Ed Brown Thumb Safety Failures...

[Guest Verbal Kint]

Those of you who own Ed Brown 1911's might want to keep an eye on your thumb safeties, or inspect them for potential failure. Seems a handful of people have experienced their safeties cracking in the same spot.

Not sure if it's a design flaw, or just the typical 1 in XXXX number of guns encountering a problem. But definitely something to be aware of, if you own an Ed Brown 1911 or are contemplating using one of their safeties on your 1911 of choice.

Link : http://www.1911forum.com/forums/showthread.php?t=185701

I have a Kimber Warrior that has been modified by EGW, that I use as one of my duty guns. I went to the range the other day for department firearms qualifications and usually bring my other “qualified” guns with me to shoot. I shot about 80 rounds through my Warrior, 20 of which were CorBon 185 grain +P’s (I don’t know if that would make a difference), but when I got home and started cleaning my Warrior, I noticed that the thumb safety, which is an Ed Brown single sided safety had cracked where the frame pin connects to the safety. I purchased this pistol after the modifications had been done to the pistol by EGW and it had been completely refinished, so I could tell that it had not been used any after the work. I have only fired about 500 rounds through it since I have had it, so to say the least, I am not happy about the failure of the Brown safety. I am going to have it replaced with a King’s single safety, but I thought that I would just share the failure with everyone, especially with all of the talk about MIM parts. Here, the factory part was replaced with a “quality” part and it failed not soon after.

Sorry about the crappy picture, my camera doesn’t do close ups very well.

(Click for Larger Image)

Welcome to the club. Yours is about the 4th or 5th one posted (including mine) in the past couple of years with a "hardcore" crack at the same place.

I've also had an EB single side Thumb Safety break in about the same place. That was a few years ago.

I'm not a regular poster on this board (someone pointed me to this one from okshooters.com), then I tried logging in and remembered that I had registered her a long time ago. Anywho - mine did the same thing - mine is the Ed Brown Tactical Extended Thumb Safety - this just happened to me after about 800 rounds

EDIT: Fixed broken image link, and added more user's accounts with this issue.

[Guest Disney]

Man.... Your posts are all so doomsday!

you just got a 1911 and already you've found 819 different ways it can fail.

Maybe it's just the 1911 forums getting to you?

[Guest Verbal Kint]

Man.... Your posts are all so doomsday!

you just got a 1911 and already you've found 819 different ways it can fail.

Maybe it's just the 1911 forums getting to you?

Nah, I just scour the 1911 forums and stock up on all the good info as well as useless trivia facts about them. Figure I'd post the relevant topics over here, since I know a few people personally own the affected handguns and might want to know about the issues. Better to be aware, I guess.

I love 1911's... which is why I already have another purchase lined up in the near future, and will be passing the Kimber down to the wife shortly.

Which one did you pick up? I'll try to find all the negative things about it for you.

[DaveTN]

I call … this just can not be.

This gun costs over $2K and has some guys name on it. It is a proven fact that if you spend that much, and the gun has some guys name on it you will never have a failure and it will hit bulls eye every time.

[Guest Verbal Kint]

APOCALYPSE!

[willis68]

Those of you who own Ed Brown 1911's might want to keep an eye on your thumb safeties, or inspect them for potential failure. Seems a handful of people have experienced their safeties cracking in the same spot.

Not sure if it's a design flaw, or just the typical 1 in XXXX number of guns encountering a problem. But definitely something to be aware of, if you own an Ed Brown 1911 or are contemplating using one of their safeties on your 1911 of choice.

Link : http://www.1911forum.com/forums/showthread.php?t=185701

EDIT: Picture link on the first photo is up and down... if it doesn't show up, wait a few minutes and try again. Looks like the OP used a generic host like imageshack/photobucket or something.

Ok out of about I dont know 350,000 safeties EB sells many, many safeties. Statistically speaking there will be failures of all parts made for anything. The thing here is that you call it a failure, a failure is when the part doesnt work, that was not the case, the safety still functioned,I know several people who own these safties and have never seen a problem including myself, this happens with all manufactures, you had to dig to find that thread I imagine, because I have never seen this, and since it was in 2005, 3 years to go buy for not having anymore problems, says alot, you should check around and see exactly how many safeties are sold and how many have problems, I believe that would instill faith in anyone wishing to purchase an Ed Brown safety or any other part

[Guest Verbal Kint]

Ok out of about I dont know 350,000 safeties EB sells many, many safeties. Statistically speaking there will be failures of all parts made for anything.

I agree... which is why, in my original post, I said it may just be a case of "1 in XXXX guns encountering a problem". I've always said guns are just machines and can fail for whatever reason at whatever time.

