I just have to settle this!

[LagerHead]

Then there's the whole grip safety thing...but that wasn't my point, anyway.

 

What I should've typed:  "A Glock with a chambered round is still only partially cocked,  A 1911 with a chambered round is fully cocked (so is a Springfield xD, but that's another story). 

 

There's no way I'd carry fully cocked without a manual safety, firing pin safety or not.

 

My post wasn't a slam on xD's.

 

I wasn't taking offense. I'm just saying, XDs kick butt. :D

[Moped]

When I carry my 1911, it's cocked and locked, with a round in the chamber.  But honestly, I hardly ever carry it. It's too dang heavy.  I carry a .38 Colt Revolver.  No safety to worry about.  Just point and shoot! :) 

 

BTW, the Israelis teach a method where the chamber is empty and the slide is racked on the draw.  If practiced, it's honestly not much slower than drawing a condition 1 pistol. But like any method, one has to practice to be proficient.

[Waters5117]

I carry my 1911 hammer back and safety on if there is nothing between the hammer and firing pin in the holster( ie. thumb-break strap), but when there is a strap I will leave the safety off.

[Dolomite_supafly]

I carry a 1911 every single day and have for the majority of my time in the military and a lot since I got out.

 

I ALWAYS, with a capital "A", carry it with the thumb safety engaged. The reason is it blocks the sear from being bumped off the hammer hook. Even if the grip safety is not depressed the gun can still fire from a jar if the thumb safety is off. The thumb safety is not so much a safety is it is there to ensure a proper grip. There are a lot of people, including me in the past, who pin the grip safety down or file down the leg to disable the grip safety.

 

Secondly, it prevents things like Tex experienced from happening. If the thumb safety is engaged and you accidentally pull the trigger during the draw the gun will not fire. The Serpa "holster of death" trains people to shoot themselves during stressful situations.

 

When I am training I do not disengage the thumb safety until I am almost on target and generally about the same time as I am putting my finger inside the trigger guard. Now if I am clearing then I disengage the safety but keep my finger out of the trigger guard.

[Spurholder]

The Serpa "holster of death" trains people to shoot themselves during stressful situations.

 

 

THIS.  100 times THIS.   Blackhawk's sales campaign has convinced most of the gun-owning populace that SERPA's are the mil-spec shizzle.  Nothing could be further from the truth.  Those things are a ND waiting to happen.

[chances R]

The mechanics of the draw and operation of the safety have been hashed out forever.  It is as Dolomite explained.  It should be automatic.  Especially if one is moving/clearing, etc.  The thumb rides the safety and the trigger finger rides the slide.  I cringe when I hear the safety comes off at the draw.....ask Tex how that worked out.  If the weapon is actually 'engaged', after checking the vicinity, the safety is flipped on.  I have even caught myself flipping the safety off/on between targets in IDPA as it becomes 'memorized'.

[Guest Southern Christian Armed]

Look, I didn't want to start a "caliber" war, I was just asking "why". I have heard great arguments, explanations, and testimonials. I will gather the evidence and move on from here. Thanks

[Guest Southern Christian Armed]

And likely my final conclusion will be "what can I carry that I feel safest with, deploy the most rapidly, and inop the bad guy hopefully in the most mild manner possible". :) So Im thinking a fully auto, heat seeking, 45 acp AR that weighs 12 ounces loaded, conceals in my belt, has an auto/selective fire option, and I can stagger the mag with .308, .45acp, .357 sig, .10mm, and 45-70 gvt...... Anyone have one of those for sale?

[Guest Southern Christian Armed]

AND........ It doesn't go Bang until you have the sights perfectly on target with what you issued a bad guy in your brain!

[Guest Southern Christian Armed]

Oh, and I must not forget that a defense attorney jumps out my ass after I decide I was in danger and had to use such a valuable weapon!

[JGunner]

And likely my final conclusion will be "what can I carry that I feel safest with, deploy the most rapidly, and inop the bad guy hopefully in the most mild manner possible". :) So Im thinking a fully auto, heat seeking, 45 acp AR that weighs 12 ounces loaded, conceals in my belt, has an auto/selective fire option, and I can stagger the mag with .308, .45acp, .357 sig, .10mm, and 45-70 gvt...... Anyone have one of those for sale?

You better buy 2 of these if you find them so you can have a backup too! :)

[serbu50]

One thing that I have never understood is the carry without one chambered theory. You don't have time, and you may not have the use of your non dominate hand.... after all, if you need to pull it, good chance you are fighting somebody right??? Even if they grabbed your hand to control you... much less have a round in your shoulder etc. The other is the time issue. So, from a physical or mental standpoint, you need one in the pipe. Which brings me to my next opinion. If you are too nervous or not confident enough to carry a block or 1911 cocked, you need more range time walking around, maneuvering with the weapon. Go build confidence. The damn things don't just go off. Now that you are confident enough to walk around Lowes with it cocked and locked, stop pushing it "back in the holster". You look obvious and it's not falling out.. 

[Guest TresOsos]

Tex shot himself with a Kimber Pro Carry in the video above.  This is one of the best videos I've seen detailing the incident and the problem with the Serpas in general:

 

 

I use the safety on my 1911s.

Nice review but a few things I think he overlooked as most do when looking at what happened.

As for the cant, angle or rake of the holster, its adjustable on a Serpa.

 

I think what is overlooked most, just as this reviewer did was, Tex was practicing with a Thumb Drive holster prior to this with a striker fired pistol.

Did this contribute to his mishap, personal opinion is yes it did. He had been practicing mashing that thumb drive which just happens to be on

the same side of the holster as the thumb saftey on a 1911. Now, no one but ole Tex will ever know for certain just what happened, but thumb drive

holsters and 1911s are imho a very bad idea. I think he mashed that thumb safety down just like he had been doing on that thumb drive release and walla,

major contributing factor to the ND. One reason I believe in finding what you like, train with it and don't be switching around holsters and guns all the time.

By that I mean if you like and carry Glocks fine, do so and carry as many different models as you like. Don't carrying a Glock one day, a Sig the next, Beretta the next,

a 1911 the next, etc. You never know what motor skill may take over in an incident and you might die trying to release a non-exsistant safety or die forgetting to release that safety you forgot your gun of the day had.

 

Keep your booger hook off the bang switch until you are ready to fire and on a 1911 keep that thumb safety engaged until your sights are aligned on the traget and you are ready to engage.

Edited December 7, 2013 by TresOsos

[Guest Doubletap2]

Ditto!   Dolomite_supafly exactly ......

[Guest carter]

I carry my USP40 decocked with the safety on. I prefer the DA along with the safety for carrying. Not sure why you would not use the safety but to each his own. I don't really see the comparison to the striker fired pistols, seems like apples & oranges since they operate quite differently from my understanding. 

 

If I carried a 1911 cocked without the safety it would feel the same to me as carrying a revolver cocked. I would feel very uneasy, but then again I always wear my seat belt when driving because I don't feel right without it on. Just my 2 cents. I think you will have to go with what you feel most comfortable with.

thats basically what the OP would be doing... but the 1911 would have a better chance of negligent discharge than a revolver unless the trigger on the revolver was stuck in the full pull position...