1911 Help needed! Potential danger????

[Solidsnake87]

Hey guys,

I bought a Springfield Operator of a fellow calgunner and I picked it up yesterday. I swapped the grips out for some g10 grips and the right half of the ambi safety fell out. Upon inspection, it appears that the grip is meant to hold this piece in place. When I re-installed it, however, I noticed that it would not re-insert entirely into its slot. The Left half of the ambi safety, barely engaged the right half notch. The right half was sticking out by about less than 1/16 inches and it seems like the notch is not filed correctly to accomodate the left half of the safety.

My first concern, is this protrusion dangerous? Can the pistol operate fully and safely without the right half of the safety?

I gave the right half a few very gentle taps with a finishing mallet and seems to be ok for now.

On a side note, is there any danger of the left half falling out? What keeps it in place out of curiousity?

[nobs11]

Right half of an ambi safety is not needed for function. It is the left part that engages the hammer/sear.

I'd pinch the little "prongs" on the pin that fits into the left safety for a tighter fit.

What brand safety is it?

[walter]

U can do a search on YouTube and see videos of howto put it back together

[Solidsnake87]

Its not the putting together thats the problem. If appears that the fit of the parts is the issue. My primary concern is whether or not the pistol is safe to operate. I can always do some filing, thats easy.

[H2H]

got pics ?

[Solidsnake87]

I'll take one when I get home

[Kruzr]

Do the parts fit together outside of the gun? Does the tongue go all the way into the groove?

You also have to cut a relief in the right hand grip (if it's not there) for the right hand safety to move up and down and keep it in the gun. It is the grips that hold that type of ambi safety.

[Solidsnake87]

I think the problem is that the tongue is not going completely into the groove. SA must have missed the mark on this accidently.

[JTROKS]

This doesn't sound right. Can you take pics of the old grips and the new one? Does the right half of the safety have the tang that goes under the grip? The right side won't go in if the left side is fully seated unless the right grip is off.

[FMJBT]

Everything fit together OK before changing out the grips? I'd hesitate to modify those parts at all if this is the case.

[Tony.]

All Swenson style safeties will eventually loosen. You should be able to pinch the tounge and groove part for more of a friction fit. If you want to avoid this problem, or if you switch to slim grips, you can replace the safety with a Kimber or King's which uses the hammer pin for retention.

For design purposes, I prefer the Kimber (Yes, I know the Marines use the King's). The Kimber dovetail groove installs from the bottom which is better than the King's which installs from the top. Installing from the bottom means that the groove ends at the top, creating a resistance point if you agressively thumb the safety down. This takes more pressure off of the tounge and groove mating point inside the frame.