What is the SOP for a 1911?
- Thread starter CReynolds
- Start date
Marko Kloos
Inactive
Practice swiping the safety to the "off" position during the draw, so you'll present a ready-to-go 1911 once the draw is complete and the weapon is on target. If you always disengage the safety on the draw, every time, you're less likely to forget it one day when you might draw the gun under stress. Muscle memory means that your body will do what you practiced, all by itself.
Double Naught Spy
New member
What lendringser said is good.
You never put your finger on the trigger until you are ready to shoot - with any gun. Your finger should not be on the trigger if you have the safety on.
When I draw the 1911, the safety gets clicked off during the rotation to horizontal, but the finger is NOT on the trigger. It rides alongside the frame, just above the trigger guard/trigger. As a matter of practice, that is SOP for me. It may be that I decide to safe the gun while it is out of the holster, such as I decide not to shoot, or decide not to shoot YET, but when it first comes out during a draw, the safety comes off. If something stimulates the need to draw the gun, then I don't need the safety on at that moment, but like I said, I can always change my mind.
You never put your finger on the trigger until you are ready to shoot - with any gun. Your finger should not be on the trigger if you have the safety on.
When I draw the 1911, the safety gets clicked off during the rotation to horizontal, but the finger is NOT on the trigger. It rides alongside the frame, just above the trigger guard/trigger. As a matter of practice, that is SOP for me. It may be that I decide to safe the gun while it is out of the holster, such as I decide not to shoot, or decide not to shoot YET, but when it first comes out during a draw, the safety comes off. If something stimulates the need to draw the gun, then I don't need the safety on at that moment, but like I said, I can always change my mind.
Hey, Coley, stop by www.1911forum.com and ask around there.
Grip, thumb safety off, and then finger on trigger when ready to shoot. Finger off trigger, engage thumb safety back, re-holster.
Grip, thumb safety off, and then finger on trigger when ready to shoot. Finger off trigger, engage thumb safety back, re-holster.
During the draw, after the barrel passes through a 45 degree line with the ground, lower the safety with your thumb. By the time you are up and on target, the safety is off. Keep your finger off the trigger (and OUT OF THE TRIGGER GUARD) until ready to shoot. Apply the safety before reholstering.
M1911
M1911
All of the above advice is fine if you are only going to draw to fire. As an LEO, I have drawn my pistol hundreds of times without intending to immediately fire it.
The thumb safety should be disengaged when going from ready to firing position. You have plenty of time to go off-safe while lining up the sights and putting your finger on the trigger.
I will offer a short story because it illustrates my point and I have an hour or so to kill.
During a SWAT search warrant, one of our officers dropped his gov't model after a being hit by a door upon entry. All worked out OK and I asked him later if the weapon was on safe. He said that he always took the safety off when he took the pistol out of the holster. I told him that it wasn't necessary and he looked at me funny. The next time we were on the range, I did a simple test. I lined up the team and had them all in ready position. They were to fire on signal and hit the "A" zone at about 10 yards. We performed this drill with and without the safety engaged. Only hits counted. After about ten sets of each, the Pac-timer indicated that their times were slightly faster when the safety was engaged. I attribute this to random variations. There should be no difference at all with trained shooters.
I have never seen anyone on a police or private citizen range forget to take off the thumb-safety once he was familiar with the weapon.
This only applies to 1911 type safeties as the Walther type safety is not so ergonomic and does require deactivation on the draw in order to be effective.
Glockers take note -- you're not going to understand any of this. It’s OK, go back to GT and forget it ever happened.
ML
The thumb safety should be disengaged when going from ready to firing position. You have plenty of time to go off-safe while lining up the sights and putting your finger on the trigger.
I will offer a short story because it illustrates my point and I have an hour or so to kill.
During a SWAT search warrant, one of our officers dropped his gov't model after a being hit by a door upon entry. All worked out OK and I asked him later if the weapon was on safe. He said that he always took the safety off when he took the pistol out of the holster. I told him that it wasn't necessary and he looked at me funny. The next time we were on the range, I did a simple test. I lined up the team and had them all in ready position. They were to fire on signal and hit the "A" zone at about 10 yards. We performed this drill with and without the safety engaged. Only hits counted. After about ten sets of each, the Pac-timer indicated that their times were slightly faster when the safety was engaged. I attribute this to random variations. There should be no difference at all with trained shooters.
I have never seen anyone on a police or private citizen range forget to take off the thumb-safety once he was familiar with the weapon.
This only applies to 1911 type safeties as the Walther type safety is not so ergonomic and does require deactivation on the draw in order to be effective.
Glockers take note -- you're not going to understand any of this. It’s OK, go back to GT and forget it ever happened.
ML
I'm not sure how accurate this is, but I was told that at IPSC, if you take the safety off before you're on target, you get sent home. Granted, there are significant differences between defensive use, and sport shooting, but it's something to consider in 'programming' your actions.
yankytrash
New member
I was always taught as Mushinto poited out - safety goes off when on target. Step-father always used to say, "Safety goes off when you see his head, trigger gets pulled when you see the whites of his eyes."
A little exaggerated, but it makes sense to me.
A little exaggerated, but it makes sense to me.
You get the grip that you are going to use when the gun is pulled from the holster and presented at the target. You then hit the thumb break on the holster, pull the weapon, placing your thumb on the top of the safety, you then snick the safety off in one fluid motion as you bring the weapon up to eye level. Then and only then, when your front sight is in focus, do you then put your finger on the trigger. When the threat either goes away or has been neutralized, then you bring the weapon back down to the ready positon and reapply the thumb safety. This is the proper way that it's done.
7th
7th
Alot of what was said by LEO's is good advise, but not practical outside of Law Enforcement. LEO's have to draw their weapons 100 times more often than the average citizen.
In a self-defense scenerio, as a citizen, your weapon should be in it's holster until you are in need of it. If I'm in need of it, 99.9% of the time, it's gonna get fired.
Safety off when acquiring the target. Which better be immediately after drawing it.
Just my .2 cents.
In a self-defense scenerio, as a citizen, your weapon should be in it's holster until you are in need of it. If I'm in need of it, 99.9% of the time, it's gonna get fired.
Safety off when acquiring the target. Which better be immediately after drawing it.
Just my .2 cents.