1911 Ambi-safety - smith or no smith?

[yankytrash]

I got my Norinco 1911 the other day. Love it - accurate, hard as rock.

I'm a lefty and would like to put an ambi-safety on it. I'm no gunsmith, but I do all my own smithing regardless. I've tackled some major projects and have a full shop.

Is an ambi-safety installation something a smith should do, or can a competent homesmith handle it easy enough without screwing it up?

I've never had the opportunity to look at an ambi-safety's mechanics, so I don't know, but I'd like to order one. However, if a smith has to do it, I'd rather he ordered it.

 

[KPS]

You can do it yourself.If you can change the stock thumb safety then you'll have no problem with the ambi.Save yourself the $$ for extra ammo.

 

[AR-10]

If you can buy a safety off the shelf that would be desireable to ordering one. There are more styles, sizes, types, etc. than you might think. A picture in a catalogue is not quite the same as holding the part up to your gun to see how it works dimensionally.

As for installing one, I offer my own experience.

I installed ambi-safeties on two of my Springfields. You have to take a part that costs about $50.00 and fit it to your gun by removing material from one or two faces of the part. A few thousandths one way or the other and it will not function properly. The angle of the engaging face has to be fairly precise. the detent that locks the safety into position might need to be tweeked one way or the other as well.

Each installation took me about two hours. The fit and function is perfect and I have not had a lick of trouble from having done it myself. I work with my hands, but I never work on automobiles, as I only increase the mechanic bill by doing so. What I am trying to say is that I have some aptitude, but I am not a mechanical whiz.

That being said, I have a hard time encouraging just anyone to do this themself. The fitting has to be precise. You have to be willing to throw the part away if you go too far. You have to have a good understanding of how a safety works and what makes one unsafe. If your time is valuable and you know a competant smith, that would be the better route to go.

If you do your own smithing and understand exactly how the parts need to interact, it is not that dificult. A trip to the gunsmith in my neck of the woods means dropping off my gun and waiting three or four months to get it back. I had good motivation to try it myself. It worked out. The next attempt may not go the same way.

Good luck with whatever you decide.

 

[popeye]

This crappy pic (got coffee shakes this morning) will give give you an idea of how parts interconnect. You will notice right grip must be relieved to accomodate new lever extention. (grip holds right saftey lever in place). Take it to a smith. First: you may ruin a $40 part if you're not familiar with installation. Second: More importantly SAFTEY is involved here and it's not worth taking a chance.

 

[Cawdor]

AR-10 explained the installation very well. I installed one on my Springfield: File, then check the fit. I don't think that I made more than two passes with the file before I checked the fit. Make sure that you understand how the safety works, and that you are comfortable disassembling the gun beyond a field strip. I used Bill Wilson's Wilson Combat 1911 Auto Maintenance Manual as a guide. Mine works fine, and I had never done anything like this before.

Check Brownells to see how many different safeties are available. I used King's because it does not use the right grip to hold the right safety and because the paddles are same width on both sides.

 

[yankytrash]

Thanks guys. For some reason, I knew it couldn't be as easy as just slipping it in there.

Seeing as I'm in AR-10's shoes in regards to competent gunsmith availability, and I don't have to modify the frame for a detent or anything, I think I'll give'r a shot.

My current safety doesn't use the grip(s) to hold the safety, so I'll go with something like King's so I can leave my Hogue rubber grip on there.

I'm sure I'll be posting back here in a couple weeks with some stupid question like, "Is the manual safety really necessary on a 1911?!!"

 

[jason10mm]

I had an ambi-safety that just dropped right in to my Kimber pro CDP. I use carbon creation grips that are already set up for the ambi-safety. I would go to a store and try some first, you may get a good fit right out of the box. All the ambi does is extend a lever to the other side for your left thumb, it's not that complicated. LAter.