I don't know that there is a safer pistol than the 1911 out there. If the pistol is in condition 1 you have to disengage the thumb safety, disengage the grip safety, and then pull the trigger to fire it, don't do any one of those three things and it won't fire. If you disengage the safeties and choose not to fire just reengaging the thumb safety makes it safe, taking your hand off the grip safety so that it reengages makes it that much safer.As I was taught by someone that had been an Armor for one of the Army marksmanship teams..
Hold the 1911 Very Firmly. Think to yourself “it’s gonna go full auto or kaboom” and prepare for those malfunctions.
Release the slide using the thumb lever.
My relaying of his explanation may be faulty, but as I recall he said that working at a military firing range all day for years and personal putting untold rounds down range as part of various tests or for practice or competition, he said odd failures were not common but he’d seen them all.
So... safety first.
My personal opinion is the 1911 is my competition bit of sporting goods. As a fighting weapon, there are safer better modern handguns- but I shoot paper, not people.
If there is a safer to handle handgun out there, I haven't seen it.
As far as the question at hand, I slingshot my autos, including my 1911s. That's the way I've trained for decades, it works the same with all of them.