I remember back to the simple days of the 80s and 90s, it seemed like every town had that one guy who would mod your SKS or Tec-9 into a full-auto jam-o-matic for a small fee. Not only was this approach usually as technically successful as it was legal, it did little and less to advance our 2nd Amendment rights and our ability to exercise said rights without being secretive. Enter a series of unlikely allies: computer programmers, 1st Amendment activists and lawyers. All of this is a long-winded intro to a review of the Grey Market Research Super Safety, but trust me, it’s worth it. By the end, you’ll want to be Super Safe, too.
The past two decades have brought in a real revolution in firearms manufacturing and modification. First, we have Defense Distributed selling the Ghost Gunner series of CNC machines to finish off 80% (and now 0%) AR-15 receivers, as well as also Glock, 1911 and AK-47 receivers and frames. They fight legal battles through Defense Distributed regarding CAD and CNC files (code is free speech!), but they also helped spur interest in DefCad, Odysee and other online virtual libraries of parts. Now, many citizens can produce fully functioning firearms with a 3D printer and a trip to the hardware store, legally (at least for now).
One engineer of such interesting designs is Tim Hoffman, of Hoffman Tactical. Tim started off with 3D printed AR-15 lowers in 2020. By early 2022, he had moved up to designing the Super Safety. The Super Safety is a push button safety for the AR-15 (and other platforms), that features an “Active Reset” option. This method uses a cam and lever to use some kinetic energy from the bolt carrier group to reset the trigger, allowing for faster follow up shots. The Super Safety is legal, as it does not cause a firearm to fire in a fully-automatic way as described in federal law. The ATF tried to reclassify Rare Breed’s Forced Reset Trigger as a machine gun, but a District Judge slapped them down with an injunction (become a NAGR member today!). Unless the Supreme Court decides to take up an appeal, this is the lay of the land for now.
By July 2023, Tim Hoffman proved he’s an absolute boss level 2A advocate and released the design of the Super Safety to the public, making it an open source product. While the original was 3D printed (and can still be freely downloaded, printed and used), some manufacturers have taken to making commercial quality, steel versions of the Super Safety.
Yes, the ATF has known about these designs for a long while now. Neither Hoffman Tactical nor Gray Market Research has been raided, nor served warrants to.
Finally, we arrive at to the present time. Grey Market Research has sent me their Super Safety for Test and Evaluation.
The Technicalities
There are four parts to a Super Safety. The trigger, the cam, the lever and the detent.
The trigger is a slightly modified standard AR-15 trigger, with a small portion of the rear surface milled off.
The cam is the barrel shaped cylinder that is the externally operated portion of the safety. There are 2- and 3-position versions, allowing for Safe/Active Reset, or Safe/Active Reset/Passive Reset.
The lever is the part hit by your BCG to (optionally) force your trigger to reset.
The cam and the lever work together, with the male dovetailed end of the lever fitting into a female dovetail in the cam. The BCG forces this lever back and forth, resetting your trigger quickly so you can get to your next shot fast. Really, really, semi-automatically fast.
The detent is a modified safety selector pin, with the pointed tip rounded off a little to allow for smoother operation as it works in the grooves on the underside of the cam.
In 3D printed format, with the right material a Super Safety can last hundreds of rounds. In quality steel, there are units that are past 2,000 rounds and rolling strong.
Examination, Assembly, Testing
Examination:
There’s a few videos floating around detailing assembly of the Super Safety, but unsurprisingly these innocuous videos get deleted by censorship loving YouTube and their ilk. This written explanation should last longer.
The trigger is an optional purchase from Grey Market Research, if you’re handy with tools you can mod your own. I opted for a straight trigger from GMR.
The rear of the starboard side of the trigger is milled to a 45-degree angle, and the port side is reduced just a touch. It might not win beauty awards, but this milling job is better than what I’d produce. Grey Market Research also sells a cutting jig, in case you trust your grinding work more than I do.
