Grip safeties, like those found on the 1911 or the P7, are a relatively new invention, right? Not necessarily. Take a look at this 200 year old percussion shotgun from a friend's collection. See that lever protruding from the bottom of the grip? That's an early grip safety seen on a few early 19th Century English percussion guns. This gun is a Manton, I think; I've also seen a photo of a Dooley with an identical safety. I suspect that this was a mechanism supplied by another 'smith, and purchased by makers like Manton and Dooley for their best guns.
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