1911 safety: how difficult

D

dyl

New member
Hey all,

Would I be able to fit a 1911 thumb safety with the tools that I have to my gun? I'm getting rid of my ambidextrous safety.

I have a set of small files, diamond files, dial caliper, hard Arkansas stone, c clamps. I've used these to do revolver trigger jobs on my own pieces and relatively simple work on striker fired guns.

I don't have a bench vise, Dremel, lathe, bench grinder.

My greatest concern is that the thumb safety pin will be too large circumferentially and I don't have a way to reduce diameter evenly.
 
I think it would work. A bench vise helps lot but I can do without in a pinch.

Is the holes in the frame too small or the pin too big. It is always easier to ream the hole bigger, with proper reamer that is, than reduce the pin's diameter.

It is important for you to understand how the safety works and know how to check it. Needless to say a misfitted safety could be more unsafe than no safety at all. Assumption is mother of all f@@@ups, a man in a movie said the best.

-TL
 
Midwayusa has Colt factory replacement thumb safeties in matte blue and bright stainless. Fitting can be accomplished with jeweler's files. Go slow when filing the sear engagement and test fit often.

The diameter of the safety's pin shouldn't be an issue if your frame has correctly sized holes.

An always modify the cheapest part. In this case it would be the safety, not the frame.
 
I've fitted 8-10 1911 safeties of different brands, into guns of different brands, and have never had a case of the pin being too large.
Some have required minimal fitting, with a few swipes of a file on the safety engagement surface, while others have required a few hours of file and test, with additional fitting of the plunger detent required.
The last one was a Springfield safety installed in a Springfield pistol, and while the safety/sear fit was all but drop-in, I spent an hour on the detent to get a nice feel to the engagement and disengagement.
 
Easy job. Just go slow and check frequently. Funny, but I generally do the opposite and install ambidextrous safeties on (or at least fit them).
 
I agree that it is not a hard job, but it might be more cost effective to just cut off the right side thumb piece and permanently fix the stub shank to the left side.

Jim
 
I have a Springfield Loaded with an ambi safety, and I loathe the ambi safety. As I have zero plans (less, actually) to ever carry this handgun and I simply use it for enjoyable range day shooting, I can live with the ambi safety even though I truly loathe it.
but it might be more cost effective to just cut off the right side thumb piece and permanently fix the stub shank to the left side.
Click to expand...
Can you expand on this? I realize that the ambi safety is held in place by the right grip panel and if you take off the grip, the safety lever will come off.

But I don't know what holds a traditional one-sided safety in place and it seems obvious that you are suggesting to alter the ambi safety to mimic an original traditional one-sided safety.

Please tell me more!
 
Thanks for the advice folks, I hadn't purchased the safety yet, several Amazon reviews stated the Wilson Combat single sided safety had an oversized diameter and I'm just not set up to be able to handle that.

The ambi safety I currently have right impacts on my index finger as I disengage the safety. I have a high grip and it may just be the design of this particular safety.
I've removed the right thumb piece and it feels much nicer to handle, but it's not a long term solution as it's loose and only passes through the left side of the grip safety while not exiting out the right

I think I understand what James K is proposing : cut off right thumb piece at the pin, secure the male/female joint in between and the pin hole on the right side of frame would remain filled.

I'm going to buy a one sided unit - it'll be a learning experience to fit it. Thanks again. I guess if I was to be logical about time and money... I wouldn't like tinkering with firearms so much :)
 
To modify the ambi safety to a regular left side one, you have to weld/solder/braze/pin the right hand side to the left side making sure not to get the left side thumb piece too hot. Then shape the cut-off stub to the conventional dome shape. A bit of work, but it saves fitting a new safety, which might or might not be a problem.

Jim
 
I replaced the competition safetys on my Kimber and my Ruger CMD. I had to do a little filing on the safety for the Kimber, got lucky on the Ruger, fit perfectly. These were the current small Colt safetys. I have a Remington small safety on order to go in a Citadel to get rid if the massive ambi on it. The Rem is the original style 1911 safety. For me the smallest is the best.
 
Closure: I did it, thank you

In the end I went with Cylinder and Slide blued left sided safety. The picture wasn't very helpful before purchase but I was pleased to receive a rounded/beveled, bent safety (curved to match shape of bent thumb) more in the shape of a bent half-oval (cut in half vertically) than the rectangular one that came with the gun. I only had to file on a single plane to create clearance when engaging safety. The cross pin was the right diameter already. Needle files worked just fine - the slow aspect was checking clearance often. I'd say it took 1 hour or less. If I did it again it'd take 1/2 hour or less.

Cylinder and slide's part came with instructions / tips which was pretty helpful.

The part looked a lot like Wilson Combat's safety and/or Ed Brown's cheaper safeties. I suspect that for these lesser parts (not "bullet proof" or anything) they might buy from a common supplier. Now this thumb safety no longer hurts my thumb to activate from sharp corners, and there is no right side to irritate my index finger or to prevent disengaging like before. I do think that it was poor design of the original ambidextrous safety that came with the gun, an aftermarket ambi would likely have felt much better too.

If I could do it again, I might have gone stainless because this 1911 already has front serrations so a traditional look is out the door. And because I'm considering fitting a new beavertail so filing on a blued beavertail would show much more. This is a Citadel gvt 1911 in 9mm and the beavertail to frame fit has enough gaps/mismatch to irritate my hand with moderate handling. I could file this beavertail which would help some but it's parkerized and portion of the frame that mates with the beavertail has also been beveled at the factory so this already creates a difference in the surface height. I'm unsure if this is standard or not but I wish they hadn't done it. My next step might actually be moleskin.

Just wanted to update, hate leaving people hanging.
 
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