Coffee Talk: Pistol Operations

i would prefer a DA/SA

while i do like the fact that with 1911's you can have one in chamber and have the hammer down at the same time and it is easier shooting for target, competition etc.... it can go off easier.

i am a fan however, of wheel guns that offer DA/SA actions since you can always have it loaded and if you need to do buisiness, just pull it out and pull the trigger. PLUS you could have one in your pocket and not have to worry AS MUCH about it going off accidentaly

i enjoy carrying moms bobcat 21a in my pocket its a semi auto .22 pocket gun but it has a nice little DA pull or you can cock back the hammer for SA or fire in DA and then it will automatically lock into to SA for the remainder of the shots fired. and while not having anything else in my pock that its in, i have confidence that with the long harder DA pull it wont go off accidentally. plus when i carry it, you cant even tell im carrying it, its so damn small

bean93x said:

i would prefer a DA/SA

while i do like the fact that with 1911's you can have one in chamber and have the hammer down at the same time and it is easier shooting for target, competition etc.... it can go off easier.

i am a fan however, of wheel guns that offer DA/SA actions since you can always have it loaded and if you need to do buisiness, just pull it out and pull the trigger. PLUS you could have one in your pocket and not have to worry AS MUCH about it going off accidentaly

i enjoy carrying moms bobcat 21a in my pocket its a semi auto .22 pocket gun but it has a nice little DA pull or you can cock back the hammer for SA or fire in DA and then it will automatically lock into to SA for the remainder of the shots fired. and while not having anything else in my pock that its in, i have confidence that with the long harder DA pull it wont go off accidentally. plus when i carry it, you cant even tell im carrying it, its so damn small

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Just a couple things, more so advice to keep you safe. You do not want to lower the hammer manually on a loaded chamber in ANYTHING that does not have a decocker. If carrying cocked and locked is not your bag, carry israeli without a round in the chamber, and rack the slide on the draw. There is an awful good chance that when lowering the hammer, it can slip and the pistol will fire. The 1911 is a safe pistol to carry in the grand scheme of things, it is in many ways safer than the DA/SA revolvers you mention especially when pocket carried. The firing pin in a 1911 is inertial, and has a spring. The inertial part means that the firing pin is too short to contact both the hammer face and the primer of the shell at the same time, it basically bounces off the face of the hammer with enough force, and in a straight enough direction to overcome the spring tension, and pop the primer, this system is so safe, that in many cases unmodified 1911s pass the CA drop test fairly easily. On top of that the thumb and grip safety physically block the sear in place, they don't simply disengage a trigger bar, or move it out of the way. In fact the original design only used the grip safety, and no thumb safety, and was designed to be carried in condition 0, the army wanted the thumb safety as an added precaution for mounted cavalry bouncing around on horseback, and they got their way. In the case of a DA revolver, there is the possibility of the trigger snagging on clothing, while reholstering, in that case it can fire, or if pocket carried the hammer can snag and cock, in that case there isn't much force that needs to be applied to the trigger for it to fire, and some of the older pre-transfer bar revolvers can fire easily if dropped on the hammer with a full cylinder, that is why many people carried with an empty chamber under the hammer, and in some cases, like the iver-johnson revolvers, the cylinder is free to rotate with the hammer down, so even having an unloaded chamber is not a sure bet.

The thing to keep in mind is that carrying ANY firearm can be considered dangerous, safetys click off by accident, guns break, safetys fail, we can trip and fall, or get into car accidents, but with a good holster that covers the trigger, and that offers good retension, plenty of practice carrying, keeping the gun in good working order, and keeping in mind that the only true safety is in your brain, the danger is low, and an acceptable risk compared to the danger of being unarmed.

RobMoore said:

Trigger safety (the little section in the middle), the firing pin safety (the plunger that is pressed upwards as you pull the trigger), and the drop safety (a notch the trigger bar would hit if dropped without trigger pull)

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I wasn't aware the Glock had the firing pin safety and drop safety.

In any case, I don't see the difference between a cocked an locked 1911 or carrying a Glock or XD with a round up the pipe. Maybe it's just a psychological thing for some people with seeing the exposed hammer on the 1911 cocked back.

Me either. For people who are nervous about cocked and locked, carry a 1911 around unchambered but cocked and safety on for a week, and if at any point you find the hammer down, then your concerns are warranted, but it won't happen.

My OWB holster has a thumb break that is designed to carry a 1911 locked and cocked, the retention piece actually goes in between the hammer and firing pin. While a bit pricey the fletch is a very nice holster for a 1911 frame and carrying locked and cocked.

Pricey is relative term, since good 1911 holsters can go $140+

RobMoore said:

Pricey is relative term, since good 1911 holsters can go $140+

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Very true, after I wore it a bit I thought it to be a bargain, some folks just look for the most inexpensive they can find. I like the royal guard model for my IWB and in general like the galco line up and quality of their stuff. You allowed to carry a 1911 when off duty Rob?

No