1911 safeties: High angle options?

[Jason Burton]

Maybe you can consider a Colt factory safety which is shorter.

I would recommend giving this a try as well.

Extended thumb safeties have never been consistently useable for me because of how high my hands are on the gun, the overall shape of my hands, and the location of my surrort side hand relative to the thumb safety. A standard Colt "commercial" sized part has always been the easy solution for my personal guns.

[Hstanton1]

I would recommend giving this a try as well.

Extended thumb safeties have never been consistently useable for me because of how high my hands are on the gun, the overall shape of my hands, and the location of my surrort side hand relative to the thumb safety. A standard Colt "commercial" sized part has always been the easy solution for my personal guns.

Very cool, I never thought of that but the angle the safety is at when it’s engaged looks perfect.
Do you know if colt produces an ambidextrous version of the part as well?

Also, I’m a big fan of your work, and it’s great to see smiths of your caliber active on here.

[DamonL]

I recommend using the strong-side only version. I don’t think the ambi version is available anymore. I had an ambi version and it became loose quickly and could not be tightened. I replaced it with a Swenson ambi. If you search for Mueschke ambi-safety you will see the Colt ambi safety design. You can also look at the Harrison Retro thumb safety as a possible substitute.

[Jason Burton]

Very cool, I never thought of that but the angle the safety is at when it’s engaged looks perfect.
Do you know if colt produces an ambidextrous version of the part as well?

Also, I’m a big fan of your work, and it’s great to see smiths of your caliber active on here.

There was at one time an ambi-safety version produced, not sure if it is any longer. That said, I generally recommend avoiding ambi-safeties unless you are a true lefty and especially so if you have a very high grip on the gun and/or the hand shape and size makes contact with the right side lever. That is the case with my hands and, much like extended safeties, ambi-safeties don't really work for me.

Thank you!

[Jim Watson]

Wow, a real gunsmith will be a hard act to follow, but I will just give you one word to add to his recommendation of a regular Colt safety.
Dremel.
A big safety can be made into a smaller safety of any shape.

I have a gun with a safety the SHAPE of the Colt "teardrop" but about 50% larger. My FLG's personal CCW has a square GI shaped pad... about 50% larger. We find those to be a good compromise between factory and extended.

I also have a "bilateral" (NRA speak) safety on an IDPA ESP. The right side lever is now about 50% SMALLER than the left so as to give me WHO manipulation at a match without being in the way for freestyle or SHO.

[SW CQB 45]

this part came on a Colt Govt my dad came home with (best guess early 80s). if fact he brought home two one blue steel and the other, I think the finish was called Colt Guard. I guess a fancy name for nickel.

He later traded the blue and eventually gave me the other one.

it came with this ambi thumb safety and a very small adjustable MMC rear sight, and a long steel trigger.

Here was the ambi on it (still got it)....





I sent the pistol to Yost & Bonitz in 2005 after my dad passed as he always wanted to trick it out.