Modifies/built firearm for CCW

[jas4u]

To all, I just have a question regarding modified/built gun for EDC and possible issues especially if used self defense situation.
I built a G19 gen3 from parts. Both lower and upper parts kit are all glock OEM parts.
Frame is original g19 frame. Slide and barrel are both after market.
Also, I'm planning to put undercut on trigger guard because it's biting my middle finger when shooting. Then, want to remove the finger grooves and stipple it.
Will I have any issues with this setup for CCW?

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[GAgunLAWbooklet]

Yeah, above.

There "may be" a line that a gun owner could cross by modifying their defensive firearm too much to make it an unreasonably dangerous firearm ...


...and / or making you look like an unreasonable, bloodthirsty, gun owner just waiting for an excuse to kill somebody.

But you're nowhere near that line.​

 

[Necrosis]

Let's put it this way, there's no downside legally to using a factory pistol. A heavily modified carry pistol might generate issues/questions or it might not.

 

[November Sierra]

You're giving yourself mechanical advantage to place accurate hits on a threat and not a no shoot around them. Modify your gun.

 

[Mr. Goodbar]

Whatever gives you the best advantage to help you out and be more accurate and what not then go for it because the person who is up to no good will use every advantage they have

 

[GAgunLAWbooklet]

Suppose that I, for some reason, want to carry my grandpa's Colt Commander for self-defense, not some other 1911 pattern pistol. I want to carry THIS particular gun. But, I don't like the finish, or the sights, or the trigger, or the hammer bite it puts on my hand, or the un-beveled magazine well that makes fast mag insertion a hit-or-miss proposition, AND, on top of that, it's only 100% reliable with ball ammo, not hollowpoints. It also sometimes stovepipes-- the empty brass doesn't get clear of the gun.

So, I have a gunsmith open up the ejection port, bevel the mag well, and radius other sharp edges on the gun so it's got the "carry melt" look.
This same gunsmith will also do a feed ramp and barrel throat polish job.

Then I send the gun out to Fat Albert to be cerakoted in a non-reflective color I like better that what it had before.

I have a gunsmith work on the trigger and give me a crisp 4.5 lb. pull with no creep or overtravel, when before it was 5.5 lbs and had plenty of both creep and overtravel.
That gunsmith also installed a shorter trigger to better fit my hand, and an extended beavertail to eliminate hammer bite.

I replace the small blued steel sights with some high visibility Millett sights, front and rear.

AFTER ALL THAT... have I done anything that increases my legal risk, of civil or criminal liability, if I were to use this gun in a self-defense shooting? Even a marginal one, where the bad guy survives and swears I over-reacted to his simple request to borrow a cup of sugar, after having pried open my kitchen window and was climbing over my sink when I opened fire on him, and he says he didn't have any weapon, just a butter knife that he used on the window (and was going to use to stir his coffee after he got some of my sugar...)

I think I'm safe. My "modified" gun can't be used as evidence against me.

 

[Necrosis]

Suppose that I, for some reason, want to carry my grandpa's Colt Commander for self-defense, not some other 1911 pattern pistol. I want to carry THIS particular gun. But, I don't like the finish, or the sights, or the trigger, or the hammer bite it puts on my hand, or the un-beveled magazine well that makes fast mag insertion a hit-or-miss proposition, AND, on top of that, it's only 100% reliable with ball ammo, not hollowpoints. It also sometimes stovepipes-- the empty brass doesn't get clear of the gun.

So, I have a gunsmith open up the ejection port, bevel the mag well, and radius other sharp edges on the gun so it's got the "carry melt" look.
This same gunsmith will also do a feed ramp and barrel throat polish job.

Then I send the gun out to Fat Albert to be cerakoted in a non-reflective color I like better that what it had before.

I have a gunsmith work on the trigger and give me a crisp 4.5 lb. pull with no creep or overtravel, when before it was 5.5 lbs and had plenty of both creep and overtravel.
That gunsmith also installed a shorter trigger to better fit my hand, and an extended beavertail to eliminate hammer bite.

I replace the small blued steel sights with some high visibility Millett sights, front and rear.

AFTER ALL THAT... have I done anything that increases my legal risk, of civil or criminal liability, if I were to use this gun in a self-defense shooting? Even a marginal one, where the bad guy survives and swears I over-reacted to his simple request to borrow a cup of sugar, after having pried open my kitchen window and was climbing over my sink when I opened fire on him, and he says he didn't have any weapon, just a butter knife that he used on the window (and was going to use to stir his coffee after he got some of my sugar...)

I think I'm safe. My "modified" gun can't be used as evidence against me.

Should have just bought a Glock 19. Instead grandpa has to haunt you now for cool guying his classic 1911.

 

[gh1950]

Let's put it this way, there's no downside legally to using a factory pistol. A heavily modified carry pistol might generate issues/questions or it might not.

With all due respect, this is mostly an armchair discussion, like the "should I use handloads for self defense."

There is a legal threshold for the use of deadly force. Once you cross the threshold, i.e. decide to use deadly force, the implement used to deliver becomes irrelevant.

That's not to say that some ignorant prosecutor somewhere will not seize on the fact that you have a $3000.00 custom built Wilson 1911 with a 3 lb. trigger and a laser sight, when a $350 High Point would have been as effective, but the legal standard remains the same.

Given the totality of facts of any fatal shooting which is what I assume we are talking about here, a prosecutor would really have to be reaching to base his case on using a modified gun.

The one exception I can think of is where the defense to a fatal shooting is accidental discharge, where a highly modified trigger or disabled safety could very well influence the
prosecutor's decision. I know it's cool to diss magazine safeties, and disable them the first chance you get, but my personal opinion is that it is never a good idea to disable a factory installed safety.

"Back in the day" pinning the grip safety on a 1911 was all the rage, and now you would be hard pressed to find a gunsmith who will do it, and I haven't seen one advertised on ODT, which considering the number of Bubba'ed guns here, should tell you something. my thinking on this one point has changed over the decades, but as to other modifications, the legal risk is negligible.

 

[chucklenut]

i think if you blasted soeone in self defense that it would be the least of your concerns

 

[chrislibby88]

Just don’t put a punisher or skull slide plate and you are good to go.