YAGT - safety or no safety?

[BlitzPuppet]

I personally hate pistols with the Glock-style safety with the absence of an external hammer.

Sure a lot of people conceal with those but I'd NEVER conceal with one in the chamber in a pistol that I mentioned above.

Heavy DA/External Hammer is a must for me, safety or not, if I'm going to carry with one in the chamber. But it really doesn't take long to chamber a round

 

[Squisher]

I have no safety, but I just don't feel comfortable carrying it cocked. I always practice, draw, cock, aim, shoot at the range. I'm pretty good and fluid in my motion now.

 

[schneiderguy]

I personally hate pistols with the Glock-style safety with the absence of an external hammer.

Sure a lot of people conceal with those but I'd NEVER conceal with one in the chamber in a pistol that I mentioned above.

Heavy DA/External Hammer is a must for me, safety or not, if I'm going to carry with one in the chamber. But it really doesn't take long to chamber a round

If you have a holster that covers the trigger guard I don't see a reason not to carry with a round chambered.

 

[Zargon]

No external safety, especially on a carry piece.

There was a guy a couple of years ago who carried a 1911. He got in an altercation, a room of lawyers getting shaken down by an armed robber.

The click of the safety being turned off got the robbers attention, and proceeded to hit him with 5 out of 6 shots. One of the shots hit his hand, making holding the grip safety difficult to disengage.

Freak odds? Yeah. But it happens. I prefer whatever makes it easiest to just make it go bang.

I read about that on ar15.com


edit: here it is

 

[irishScott]

No external safety, especially on a carry piece.

There was a guy a couple of years ago who carried a 1911. He got in an altercation, a room of lawyers getting shaken down by an armed robber.

The click of the safety being turned off got the robbers attention, and proceeded to hit him with 5 out of 6 shots. One of the shots hit his hand, making holding the grip safety difficult to disengage.

Freak odds? Yeah. But it happens. I prefer whatever makes it easiest to just make it go bang.

Uh, if a guy has me at gunpoint, point blank, and is alerted to the fact that I have a firearm, the last thing I'm going to do is draw. Life isn't a hollywood western, and even if it were I'm no Clint Eastwood. I read the post on AR15.com, and in that situation he probably would have been better off grabbing the bad guy's gun and grappling than he would have going for his sidearm.

 

[BrunoPuntzJones]

I read about that on ar15.com


edit: here it is

Thanks, I think that's the one. I think further down he says that his friends heard the click when he flicked the safety off.

Lucky guy, and perp is doing 75 years. I'm not going to Monday morning quarterback him, just glad it worked out with the good guys being ok.

 

[irishScott]

Thanks, I think that's the one. I think further down he says that his friends heard the click when he flicked the safety off.

Lucky guy, and perp is doing 75 years. I'm not going to Monday morning quarterback him, just glad it worked out with the good guys being ok.

I'm glad it worked out too, but that doesn't mean he handled it correctly. Stupid luck is still stupid.

 

[JeffreyLebowski]

Umm, caught as you pull it out would not in any way press the trigger in the direction it needs to fire. Pushing it back in because it got caught and you were not properly trained might, but I have never drawn my gun and had it fire due to forward pressure on a trigger.

It's just a concern people have, especially with the higher rate of NDs Glocks have. The little trigger lever doesn't take any real effort to engage.

I would strongly recommend you DO NOT do that. If you ever had to shoot someone with that gun I have a feeling the legal team would have a field day ripping you a new one for removing a safety device from your weapon and make you look like some blood thirsty gun toting maniac. Remember every time you shoot someone, even if it's in self defense, there will be a lawsuit. It's just a matter of is it criminal, civil, or both.

IE if you don't want the safety, buy the one without the safety.

Carry guns mechanics should be bone stock. Better sights, better grip panels are all fine, but lowering the trigger pull or removing safeties do give over zealous prosecutors something to use against you. Remember, those 12 people that decide your fate mostly are going to be basing their knowledge of guns based on what they are told in court and by what they've seen on TV.

If you have a holster that covers the trigger guard I don't see a reason not to carry with a round chambered.

If you carry without one in the chamber you might as well carry a brick.

 

[irishScott]

It's just a concern people have, especially with the higher rate of NDs Glocks have. The little trigger lever doesn't take any real effort to engage.

*snip*

If you carry without one in the chamber you might as well carry a brick.

The higher ND rate is usually due to improper drawing, index fingers inside the trigger guard. Same thing can easily happen with a thumb safety if the person messes up the order. See this wannabe gunslinger: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zYvAxLX6OzE

That's why on my 1911s I train to click the safety off as I'm acquiring the target, ensuring it remains on throughout the draw. And of course, safety on before re-holstering.

As for round in the chamber, it's a legit method IMO. Slower to engage, but some like the added security.

 

[69Mach1]

The only way I think the safety might be better is if someone takes it away from you. If you get lucky they might not flick the safety off before they try to shoot you with your own gun. Personally I don't have strong feelings either way, but you have to train on whatever you buy until it's automatic muscle reflex.

