1187 mods
Posted: Thu Sep 13, 2018 7:23 pm
I thought that I would add a few of the mods that I have made to my 1187. I have one rule, don't mess with the high pressure areas! With that said, I made some changes to suit myself, my abilities and hopefully to improve my performance. I use the gun in IPSC type shooting, that is rapid, mentally and physically taxing, speedloading etc. I also shoot these disciplines in open class with a box fed PM5 pump and manual class with an Ithaca 37.
One thing that is constant is that we are often required to shoot weak handed and if the course of fire requires a safety catch moment then that is where the brain fades kicks in! looking at my three chosen guns, I realised that although the safety catches were somewhat different, they all had the same basic operation. the rear of the triggers have an extension that would either pass into a slot (Fire) or be blocked by the body of the catch (Safe)
I then determined that I could make a rotating, ambidextrous safety for all three guns. Obviously differing sizes and detent locations but it was not a difficult task and now my guns have a common feature that feels normal and above all feels right. With the lever in the down position (Safe) the trigger engages the body of the catch and will not move back. In the forward position (Fire) the trigger enters the slot and performs its function. An added benefit is that in the down (Safe) position the catch interferes with the trigger finger, so informing me instantly that I am safe. This is particularly helpful if the safety is applied and then the shoulder is changed. With a push thru it can get confusing. No more embarrassing fails to fire, doh! the safety is on!!
I used brass for this project as it is easy to work, hard enough and it stands out on the gun (I thought quite important when showing "clear and safe" to the range officers
One thing that is constant is that we are often required to shoot weak handed and if the course of fire requires a safety catch moment then that is where the brain fades kicks in! looking at my three chosen guns, I realised that although the safety catches were somewhat different, they all had the same basic operation. the rear of the triggers have an extension that would either pass into a slot (Fire) or be blocked by the body of the catch (Safe)
I then determined that I could make a rotating, ambidextrous safety for all three guns. Obviously differing sizes and detent locations but it was not a difficult task and now my guns have a common feature that feels normal and above all feels right. With the lever in the down position (Safe) the trigger engages the body of the catch and will not move back. In the forward position (Fire) the trigger enters the slot and performs its function. An added benefit is that in the down (Safe) position the catch interferes with the trigger finger, so informing me instantly that I am safe. This is particularly helpful if the safety is applied and then the shoulder is changed. With a push thru it can get confusing. No more embarrassing fails to fire, doh! the safety is on!!
I used brass for this project as it is easy to work, hard enough and it stands out on the gun (I thought quite important when showing "clear and safe" to the range officers