When the Model 1911 came out it had a short stubby hammer which did not bite. In 1914 the Ordnance Dept. decided the hammer spur was not long enough and the hammer spur was lengthened. With the short horn on the grip safety and the long spur on the trigger, the hammer came back over the grip safety and pinched the web of the hand during recoil. The hammer bite was a complaint from the field immediately after the change was made, and in true government fashion was not changed until 1924 when the grip safety was modified with a longer horn. John Browning had it right, but the Ordnance Dept. felt obliged to improve on his design with predictable results.
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