Finally! Crimson Trace Master Series LG-906 Lasergrip for the Bobtail 1911

 

by Jeff Quinn

photography by Jeff Quinn & Boge Quinn

September 5th, 2011

 

YouTube Video

 

 

 

 

Click pictures for a larger version.

 

 

 

G10 bobtail Lasergrip.

 

 

LG-906 comes with everything needed to install on a bobtail 1911.

 

 

Laser diode module is designed to work well with ambidextrous safety.

 

 

Activation button falls right under middle finger for instant activation.

 

 

 

 

Ever since I bobtailed my Colt Commander back in 2008, I have pestered Crimson Trace for a set of their Lasergrips to work on a bobtail 1911. I first fell in love with the bobtail 1911 back in 2006, when I reviewed the Dan Wesson Bobtail. I liked the gun, loved the shape of the grip, but did not like the weight of the all-steel gun for carry. What I badly desired was a lightweight Commander-sized 1911, but with a bobtail grip, as the bobtail conceals better and most importantly, feels so much better in my hand, but no one was making a lightweight bobtail at that time. So, in 2008, I ordered a brand new Colt Lightweight Commander 45, and proceeded to bobtail the grip myself, with help from the jigs and parts that I bought from Brownell’s, and the finish work by Robar. I loved the result, and while I had added good MMC adjustable tritium night sights, I still wanted a good quality laser on my ideal carry gun. The laser offers advantages that I do not want to be without, so I butchered a set of Crimson Trace 1911 Lasergrips to fit the bobtailed frame. In addition to having to chop the butt of the grips and fill the hole with silicone, had to modify the top of the grip which contains the laser module to work with my ambidextrous safety, as I am terminally left-handed.

The result worked well, but looked awful. However, I had my lightweight bobtail Colt, and I had a CT Lasergrip on it. Now, thankfully, I just yesterday received my Master Series Bobtail Lasergrip from Crimson Trace! The Master Series is all new from Crimson Trace. In that series, CT uses laminated wood or G10 material to create a Lasergrip that uses these premium upgraded materials, which look better and feel better than just a synthetic black or simulated wood material. The result is a great-looking, great-feeling grip that also incorporates the excellent CT laser.

The grip shown here is made of G10, which is manufactured with layers of fiberglass mesh impregnated with a resin binder, resulting in a very tough, stable, well-textured grip. G10 is often used to make knife handles for high-dollar custom knives, as it is one of the toughest materials available for such applications. The layers of the G10 make a beautiful grip, looking much like laminated wood, but with a pattern similar to Micarta. Into the G10 material CT embeds the necessary electronics of the Lasergrip, and seals it into place. Atop the grip on the right side is the black housing for the laser module, and Crimson Trace designed the rear of that housing to accommodate an extended ambidextrous safety lever, such as the Ed Brown unit on my Colt. Perfect!

Why a Lasergrip? I have covered this before, but it is important enough that I will do so again. It took me several years to warm up to the idea of a laser on a handgun from the time that they were introduced. The reason was, that many lasers built for use on a handgun are of poor design, and made as cheaply as possible in some Asian sweatshop, and it shows. What we needed was a high-quality laser that would hold its adjustment, turn on instantly when needed, and last for many years. Crimson Trace delivered several years ago, and I have been using them ever since. Quality is not cheap, but the CT Lasergrips and Laserguards are affordable, and CT makes a laser sight for most popular and some not-so-popular handguns. You can buy a cheap imported laser, but most of them are next to worthless. Crimson Trace lasers cost more because they are worth it.

Crimson Trace lasers give me an edge, and in a fight, I want every advantage that I can get. Most who write to me arguing that a laser sight is not needed tell me that they need no sight at typical combat distances, just point-shooting. That is great, under ideal conditions. Standing facing squarely a human silhouette target at seven yards, I too can place my shots on the target without seeing the sights, just by indexing the gun towards the target. However, I can’t do it lying on my back, nor hunched behind a vehicle for cover while bullets are flying overhead. I can’t do it with my weak hand if my strong hand is wounded. Such scenarios also wrongly assume that your opponent will be just standing there motionless, just like the silhouette target on the well-lighted range where you practice. Most likely, your attacker will be trying to seriously ruin your day. If he has grabbed someone that you love and are charged with protecting, placing a knife to her neck and dragging her into a van, can you use your range-proven point-shooting ability to precisely place a bullet into his forehead, without hitting your loved one? I can’t, and I doubt that you can, either.

A laser is also better than an electronic dot sight. With a dot sight, you still have to have your eye behind the weapon, properly aligned. With the CT laser, I can precisely aim from the hip, or around an obstacle. A good laser gives you the ability to place your shot, on target, quickly, under adverse conditions and in poor lighting. When properly sighted, the bullet will land where the laser was pointing when you pressed the trigger. With the CT, it comes on instantly. There is no separate button to activate as you draw your weapon, and there is no time to do so. As I grip this Colt, the Crimson Trace Lasergrip is instantly “ON”, just as it is on my pocket pistol. I have a Ruger LCP in my pocket that rides there every day. It is constantly sweated upon, and is usually covered with dirt and lint, weed seeds, grass (the legal kind), sawdust, and other grit that finds its way into the pocket while working or roaming the woods. I test the Lasergrip on that pistol twice everyday, and it has never failed to come on instantly. Its adjustment does not drift. I rely upon that laser sight, as the tiny sights on my LCP are pretty much useless to me, in anything but perfect lighting. The Lasergrip works, and works well. I have proven this fact to myself, and to other skeptical experienced shooters many times. If given a choice, I will never carry a fighting handgun that is not equipped with a Crimson Trace Lasergrip or Laserguard. It is that important, and gives me an advantage that I do not want to give up. I can now carry my Lightweight Commander with confidence, and it looks so much better than it did with the Lasergrip that I hacked into a Bobtail configuration.

The G10 material is very good-looking, and compliments the lines and the finish of my Colt. The grips feel good, and are well-textured for a secure hold, without being abrasive. The LG-906 has perfected my perfect carry 1911, and were worth the wait.

Crimson Trace Lasergrips are made in the USA, and are available at any good gun store, or online from www.crimsontrace.com.

I carry nothing but genuine CT Lasergrips on my fighting handguns, and highly recommend them.

Jeff Quinn

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Click pictures for a larger version.

 

Author's Lightweight Colt without Lasergrip.

 

 

Jeff's older Lasergrip (butchered to fit a bobtail frame) looked awful, but worked.

 

 

 

 

Electronics are mortised into the G10 and sealed in place.

 

 

Thin plastic shields insulate the Lasergrip's batteries from the metal of the gun's frame.

 

 

Warning labels are included to affix to the weapon.

 

 

Lasergrip is easily fine-tuned to sight in perfectly.