XD Grip Safety Bad.....or Good Feature?

my opinion is that it's a good thing. whereas a lot of guys are moving toward the no-safety-mentality because they don't want to have to remember extra steps while drawing their handgun, the added issue here is that with models like the safetyless pistol models will go off if something accidentally gets inside the trigger guard. I have read numerous reports of negligent discharges with glocks because the holsters they were in had worn out and a small area of the holster entered the trigger guard and pulled the trigger. with an XD, there is still no conscious effort of having to remember to disengage a manual safety but the grip safety would prevent a ND in the manner I described. the only drawback is you can't manipulate the slide without the safety depressed but for 99.99% of actual, practical pistol use, you would never need this feature or could train to use ways around that.
 
I vote good.
I like the grip safety on my XD40 Sub Compact. It is one of the main reasons I chose the XD over a Glock for CCW almost 10 years ago. It is very natural, and automatic to disengage, but adds a level of safety against a ND.
 
I am a fan of the grip safety on the XD and XDm. It is one of the reasons I have been thinking about buying an XDm even though I did not like either of the original XD's that I owned. I see it as an extra safety feature that requires no thought to activate it. I would actually like to see a gun with a grip safety but no trigger safety.
 
Im not real hot on the grip safeties, on anything. Lived with them for years with my 1911's, and occasionally ran into issues with them either not working out of the box, or working when my grip wasnt perfect and I was expecting the gun to fire, when it wouldnt, until I readjusted my grip. Like most things, they arent "perfect", and we just add to the problem.

With guns I carried that had one, I always tried to make a conscious effort to make sure the grip safety was not depressed while holstering, which isnt always possible, especially under stress or distraction. The problem with the grip safeties is, with any kind of reasonable grip or pressure on them, they tend to disengage. In order to holster with them engaged, you need to make sure you change your grip to deal with that. Can you be certain you will do that "every" time?

Regardless how many safeties the gun might have, you still always have to treat them as if all of them were disengaged, while handling the gun, and pay attention to what youre doing, even when you cant. Better to get into the mindset that the gun doesnt have any safeties, and always holster reluctantly, no matter what it is you have in your hand.

All of this is really a user issue, and not a gun issue. Its up to us to know our guns, their manual of arms, and to deal appropriately. If youre too lazy to practice proper techniques until its down and done without "conscious" thought, or too cheap/lazy to regularly inspect and replace defective equipment as needed, then maybe you shouldnt be carrying a gun.
 
Tahunua, how will a grip safety prevent an ND while holstering? Do you not hold onto and push down on the grip when you holster it?
 
I have read numerous reports of negligent discharges with glocks because the holsters they were in had worn out and a small area of the holster entered the trigger guard and pulled the trigger. with an XD, there is still no conscious effort of having to remember to disengage a manual safety but the grip safety would prevent a ND in the manner I described.
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Tahunua, how will a grip safety prevent an ND while holstering? Do you not hold onto and push down on the grip when you holster it?
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As AK103K said, you have to modify how you ride the pistol into the holster.

With guns I carried that had one, I always tried to make a conscious effort to make sure the grip safety was not depressed while holstering, which isnt always possible, especially under stress or distraction. The problem with the grip safeties is, with any kind of reasonable grip or pressure on them, they tend to disengage. In order to holster with them engaged, you need to make sure you change your grip to deal with that. Can you be certain you will do that "every" time?
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If you're coming from the hammer fired realm where you might ride the pistol into the holster with your thumb over the hammer it might not be a big change. But it has to be done to get the added benefit. Frankly if you're negligent to the point where you're using a holster that pokes into the trigger guard I'm not sure you won't be negligent in your holstering procedure.
 
Grip safety?

I like them. Yes, in a perfect world, you don't need them, but ask all those guys with a "Glock leg" and they will tell you that the world is not perfect.

I do like the added safety factor, especially when holstering. I started off with revolvers, and I did place my thumb on the back of the hammer as I reholstered them. I sort of do the same with an XD - relax my grip on the back strap and place my thumb on the back of the slide to push it into the holster.

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GB!
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I have had guns with (XD, XDm, 1911) and without (Glock, M&P, Sig, etc) grip safeties. I handle them all the same. If it's there, I don't notice it's presence...as long as it functions (which is really the only argument against them...that they are mechanical and therefore have the potential to fail). If it's not there, I don't notice it's abscence.
 
On a gun with no manual safety, I think they're not a bad idea, but the execution is important.
On a 1911, the safety's pivot point is poorly located, so the safety is often not completely depressed. The XD appears to be better, lower, so you can't easily miss it.
Really, something like the H&K P7 squeeze-cocker seems to be the best application of the grip safety idea.
 
just got a XDm .40 compact

got it a few weeks ago and just shot it 2 days ago and i find the safty pretty natural, couldn't even feel the trigger safty...very smooth and the back pad is a good idea cause it's a natural way to hold your gun when shooting. :o
Gonna have to go out soon again !
 
My opinion: Grip safeties are bad on ALL 1911's, XD's, lugers, and any other pistol that happens to have one. If you don't like Ruger's chamber indicator, how can you like a grip safety? If you don't like Smith and Wesson's safety lock, how can you possibly like a grip safety? If the trigger dingus on a Glock bothers you, how can you like a grip safety? If you think the firing pin block in a Series 80 messes up the feel of the trigger, HOW CAN YOU LIKE A GRIP SAFETY???
 
The grip safety allowed me to install a much lighter trigger into my XDM than I would otherwise feel comfortable with without a grip safety.
So I say good.
 
I tolerate them on a 1911, but they would be a better gun without them. I tried the XD, won't buy another and the grip safety is a big part of the reason. On a range gun they probably don't hurt, probably never help either. On a gun that might be required to work in a life or death situation they are far more likely to prevent the gun from firing when it really needs to be fired than to prevent the gun from firing when you don't want it to fire.

If the gun is gripped correctly they work. But when bad stuff happens you can't always get a proper grip on your gun. You may have been injured and on the verge of passing out from blood loss. Your hand could be broken and you may have to use one of your other fingers to pull the trigger. You may have no choice but to fire from an unconventional position that would be to dangerous to ever practice. The gun and your hands could be covered with blood or mud. And yes, there have been situations where 1911's have failed to work for the reasons listed above. And the 1911 is a much better design than the XD.
 
I can understand why some people don't like/care for them. After all they only limit the possibility of a ND. I still see people put their finger on the darn trigger as soon as they get their mitts on a firearm. How useful is a safety to those people! Drives me nut's!

Furthermore (as already mentioned) they have the ability to fail and render the gun useless. Slim chance of that happening, but still possible. I also agree that the likelihood of being injured and not being able to work the Safety.

I really liked them when they first came out. Then I had the chance to think about their practical role and now I am not liking them so much. I would much rather have a manual safety but it still beats not having one if I need one on a pistol. YMMV
 
For the folks saying, "if you're injured and you don't have a good grip on the pistol..", have you tried a loose hold on an XD? I certainly didn't do it with live ammunition (I wouldn't suggest it) but I did do it with snap caps. Even the loosest hold I thought still shootable (weak hand from blood loss etc.) I was still able to pull the trigger. If I went looser it was in a state where 1. I obviously didn't have the gun in any kind of aimed hold 2. I honestly believed had I fired a live round in that case the gun would have fallen from my hand that was how loose it needed to be to not engage. It's great to imagine these life or death situations where we're bleeding out on the floor with mangled arms but still plugging away at the bad guys, but a little common sense and reality go a long way.
 
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