The thing here is that you call it a failure, a failure is when the part doesnt work, that was not the case, the safety still functioned,

It was a failure. If you go to the link/thread you will see several people agree. As one individual said, show me a cracked safety and I'll show you a safety I can break into two parts. I believe one or two even called it "catastrophic" as it could potentially cause your not to go bang when you want it to. If you ask anyone who works with metal, in regards to a piece breaking under stress, I'm pretty sure you'll hear the word "failed" pretty often.

you had to dig to find that thread I imagine, because I have never seen this, and since it was in 2005, 3 years to go buy for not having anymore problems, says alot, you should check around and see exactly how many safeties are sold and how many have problems,

Yeah, because I set out today to search for all things Ed Brown so I could specifically list their downsides. Are you serious? I came across the thread while searching "New Posts" for the day... something I do every day while browsing the 1911forum site. And a few individuals chimed in yesterday alone about having the same issue, as the thread grew by several posts while I was reading it.

I believe that would instill faith in anyone wishing to purchase an Ed Brown safety or any other part

I think you are taking this thread way too personally, IMO. I'm glad you like Ed Brown handguns... EB makes awesome pieces, and even I would buy one without reservation. But when several different people encounter the same issue, with the same parts, in the exact same place... that's a pattern of failures. No matter how small, it's a pattern. I simply reposted the info here so potential owners and current owners alike are aware to keep an eye out for the issue. Will most encounter this? Most likely not, based on the sheer number of guns they produce. But, just like in a manufacturer's recall on automobiles, I'd definitely want to know what problems are out there with something I trust my life to.

[willis68]

I agree... which is why, in my original post, I said it may just be a case of "1 in XXXX guns encountering a problem". I've always said guns are just machines and can fail for whatever reason at whatever time.

It was a failure. If you go to the link/thread you will see several people agree. As one individual said, show me a cracked safety and I'll show you a safety I can break into two parts. I believe one or two even called it "catastrophic" as it could potentially cause your not to go bang when you want it to. If you ask anyone who works with metal, in regards to a piece breaking under stress, I'm pretty sure you'll hear the word "failed" pretty often.

Yeah, because I set out today to search for all things Ed Brown so I could specifically list their downsides. Are you serious? I came across the thread while searching "New Posts" for the day... something I do every day while browsing the 1911forum site. And a few individuals chimed in yesterday alone about having the same issue, as the thread grew by several posts while I was reading it.

I think you are taking this thread way too personally, IMO. I'm glad you like Ed Brown handguns... EB makes awesome pieces, and even I would buy one without reservation. But when several different people encounter the same issue, with the same parts, in the exact same place... that's a pattern of failures. No matter how small, it's a pattern. I simply reposted the info here so potential owners and current owners alike are aware to keep an eye out for the issue. Will most encounter this? Most likely not, based on the sheer number of guns they produce. But, just like in a manufacturer's recall on automobiles, I'd definitely want to know what problems are out there with something I trust my life to.

Verbal,

You have to take the internet with a grain of salt, there are soo many people posting on that site that are full of crap. Several people post things on there on every manufacturer that is Bull, alot of the times they havent ever handled or seen in person what they are complaining about, I believe what I see and sometimes what I see pictures of, alot of people have their own agenda of things, so my defense here, is just that I spent several years researching Ed Brown products, not through the internet but at the range, gun shops and talking to owners face to face before I decided to invest that much money in a handgun, and I am the first person who would complain to everyone who would listen, there are several people who just because they spent $2000.00 or more on a handgun they will accept flaws in cosmetics, function and accuracy just to convince themselfs they did not make a mistake in purchasing one, I am not that way, while my handguns are expensive, if they were not perfect, I would not keep them I may be the only person whom visits this forum who actually has 2 of these guns( im not sure), so I defend them because they are in my case perfect, and I share that with the people of this forum who are looking into purchasing an expensive 1911 well worth the money,

Best Regards,

[Guest dotsun]

No good deed goes unpunished.

