JMR Posted April 30, 2003 Share Posted April 30, 2003 I shoot left handed. Having the pleasure of breaking in a new 1911 done by a top tier pistolsmith. It has the Kings ambi and after 600 rounds, the righ lever had worked loose. Easy fix by bending in the tangs of the female end of the connector, but wondering if I am putting too much pressure on the safety during bill drills and the like in trying to regain the front sight. What is the correct amount of thumb/safety pressure to apply and does this increase during rapid fire? Thanks, Joe. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lynn jones Posted May 1, 2003 Share Posted May 1, 2003 hi joe, welcome to the BE forums. i ride my thumb safety also. it's hard to tell you how much grip pressure to apply and thumb pressure. i have a firm grip on the gun which relates to a firm thumb pressure. lynn jones Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
benos Posted May 1, 2003 Share Posted May 1, 2003 I can't really answer that one because I actually "adjust" my right hand by lifting my thumb up slightly as the left hand contacts the grip, allowing my left hand to position itself slightly higher than if my right-hand thumb remained clamped down on the safety during the entire draw. Additionally, I've never really felt clamping down hard on the thumb safety was beneficial, or did anything to improve consistent tracking. be Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Duane Thomas Posted May 1, 2003 Share Posted May 1, 2003 Well, I've got a little over 22,000 rounds through a similarly top-tier 1911 fitted with a King's ambi, and I've never had a problem. You must be honkin' on that sucker hard. One question: are you using the "Gunsite" technique where you ride the safety lever with your right thumb, then pull down on the right thumb with the left? Now that'll put some pressure on a thumb safety.... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JMR Posted May 1, 2003 Author Share Posted May 1, 2003 Thanks Lynn and BE. Duane, my right thumb is not on the safety. Do you shoot left handed? Ned Christiensen, who is left handed, has stated on the 1911 forum that all ambis will loosen up over time. I did not feel I was putting too much pressure on it and another 1911 I have with the ambi and lots of rounds has a CMC and it is still tight. I worry that repeated pinching of the slot if it continues to loosen up over time may fatigue the tabs and possibly lead to failure. Hard to believe that with all the evolution of the 1911, a bulletproof ambi has yet to surface. Thanks, Joe. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Duane Thomas Posted May 1, 2003 Share Posted May 1, 2003 Oops, sorry. Missed the part that said you were a leftie. Okay, do you use the Gunsite technique with the left thumb on the safety? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JMR Posted May 1, 2003 Author Share Posted May 1, 2003 Duane, I do index my left thumb on the safety during firing. My weak thumb stays out of the safety equation though. Not familiar with all these Gunsite technics. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
shred Posted May 1, 2003 Share Posted May 1, 2003 I'm a lefty and break ambi's about once a year. About half the time it's not from honkin down on it (no need to crush the thing), but when it gets loose (which they all seem to do) and the non-ambi side sticks up a bit and get slammed by the slide. The other half of the time, they crack off at the pin on the non-ambi side because I grind a lot of meat off there to fit my hand. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
benos Posted May 1, 2003 Share Posted May 1, 2003 It seems like someone could make a fortune if they designed a "non-twinkie" ambi. be Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sledgee Posted May 1, 2003 Share Posted May 1, 2003 Brian- I think I have such a design. The pivot pin would be solid (that's where all the trouble is), and protrude say .200" out the right side of the gun, with the protruding part machined to form a male hex or, better yet, Torx stud. The lever would have a corresponding female socket, milled clean through. The lever should be a snug press-on fit, and could be retained by a Swenson finger under the grip, a setscrew, or even a dovetailed hammer pin a la King's. There would be no stress on the retention device, and I lean toward the Swenson finger. Why don't you get someone to produce it? You can have the money--just give me two of them and call it the Sledge safety. Joe Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JMR Posted May 2, 2003 Author Share Posted May 2, 2003 Thanks all. Till they get a better design, I'm gonna take be's advice and try to keep my thumb off the darn thing except when I absolutely have to press it down a bit. Always heard that King's was the best for us lefties, same size left lever and all, but after weakening so soon on a perfectly put together pistol, I'll just add another cross to bear for being a leftie and operating a 1911. Joe. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Duane Thomas Posted May 2, 2003 Share Posted May 2, 2003 I think I have such a design. The pivot pin would be solid (that's where all the trouble is), and protrude say .200" out the right side of the gun, with the protruding part machined to form a male hex or, better yet, Torx stud. The lever would have a corresponding female socket, milled clean through. I recently received several Airsoft guns to write up for an article. One of them is a "Caspian 1911." And strangely enough for a toy, it has exactly the system you describe on the ambi safety. The offside lever is held in place with a hex bolt. I think the safety is plastic. But the Airsoft is based on a real gun made with Caspian parts. I wonder if Caspian offers that system as an after-market part for a real gun. Edit: Just checked the Caspian website. Apparently not. I wonder where the KWC people in Taiwan got the design for that part. I have to call the importer to ask a few questions for the article anyway. I'll ask, see if they know. