Help Fitting 1911 Thumb Safety

[carnaby]

I have no intentions of ever using a gun that is not in proper working order as intended by the original manufacturer unless the modifications were done by a competent gunsmith, say for the sake of competition use etc.

 

[1911Tuner]

Intentions

Excellent! Order a new thumb safety and start over.

 

[carnaby]

New Ed Brown thumb safety is in the mail

Also, the EB sear is quite a bit thicker where it contacts the hammer than the TRP components. I think this gives smiths a lot of material to work with when installing the component. That's what is blocking the hammer. The TRP hammer just barely clears the sear, and rubs just a little as it goes past. The EB hammer half cock notch sticks out more and is further down than the TRP part.

 

[HSMITH]

Save that safety, you might find a sear it works great with or you can have it welded up and start over at some point. Just mark the bag so you know what it is when you fish it out of the parts bucket in a couple years. It will save some headscratching and cussing, don't ask how I know that

 

[carnaby]

Follow up

Hey guys, especially Tuner,

I noticed something about the "click" test. It needs to be done with the slide installed or you can get a false positive

I was getting a false positive and about to chuck my thumb safety. I completed the assembly of the pistol anyway, and once done the "click" was gone. Turns out you need the slide in place to block further movement of the thumb safety, otherwise, the sear can just push it up out of the way. Duh.

Now, just to make sure I'm not missing anything... am I missing anything? Or am I good to go?

 

[1911Tuner]

Click

If it passes the click test with the gun assembled...you're good to go.

 

[darwin-t]

This thread has provided a valuable service. I just decided that when I get an ambi safety for my pistol I'm going to take it to my local gunsmith and pay HIM to do it.

 

[HSMITH]

darwin, that isn't a bad move, but remember the tests that are outlined in this post to see if it works right or not. I have seen some pretty shaky safety work from professional gunsmiths, and at least you are armed with the knowledge now to know if it was done right or not.

 

[Scott Skawronska]

I just followed the instructions in this thread using a Sistema 1927 Argentine pistol. Started my relationship with it with a "shade tree" trigger job, that is, the contact point of the trigger had been filed ( I believe excessively ) and the hammer/sear engagement was precarious at best. Replacing the obviously wrong trigger with factory spec one only caused awful hammer follow. Examination of the hammer and sear revealed the engagement hooks on the hammer having been the victim of someone with a file and too much time on his hands. Which is sad because I really liked the old-style "paddle type" hammer and did not want to get rid of it. But it went. And the sear with it.

Ordered new hammer and sear from Wilson Combat. I freely confess, I cheated: I ordered their "Value Line" hammer & sear as a set so neither would need to be fitted, and assembled the pistol.

And the darn safety wouldn't work.

Followed the instructions in this thread to the letter, finishing with TWO light file strokes per fit test.

Now it feels like my Colt and passes the "click" test. The engagement surface is polished, and engages the sear smoothly and positively. (Thanks for the tip about leaving off the grip safety so I can see what I'm doing!)

I understand what you mean about it rubbing JUST a bit...I like that, too. It notifies me by touch that the safety is, in fact, engaged solidly to the sear.

Thank you. This thread has helped more than one person.

S

 

[batoy1911]

This is how I installed 2 EdBrown safeties in my 2 1911s.

Remove the old thumb safety. The grip safety will come out with the MSH in place in some but not in other 1911s. Pull the hammer into full cock and try to insert the new thumb safety. Odds are it will not fully go in. Put the thumb safety in anyway at the "on" position and gently move it up and down a little with firm inward pressure. This will make the sear leave a mark on the part of the thumb safety that needs to be trimmed. File a little at a time and try putting it back in. Repeat until the thumb safety will go in. Do a total funtion test before trying the gun with your favorite reloads. Hope this is a sound way of doing it. The EdBrown fit my Norc pretty good. The same kind of safety would not fully lock on the plunger in the off position in my ARMSCOR (not meaning to hi-jack ).

 

[JeffKnox]

In My Experience...

