Modifying a Carry Weapon; Bad Idea?

[jmr40]

If the shoot is a "good shoot," there won't be a trial.

Except you may have to prove it was a good shoot.

One trend that I see, especially in civil suits involving firearms, is trying to prove the shot was accidental instead of self defense. The insurance companies have deeper pockets and will have to pay more if they can convince a jury the shot was really a negligent discharge instead of a shot made in self defense.

 

[HiBC]

Brit,I started this thread in 2016

https://thefiringline.com/forums/showthread.php?t=577822&highlight=carry+gun+modifications

Among the questions I posed, What if I bought an ATI 1911 made in the Philippines and I just did not like the Harbor Freight look of the slide stop?
What if I decided to put in an Ed Brown slide stop,a Wilson Beavertail,Cylinder and Slide Duty and Carry , hammer/sear/disconnect/sear spring (with NO Dremel work!!) A new Colt thumb safety a flat mainspring housing,and Trijicon sights?

And I dd just a little more tuning so it will feed empty brass from the magazine and the ejection is civilized and consistent .

All systems tested and work as they should, 4 1/2 lb trigger.

Yes,I modifid it. I did the work,too.

I'm pretty confident if the police dept armorer evaluated it,he'd say "No problems"

I'm glad S+W M+P series triggers have seen improvement.of late. My 2016 vintage M+P 9 C trigger was off the scale of my trigger gauge. The trigger would lift a full,sealed 8 lb can of powder without releasing. It would not quite lift my M-1 Garand.

I put in an Apex Duty and Carry kit.

We are responsible for every bullet we launch. At some point,trigger pull can cause more misses. Misses are dangerous.
Which is "safer?" A 5 lb pull or a 9 lb pull?

The # 10 post ....I think it was by Spats,explained for the Homicide vs SD trial, Factors such as " Yes,I shot him in fear for my life,no accident" pose a different question than the civil case later.

The lawyer may try to (for example) go after your homeowner insurance by proving you may have accidentally shot the plaintiff due to gun modification.
"If only you had the factory 9 lb trigger,my client would not be a paraplegic today."

Its a pretty serious,thorough thread worth browsing.

The conclusion? There is no answer. You are on your own. There are things to avoid. Life has risk.

My initial post # 1,and post # 10 are worth a read,IMO.

 

[Frank Ettin]

This is the best answer possible:

If you are the kind of person who believes that any answer more complicated than 'yes' or 'no' is useless, then this topic will be very frustrating for you.

Some modifications are fine under any circumstances. Refinishing a handgun or changing grips for purely functional reasons are examples.

Some modifications are a bad idea under any circumstances. Removing/deactivating safeties or decorating a gun with logos or mottoes that glorify violence are examples.

Some might be ok. Trigger modifications could be a good thing or a bad thing depending on what was done, on who did it, and on the circumstances of the shooting.

Some are very unlikely to cause you problems in a criminal trial but might be an issue in a civil trial.

But what if it was a good shoot? Well, sometimes it takes a trial to prove it was a good shoot. That alone should make it obvious that not every 'good shoot' is an open and closed case...