Question about "safeties"

[MagnumAl]

Shoot a bunch of different guns, then choose. Point it safe and nothing bad will every happen.

 

[Lilorfnannie]

It seems to me that the bigger question is not whether or not it has an external safety, but does it fit well in the hand, and do I want a revolver or auto. Hmmm. On the one hand I read the revolver is simpler, more choices of ammo, cheaper, more rugged (no springs & such I guess.) On the other hand I read the auto has more round capacity, and those extra shots have made the difference between life and death- especially with more crooks using higher-power guns and armor and coming in gangs, not to mention the drugs making them harder to put down with just a few shots. In the end he says it's up to you and you should be educated about all of it and use what suits your needs- but he carries an auto for his main weapon and a small revolver for the other. Partly because if he needs to hand the other one to someone else in an emergency setting it's not a gun that needs explaining, he said.

There's a lot of voices here that seem to be saying "NO external safety!!" And, it's training that makes the difference, not the "safety," which I can certainly understand and agree with.

 

[M1911]

There's a lot of voices here that seem to be saying "NO external safety!!"

I've carried guns with safeties. I've carried guns without. Both can be carried safety. Both can be used successfully in a defensive incident. Both can also be mishandled.

Many, many people carry small revolvers, Glocks, S&W M&P, and the like without a manual safety. Many, many people carry a 1911 built by one of more than a dozen companies (Colt, SIG, S&W, Kimber, Wilson, ParaOrdnance, Springfield Armory, etc.).

I carry a 1911 because it fits my hand, the bore axis is low, and the trigger is simply outstanding, not because it has a manual safety. I don't carry my Glock because I don't like the trigger and it doesn't quite fit my hand, not because it doesn't have a manual safety.

Having carried both, I simply don't understand the folks who forcefully say "never carry a gun with a safety." Nor do I understand the folks who forcefully say "never carry a gun without a safety." Either works fine with training and practice.

 

[jar]

Either works fine with training and practice.

+1. The latest whiz bang blast-o-matic is useless without the training and will to use it. A rusty old relic (as long as it's reliable) will do the job if you will.

Try a bunch of guns and pick the one you like the best. A gun you like will get shot a lot more than the one you pick because of what some people said on the internet or in a gun magazine.

 

[Jose]

Having carried both, I simply don't understand the folks who forcefully say "never carry a gun with a safety." Nor do I understand the folks who forcefully say "never carry a gun without a safety." Either works fine with training and practice.

For the same reason that all my repeating shotguns (Remingtons and Berettas) have always had the safety button at the rear of the trigger guard. I will not abide by shotguns with the safety in a different part of the trigger guard. The manual of arms to get the gun into action is different enough. And since there are other choices, it's a training and practice complication I do not wish to make. Nor do I have to.

 

[Jose]

with more crooks using higher-power guns and armor

There are few defensive handgun cartridges out there that can equal the raw power of the .357 Magnum. A cartridge that is found exclusively in revolvers.

I hardly feel outgunned by someone with a 17 round 9 mm when I have six .357s at hand.

 

[Ray-500]

I've carried guns with safeties. I've carried guns without. Both can be carried safety. Both can be used successfully in a defensive incident. Both can also be mishandled.

Many, many people carry small revolvers, Glocks, S&W M&P, and the like without a manual safety. Many, many people carry a 1911 built by one of more than a dozen companies (Colt, SIG, S&W, Kimber, Wilson, ParaOrdnance, Springfield Armory, etc.).

I carry a 1911 because it fits my hand, the bore axis is low, and the trigger is simply outstanding, not because it has a manual safety. I don't carry my Glock because I don't like the trigger and it doesn't quite fit my hand, not because it doesn't have a manual safety.

Having carried both, I simply don't understand the folks who forcefully say "never carry a gun with a safety." Nor do I understand the folks who forcefully say "never carry a gun without a safety." Either works fine with training and practice.

Very, very well said. My 1911's also feel very "comfortable" to me simply because they "fit my hand".

Sidenote* Am going to check on a Sig X-6. Have an X-5 and am thoroughly impressed with it. The 5 is 9mm, but want to check out the 220 X-6.

 

[RichM]

Annie,

Also consider the differences between a carry gun and your "ready" gun for home defense. My carry gun is a S&W 642 snub-nosed revolver in .38 Special (no external safety, double action only, no external hammer). My home defense "ready" gun will probably be a 4" or 5" .357 revolver, 7-shot, again, no external safety.

In those two circumstances, I want absolute reliability... first-time BANG, every time I try. No fumbling for the safety in a high-stress situation, no trigger pull with a "DOH" for forgetting the safety while the bad guy gets 10 feet closer to me or my family!

For range guns, competitions, etc., I'll use the external safety. If I eventually get another type of gun for carry, I'll reconsider at that time, and I'll have put in many hours of range and dry-fire practice first.

My military experience has also instilled the reliance on external safeties... I may have to retrain myself!

Practice, practice, practice!

 

[Ray-500]

There are few defensive handgun cartridges out there that can equal the raw power of the .357 Magnum. A cartridge that is found exclusively in revolvers.

I hardly feel outgunned by someone with a 17 round 9 mm when I have six .357s at hand.

Have a 686 SSR that I love. Just feels "natural" to me. Also have a P226 (Blackwater Edition) that also feels...."just natural". In a "hurried" situation where adrenaline is pumping, each piece will do the will of the handler. Try (on the range) very hurried and split-second shots. A .357 will stop...if it hits. The 9 MM JHP will do the same...except there are more rounds for the misses.

Grin, my own personal fav. is .45 ACP. Would take this over either of the above.

 

[Optimistic Paranoid]

I've carried guns with safeties. I've carried guns without. Both can be carried safety. Both can be used successfully in a defensive incident. Both can also be mishandled.

. . .

Having carried both, I simply don't understand the folks who forcefully say "never carry a gun with a safety." Nor do I understand the folks who forcefully say "never carry a gun without a safety." Either works fine with training and practice.

I didn't say "Never carry a gun with a safety." I said that I never carry a gun with a safety.

Why? Because I carried a double action wheelgun from 1972 until around 2000, when I finally decided that these new-fangled flat guns maybe weren't just a passing fad after all, and it would take a MAJOR effort to reprogram myself. Frankly, if I hadn't found semi-autos that function just like a wheelgun, I would'nt have switched and I'd still be carrying a wheelgun.

Regards
John