Best Safety Selectors for AR-15: Top 3 Experts Picks

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By Dennis Howard •  11 min read

When thinking and talking about upgrades and enhancements for your AR-15 rifle, most of us tend to think about optics, stocks, or trigger groups. Very few of us consider the more mundane parts of an AR-15 that are prime candidates for upgrades. An example of these often overlooked parts is the safety selector.

The safety selector on your AR-15 may not seem like a part that needs a lot of attention. However, this seemingly minor part of your AR-15 is a key component of the trigger group. Many of us spend hours refining the function of our AR-15 triggers but never consider doing the same for the safety selector.

There are many good safety selector upgrades on the market. You can also employ tips and tricks to make the safety selector on your AR-15 work as smoothly and as effortlessly as your trigger. In this article, I will look at the functions of the safety selector, some common ways to improve your safety selector’s action, and some of the best-upgraded safety selectors you can find on the market. 

Safety is the Key Word

The safety selector on your AR-15 is a simple arrangement. The selector lever on the left side of the AR-15 receiver has two positions. When the lever is in the horizontal position, your AR-15 is in safe mode. In this position, the safety engages the trigger and prevents disengaging the hammer from the seer. The hammer cannot move forward and strike the firing pin with the safety engaged.

Move the safety lever to the vertical position pointing up and the safety bar disengages the trigger allowing your AR-15 to fire. On AR-15’s the trigger must be pulled each time you fire a shot. 

You must remember that the safety selector on your AR-15 is only a small part of safe gun handling. Your AR-15 is safest when the magazine is out of the rifle and the bolt is open. When you aren’t actively at the firing line, this is the best condition to keep your AR-15 for everyone’s safety.

SAFETY KIT DETAILS
Knights Armament AR-15 Ambidextrous Safety Kit
  • Steel for long-lasting durability and performance.
  • Right-hand indicator arrow.
  • Single lever installation.
Check Price on OpticsPlanet.com Check Price on Brownells.com
V-Seven Weapons Systems AR-15 57/90 degree Ambidextrous Selector
  • 57-degree or 90-degree options.
  • Multiple Finish Options.
  • 100 Percent Lifetime Warranty and Made in the USA.
Check Price on OpticsPlanet.com Check Price on Brownells.com
Battle Arms Development Inc. AR-15 Ambidextrous Safety Selector
  • Ambidextrous safety kits from bar stock steel
  • Cleanest and most well-finished safety selectors on the market.
  • Parkerized finish.
Check Price on OpticsPlanet.com Check Price on Brownells.com

Safety Selector Upgrades – What is Available

In the world of AR-15’s, the variety and depth of upgrades and accessories are staggering. The choices of safety selectors for your AR-15 is much the same. However, there are some upgrades for your safety selector that merit more attention.

Ambidextrous Safety Selectors

There are many lefthanded shooters in this world. The stock safety selector on an AR-15 is only operable from the left side of the receiver. Lefthanded shooters find this awkward as there is no way to manipulate the stock safety selector with their thumb.

Serious shooters often train using both hands to manipulate their AR-15. Shooting with their weak hand is a good exercise to improve your overall capabilities. If you train with your week hand routinely, you will also find the stock safety selector when firing from your left shoulder.

These scenarios make the addition of an ambidextrous safety selector almost a must for many shooters. There are several variations on the ambidextrous safety selector, and we will look at several in this article.

45 Degree Safety Selector

Stock safety selectors on most AR-15’s require the safety to be moved 90 degrees from the safe position to the fire position. For some shooters, this range of movement is excessive and time-consuming. Shooters with smaller hands may find it necessary to shift their hand on the rifle grip to make this movement.

Safety selectors for your AR-15 are now available that reduce this range of movement. To disengage the safety into the firing position requires only a 45-degree movement. The 45-degree safety selector cuts the travel distance of the level in half and makes a move quicker. 

In most instances, the addition of a 45-degree safety selector doesn’t require any changes to the trigger control group or the receiver. The 45-degree selector is a drop-in upgrade easily accomplished by most ar-15 owners.


What to Look for in an Upgraded Safety Selector

As I considered the many upgraded safety selectors on the market, there are several factors I considered. These are, in my opinion, the critical ingredients to a top of the line safety selector. You should make your own decisions about what is most important to you when selecting your upgraded safety selector.


