Ambidextrous Safety or not?

[Sentinel]

Let's hear it. Who has ambi-safeties on their 1911s?

[wichaka]

I have an ambi on my Loaded only because it came that way. I would take it off, but theres wear marks on the right side of the frame because of it.

I just use extended safetys on all my others.

[stumbler]

I have one 1911 with the ambi safety (it came that way). The rest have either the standard or extended safeties. I don't need the extra work when disassembling and I don't use the ambi enough to warrant having it.

[wildon1911s]

Here is the question one should ask themselves, leftys this does not apply, why would you need an ambi if you are right handed? Yeah if by some odd chance you lose the use of your strong hand during a gun battle, you would need to obviously use your weak hand, raises next question, if you are in a gun battle why do you have your safety on in the first place? Just my opinion, but they tend to just be something else to hang up on your clothing while carrying.

[Bear]

Using an ambi safety depends on application. Now on a carry gun it may not be as useful. However if you use your 1911 for competition it's pretty nice to have. Example: You shoot a stage in a competition where you have to take all the shots weak hand only (I speak in terms of the right handed shooter). Now here's the catch, there is a position change involved in this stage. Now, of course, your finger is off the trigger during the position change but it sure is nice to have the safety available. I think it depends on preference. If you were to poll all the 1911 owners in this sight I think you would find that even though the basic design of our guns are the same there are many differences between them. We change the gun to be what we want it to be. Also my sister shoots with me often and she is a lefty. So part of my reason for an ambi safety is to make it easier for her to shoot. It all depends on what your preference is. Just a thought.

Enjoy safe shooting!
Bear

[John]

I've flirted with the idea of an ambi for some time now. Not that I need one, just to give it a try. But the mounting systems of these things leave a lot to be desired as far as I am concerned. The ones with the tongue under the grip are a pain, not all my favorite grips have slots for thee. The other ones with the different sear pin are better, but ....

I do not know, I am right-handed, so I still haven't found the reason for one.

[El Rocoso]

As a southpaw, I do use ambis but I don't like or particularly trust any of the mounting systems. I have long campaigned for one with a solid pin like that on the Hi-Power.

[Hawkmoon]

Wildon pretty much spelled it out. makes sense for a leftie, but for the resr of us it's just one more thing to break or to get a piece of clothing caught on.

[Bud White]

Have to have it as a southpaw

[Sifu]

While I am right-handed, it's convenient to be able to check my safety while the weapon is still holstered. Just a habit of mine.

[Sentinel]

Back to top...

[AnimalKracker]

I'm building up a set of ROCKS. Going to put ambi on them. Got the Ed Brown tactical style. (smaller) Also Nowlen low profile tritium combat sights. Got to quit buying more pistols and holsters, so I can get these installed. http://i14.photobucket.com/albums/a301/AnimalKracker1/ROCKISLAND1911A1-RIA979047RIA979008.jpg

[Joni Lynn]

I'm left handed so I do want an ambi safety on my guns although I'm sure it isn't as sturdy as the left side safety lever is.
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v217/Joni_Lynn/GC.jpg

[Sandman1967]

While I am right-handed, it's convenient to be able to check my safety while the weapon is still holstered. Just a habit of mine.

I guess I could get along without a ambi safety, but like you Sifu, the way it fits in my holster, I can feel the safety through my shirt and know right away if the gun still has the safety on.

[AnimalKracker]

Nice collection Joni. :)

[AnimalKracker]

Now there's something a woman with more pairs of pistols than shoes. :D

[warmrain]

And for righties, carrying cocked and locked an ambi-safety could cause the safety to be released by bumping the ambi-safety; it is a little exposed...?!

[FED-up]

"Now there's something a woman with more pairs of pistols than shoes." What? Looks fine to me Joni.

Wildon, that was so logical it was scary. I have an Operator that came with and ambidextrous safety (first one I ever had) and it did come that way.

Also, Iamb right handed. If I were a "south paw" (a la Joni) it would be a "must have," period. Or if I were using it in competition, . . . maybe?

But as Wildon points out, no matter where you (hypothetically) get shot, the safety's going to be where it always was on the gun. Your finger and the trigger will be the key. When time permits you can probably get there if you need to.
Try to avoid Government Jobs at all costs Wildon. There's even less of a place for logic in a post 911 world.

I decided, in fact, to leave the ambi off my next one.

[Joni Lynn]

Since I don't usually carry a 1911 an ambi to me is just for convenience. I sometimes shoot right handed but most often left handed. Sort of depecds on the mood I'm in I guess. I will practice both left and right handed with any gun I can manage recoil wise. My right wrist had an injury once and won't tolerate much direct recoil, so no one handed 44's in the right paw.

[FED-up]

How long were you an amateur before you turnied pro? Are you making anything (I'm not)? As for my right wrist, nice try. I ain't going there - LOL! Especially not on a Friday night?

