turkeestalker
May 2, 2016, 05:28 PM
I've posted in another thread where I recently ran into a Kimber identical to one that I already own at a local pawn shop, where the owner offered to knock $100 off his price for me if I was interested. Nice gesture as I do a lot of business with them.
Color me still not yet grown up in my early 50s, but the thought of having matching 45s and a double shoulder rig to play with on range day was too great of a temptation and I put it in layaway.
I'd been thinking about needing an ambi-safety on which ever pistol would be in my left hand. I tried using my index finger to operate the standard safety and it's just too awkward for me as a 'righty'. I decided that if I am going to do it, I'd just as well install one on both pistols so that it wouldn't matter which were in what ever hand. They would be the same.
Researching it I have read about the tendency of the Kimber ambi-safeties to endure failures of the right side lever shearing off. I stumbled onto the following video regarding that issue and the maker of the video's theory as to why. I don't know if he's right or he's wrong, but I do see some logic behind what he is saying.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T8nptgP8Npw
I ordered a couple of the ambi-safeties from Kimber last week and received them in today's mail. I installed one on my original pistol and realized that what the fella said in his video was correct with the longer right side lever. In fact here is a photo of the mark left on the top of the right side grip by it making contact. I circled the spot with red.
https://thefiringline.com/forums/attachment.php?attachmentid=101933&stc=1&d=1462225725
I called Kimber CS to talk with them about it. The gentleman that I spoke with said that he had not heard of that possible cause for breakage but could see the logic in the theory. Without me saying anything further, he offered to send me a bobbed right side only to experiment with and see how it worked out, free of charge.
Now I'm not saying that it will work out, but who knows. I've a feeling that eventually the safety will fail regardless if it's used very much at all.
What I am saying is that I think it was a pretty cool gesture on Kimber's part and I'm impressed.
Color me still not yet grown up in my early 50s, but the thought of having matching 45s and a double shoulder rig to play with on range day was too great of a temptation and I put it in layaway.
I'd been thinking about needing an ambi-safety on which ever pistol would be in my left hand. I tried using my index finger to operate the standard safety and it's just too awkward for me as a 'righty'. I decided that if I am going to do it, I'd just as well install one on both pistols so that it wouldn't matter which were in what ever hand. They would be the same.
Researching it I have read about the tendency of the Kimber ambi-safeties to endure failures of the right side lever shearing off. I stumbled onto the following video regarding that issue and the maker of the video's theory as to why. I don't know if he's right or he's wrong, but I do see some logic behind what he is saying.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T8nptgP8Npw
I ordered a couple of the ambi-safeties from Kimber last week and received them in today's mail. I installed one on my original pistol and realized that what the fella said in his video was correct with the longer right side lever. In fact here is a photo of the mark left on the top of the right side grip by it making contact. I circled the spot with red.
https://thefiringline.com/forums/attachment.php?attachmentid=101933&stc=1&d=1462225725
I called Kimber CS to talk with them about it. The gentleman that I spoke with said that he had not heard of that possible cause for breakage but could see the logic in the theory. Without me saying anything further, he offered to send me a bobbed right side only to experiment with and see how it worked out, free of charge.
Now I'm not saying that it will work out, but who knows. I've a feeling that eventually the safety will fail regardless if it's used very much at all.
What I am saying is that I think it was a pretty cool gesture on Kimber's part and I'm impressed.