Need help disassembling ambi safety.

[mercedesrules]

I recently got a used Les Baer Stinger 1911 .45 pistol with ambidextrous thumb safety. Usually, on a .45, one just pulls the safety out the left side of the frame. Can anyone tell me how to remove the safety since the right-side lever seems to be attached directly to the left-side one?

Thanks in advance!

MR

 

[dfariswheel]

Usually most ambi safeties are based on the original ambi as made by Armand Swenson.

On the RIGHT hand side there is probably a "tab" on the front of the safety going under the right side grip.

Remove the right side grip and pull/wiggle the safety off.

Remove the left side in the normal manner.

The two halves are joined by a tongue and groove inside, which simply pulls apart.

 

[Andrew Wyatt]

or there's a spotted head pin that the safety on the right rides on that keeps it captured.


I have no idea how to dissassemble these.

 

[BluesBear]

Andrew, on the Colt ambi safety, when the slide is off, the safety can rotate high enough to clear the notched pin on the right side after the left side is "wiggled" loose almost normally.


edited when fully awake for clarification.

 

[dfariswheel]

OK, a little more detail on ambi safeties.

There are three types:
The Swenson
The Colt
And the King's.

The Swenson type is the most common, and is used by Wilson, Brown, C&S, McCormick, and most others.
As above it's recognized by the "tab" or extension that goes under the grip plate, which has a slot inletted to retain the safety.
This is removed by removing the grip, and pulling it off.

The Colt type is recognized by the small "ledge: on the front edge of the safety, and the slotted sear pin it interlocks with.
To remove this one, you FIRST have to remove the LEFT side safety, then just rotate the right side safety up, and backward until it releases from the slotted sear pin.

The King's type, is a little more subtle. If you look at the underside of the safety, you will see a small dovetailed groove in it.
This safety has a dovetail on it's underside that interlocks with a grooved HAMMER pin.
To disassemble, remove the LEFT side safety, and as the Colt type, rotate the right side safety up and backward until it releases from the grooved hammer pin.

However, in all cases, the LEFT side safety is removable without removing the right side (ambi) safety.
To remove the left (Main safety) move it between "safe" and "fire" and remove it by wiggling and pulling it out of the frame.

Of course, the gun must be first field stripped,. and the hammer must be cocked. Some safeties are resistant and hard to grasp, but will come out without any force or use of tooling.

 

[mercedesrules]

Thanks, everybody! Baer uses the "Swenson" type, but, boy, are the tolerances tight! I couldn't even get the barrel bushing out without bopping it from the back with a toothbrush. Of course, I barked the base of my thumb on a sharp slide edge when I missed the bushing and the toothbrush went right through it.

I wanted to open up the grip safety area because, unlike any other .45 I've had, one can cause the grip safety to hang up slightly if one pushes the safety to the right as it is pushed in. It seems like it touched the hammer spring (bar, whatever) but nothing inside looked amiss. Gun function is not affected so that will be the end of my amateurish pryings.

Thanks again!

MR