I know this is an old thread, but it is a never ending question...
I have a Series 70 Combat Commander that I have carried for 24 years. About 20 years ago I had the gun, including the thumb safety, hard-chromed. That makes it a bit trickier to tweak.
After a hard 4 days of shooting and dry practice at Front Sight I noticed that the gun was failing the "click test" with just the slightest movement. I removed the safety and studied on it a bit. Since I'm planning to replace the safety regardless, I decided there would be no harm in doing a little experiment. I clamped the safety in a large bench vise with one hardened steel jaw against the surface that is 90 degrees out from the safety contact surface and squeezed. By squeezing the sides, I thought I could cause a slight bulging at the bearing surface and thereby solve the problem. After several trials and re-squeezes, torquing a little harder each time, the click went away.
There is no visible sign from the compression. The hard-chrome did not crack, and inking the surface shows that it is still making broad and even contact with the sear.
I'm no gunsmith and I'm not offering advice. This is just what I did and how it worked.
I still intend to replace the thumb-safety as soon as I find one with the angle and feel I'm looking for, but for the time being, I think I have made my pistol a little bit safer without a lot of headache.

By the way, someone asked the best way to depress the plunger spring for reinstalling the safety: I use a credit card.
With the gun lying on its right side in my left hand and the hammer cocked - double-check the chamber again - I drop the safety into place and apply just a slight pressure with my left thumb. Then I slip the credit card in under the safety from the back. As soon as the plunger is out of the way, the safety drops down and I keep pressure on it as I pull the card out. Works like a charm. If it's a current card, you want to be careful not to damage the mag strip.

Jeff

 

[JeepGeeek]

OK, so I replaced the ambi safeties on my guns with right-hander safeties... thought they worked just fine, too....

well, got to doing the tests you recommend, where you cock the pistol and put safety on, squeeze trigger, then take safety off and listen for the click.
In the process of squeezing the trigger with safety on, one of my pistols actually release the hammer and safety!!

Triedf it again multiple times- sure enough, the safety releases and the hammer follows it!

Advice?

 

[paperkilr]

JeepGeek-

Re-fit your safety.

The factory sear leg that mates to the safety is probably not cut to matching angles. When you pull the trigger the sear leg will push in to the safety (when on) and with to much movement the hammer releases and along with the wrong angle it will roll your safety off.

I cut the sear leg and the safety to be in perfect relationship with no sear movement when safety is on and trigger is pulled. The flat on the safety will usually have a small break point to assist in the on/off operation of the safety. You can observe this action through the opening with the beaver tail safety removed.

Good luck.

 

[carnaby]

You'll need to buy a new safety, once you've goofed one, they are useless (possibly could fit in another gun, but not that one). Go slow when fitting. Also, you will hear the click without taking the safety off... with the safety on, squeeze the trigger, then release the trigger. Now gently pull back on the hammer and you will hear the click. Don't take the safety off!

 

[JeepGeeek]

as it happens, these are takeouts from another 1911.

Looking at them, I think they're useless. Possibly from another smith's "oh ****" file.

I traded in another, New-and-opened-in-front-of-me safety and it passes these test without issue.

The safeties I took out have evidence of lots of filing. I think they're SOL.

 

[Randy1911]

[QUOTELastly, what's the best way to get the thumb safety pin (the one that holds it in the off and on positions and acts on the slide catch on the other side) in place when you install the thumb safety without scratching the gun? I've been doing it stupidly but have gotten lucky and not scratched the gun yet, but I'd sure like to know a better way. ][/QUOTE]

I bought this tool(below), It is realitively cheap, but well made. It works like a charm. Going in from the back of the gun, slide it under the thumb safety and depress the plunger. Install the thumb safety in as far as you can and then gently slide the tool out and press the safety on in. Works for me. Hope this helps.

http://www.brownells.com/.aspx/sid=21896/sku/Safety_Detent_Depressor

 

[carnaby]

I use the red plastic tube that comes with a can of WD40 etc to push that pin in place. Can't possibly scratch the gun. If it's too thin it won't work as it will buckle... you need one with just the right stiffness.