Bobtail eliminates a pressure point where you feel recoil in the heel of your hand
Bobtail 1911
Guns Magazine, May, 2000 by Charles E. Petty
This defensive pistol combines the best features of the Government Model and an eminently concealable round-butt revolver.
Called the "Bobtail," this custom 1911 is distinguished by a simple but unique mainspring housing which radically alters the way the wonderful old Government Model pistol feels. Perhaps the best comparison is to look at the difference between a round-butt versus a square-butt revolver.
The alterations are made to the Government Model's frame and mainspring housing. The mainspring housing retaining pin is moved up the frame by about half an inch and the space below it is cut away almost down to the magazine well.
After examining the gun and shooting it quite a bit, I spoke with Ed Brown. When I asked him why he thought of this, he said he wondered, "What would a .45 look like with a round butt?"
High Tech, Low Profile
Instead of going out and whacking off a frame -- and possibly ruining it, Brown turned to the computer. His shop has highly sophisticated CAD/CAM software so it was possible to see how it would look before cutting any metal. According to Brown there were several versions before the finished product you see here arrived.
At the heart is a different mainspring housing made in Brown's shop. The guts of the housing -- mainspring cap, mainspring, and mainspring housing retainer -- come from the Colt Officers ACP. This story isn't about the internal parts other than to point out that reliability is not sacrificed. This story is about what a radical change in the feel of the pistol is wrought with some simple surgery.
The net result is that the thickness of the lower part of the frame is reduced by 1/2". All at once it becomes an anatomical fit. Where the mainspring housing used to push against the heel of the hand it now seems to simply wrap into it. It is incredibly difficult to find words to describe subtle feels. It's really one of those things that you just have to experience for yourself.
