I am looking to either buy the Wilson Bullet Proof series, which is around $65 before shipping. I was wondering if another one (brand) would be just as good. I have seen some in the $30-$40 range. I just want to get rid of my cast ambi one and replace it with something high quality.
thx
Both are good parts, but I vote for the Brown wide.
V/r
Uglyguns
Are EGW parts good? They have a similar design to Brown. Also, I learned Brown’s slide stops are made from steel, but their thumb safeties are cast. I am trying to buy just steel parts. So i guess that rules out the Brown thumb safety.
I had Browns put on my last two Wilsons (in Berryville), but am actually considering the Wilson’s new 192 series Tactical Bullet Proof unit. The price has me in a bit of a holding pattern, but this still strikes me as one of the better products on the market. Some of the other Bullet Proof models are less expensive, but offer similar metallurgy and design, and are a good value for the money.
Whichever way you choose to go, it definitely pays to invest in a best-quality component here, as the “dovetailed axle” linkup design in common use is always going to be a potential weak point of the system.
AC
I like Brown parts. Never had any issues with their stuff. I had a S&W1911 which I think was a Wilson part. I switched it to a brown.
I prefer the Brown safety as well. It feels better
Wilson and EGW are the ones to look at if you want a thumb safety machined from bar stock. They are quite different in shape though. The Wilson part is fairly slim and contoured while the EGW comes with a wide thumb lever and is shaped similar to the Ed Brown wide thumb safety. Its a good choice if you want a really wide lever or if you want to shape it to suit your taste. Both are quality parts. SVI also makes one but I’ve never seen it and they are hard to find.
No thumb safety is a drop-in part and at the minimum, will require fitting the safety lug that blocks the sear. The Wilson will require less work since the outer contour is good to go. As I said, you can use the EGW safety as-is if you want a wide lever but will probably require some shaping and refinishing. I would suggest getting the one with the shape that suits you because they feel very different.
There are a number of cast thumb safeties on the market including Ed Brown, C&S, Wilson and Nighthawk and many of them are offered with a narrow “tactical” lever and a wide lever. Their breakage rate is low but it does occasionally happen, usually at the joint where the pin meets the body of the safety. Of these, the Ed Brown is the one that will probably require the least amount of fitting.
The only MIM safety worth considering is the STI. Their earlier safeties frequently broke but they redesigned the part and the body is much thicker now. Several manufacturers use it and the failure rate is probably the same or better than most cast safeties.
Try to handle some other pistols and see which one feels best to you.
Bar stock, cast and MIM parts are all made from steel but how they are manufactured is different.
I do not have the knowledge and expertise of some of the 1911 guys on here, but I will share my opinion for what it is worth.
I really like the feel of the older non-bulletproof Wilson Safety:
I like the idea of the bullet proof safety, but no experience with them.
The only thumb safety that I have ever broken on my 1911’s was an Ed Brown safety, of which I have broken 2 in similar fashion.
Pics of the two broken Ed Brown safeties:
I have also used and I like SVI safeties, but they are a bit pricey. I have used 2 of them on two different 1911’s and really liked the feel.
Great post, David. Thank you for weighing in.
AC
Wow thank you for the pics. I pretty much ruled out the Brown safety because it was cast. I am leaning toward the Wilson Bullet Proof. I have also looked at EGW but their out of stock everywhere. I think I end up with the wilson safety and the brwon harcore slide stop.
Interesting, they both broke in the same spot. Would that be because of the way they are cast? Some sort of weak point I would assume.
Nice photos Dave!
They both broke at the joint where the pin meets the body of the safety. I don’t know if it is due to an insufficient fillet or radius at that joint to prevent a stress riser or some other reason but if a thumb safety breaks, it is usually at that spot.
I like the Wilson cast tactical safety too but the last ones I bought had a pin that was oversized and wouldn’t fit into any frame that I could find. I hope that Wilson has remedied that because they are a nice part and as you can tell by the photo, they have a thicker body than most other safeties.
I did find that SVI sells their bar stock thumb safeties online:
http://www.sviguns.com/1101.php?indx=9
They are available in single and ambi in both tactical and wide widths.
If you are looking for a bar stock slide stop, look at the Wilson Bulletproof, EGW or the forged Greider slide stop sold by Nighthawk, C&S and several other companies. Both the standard and the hardcore Ed Brown slide stops are cast.
Thanks, Mr. Berryhill.
I too have run into the oversized post on some Wilson safeties. The ones I had were purchased from Brownells about a year ago.
The SVI safeties I purchased, were bought from them via telephone. Didn’t take too long to arrive.
Yeah, I may have to try one of the SVI thumb safeties. I see that they have bar stock grip safeties too. While it’s probably overkill to make them from bar stock, I’ll bet the hole is drilled through them straight so they don’t cock to one side. 
Has anyone used one of these for a slide stop?
They look interesting.
http://shop.harrisoncustom.com/products/117-hd-401-extreme-service-slide-stop.aspx
looks like it is the same one used here:
http://www.louderthanwords.us/forum/viewtopic.php?f=6&t=7996
I am using several of his parts on a build that he is doing for me. Sights, SS and Ionbonded long trigger are just a few of them. His parts are amongst the best made and I trust if they were not John would not have his name on them.
EGW and Kings also make nice thumb safeties. I prefer the wide Kings…
That would be one of the Greider forged slide stops that I mentioned. The original version has a flat serrated lever and there is also a version with a curved lever that was developed for shooters wearing gloves. I’ve got both in stock.
While I am still weighing my options, I did visit you site. I did not see a way to choose between the new version or old version. There was only an option for stainless or blue. Did I miss something, or does one have to specify if he/she wants the new version?