The cam and lever are both highly presentable. They’re made from S7 tool steel and have a glossy black DLC coating. This isn’t a junk kit, this is quality work.
I half expected the detent to be roughly ground, but this looks very much like a purpose-built part, not a modded pin. This is excellent.
Assembly:
Start with your lower and install the Super Safety trigger with your disconnector and spring as normal.
Install your standard semi-auto hammer as usual.
Now, insert the cam halfway into the receiver from left to right, with the open dovetailed end of the cam facing to the right/starboard, and the open ‘trough’ of the cam facing upwards.
Once the cam is halfway through the receiver, place the dovetailed end of the lever into the cam and finish pushing the cam through the receiver. The bent end of the lever should point toward the rear of the receiver.
Put the safety detent pin into it’s hole (rounded end upwards toward the cam) and assemble the grip (and detent spring) as normal.
Notes:
When I installed the GMR Super Safety, I used a grab bag of spare parts to put a lower together. The first hammer I tried didn’t play well with the Super Safety and allowed the hammer to fall when it shouldn’t have. I swapped to a different hammer and that problem was gone. Next, I tried to use a Bootleg Inc Adjustable 4 Position Carrier, but this BCG kept hanging up on something during rearward travel, not cycling at all. I swapped to a mil-spec BCG and everything passed the function test, listed below.
Function Testing:
Now it’s time to function check the firearm. No upper receiver is needed for this part. Block your hammer from falling on the receiver if you’re worried about receiver damage.
With the safety pushed all the way to the left, pull the trigger. Nothing should happen.
Push the safety all the way to the right, pull the trigger and hold it to the rear. The hammer should fall. Reset the hammer manually, it should hold to the rear. Release the trigger, the hammer should click forward slightly and catch. Pull the trigger again, the hammer should fall.
Now the fun part. Push the Super Safety into the middle position. Pull the trigger (and hold it to the rear), the hammer should fall. Pull the hammer back to the rear, it should lock into rearwards position. Push rearwards on the Super Safety lever, the trigger should be actively reset forward. Now push forward on the lever to simulate the BCG traveling forward, this action rotates the cam out of the way (it was previously blocking the trigger activation), and now you’re allowed to pull that trigger again quickly.
Live Fire
What everyone wants to know…did it work?
A resounding YES. The safety function was safe. The passive reset was exactly as this semi-auto trigger has always run.
And the active reset? Check the video below.
I’d call that a pretty confident “yes.” That’s the fastest semi-auto I’ve seen this side of Jerry Miculek.
That video was taken in one go. No re-do’s, no failures, just shooting while practicing with the Super Safety.
I haven’t had this for long, and need to buy some more bulk ammo. Expect a longevity test down the road.
Wrapping It Up
There’s a lot going on in this article, but when it boils down to it, I’m here to review the Grey Market Research version of the Super Safety. It works, it’s legal, it’s a quality kit and most importantly, it’s Super Safe. Kits are from $70-$120 depending if you want a trigger included or not. The four-piece kit shown in this article is $110. I hope that after reading this, you want to be super safe as well. You can print em, you can grind em, but if you’re in the market for a drop in kit, Grey Market Research has done the work to bring you a proper assembly.
There’s no denying the impact that people like Tim Hoffman have had on our nation. A right unexercised is a right lost. By pushing back against the ATF’s blatantly unconstitutional “rule” making and redefinition of legal terms, Hoffman and those beside him are clearing a path we can all walk, if we choose to. I’d like to thank Tim, Grey Market Research, Defense Distributed, Defcad, Odysee, the National Association for Gun Rights, and the Second Amendment Foundation for all their work. Thanks also go out to the many unnamed men and women pushing back against regulation, restriction and infringement all across these States United.
Check out more articles from Jens “Rex Nanorum” Hammer or visit him on Instagram @Rexnanorum.
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