[Joni Lynn]

I fell backwards out of the rear door of my fathers SUV and landed on my right hand and wrenched my wrist which almost broke but has never been quite right since then including carpal tunnel. That occured almost 20 years ago.

[FED-up]

Well there's a coincidence. Just before my wife left me, she threw me backwards threw the door of her father's SUV and I landed on my right hand, fracturing it. Somehow the combined event put one hell of a dent in sex life?

Come to think of it, I don't know that I want any safeties at all. What's avoiding an accident going to do? Add another days - whoopie! Probably just end up catching the Avian Flu anyway?

"Nobody realizes that some people expend tremendous energy merely to be normal. "
- Albert Camus

"To no avail" - unknown

[Joni Lynn]

The best thing about having an 'X' is that it is an EX!!!!

[Joni Lynn]

........on another note....

What's a sex life?????????

[FED-up]

Yeah. And we're not bitter either! That's what's so cool about us.

Sex life? Hummm? That which one had before one had an "ex", and/or broken hand. At least the Springfields shoot reliably. Exactly what the hell was the point in raising the life expectancy past 47? Real funny! I doubt dead feels a lot worse than this, and and heating fuel prices wouldn't be an issue this winter either.

[Ric4509]

Unless it came with it the ambi safeties are there. My CDPs (latest) all have it of course. I still cannot remove the ambi to replace with a single safety.

[Joni Lynn]

Well the one didn't exist during marriage either, so no loss in any sense there. My gas cost is averaged to a monthly bill they just raised it over $200 a month. I live in a small house, glad I'm not heating a large one!

[shark40sw]

I have an ambi on one but not the other. The one with is a carry gun and has it because I'm a lefty by nature but shoot right (I'm right eye dominant, and shoot rifle the same way. The word uses to describe this is "freak") The one without is a modified 10mm Elite that I use mainly as a range gun.
I can , and occasionly do (read showing off), shoot left handed. At ranges to 20 meters or so I'm okay but the right eye thing makes it hard to be accurate out past that distance. So I do see and understand the need for an ambi safety.

[DHC]

Just like most "professionally minded" shooters, many practice shooting from many different positions: standing, kneeling, seated, prone, supine, from a stationary car, from a moving car, AT a moving car/target, low-light, etc. Why? Because you just never know what kind of situation you could find yourself.

If you are one that does not prefer an ambi-safety, you should practice drawing your weapon with your "weak" hand from your strong-side holster, swiping off the safety, and shooting one-handed, weak side. Why? Because you just NEVER know what situation you could find yourself...

I have an ambi on three of my 1911s, and one going on to my "newest". I have always liked having that functionality. But I am also intending to start practicing shooting as a lefty as I'm left-eye dominant. We'll see how that goes...

[Don]

re eye dominance -- I am left eye dominant, and right handed, and have no problems as long as I close the right eye when shooting -- now, it is a reflex action, that is, as my gun comes up to aim in my right hand, my right eye closes so that the left eye gets a proper sight picture, without the double vision which my using both eyes would produce {for me, anyway} ...

[DHC]

re eye dominance -- I am left eye dominant, and right handed, and have no problems as long as I close the right eye when shooting -- now, it is a reflex action, that is, as my gun comes up to aim in my right hand, my right eye closes so that the left eye gets a proper sight picture, without the double vision which my using both eyes would produce {for me, anyway} ...
Very true for me too, but it causes me issues with a rifle. My newest AR was built with an ambi-.

My dad, who is a southpaw, tried to get me to learn to shoot lefty when I was a boy but I was too hardheaded... Well, he had two very nice custom bows made for him. I wanted to be able to shoot them so took an archery class using lefty bows. Worked VERY well for me. Now I'm going to try that theory on firearms. :)

[Ops Officer]

Very true for me too, but it causes me issues with a rifle. My newest AR was built with an ambi-.

My dad, who is a southpaw, tried to get me to learn to shoot lefty when I was a boy but I was too hardheaded... Well, he had two very nice custom bows made for him. I wanted to be able to shoot them so took an archery class using lefty bows. Worked VERY well for me. Now I'm going to try that theory on firearms. :)

Good plan. Several years ago, I had a tactical instructor insist on converting me from right hand to left hand after he learned I was left eye dominant. At the time, the thought of clearing my clothing and drawing with my left hand scared the hell out of me. The instructor agreed to allowing me to continue to use my right hand as my primary if I didn't perform more accurately and as fast with my left hand at the end of the training day. Patience paid off. I now use my left hand as my primary. You should find an instructor who will coach you through it.

When I purchased a Sig GSR Rev, I had an Ed Brown tactical ambi safety installed before I fired the gun. Works well. So, an ambi is required for me.

[dogdollar]

An old bullseye champion shooter told me I was lucky to be left handed, and that, even though he shot equally well with either hand, if he knew what he knew now, he would have trained more shooting lefty. The reason ? The 1911, when you think about it, recoils INTO the strong side of the left hand.

Anyway, all of my slabs have ambis.