I finally got around to addressing a sticky fire/safety selector on an AR. It was a nuisance, but it wasn’t really unsafe. It likely was like that from the factory, but since it was my first AR, I didn’t know any better. I didn’t want to sent it back to the factory or find a gunsmith to fix it for me.
I watched all the YouTube videos I could find on the subject. Advice was given to cut the spring to reduce tension, file the safety detent and to polish the channels in the safety to reduce friction.
I am not a gunsmith, nor do I play one on TV, but all the advice given seemed to make the safety less safe, not more safe.
Long story short. I found a new beefy safety selector online for $6, yea, they are usually about $50 and up. I also found a ‘kit’ with new springs and safetly selector detents for about $12. I simply did a pull-put and viola, it works better than new. It took longer to buy them that it did to replace them. The entire job cost me between $7 and $20 depending on how you figure it.
The $6 safety is about 1/8 inch longer than stock safety and about 1/8 inch thicker. This gives your thumb something to grab onto. Now when you work the safety, there is a definite snap when engaging and dis-engaging the safety. Yea for that.
My point is not so much that I am genius, but rather to point out that there is a lot of bad gunsmith advice on the internet. So carefully consider what you are doing before you do it. There is a reason why AR’s are built they way they are, so be careful when changing anything that may affect the safety of operation.
I watched all the YouTube videos I could find on the subject. Advice was given to cut the spring to reduce tension, file the safety detent and to polish the channels in the safety to reduce friction.
I am not a gunsmith, nor do I play one on TV, but all the advice given seemed to make the safety less safe, not more safe.
Long story short. I found a new beefy safety selector online for $6, yea, they are usually about $50 and up. I also found a ‘kit’ with new springs and safetly selector detents for about $12. I simply did a pull-put and viola, it works better than new. It took longer to buy them that it did to replace them. The entire job cost me between $7 and $20 depending on how you figure it.
The $6 safety is about 1/8 inch longer than stock safety and about 1/8 inch thicker. This gives your thumb something to grab onto. Now when you work the safety, there is a definite snap when engaging and dis-engaging the safety. Yea for that.
My point is not so much that I am genius, but rather to point out that there is a lot of bad gunsmith advice on the internet. So carefully consider what you are doing before you do it. There is a reason why AR’s are built they way they are, so be careful when changing anything that may affect the safety of operation.
Just wait until you shoot someone's gun with a really good trigger... 