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sledgee Posted May 2, 2003 Share Posted May 2, 2003 OK, call it the Airsoft safety and don't give me two. I'll buy 'em. As I said on another thread, after 20 years of fighting with ambi safeties (I'm a lefty, too), about a year ago I finally gave up and took a GI safety, cut the thumb pad way down, deepened the "fire" detent so it's very hard to put on "safe", and trained myself to run in Condition 0. I have a functional grip safety, and a 3 lb. trigger, and I take Rule 3 very seriously, so it's not a safety problem as I see it. The way most people use a 1911 safety, it is primary an aid to safety during the draw and reholstering, being off the rest of the time. I'm very careful, and practice dry draws every day. As Colonel Cooper said, "Gun safety lies mostly between the ears, not between the hands." Joe Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Duane Thomas Posted May 3, 2003 Share Posted May 3, 2003 Called Gary Smith, president of Caspian. The ambi safety on the "Caspian 1911" Airsoft was copied from a prototype designed and built by a guy in Florida named Carlos Castillo. I've got a telephone number. I'll give him a call tomorrow, find out if he's offering this safety commerically. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sledgee Posted May 3, 2003 Share Posted May 3, 2003 Duane- If he is, GREAT! If not, please ask him if he could be convinced to do so if he had an order for a number of them in hand, and what that number might be. Or just ask him if he'd mind your passing his contact info on to me. Thanks. Joe Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DumboRAT Posted May 4, 2003 Share Posted May 4, 2003 Duane and All, All -- Sorry to break into this thread with an unrelated post. My apologies. Duane -- I recently received several Airsoft guns to write up for an article. One of them is a "Caspian 1911." Are you the author of the following article in Front Sight? http://www.sportshooter.com/ipsc-uspsa/garage_ipsc.htm If so, then as an airsoft enthusiast, I'd like to thank you for a job well-done. Honestly, it has been one of the most accurate airsoft-application articles that I've seen to-date! The article is just now coming to the attention of the airsoft community by way of IPSC shooters who are also airsoft hobbyists, and we are all very glad that airsoft is gaining popularity as tools for both "real-steel" competitive shooting practice as well as in terms of law-enforcement "force-on-force" training, and is bringing more understanding to the public about the other legitimate uses of airsoft outside of organized skirmish-wargaming activities. Again, thanks for a job well done. Allen aka DumboRAT PS: We are hoping to get BB-IPSC (IPSC-type shooting especially configured for airsoft GBB replica pistols, just like what our Far-Eastern counterparts do) going in Ohio by the winter of this year. This is not to compete, in any way, with the real shooting sport of IPSC, but is merely an extension of where we would like to take airsoft as a true hobby and sport here in the US -- to expand it beyond its current status as mainly a skirmish-wargame-type activity. Here's a picture of my BB-IPSC airsoft blaster: http://www.airsoftohio.com/phpBB/files/851.jpg Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Flexmoney Posted May 4, 2003 Share Posted May 4, 2003 In Ohio??? Send me a message or an email (so we can quit drifting this thread). The Buckeye Blast is in about two weeks...you may want to see about setting up a table. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Duane Thomas Posted May 5, 2003 Share Posted May 5, 2003 Are you the author of the following article in Front Sight? Nope, that wasn't me. I agree, the author of that piece did a great job. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DumboRAT Posted May 5, 2003 Share Posted May 5, 2003 Duane, LOL, thanks for the reply anyway. Anyone know who the author is? The link did not show a by-line. Thanks, Allen aka DumboRAT ------------------- PS: to All -- I honestly don't know if this will help, but this is taken from the commercial website of a well-known Japanese high-end airsoft GBB (gas operated, slide blow-back) accessory/aftermarket-upgrade parts maker, Sheriff Co. Japan: http://www.sheriff.co.jp/parts/newpage12.htm My experience with "real-steel" firearms is limited, but perhaps you ladies and gents can make some headway in your current discussion. The silver-colored parts show much better detail. Do I think that these parts can be retrofitted for use on a real firearm? I honestly don't know -- especially as this application area is CRITICAL in terms of safety (no pun intended). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BillL223 Posted May 8, 2003 Share Posted May 8, 2003 JMR, from the description of your safety, it does not sound like a Kings. The Kings I use has a solid pin that comes through the gun similar to sledgee's idea. The right side lever is retained by a dovetailed slot which engages a turned dovetail on the end of the pin. I am also left-handed and have standardized on the Kings ambi. Recently my gunsmith, EGW, drilled and tapped the frame and installed a small set-screw to act as a stop for the safety lever. I now have this setup on my Open and Limited STI and like it very much. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JMR Posted May 9, 2003 Author Share Posted May 9, 2003 Bill, it's a Kings and the connection between the left and right halves is a slot/tang arrangement that fits together in about the center of the frame. Why did you go to a stop pin if it was working well for you? Thanks, Joe. BTW, I'm having my gun redone with a Brown ambi that seems to be the preference of southpaws while the Kings seems to be the preference of righthanders who want an ambi. Seems like the downstop on the right side is a must however. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Duane Thomas Posted May 9, 2003 Share Posted May 9, 2003 Talked to Carlos Castillo. He only made two prototypes of his safety design. He does not offer it for sale commercially. Sorry, guys. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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