The Best AR-15 Safety Selectors for you AR-15 – My Picks

These safety selectors are my picks for upgrading the safety selector on your AR-15. In the end, you must find the one that best fits your needs and expectations.  

Best Ambidextrous Upgraded Safety Selector – Knights Armament AR-15 Ambidextrous Safety Kit Review

Knights Armament makes some of the best aftermarket accessories for AR-15 rifles to be found. The Knights Armament Ambidextrous Safety kit is no exception. This kit from Knights Armament offers some features that allow you to customize the safety selector on your AR-15 as you install the upgraded safety selector.

Pros

Cons

Knights Armament AR-15 Ambidextrous Safety Kit
  • Steel for long-lasting durability and performance.
  • Right-hand indicator arrow.
  • Single lever installation.
Check Price on OpticsPlanet.com Check Price on Brownells.com

The Knights Armament is a complete kit, ready to install. This kit gives you the best of almost every option. You can have an oversized right-hand lever, a standard-sized lever, or no ambidextrous lever at all. The Knights Armament Ambidextrous safety is a solid piece of design work that you can count on under any circumstance.

Lightest Ambidextrous Upgraded Safety Selector – V-Seven Weapons Systems AR-15 57/90 degree Ambidextrous Selector Review

For some shooters, every ounce of weight is critical. If your goal is to shave every bit of excess weight from your AR-15, the V Seven Safety Selector is a prime candidate. Weighing in at approximately 11.7 grams, this is possibly the lightest weight safety selector on the market.

V Seven Weapons Systems accomplishes this weight savings by machining their safety selector from titanium. Titanium is tough and light and can be finished in many ways. V Seven uses these qualities to their advantage in building the 57/90 Degree Safety Selector.

Pros

Cons

We couldn’t find any. Users of the V Systems Ambidextrous safety selector give it rave reviews with no negative reports.

V-Seven Weapons Systems AR-15 57/90 degree Ambidextrous Selector
  • 57-degree or 90-degree options.
  • Multiple Finish Options.
  • 100 Percent Lifetime Warranty and Made in the USA.
Check Price on OpticsPlanet.com Check Price on Brownells.com

Best Low Profile Ambidextrous AR-15 Selector Upgrade – Battle Arms Development Inc. AR-15 Ambidextrous Safety Selector Review

Some shooters find that after installing an ambidextrous safety selector, the right-hand selector level interferes with their hand position and trigger finger rest. Battle Arms Development Inc. addresses this issue with their AR-5 Ambidextrous Safety Selector.

The Battle Arms Development Inc.’s ambidextrous safety selector features a much shorter and lower profile right-hand lever than most of their competitors. This abbreviated safety lever removes the trigger finger interference while maintaining a fully functional right-hand safety selector.

Pros

Cons

Battle Arms Development Inc. AR-15 Ambidextrous Safety Selector
  • Ambidextrous safety kits from bar stock steel
  • Cleanest and most well-finished safety selectors on the market.
  • Parkerized finish.
Check Price on OpticsPlanet.com Check Price on Brownells.com

Overall, users of these ambidextrous safety selectors give good reports without any problems. If weight isn’t a factor and you want one of the toughest and most dependable safety selectors on the market, this is the one for you.


Keeping the Safe in Safety

The safety selector is a key part of the function of your AR-15. As part of the safety systems, it should never be disregarded or overlooked. The safety selector on your AR-15 is a prime candidate for upgrades. Choosing the right upgraded safety selector for your AR-15 should be given the same attention that you give any other upgrade to your rifle.

I hope that this article helps you make critical decisions about upgrading your AR-15 safety selector. If you have any suggestions, ideas, experiences, or wisdom to share, please use the comments section below. Everyone benefits by sharing knowledge and this group is no exception. Be safe and shoot straight.

Dennis Howard

A life long hunter, fisherman, and outdoorsman, after surviving a devastating tornado in his home town, he saw the effects on people's lives as they struggled to cope. He built his first bugout bag a few weeks later and has been a dedicated prepper/survivalist since that time. After a career as a fireman, Dennis opened a retail store (FFL approved) catering to the military, law enforcement, and like-minded individuals. The store built their own AR platforms. Furthermore, Dennis was also an NRA instructor in both long gun and handgun as well as a certified range safety officer. Read his full interview here.