Try what cmshoot said but that's just a manual fix for a deeper problem. It should engage and not move until you move it. It sounds like it needs a little matal message off the safety. Unless it really is the grip. If not try this.Is anybody familiar with High Standard M1911 A1-FS? I recently purchased one and find that the thumb safety (I think it's Willson Combat) which is installed on it does not fit properly. It doesn't seem to go down all the way when the safety is off positioned....making it ride up a bit every time for me and puts the gun on safe when I want to pull the trigger. Safety wouldn't go all the way down for the detent to slide into the dimple where it should sit. Basically prevents firing for me when I want to fire.
Looks like slide gets locked up if the safety is up a slight millimeter without even being engaged. (Which could be very dangerous if the hammer strikes the primer but the slide gets locked up; could blow the whole pistol apart). I took the whole mechanism apart trying to find the problem and see that even if I shave some metal off the safety part it will still not fit correctly. Does anybody knows what thumb safety I'd need to purchase to make it fit this particular model?
I hope I am making sense out of this. 1911s are new to me, but it looks like this is the problem with it.
Thank y'all in advance.
If you take apart the gun partially ( grips and slide the back strap down almost all the way down ) and leave the spring on with the back strap slid almost all the way down but not off the spring, you can see where it will hang up with a flashlight. If you start working on the safety only remove very small amounts of metal at a time. Then try again and remove metal until it works. Remember you can always buy new safety and they're not that expensive so don't be scared to give it a go. I would suggest buying a Wilson Combat replacement ambi safety and see if that works. However, nine times out of 10 when you buy 1911 parts they're not 100% drop in especially the safeties. You could get lucky and it might drop right in. If cmshoot is correct and the grip is causing the problem then that is a simple fix.
If you want to put a nice flared mag well on there you can look at Techwell ( at first it looks like a clothing site but dig into the grips and mag well section ) and they have VZ grips with little divots in them that hold a nice flared mag well in place. It's a $200 edition but it's sweet. I have them on this 1911 that I totally redid the inside with Wilson Combat bulletproof parts in stainless. You can purchase less pronounced mag wells but I like the big one. If I still lived there I'd fix it for you for nothing.
