[b said:
Quote[/b] (ShipWreck @ Nov. 11 2005,08:20)]no one has ever produced an instance where this DID become an issue. I think if U have a good shoot, U should be okay.
My old gunsmith knew of a couple of instances (I don't recall the case names, but they were real cases) where certain modifications became an issue and the grounds for a civil lawsuit. For example, the removal of the Hi-Power's magazine safety disconnect does two things, it disables the safety so the gun can be fired without the magazine in place and as a bonus it produces a smoother, lighter trigger pull. Although some organizations that have used the HP have done this, it can be twisted to make the civilian gun owner look like he was hoping for a gunfight, especially when the shoot was a questionable one. Also, where there is a case of an accidental shooting, the disabling of a safety feature establishes negligence per se. That is why most of the higher end gunsmiths refuse to make the alteration or if they do, they specify it is for target / competition use.
I agree that the key is whether the shoot was a good one or a bad one. However, the grey area between a good shoot and a bad shoot is wider than most people would think. In an instance where there is room to guess at what happened, an ambitious / anti-gun prosecutor may call into question every modification that was done to the pistol. As a shooter, I can defend grip changes and night sights because they do not alter stock safety features. Given that some organizations like the NYPD have raised the weight of the trigger pull in their Glocks as a safety measure, I'd be hard pressed in court to argue that the NYPD is wrong and trigger pull weight is not a safety feature. If I leave it stock, I cannot be crucified for accepting the stock trigger. If I lower the weight with one of the trigger kits for competition, I cannot say that's how I got it from the factory.
Of course there's the old saying that "I'd rather be judged by 12 than carried by 6" but that doesn't really apply. With training and practice, a shooter can easily handle the 7-8 pound stock trigger of a QA.