 

[etrigan420]

Pick a gun, and train with it. Then train with it some more.

I have no personal preference, a gun with a safety can easily be carried with the safety disengaged any way... :\

 

[boomhower]

I personally hate pistols with the Glock-style safety with the absence of an external hammer.

Sure a lot of people conceal with those but I'd NEVER conceal with one in the chamber in a pistol that I mentioned above.

Heavy DA/External Hammer is a must for me, safety or not, if I'm going to carry with one in the chamber. But it really doesn't take long to chamber a round

Why would you not carry a Glock with a round in the chamber? The gun isn't going off unless you pull the trigger. Put the gun in the holster and then put it on if your that worried about your shirt getting caught on it. Is re-holstering that big of a problem? Unless your just pulling it out for shits and giggles it'll likely never happen, as in ever unless you use it in which case the police will be taking it off your hands. Your 10lb accuracy killing trigger is absolutely 0% safer than a Glock trigger. Neither will fire unless you pull it. I just don't understand how you think it's safer to carry a DOA chambered and not a Glock. Whatever you do stick with whatever you can carry in the chamber with and feel comfortable. Carrying without a round in the chamber is beyond stupid. Do some research and watch some videos. Many encounters don't leave the time, as short as it is to chamber a round. Many other encounters do not leave both hands free to chamber the gun. Can you chamber quickly, under stress with one hand? There are examples of both out there.

 

[KillerCharlie]

Hmm lots of opinions. I'm leaning toward no safety.

 

[MedicBob]

I have no safety, but I just don't feel comfortable carrying it cocked. I always practice, draw, cock, aim, shoot at the range. I'm pretty good and fluid in my motion now.

So Single Action with an exposed hammer and no safety? Does it have a decocker? What gun do you have?

 

[irishScott]

So Single Action with an exposed hammer and no safety? Does it have a decocker? What gun do you have?

Maybe a single action revolver?

Personally I think he's mistaking "cocked" for "having a round chambered".

 

[Kelvrick]

Maybe a single action revolver?

Personally I think he's mistaking "cocked" for "having a round chambered".

Or a 1911 with the hammer up. Safety just isn't involved. Fine motor functions are the first things to go in a stressful situation. I wonder how fluid his movement is when he would actually have to draw with a life on the line. I know I'd be lucky to be able to draw my 1911 from concealment, cock and shoot by someone attacking me from 21 feet.

 

[MedicBob]

Problem with the 1911 type weapons with cocking. Cocking != Racking. If all you need to do is cock the hammer back, it means there is a round in the chamber. Only way to get the hammer down is to pull the trigger, AKA Condition 2. I do not feel that pulling the trigger and attempting to capture the hammer to put it down is not the smartest thing one can do.

I never did answer, safety or no. I chose yes, mostly have 1911 styles. I prefer the style.

Remember, mechanical safeties will fail at sometime. First safety is between the ears and the second safety is booger hooks off the trigger(would also include keeping everything off the trigger).

 

[JulesMaximus]

For all intents and purposes, a glock has no safety and you have to be very careful because of that. Get a good grip on the gun, pull out of holster and trigger gets caught on clothing and it will go boom.

IMO no safety means outside waistband holster only IE LEO and other "job related" carrying setups.

I would not be comfortable tugging a glock out of a tight inside waistband holster or pocket holster due to the risk of the trigger getting caught as you're pulling it out in a life or death situation.

Plus, I grew up around handguns and rifles. Flicking off a safety is truly second nature for me, it's an absolute non-issue to remember it as it's just part of firing a gun. It's no different than "remembering" to pull the trigger.

It's all about training, IMO. I would not want to have a glock as a range toy then carry a 1911 as I could see someone forgetting to flick off the safety. Personally all of my guns are 1911-style because of this.

I can't for the life of me picture any possible way this could ever happen in real life.

If you're pulling it out of a holster the gun is traveling in a direction opposite to the direction you would pull the trigger to fire the weapon. Add to that the fact that the trigger is smooth and housed inside the trigger guard.

I could see an accidental discharge from trying to holster the weapon if you didn't first remove your finger from the trigger area but snagging it on your clothes? Not bloody likely. Not even a remote possibility.

 

[sourceninja]

Exactly, I worry about reholstering my weapon, but the fact is, if I draw my weapon outside of the range I'm not worried about putting it back after I use it. I'm just putting it down and waiting for the police.

 

[Zargon]

Exactly, I worry about reholstering my weapon, but the fact is, if I draw my weapon outside of the range I'm not worried about putting it back after I use it. I'm just putting it down and waiting for the police.

that.

 

[gorcorps]

My own experiences and stories with Glocks makes me skeptical of only internal safeties, unless it's a DA gun with a longer trigger pull. I know personally I prefer manual safety and training if I can't get a DA gun.