Question for the 1911 owners

[Il Duce]

Do you carry with the safety on or off?

[Ebow1]

Thumb safety on. You train yourself to disengage as you draw and it doesn't take any longer then to draw with the safety off.

[StumpyBeagle]

Cocked and locked.

[titan14]

Thumb safety on. You train yourself to disengage as you draw and it doesn't take any longer then to draw with the safety off.

+1

[Il Duce]

Thanks for the replies. I assumed it was a training issue, but I wanted others opinions on it.

[Will Carry]

Cocked and Locked. But I don't carry my 1911 all the time, not yet. I'm new to pistol shootin' and new to conceal carry. The 1911 conceals amazingly well for a full size pistol. Once I get a good CC holster I think I'll start carrying it often.

[Curiousgb]

Cocked and locked.

+1

[Il Duce]

Yeah I was amazed at how well it conceals. MUCH better than my XD in the same holster

[Guest dmayes2]

Safety off, but half cocked. I can cock the hammer full on the draw. Thats safety enough for me.

[Guest eyescream]

Cocked and locked.

Yup.

[timcalhoun]

Cocked and Locked. With the thumb safety on the hammer can NOT fall forward even if magically the sear disappears or breaks in two.

BTW, I would not carry it on "half cock" it is not a safety in that respect. That notch on the hammer is there to prevent doubling if the sear hammer relationship gets worn to the point of malfunction. It is not to be used as a carry safety.

[willis68]

Condition 1, Cocked and locked what the pistol was designed for

[Guest mgjohn]

Safety on. Cocked and Locked.

[strickj]

1911- cocked&locked.

The safety is the natural spot for your thumb to rest on 1911s.

[JDM175]

Do you carry with the safety on or off?

"This is my safety"

Locked, cocked, no safety that's how roll!

Just kidding safety on, Condition 1 (The Sight 1911 Conditions of Readiness Page)

[eapking]

Do you carry with the safety on or off?

Absolutley, positively yes. Doesn't take much to touch off a single action.

[Guest peacexxl]

Like it was designed, built, and meant to be carried... Cocked (hammer all the way back) and locked (thumb safety on) with a round in the chamber. Why argue with perfection?

[Guest hoss6175]

Cocked and Locked and you don't even think about ot

[Guest countryfirecracker]

Cocked and locked! Thumb safety on!

[redstategunnut]

Do you carry with the safety on or off?

Ack.

[Alpha13]

Safety off, but half cocked. I can cock the hammer full on the draw. Thats safety enough for me.

Is this even safe? I had just been talking to a couple of guys yesterday, about a buddy of theirs that didn't realize he had it half cocked and shot himself and the dog he was petting when he bumped the hammer... (both survived, though his finger is no longer straight...)

[willis68]

Is this even safe? I had just been talking to a couple of guys yesterday, about a buddy of theirs that didn't realize he had it half cocked and shot himself and the dog he was petting when he bumped the hammer... (both survived, though his finger is no longer straight...)

Negative,

DO NOT carry this way, the 1911 was not designed for that you are asking for trouble if you choose to carry this way

[willis68]

Safety off, but half cocked. I can cock the hammer full on the draw. Thats safety enough for me.

If you are carrying a 1911 this way, do us all a favor and get rid of it, you obviously know nothing about the model 1911 the way you claim to carry:

This Condition of Carry offers the dual disadvantage of being both dangerous and awkward. To bring the pistol into action, the operator must first cock the hammer to the rear, making this method of operation slower than the "cocked-and-locked" method of Condition One. Furthermore, Condition. Two could be dangerous if the hammer slips during the risky "dropping" process or if the gun itself is accidentally dropped while in this hammer-down mode. This mode of carry is not recommended under any circumstances.

Edited September 7, 2010 by willis68

[Punisher84]

If you are carrying a 1911 this way, do us all a favor and get rid of it, you obviously know nothing about the model 1911 the way you claim to carry:

This Condition of Carry offers the dual disadvantage of being both dangerous and awkward. To bring the pistol into action, the operator must first cock the hammer to the rear, making this method of operation slower than the "cocked-and-locked" method of Condition One. Furthermore, Condition. Two could be dangerous if the hammer slips during the risky "dropping" process or if the gun itself is accidentally dropped while in this hammer-down mode. This mode of carry is not recommended under any circumstances.

I wanna know 2 things myself.

1. Does dmayes2 have proper training and if so what dumbass taught him to carry like that.

2. Has he ever been in a defensive situation or an even remotely stressful training environment and been able to bring the pistol into a fireable functon and get a round on target in less than 2 seconds. I doubt it.

[Dolomite_supafly]

I do and have always carried my 1911's "cocked and locked". Carrying it any other way will only increase the time it takes to fire it. Carrying it half cocked only damages the sear and this in turn causes problems with the trigger pull.

Carrying it hammer down or at half cock is also a bad idea because it is hard to cock the weapon under normal conditions but under stressful conditions it is much harder to cock the hammer without having it slip out from under your finger. I have seen numerous people try to cock the hammer on a 1911 only to have it slip, sometimes the hammer stops at half cock. But even more dangerous is that they sometimes they miss the half cock and strike the firing pin. When that happens it is a bad day for the person shooting because it generally grabs bits and pieces of their thumb as the slide cycles.

If I had to carry it in any condition other than "cocked and locked" it would be hammer down on an empty chamber. It is far easier and safer to rack the slide than try to cock the hammer, especially under stress because you should be practicing to clean malfunctions by racking the slide anyways. It is also better for the gun itself than carrying it in a half cocked state.

Do not carry it "half cocked" and I would seriously consider having the gun looked at if you have done it for any amount of time because you have probably damaged the sear.

Dolomite