After initial fitting of the engagement surfaces of the safety, it was time to trim the extra wide paddles so they were suitable for a duty/carry gun. Left is the “before” photo, and on the right is the “after”.
A few weeks ago, MSW Contributor Scott Ballard wrote about Wilson Combat’s latest iteration of their Bulletproof Ambidextrous Safety for the 1911. Originally available with tiny little levers, many of us were waiting for a version with longer and wider paddles that are more consistent with what we are used to. Thankfully, Wilson Combat answered the call and produced the 620BP, which has oversized paddles.
The good news is that the paddles are of excellent geometry. They look and feel great. They are a bit oversized for what I feel is appropriate on an everyday carry gun, especially one that might be carried concealed. Not to worry, nothing some quality time with my Kalamazoo belt grinder, Dremel tool, and emery cloth can’t fix.
As this was going on a full house build, cosmetics are important. It is one thing to slap together parts and call it good. It is quite another to ensure all the lines match up, which they didn’t in this case (above left). A little time with a half round file and emory cloth (along with aggravation of my tendinitis) and the part looked like it was made for this gun.
As with any 1911 part, in order to be 100% is function and appearance, fitting is necessary. In addition to fitting the part for proper mechanical function and narrowing the levers, I blended the left plate so all the lines matched the frame. It is attention to these little details that separate a factory build from a full house custom. The visible machine marks were removed, and I blasted and cold blued the part to resist corrosion for the rest of the build process.
SOURCE: http://www.wilsoncombat.com
How much narrower did you make the left side? I’m accumulating parts for a future build and that is a strong possibility for my next purchase.
I trimmed off about .150″ off the left side of the safety.