Cocked & Locked...

Quote:
When I carry my Beretta Compact the chamber is empty. Doesn't really take that long to rack the slide if needed.

If you train to do it, anything can be done quickly.
Click to expand...

That's assuming you will have both hands available to do so.
 
Discomfort with carrying a 1911 with firing pin safety C&L is true for me and it does not make sense when I think of it.... but but but the hammer is just too ready to go.
When I think hard, I could convince myself that a 1911 is safe because the thumb safety is not passive. So, it takes more thinking/action to disengage compared to a passive safety like the ones on triggers ... but but but the hammer is just too ready to go.
For now, DAO for me.
 
While I prefer hammer-down DA/SA, there are some cool guns out there that let you do both. The safety lever on the FNX series goes one way to engage, holding the hammer in whatever condition it is in when you engage it, and goes the other way to decock
Click to expand...

That's really cool! Wish my CZ's did that.
 
The safety lever on the FNX series goes one way to engage, holding the hammer in whatever condition it is in when you engage it, and goes the other way to decock.
Click to expand...

Another (denser) CZ owner here. Could you please clarify? I read that the FNX thumb safeties can be engaged with hammer cocked or uncocked. (Is there a half-cocked position?) As to the decocker function, I assume depressing the thumb safety takes the pistol off "safe" so it can be fired SA or DA, depending on the condition of the pistol. Does depressing the thumb safety further do the decocking?

I do wish my CZs could be safed with the hammer down. I carry cocked and locked, so it's no big deal, but it would be more consistent in my mind. My CZ 82/83s decock manually with ease because they have a rebounding hammer safety. My CZ 75 Compact is more difficult to decock manually with the assurance of not causing an ND, which is the reason it was designed with a half-cocked position.
 
From tangolima:

When the trigger is fully relaxed, as carried in a holster, a glock is not cocked at all. The first pull is always longer. The subsequent pull can be shorter, half cocked, only if the shooter follows through and NOT fully relax the trigger after each shot.
Click to expand...

The above is mistaken I believe. Glocks have only one trigger pull and it is consistent throughout. If we take an empty Glock and pull the trigger the striker will release and dry fire. At this point, on an empty gun, the trigger cannot be pulled. You can pull it but it will do nothing. To enable the gun to fire you will have to rack the slide. This will engage the spring on the striker and firing pin and bring it into a partially engaged, or "cocked" state. If we pull the trigger at that point, the striker will go to fully ready, or "fully cocked", and will then release. There are two stages to this.

If a round is in the chamber when we pull the trigger the action of the slide moving will again bring the gun to a partially cocked state and it will be ready for another pull of the trigger. The gun cannot go into a "fully cocked" state until the trigger is pulled. the gun cannot fire until the trigger is pulled and will not "go off" from the partially cocked position.

The striker firing mechanism has a spring-loaded firing pin that is cocked in two stages that the firing pin spring powers. The factory-standard firing pin spring is rated at 24 N (5.4 lbf), but by using a modified firing pin spring it can be increased to 28 N (6.3 lbf) or to 31 N (7.0 lbf).[24] When the pistol is charged, the firing pin is in the half-cock position. As the trigger is pulled, the firing pin is then fully cocked. At the end of its travel, the trigger bar is tilted downward by the connector, releasing the firing pin to fire the cartridge. The connector resets the trigger bar so that the firing pin will be captured in half-cock at the end of the firing cycle. This is known as a pre-set trigger mechanism, referred to as the "Safe Action" trigger by the manufacturer. The connector ensures the pistol can only fire semi-automatically.
Click to expand...

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Glock

This is a different mechanism from the half cock position in hammer fired guns.

tipoc
 
Some pistols which have not been mentioned. Are the Beretta 81-87 series guns.

IIRC the 81/84/84/87s in their original form B and BB versions could all be carried cocked and locked.

They have very similar setups to the CZ 75 in that they can operate ad DA/SA guns or SA guns cocked and locked but they do not have a decocker. The Decocker was added to the F model and the SA cocked and locked option was removed IIRC.

 
Neal_G. and Limnophile,

The FNX is a DA/SA gun with a safety/decocking lever that rests in a neutral position. If you push it down, it will decock the gun and spring back up. If you push it up, it sets the gun to "safe". If the hammer is cocked when you do this, the gun will be "cocked and locked".

A few reviewers complained that it was too easy to push the lever all the way down from "safe" to "decock". I haven't had a problem with it. It may be wrapped up in hand shape or technique and should be easy to iron out with a little training. As with any gun, feel it out before you buy it.
 
Thanks, Cosmodragoon, that does sound convenient -- the same operation as a 1911 safety lock with the added feature of a decocker when pushed far down.

As far as pushing too far down inadvertently, that might be an annoyance, but it doesn't seem to be a fatal flaw, as the gun will still fire with a pull of the trigger, right? Albeit a long, hard, DA pull.
 
While I prefer hammer-down DA/SA, there are some cool guns out there that let you do both. The safety lever on the FNX series goes one way to engage, holding the hammer in whatever condition it is in when you engage it, and goes the other way to decock. Cosmodragoon
Click to expand...

I have the same preference...Taurus PT 809 has the same controls.
 
I've never liked carrying my CZ's C&L. I've always manually decocked them. I've found the CZ manual safety a little too easy to take off, and not quite as positive feeling as a 1911 safety. There's also no grip safety as backup if you inadvertently swiped the safety off while carrying.
Click to expand...

I carry all my CZs in Condition 1. I'm right-handed, so my holstered pistols don't have their safeties exposed to the environment [oops! -- the 82 and 83s have ambi safety levers, so they are exposed], and none has ever been inadvertently deactivated riding next to my body. If the safety should somehow be deactivated on my 75 Compact the firing-pin block is still in place. If the safety on one of my 82/83s were to be accidentally deactivated the rebounding hammer safety is still in play. In both cases the guns are drop safe until the trigger is pulled. A CZ cocked and unlocked is just like a Glock, only better locking and more accurate.
 
Last edited:
The only guns I've ever carried cocked and locked were Kimbers; a pro carry and Ultra Carry. Both had issues with the safety working its way off through out the day, very unnerving. I much prefer striker fired pistols with no manual safety these days.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top