammer springs to the rear, ready
for a conventional single action trigger press.
The gun has not been converted to a double action
or double action only pistol. It is still a single
action.
This is a
interesting development, both practically and
tactically. I was able to test the pistol to its
mechanical and tactical limits and found the SFS
system viable, even desirable. Like many field
tests the results are subject to interpretation.
Clearly, the hard core 1911 fan will cling to his
cocked and locked pistol. But a sweeping margin of
young shooters and those who normally carry
another type of pistol found the SFS equipped High
Standard appealing. After a range test even the
most jaded 1911 fan admitted the SFS was no
liability. It works well.
The
SFS is easily installed by a competent gunsmith.
There are thirteen pieces, but the 1911 is not
complicated by a baker’s dozen of parts. Some
simply replace existing parts such as the plunger
spring, thumb safety (the new unit features a
ambidextrous safety), retaining pin, hammer strut,
mainspring, and hammer. The two piece hammer is
the main component of the SFS. The hammer(s) fit
together with the torque ring. There is a spring
contained within the hammer. The outer hammer is
the unconventional component and the only part of
the hammer normally visible. The inner hammer has
a hammer and firing pin blocking lever which makes
it impossible for the hammer to reach the firing
pin.
Operation
is simple. As described the pistol is made safe by
pressing the
hammer forward. The safety cannot be pressed on
when the pistol is fully cocked. When the hammer
is down, the safety locks both hammer and slide
and the safety block is in place. When the slide
lock safety is pressed downward, the inner spring
forces the outer hammer to the rear, making the
gun ready to fire. It takes a while to get a
understanding of the SFS. Once the first shot is
fired, the pistol behaves as any other single
action pistol.
The SFS
should be installed by a competent gunsmith. Self
defense is too important to leave anything to
chance. As 1911s are pretty individual, some
fitting may be required. I was warned by another
shooter-not anyone at C and S-that the trigger
action might be harder with the SFS installed.
This did not prove true. Lock time was another
question. However, the pistol proved very accurate
and consistent with constant trigger action. There
would have been vertical stringing if lock time
varied and the gun could not of been so accurate.
The G Man produced two inch groups with Speer Gold
Dot ammunition, with a few brilliant groups closer
to one and one half inch at 25 yards. The SFS
certainly does not limit accuracy potential.
The
question is how would the SFS perform in a
critical situation. The G Man was representative
of a properly installed unit in a high grade
pistol. I put the pistol to the test.
I
collected a large supply of CCI Blazer ammunition
for the range test program, for economy, but used
Speer Gold Dot 230 grain ammunition for hostage
rescue drills. Also, in order to quality the
pistol I also fired a quantity of +P loads to
ensure the hammer would not ‘follow’ or ride
down with the slide when we did not wish it to. I
used a quantity of Federal 185 grain +P Hydra
Shock and a smaller amount of Speer’s 200 grain
+P Gold Dot. The +P Hydra Shock is a powerful,
accurate and overlooked loading which produces
over 1,100 fps from the G Man’s five inch
barrel. Again, function was normal in all
respects.
When
firing the first few combat drills, I found the
action of the hammer flying back distracting if
not disconcerting. I seemed to be amazed each time
it happened! Shortly the novelty wore off and I
was making normal runs on the combat course. The
Pocket Pro timer showed I was well within normal
performance for the 1911. Don’t think of the
actions the gun is going through, just fire it.
With proper attention to sight alignment, sight
picture and trigger compression this is a very
accurate handgun.
Hostage
rescue firing was addressed at ten and fifteen
yards. I drew from my Kramer Sharkskin holster, a
old favorite for all around use. I could draw,
fire, and get a cranial hit in less than 1.25
seconds at fifteen yards and a bit faster at ten
yards. Yes, the SFS is viable. I hardly noticed it
after a half hour of range drills.
There is
literally no difference in handling and firing a
SFS equipped 1911 as far as the expected results.
A drawback might be that during tactical movement,
the hammer must be pressed forward to make the gun
safety. It cannot simply be quickly flipped on. We
must weigh this possible drawback, but in fact it
is simple to learn to quickly lower the hammer by
thumb pressure. As in most things, there are trade
offs with the SFS.
I had been
given carte blanche to test the G Man thoroughly
but did not wish to abuse a fine handgun. A light
crisp trigger is attainable that will also have
longevity, but it takes proper fitting to do so. I
dropped the G Man’s slide on a empty chamber a
dozen times. This is ruinous to a light trigger
action. The hammer did follow, not during initial
examination nor after five hundred rounds of CCI
Blazer 230 grain ammunition. I am impressed.
Examination
had shown the SFS should be reliable but I
confirmed it in range testing. I expected nothing
else from Cylinder and Slide. The final test was a
tactical one.
I drew my
long time service .45 and the SFS equipped G Man
from the same Kramer holster. The Pocket Pro does
not lie. Times were nearly identical when averaged
over ten draws. There is no penalty in using the
SFS.
An
advantage of the 1911 is that if we lose control
of the handgun, the gun gabber may not be able to
figure out how to make it fire. With the SFS
system, the uninitiated attempt to cock the
hammer. At it’s introduction, the SFS befuddled
quite a few gun writers. User proprietary
advantages are even higher with the SFS than with
a standard 1911 pistol.
If
you carry a 1911 in your waistband, Mexican style,
sans the holster, then you must carry the gun
hammer down on a loaded chamber or chamber empty.
You can carry the SFS gun hammer down by squeezing
the trigger carefully and lowering the hammer as
with any 1911, but this is pointless with a SFS
equipped pistol. The SFS gun would answer that
problem, although I never carry my 1911s without a
holster. When we keep a 1911 at home ready, even
if in a holster, it is never cocked and locked.
The SFS is another matter. In a holster, at home
ready, the SFS allows rapid deployment. This is a
personal matter which should be based on the
threat anticipated.
If
you desire a higher state of readiness than
chamber empty but don’t wish to go with cocked
and locked carry, the SFS is the most efficient
compromise yet developed. Many combat pistols are
a trade off or compromise of features. Reliability
can never be compromised. The SFS is a reliable
system. With proper maintenance and lubrication,
the 1911 is among our most reliable handgun types.
While admitting a certain prejudice in favor of
the 1911, I have realized it is perhaps not a
mature but maturing design. The SFS system is one
of the finest genuine improvements to be applied
to the 1911 in some time.
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