1911 Ambi Safety Styles? How Is King's?

[Joshua M. Smith]

Hello,

Being left handed, I am pretty much stuck with an ambi safety on the 1911.

My particular model came with the type that has the extended sear pin. I've seen a lot of those break, and while mine didn't break at the pin, it did break at the tongue and groove that hold the two together.

The one that's on it now is an STI ambi, lower profile, with the ear that comes out and slips under the grip. This is somewhat limiting on the grip styles, but one of the main things that annoys me about this safety is that it backs out a bit - not too far to stop functioning by any means, but far enough for me to slip my thumbnail underneath it on the right side. It's just making all the angles on that side straight. Functional but cosmetically unappealing, and that ear is further ugly.

I've been looking at King's ambi safety. It uses a modified hammer pin to hold the assembly together, and it looks like it's sturdy. It lacks any visible support, and is visually appealing due to that fact.

I'm wondering if anyone has had experiences with all three types. I could use opinions, especially on the King's safety.

Thanks,

Josh <><