Change safety Rem 100

[heartman]

Need to change a Remm 1100 safety from left-handed to right-handed - have the new right-handed safety from Brownell's.  Tell me again the basics of this manuveur?  I changed it back in high school when I bought the gun - it's 35 years later, and my 13 year old is using the gun...it's been a while.  Thanks to all.

[wlmccann]

Basically, the hole for the safety detent ball has to be plugged and a new one drilled. Any competent gunsmith should be able to do it.

[gunnut69]

I believe what you want to do is remove the safety that's in the fire control group now and replace it with the right handed piece. I'll include a linbk to a schenatic below. Of course be certain its unloaded and drioft out/remove the pins retaining the fire control group.  Drift out the safety detent ball retaining pin(#79). Be careful as the spring and ball (#77-78) will eject from the hole in the rear of the trigger housing. The safety may be carefully removed from its recess and the new one inserted such that the ball will fit in the holes for it in the safety cylinder. The spring is held forward and the pin reinserted. To hole the spring forward under tension a nail or rod of about the same size as the detent ball hole is fitted with a handle and a slot equal or just a bit thicker than the rtaining pin is sawn in the end. This will allow the spring to be depressed past the pin which can then be driven in to retain the spring and detent ball.


http://www.gunuts.com/view.php?view=details&model_id=56&type=3

[wlmccann]

Guys, I am now confused. Remington lists triggerplates in both right and lefthand configurations, but only one safety switch that is not specified as right or left hand. I have converted a number from right hand to lefthand operation by using the procedure in Kuhnhausens book on the 870/1100's. I have been unable to find a lefthand safety switch for these that is a drop in part. Gunnut69, has there been an aftermarket safety available that I have missed? If there is it would be a lot easier installation than plugging and relocating the safety detent hole.

[gunnut69]

At one point there were safety converstions for many remington firearms, 760, 740, 742 and likely more. The reason I've heard for their demise was a liability issue. If you convert a weapon to a left hand safety you altered the finction of the safety devise. Much like altering the pull weight of a trigger has serious liability issues.. I've never seen a left hand 1100 with a left side ejection port. All I've seen were right hand guns fitted with left hand operating safeties. As to the left and right trigger plates, it says in my book these are 'trigger plate assemmblies' and they in the $100+ range. This is the entire firecontrol group and simply has the left hand safety button installed. I don't know if the button is available from Remington seperately. The safeties on the remington pump/autoloaders both shotgun and autoloader are quite similar. The after market safeties(bighead) fit nearly all the centerfire rifles and most of the recent shotgun models..  I you read the initial question carefully you might notice the writer indicated he had changed the safety to a left handed one longer ago and had in hand a right handed button to reconvert the weapon. He simply had forgotten how the process went.

[wlmccann]

Gunnut69, thank you. I had never been able to locate a lefthand button. Probably why I misinterpreted the original post. Triggerplate assemblies are apparently all that is available now and they are expensive. The left hand safety button is not to be seen on the parts lists I have looked at. I will have to dig to see for sure, but somewhere around here I have just a triggerplate for an 870. I it came from a lefthanded gunsmith and I am almost certain the detent hole location was different from the standard right hand triggerplate. I have seen left safety, left ejection port Remington 1100's. Not more than 3 over the years. I have a friend who traded me a right hand model for a left I got in on trade.You never get bored with gunsmithing. You may get frustrated, disgusted, burnt out etc., but never bored. There's always something you haven't seen before. My impression is that you are a retired gunsmith. Your experience includes things that I haven't seen. I appreciate having someone to ask questions of. I have read about and used firearms for over 40 years now and worked on them for better than 25. I am the first to admit I don't know everything. The longer I live and the longer I read about and see things tells me just how ignorant I am. I have just begun to scratch the surface.

[gunnut69]

One never stops learning or you will surely die.. That's what a dear friend of mine says. He's 87, fought at Tarawa(sp.) and ended up in intelligence during the Korean difficulties. Made my first stock nearly 45 years ago on a Stevens 'Visible Loader'. Wasn't too pretty but worked well.