Advantage of Bobtail ?

H

Hammer1

New member
In order to have reliable functioning, I have always had to pin the grip safety on my 1911.

Today, for the first time I handled a bobtail 1911 -- a Dan Wesson.

Did not work with it a lot, but what little I did...

The bobtail Dan Wesson functioned without a pinned grip safety.

Is this a common advantage to a bobtail 1911 -- more reliable functioning for those of us who suffer the grip safety curse ?
 
Do grip safeties with pronounced "memory" bumbs not help?


I just can't see one of those not working when held properly.


But if a bobtail helps, then thats an option for you.
 
One of my 45s has a bobtail, and I like the pistol. My other 1911s haven't, and I like them. Without sneering at the bobtail, I consider it more a fashion trend than a functional feature.

And Marine, if 66 to 80 was your tour, congratulations and thank you. I only noticed your sig after I saw Greenville. My home town.
 
I was under the impression that along with a new look, and possibly a better/more comfortable grip, the "bobtail" helped by not "printing" as much as a normal 1911. I've never had issues with the grip safety of any pistol that uses one, but that being said, if the bobtail gives you a more secure grip and lets you utilize one of the important safeties of a 1911, then by all means get one. Most opinions of the Dan Wesson products are very good.
 
I was under the impression that ... the "bobtail" helped by not "printing" as much as a normal 1911.
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That's my understanding of the purpose of the bobtail. This is certainly the case when carrying IWB. The grip is usually the most difficult part of a pistol to conceal, and the bobbed grip coupled with a forward cant makes the full-size 1911 a bit easier to stay hidden.
 
I don't currently own a bobbed version amoung the 4 1911's that I own. My SW1911 had a sharp edge at the bottom of the MSH that would dig into heel of my palm. The rounded edge of the bobtail eliminates that problem.
 
My guess is the OP has very large hands. Instead of grasping he is cupping the grip. Larger and/or wrap around grip panels may help.
 
I always thought that a bobtail meant removing part of the the rear of the butt to reduce the length of the gun when holstered and under cover. Is that what we're talking about, here?

If so, it's intent is solely to make the gun a bit more concealable.

But, as is often the case (when discussing 1911s) I may be missing something.
 
The Bobtail that I am referring to is at the bottom rear of the grip -- a kind of roundbutt.

I do have large hands.
 
The intent of the BobTail is to change the silhouette of the frame ...so it doesn't print as much when carried.../ and as far as I know, first developed by Ed Brown about 15 or 20 yrs ago.

I have large hands too...and personally, I find the Bob Tail frame allows the gun to get away from me a little in rapid fire drills. I get way more control from a more traditional grip style ...checkered main spring housing and checkered front strap...and I prefer a gun with a speed chute or mag well.

I bought an Ed Brown..Kobra carry ...15 or so yrs ago, when the Bob Tail idea was pretty new..../ I liked the look of the gun - but I couldn't shoot it very well...so later sold it and moved on to a more traditional full sized 1911.

I've seen and fired a few Dan Wessons recently ...and I don't think they're bad guns for a typical production made 1911. I would compare most of the Dan Wessons I've seen and fired to a gun like Springfields TRP model....not semi custom guns like Wilson Combat or Ed Brown...but decent guns.
 
I had never shot a 1911 with a rounded butt until a few weeks ago. I shot my friends S&W E series. I noticed vertical stringing that I do not get with my 1911's.
 
My SW1911 had a sharp edge at the bottom of the MSH that would dig into heel of my palm. The rounded edge of the bobtail eliminates that problem.
Click to expand...

Same problem I had. Bob tail fixed that and helps break out line when carried OWB
 
This is the "Bobtail" we are discussing.


Note the rounded portion on the lower back end of the frame.

I find it is similar to using an arched mainspring housing. I am a fan of the bobtail. For carry, it helps a little, although the front of the magazine is still an issue with some holsters, depending on cant.
 
I am definitely not a fan of the bobtail. It doesn't feel like an arched mainspring housing (which I also don't care much for), but it significantly affects the feel and grip in my hands, and what is normally a more or less instinctual operation with a standard 1911 becomes a much slower and more deliberative process. I can't ever imagine getting a bobtail 1911, though certainly everyone's experience may vary.
 
As others have noted, I think the only logical reason for a bobtail grip is to reduce "printing" when the pistol is being carried concealed, and, for many, this may be reason enough. I also suppose that a bobtail grip might "feel" or even handle better for some, but the main impetus for it was to minimize printing.
 
Like others I suspect the pronounced "memory bump" is the likely reason that you don't have a problem depressing the grip safety on the Dan Wesson bobtail. I don't see the Bobtail effecting that.

I had a Dan Wesson Bobtail in 45 acp. I could shoot well enough with it in slow fire but in rapid I missed the full length of the grip frame as the piece reacted differently in a different part of the heel of my hand. I tend to shoot square butt S&W revolvers better than round butt guns for the same reason...how the gun lays in the hand.

Tended to string shots with the bobtail. I prefer arched MSHs on my 1911s.

I might give one in 38 Super a try though.

tipoc
 
I think that there is a DISADVANTAGE to a bobtailed (or curved) grip (and also to a curved MSH), that I've never heard mentioned. In a full-length 1911, the gun is "muzzel-heavy", and some torque by the shooter is necessary to keep the barrel level and not rotating muzzle-downward. A full-length, straight rear surface of the grip is the easiest way to supply the needed torque, because the bottom rear of the grip, pressing against the lower part of the shooter's palm, has a long moment-arm and can generate the required torque with minimal force. Of course, the shorter the barrel, the less important this effect is.
 
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