[Guest Verbal Kint]

Verbal,

You have to take the internet with a grain of salt, there are soo many people posting on that site that are full of crap. Several people post things on there on every manufacturer that is Bull, alot of the times they havent ever handled or seen in person what they are complaining about, I believe what I see and sometimes what I see pictures of, alot of people have their own agenda of things, so my defense here, is just that I spent several years researching Ed Brown products, not through the internet but at the range, gun shops and talking to owners face to face before I decided to invest that much money in a handgun, and I am the first person who would complain to everyone who would listen, there are several people who just because they spent $2000.00 or more on a handgun they will accept flaws in cosmetics, function and accuracy just to convince themselfs they did not make a mistake in purchasing one, I am not that way, while my handguns are expensive, if they were not perfect, I would not keep them I may be the only person whom visits this forum who actually has 2 of these guns( im not sure), so I defend them because they are in my case perfect, and I share that with the people of this forum who are looking into purchasing an expensive 1911 well worth the money,

Best Regards,

I definitely take things with a grain of salt when it comes to the internet. Honesty and accuracy are always in question, as there is no real way to ensure either when reading someone else's account. However, when multiple people post multiple photographic evidence... along with others chiming in saying they have witnessed or experienced the same issue... then it becomes a pattern. No matter how small the percentage is, based on volume of sales, it is a pattern -- by true definition of the term.

I'm glad your Ed Brown 1911's have been flawless. The majority of EB owners probably share in your wonderful experience with the firearm. However, there are people out there that have suffered from this issue. That is why I posted this information here. To make people aware of the issue, so they can draw their own conclusions and opinions... as well as investigate deeper if they should happen to own the same brand of gun.

This isn't directed towards you, but adamantly denying that this simply doesn't happen... or sweeping it under the rug... is no better than saying X brand firearm is 100% reliable. No gun is 100% reliable. A gun that has fired 50,000 rounds without issue is not guaranteed to fire the 50,001 round on the next trigger pull. However, you can invest faith into that assumption/prediction based on prior performance and issues (or lack of)... which again, brings me back to why I posted this here.

I've posted several articles pertaining to problems associated with 1911's, recently. Kimber, Nighthawk Custom, Ed Brown, etc. I'm not trying to place one brand in any better light than the next. Heck, I own a Kimber and have even posted about flaws in their guns. It's nothing personal, just factual information. If my post(s) influence someone into buying or not buying a certain gun, then hopefully it's because it forced them to look deeper into the brand and therefore make a better educated decision. If it causes someone to pause and think about their gun, and they check it out and find an issue -- and correct it before it becomes a problem -- then that's great. But, either way, I'm not bashing anyone or trying to make this into a witch hunt... and I don't take a lone individual's experience as the biblical word.

Hopefully you can understand where I'm coming from. As I stated previously, this wouldn't prevent me from picking up an Ed Brown 1911 of my own. But I would appreciate knowing that there was a potential problem with one of their parts, before and after I purchased it.

[willis68]

I definitely take things with a grain of salt when it comes to the internet. Honesty and accuracy are always in question, as there is no real way to ensure either when reading someone else's account. However, when multiple people post multiple photographic evidence... along with others chiming in saying they have witnessed or experienced the same issue... then it becomes a pattern. No matter how small the percentage is, based on volume of sales, it is a pattern -- by true definition of the term.

I'm glad your Ed Brown 1911's have been flawless. The majority of EB owners probably share in your wonderful experience with the firearm. However, there are people out there that have suffered from this issue. That is why I posted this information here. To make people aware of the issue, so they can draw their own conclusions and opinions... as well as investigate deeper if they should happen to own the same brand of gun.

This isn't directed towards you, but adamantly denying that this simply doesn't happen... or sweeping it under the rug... is no better than saying X brand firearm is 100% reliable. No gun is 100% reliable. A gun that has fired 50,000 rounds without issue is not guaranteed to fire the 50,001 round on the next trigger pull. However, you can invest faith into that assumption/prediction based on prior performance and issues (or lack of)... which again, brings me back to why I posted this here.

I've posted several articles pertaining to problems associated with 1911's, recently. Kimber, Nighthawk Custom, Ed Brown, etc. I'm not trying to place one brand in any better light than the next. Heck, I own a Kimber and have even posted about flaws in their guns. It's nothing personal, just factual information. If my post(s) influence someone into buying or not buying a certain gun, then hopefully it's because it forced them to look deeper into the brand and therefore make a better educated decision. If it causes someone to pause and think about their gun, and they check it out and find an issue -- and correct it before it becomes a problem -- then that's great. But, either way, I'm not bashing anyone or trying to make this into a witch hunt... and I don't take a lone individual's experience as the biblical word.

Hopefully you can understand where I'm coming from. As I stated previously, this wouldn't prevent me from picking up an Ed Brown 1911 of my own. But I would appreciate knowing that there was a potential problem with one of their parts, before and after I purchased it.

Agreed,

My friend if you are searching for a gun manufacturer that has never had any problems on any parts or potential failures, I truly hope you can, good luck!!!

[Guest Verbal Kint]

Fixed the broken image link in the original post, and added a couple more accounts/photos of people having this problem.