Grip safety engagement details

[jtmo3]

I asked about a couple issues I was having with installing a Wilson drop in safety in a colt commander. I believe I filed to much off one area and the trigger would release with the slightest touch of the safety. I have a new drop in and a couple questions before I screw this one up.

When I put the first safety in, it was very tight and wouldn't move when installed. Looking at the picture instructions that came with the part, it shows areas to remove material. The one place it doesn't show is the nose of the engagement area. It shows the bevel area where it meets with the bottom of the nose, but not the nose itself. When I removed material from the nose area (shortening the engagement area), it moved more freely. My problem came in because I thought removing from the area 90 degrees from the nose (the shelf area below the nose?) would solve this and I think that's what caused the to easy release problem. Am I right in this thinking? The nose makes the safety tight and the "shelf" below the nose is when the safety releases the trigger? If so, should I first have removed from the nose and when the safety freed up, then go after the shelf area for setting the release of the safety?

Also, what is the last area of the safety engagement? The back part 90 degrees from that shelf area. Is that for setting how far the safety recesses into the frame?

I'm just trying to get a better idea what these different areas do before attacking them with a file and screwing it up like I did the first time. Any additional advice on installing the new piece would be appreciated from someone who's been there and done it before. Thanks.

John

[Sniper350]

First, understand that the nose area is the part that prevents the rearward movement of the trigger Bow. Preventing this movement engages the "safety".

The [vertical face or height ] and shape of the nose area determines how far the safety must pivot before allowing the trigger bow to move back into the shelf area as you called it. Filing on the shelf area decreases the height of the nose area, allowing for early release of the trigger bow .......I hope this is not too confusing trying to put it into words.

I read your posts before about how your grip safety was working .....and I didn't see a problem. Most people want the grip safety to release with the minimal amount of movement. The Wilson grip safety that I installed, worked the same as yours ----very little movement was needed to remove the safety. As long as the safety can't be shaken into disengagement ......... I left it alone. Wilson puts a slight bevel on the bottom of the nose of their safety and I think that decreases the amount of movement needed to disengage this grip safety. I wasn't able to square off this nose without removing too much material and rendering the safety useless [ for my pistol ].

.... first have removed from the nose and when the safety freed up, then go after the shelf area for setting the release of the safety?

This is the correct approach.
If the safety is too long....it will not set into the frame and pivot like it should. Once the length has been determined ............ and the safety pivots freely ............then move on to setting when the trigger bow gets released.

PS: Be careful that the new grip safety is not too thick to fit into the series 80 design ....... take careful measurements of the old safety and transfer that thickness to the new safety tang.

JF.