Battle Arms BAD-ASS Pro Ambidextrous Safety Selector

Battle Arms Development started the aftermarket short-throw safety category with the original BAD-ASS in 2010, and the BAD-ASS Pro is the duty-grade rework of that platform. The center is Swiss CNC-machined from hardened bar-stock steel and finished in black phosphate. The standard and short levers are investment-cast 8620 steel, also phosphate finished, and they thread onto the center with a recessed 5/64 set screw that resists stripping under repeated installation.

The throw is reversible. Drop the center in one way and you get a 90 degree throw that matches mil-spec; flip it 180 degrees and you get a 60 degree short throw. Unlike the legacy BAD-ASS, the Pro no longer requires a short-throw relief cut in the lower receiver to clear the lever during short-throw use. Battle Arms ships a short-throw markings sticker in the box for shooters who want their lower's fire/safe text to line up with the actual lever angle.

In the low-to-mid $30s, the BAD-ASS Pro is the most defensible budget ambi pick. It is steel where the Magpul ESK is polymer, it has a true short-throw option where the Magpul does not, and it carries Battle Arms' lifetime warranty. The trade-off is install: the threaded levers are not as quick to swap as the Radian Talon's tool-less dovetail or the Magpul's press-on keyway. For a build that will rarely change configurations, that is a non-issue.