Just picked up a like-new P210 Target. I owned a Legend previously, so I was full of P210 love. Overall, the gun certainly met expectations. But...the 1911 style thumb safety is incredibly difficult to put up/on-safe. Like almost impossible to consistently do so with one thumb underneath it. Down/off-safe is no problem. Stiff enough to feel safe, yet the shape and size is good. Any thoughts/suggestions, besides keep using it to break it in ?

Might want to take off the grip panel and give the contact area a little grease? Other than that, you probably will need to keep flipping it.

Since the 210 is clearly geared towards a target pistol and not a self defense firearm, I don't see a problem that the pistol is a little harder (may take adjustment of grip or two hands) to put the safety on.

OldLawman, I'm in the same boat. I can't put the safety back on just using my thumb. I did grease the contact point, but after 2 1/2 years the safety has not changed.

Funny I much prefer a stiff safety and that is one of the reasons I actually like the new 210. I have shot some guns in the past that had weak safeties and it always felt like they could activate too easily when shooting or worse yet perhaps, come off when you want them to stay on. I agree there is a sweet spot though. If it can’t be activated without a great deal of pressure then that’s aggravating.

The safety lever of my P226 X5 Comp is excellent. Very positive detents, yet easy to flip to either position without shifting my grip. Its detent mechanism is a spring tensioned cam.

I’ve often wondered if the P210A had a similar safety detent mechanism. Apparently not. Q’s photo pretty much confirms that it doesn’t.

My P220 SAO safety was pretty hard to manipulate too. I worked it over and over a few thousand times while sitting and watching TV. Works fine now.

Interesting - I just picked up a Used P210A and have not had any issues but now after reading this I tried it and sure enough - Off No Problem - On a little more effort - After about 5 times I was weakening. My Sig 1911 Ultra has much better leverage and no issues. Then my RIA 22TCM is like butter on/off.

Not any issues and I think I like the P210 like it is - I just never thought about it till reading this post. Funny how that works.

I've found that to one-hand my P210's safety on, I have to shift my grip considerably for my thumb to bring enough force to bear.

I'd hoped that, after a few range sessions, a few clean & lubes, and operating it every time I do a dry-fire session it would become a bit easier. Nope.

It disengages easily. Just right. Has from Day One.

I don't have this problem with any of my three 1911s.

I am wondering if a tweaked/slightly cut/lighter spring for the detent would work. It and the detent are retained in the safety by a roll pin.

I just tested my P210A, and have no trouble snicking the safety both ways as fast as my thumb will swipe. I do have the armory craft G10 grips, and it's possible they are slightly more narrow at the very top near the safety, giving my thumb more room to engage (but not completely sure if this is the explanation).

Interestingly, almost everyone also complained about the safety on the original P210. But I never had trouble with that one, either -- my fingers are longer than average, and my thumb easily made it to that forward-mounted safety. Not quite as fast as the P210A, but still very respectable. On the other hand, long fingers also means that the HK P7 can never be a practical pistol for me -- I tried for a long time, but the geometry just doesn't work.

I too am running the Armory Craft G-10 grips. Still doesn't help. Neither does my short thumb.