Safety On or Off?

[ihateiraq]

I've been keeping several Bowie knives strategicly place about my home, work, and vehicles. I normally only carry my favorite one from the time I get up until I go to bed on weekdays. Starting at noon on Fridays I carry around the clock with an Arkansa toothpick in my boot as a back up to my Bowie knife. I have to carry it on my weak side so it doesn't clang on the CS 45 I carry in an ankle holster on my strong side as a back up to my Ruger 480 I open carry in a tied down drop holster.

I read somewhere on the internets that's the way Israeli special forces do it. I figure if it's good enough for them it should be just peachy dandy for a trip to K Mart and back with the little missus.

She's kind of touchy about the issue. Is any one else's wife as unreasonable as this about the whole self defense issue? Uncle Ted suggested I just dump her but I think I can bring her around if I just keeping educating her with all the stuff I been learn'n.

maybe you should waterboard her. apparently thats another cia practice.

 

[Jack Ryan]

maybe you should waterboard her. apparently thats another cia practice.

LOL, thanks for the tip. I never thought of that.

Sorry it won't let me rep you for that until I spread the wealth a little. Sounds like something Obama would say but rules are rules.

 

[ihunt]

Carry an XD now, but Ruger decocked before that!

 

[rhino]

A related discussion is when do you decock a conventional double action/single action pistol like a Sig Sauer, S&W, etc.

I know some trainers want it decocked unless you're actually shooting. Some want it decocked as soon as you return to a ready position. The idea is to avoid holstering without decocking (I think).

My personal opinion is that if the gun is in my hands (whether in a ready position or pointed-in/ready to fire), I'm not going to decock until I am ready to holster, with the possible exception of when I have to move more than a few yards and I know I won't be shooting. It requires good finger-out-of-the-trigger-guard discipline, of course.

 

[Eagle_Al]

I do the same as indyguy77 hammer always down, first pull double action and all others will be single action. I dont place my finger on the trigger. If i dont squeeze the trigger it isnt going bang, and my gun has internal safeties should it be dropped. It is a ruger p93. I dont like having external safeties all over the place. ONe more thing to forget in the heat of the moment. I saw video where a jewelry store owner was being robbed. He drew and pulled the trigger first but the safety was on and he was shot like 6 times. IN the heat of the moment one doesnt always remember , let me check that safety. Maybe if you practice it all the time, and say to yourself 50 times in a row, "always check safety first when potential trouble arises", but I just prefer one in the tube, not cocked, and first shot double action.

 

[roscott]

I'm really surprised that no one has said it.

Safeties? WE DON' NEED NO STINKIN' SAFETIES!!

Glocks don't have any external safeties. Three internal ones, though.

"This is my Safety, Sir."

Awesome. This sums it up. (I have an XD, so the same rules apply.)

 

[Steady Glock]

When I carry the ole Glock 17, I make sure the trigger is in the "pulled" position and that there's no round chambered. This requires me to manually rack the slide to chamber the round. Much more of a "safety" that a little lever or button. Of course, other handguns can do this as well, and in addition the traditional lever / button safety. Anyway, just my 2 cents...

 

[BloodEclipse]

oops.

 

[Joe Williams]

Safety off.

 

[Joe Williams]

Well... as gung ho as the Air Force is about safety - they trained us to keep our side arms on DA and safety off - just as if the M9 was a typical DA....

Don't know when you were in, but I was around when the transition from the M15s to the M9 took place. It was simply a natural progression from carrying a DA revolver to a DA semi-auto with safety off.

Now... the clearing barrel was another matter. Claimed a lot of stripes for a while!

 

[Joe Williams]

i think i might start carrying condition 1 but when im at home and/or sleeping i may have my gun set in condition 2 (i see it as a less chance for me to hit the safety off and tripping the trigger in my subconcious.)

JOC, why do you have an issue carrying a 1911 chamber loaded, but not a Glock? What is the difference you see?

 

[aikidoka]

When I carry my Walther ppk/s it is chambered, hammer down, safety off. When I carry my Warthog, cocked and locked.

 

[cce1302]

When I carry the ole Glock 17, I make sure the trigger is in the "pulled" position and that there's no round chambered. This requires me to manually rack the slide to chamber the round. Much more of a "safety" that a little lever or button. Of course, other handguns can do this as well, and in addition the traditional lever / button safety. Anyway, just my 2 cents...

Bad ideas...

 

[groovatron]

Might as well carry a brick buddy...


But to each his own I guess...

Taurus PT92, decocked, safety off.

I carry cocked and locked......but if given the choice between an unchambered pistol and a brick, I would have to go with the unchambered pistol.-

 

[Bruenor]

Safety on or off? My safety is my brain, and it's always on.

That said, I either carry my CZ-75 BD, one in the chamber, hammer at half-cock, or my S&W .38, hammer down on a round. Either way, it only takes a double action pull to fire the handgun.

 

[Postal Dude]

When I carry the ole Glock 17, I make sure the trigger is in the "pulled" position and that there's no round chambered. This requires me to manually rack the slide to chamber the round. Much more of a "safety" that a little lever or button. Of course, other handguns can do this as well, and in addition the traditional lever / button safety. Anyway, just my 2 cents...

If Im carrying my Beretta I use the safety. No safety on my Glock so...

 

[Calvin]

on my 1911 i got the ambi safety and it feels too easy for my hand to comedown and hit the safety off (condition 1). ive already done that once. i would prefer not to have to rack the slide (condition 3) due to all the noise it makes and i dont want to alarm anyone if they cant see me. (ie. due to a breakin and i am home)

I have kids. My pistols (all 1911s) are left in condition 3 with the safety off. I know that all I need to do in time of need is pull them out and rack the slide. Simple, easy to remember, and easy to accomplish in the dark.
As for the noise, I'm not trying to win the element of surprise. If the noise of the slide racking alerts them as to their situation in regards to my .45, then they just might flee, which is always a best case scenario. If they are in my house and do not flee, then the layout of the home still makes them come to me wondering my exact position. If I'm out in the world, then who knows the situation. I do know that I would only be responding to violent aggression so it is unlikely that the element of surprise would be in my favor regardless.

 

[CoyoteCreekGuns]

My two primary carry weapons are a 1911 and a S&W M&P9C with thumb safety. Like others have suggested, I carry my M&P9C cocked and locked, just like my 1911 simply because of muscle memory. My thumb always sweeps the safety off during the draw. It just makes sense in my situation.

Hope this helps

 

[00BlasterResto]

When I first started carrying I got a beretta 92fs and kept the safety ON.
I have since switched to carrying a P226 with no safety, just double action.

 

[youngda9]

I get guns without safetys. Less to go wrong, mechannically and mentally when in a stressful situation.