Manual Safety-yes or no

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Correia

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I am curious as to how many of our members here believe in manual safeties on their auto pistols, and why. I know that we have a lot of Glock fans, who must not, and then there are the cocked and locked people. I prefer a double action, and a thumb safety.
I always felt more comfortable with some form of safety. (Yes, I do know the most important safety is between my ears) I believe that it doesn't really slow me down any, and I've been disengaging the tiny little button safety off of my 870 in time to shoot flying doves my whole life.
I also believe that it can buy you some time, in case somebody wrestles your defensive gun from you, while they try to figure out how to shoot you, you can do something. S&W has documented this lots of times.
And finally I just must be some kind of wimp or something, because carrying a glock, or a 1911 in my pants always kind of scared me. Must be psycological.
Just curious as to your opinions. Thanks.
 
I actually prefer no safety.

I do carry a USP Compact 9mm, with safety off, hammer down of course. I would love for this gun to have only the slide release and decocker.

My wife carries one of the best (IMO) 9mm for carry - the Walther P5 Compact. DA and no safety at all. Slimmer than my USP too. It's a tack driver to boot.

CMOS
 
I don't particularly care for manual safeties. I personally have no qualms against carrying a gun cocked and unlocked, as long as I'm using a good holster. But I'm probably one of the few that doesn't.

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Arizona Morgan, The Official Armchair Warrior
 
I remember the first time I saw a Glock. My father was with me and I commented to the old man that I can't believe someone makes an auto with no safety and that it seemed foolish. My father had the opposite reaction than I thought - "Son, I hope I've taught you that the safety lever means absolutely nothing and that you treat all guns as if they will fire whenever you put your finger inside the trigger guard. You better not be trustin' no dang safety anyway!" I thought about it and decided that a Glock was a safe as any other weapon and that like all weapons proper handling is the only thing that makes them safe. Still, I will admit that I FELT uncomfortable about it until I purchased and used my first Glock a while. Now I feel every bit as comfortable with a Glock as a 1911. Just a matter of getting to know your weapon and taking the proper steps necessary to keep it safe. I'm now in the habit of always keeping the loaded Glock inside the holster and laying my trigger finger down the frame if I ever remove it from the holster. All that said, I have no NEGATIVE opinions of safetys either. With a bit of practice and repitition, the action of flipping a safety lever or pushing a button becomes instinctive. Now for those folks who'll never take the time to learn to use a defensive firearm instinctively but want something in their nightstand drawer, I'd recommend a holstered Glock or a DA revolver.
 
Most of the time my carry auto is a Colt Lightweight Commander and I appreciate the manual safety for handgun retention reasons.

Unfortunately I'm a wheelgunner at heart and often prefer to tote a revolver which (of course) has no manual safety. So I've studied the Lindell System of weapon retention to help compensate for this. I've also taken a liking to DAO pistols with a shorter trigger stroke...like the Kahr, Glock, and Smith & Wesson Third Generation.

- Anthony
 
Correia: If I were a uniformed LEO required to carry a DA semi-auto, I'd want one w/an external safety (Beretta 92 or Cougar; S&W 3d generation would be my choices). For that matter, throw in a mag disconnect too. Yeah, I know the Level III holsters will help along with retention training, but....

I used to carry 1911s or Browning P-35 in condition 1, but always felt uncomfortable doing so. I switched to SIG DA (no external safety) as recommended by a couple of friends from SEAL teams and I have not regretted it. It's all a matter of what you feel comfortable with and what you can shoot well.
 
I don't understand why people will shoot a DA revolver and never question it not having a safety, but when it comes to an auto, they get all worried.

I personally don't want a safety on my duty weapon. When I draw that weapon, I don't want there to be any chance of having holstered the gun with the safety engaged.

I will admit that I sometimes use the thumb safety on my duty issued 4006 (putting in in weapons locker while fingerprinting or out at the jail), but I much prefer the decock system on a Sig to any other DA/SA on the market. I don't like the slide mounted decockers. There is just too much chance of putting the safety on while clearing a malfunction. In a combat situation, I don't want anything on my gun that will prevent the gun from firing if the trigger is pulled.



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"God grants liberty only to those who love it and are always ready to guard and defend it." --Daniel Webster
 
No for me. Used to think I wanted (needed) one on a self-defense weapon. Finally realized I much preferred decocker only when using a DA pistol.

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Regards - AZFred
 
I switch between a gun with a safety and one without. I like the idea for weapon retention. I put them in the catagory of nice to have but not mandatory.

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keep your options open &
never miss!
 
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