How Many Carry the 1911 With the Standard Thumb Safety?

[Kestrel]

How many of you carry a 1911, with just the standard thumb safety? (A non-extended safety.)

I just can't sweep off a standard thumb safety as quick as an extended safety. The upside is, the smaller safety seems like it would stay put better. I keep thinking it would be so much easier to miss the small safety if you had to do it fast. Anyone practiced enough to do this quickly with the standard safety?

Any thoughts?

 

[Unisaw]

I have never had a problem with disengaging the standard safety. Perhaps my hand size is different than yours...

 

[Sam]

I won't have an extended safety or slide stop.
All the extendeds seem to run afoul of my thumb. One I tried cut pretty deep.
Never had any trouble to speak of with the standard ones.

Sam

 

[White Horseradish]

I do. I haven't cut myself with anythng extended, but the ones I tried kept my thumb from sweeping snagging it instead.

 

[Stephen A. Camp]

Hello. Though I have 1911 pistols with both types, I prefer the standard thumb safety for a carry gun. They just work fine for me and don't seem quite so prone to be wiped off inadvertently. The extended thumb safety that I prefer is the smaller one from Wilson.

Best.

 

[slopemeno]

I used one on my comp gun. They work fine. Yes, an Ed Brown is a little larger, but the stock colt one was decent. I found it easier to transition back to 'on safe' with the smaller safety as well, due to its smaller size.

 

[MICHAEL T]

Stock for me See no reason for a surf board on side of carry pistol.

 

[Dienekes]

Standard GI style small tab. Works for me.

Recently modified the "improved" version on a current SA 1911 to that original shape.

Somebody once said that a carry gun should be so smooth overall that you could rub it all over your face without cutting yourself.

Never tried it but probably best done in private (after unloading the gun, of course).

 

[dsk]

I can see their utility in a competition gun, but all my 1911's are for defense or collecting, and they all have standard GI or factory Colt thumb safeties.

 

[1911 guy]

Safeties

Mine is standard size, but ambi. No offense to Sam, but I like the extended slide stop, too. Just seems to be in the sweet spot for quick reloads, for me. Everybody's got different hands, though.

 

[Moonclip]

I do/have and all my current 1911 style pistols have a standard safety,

 

[BluesBear]

I only use the standard sized thumb safety. I can see no need for a running board hanging out there. I have no problem snicking it off or on as needed.
As a matter of fact I really wish is that Colt would make their ambi thumb safety with the original GI style small tab. I actually prefer those to the later streamlined style.


I also refuse to use an extended slide stop. Even allowing that some people do not use the slingshot method of chambering from slide lock I see no reason for an extended one. One of the brilliant design features of the 1911 is that you must take your finger off of the trigger to engage the magazine release and slide stop.

I had a client at the range years ago that insisted his Colt Commander would fire all by itself when he used the slide lock.
Sure enough every time he'd brop the slide it would go bang.

He had one of those gaudy chromed extended releases that looked like a silver plated buffet table. He could press the slide lock with his thumb with his finger still in the trigger guard and when the slide fell it would bounce just enough for his booger hook to tickle the bang switch.


What I really wish is that Colt would make their ambi thumb safety with the original GI style small tab.

 

[Riphalman]

I like an extended safety.

I have a Brown "running board" on my Colt and find it a little easier to use than the stock safety. No problems with inadvertent engaging or disengaging. No need for extended slide stop however.

 

[Ala Dan]

Greeting's All-

I much prefer the standard (single) safety over extened or ambi safetys
in a CCW piece. Even with a proper fitted holster, an extended thumb
safety could get knocked off inadvertenly.

 

[farscott]

All of my carry 1911's have some sort of extended thumb safety lock; however, the amount that is "extended" is somewhat small on the majortiy of them. My smith starts with a King's thumb safety lock and trims the paddle so it looks like a slightly larger (about 0.020") version of the modern Colt safety lock. The larger paddle is easier to use, and I have never had any issues with it. Unless you see the two parts side by side, one would swear the King's part is the Colt part.

I do have two pistols with the usual extended safeties, but even these have trimmed paddles. I am not a fan of the overly wide paddle after my experience with a Baer Stinger.

 

[Shootcraps]

I like 'em both. My Norinco has the standard safety, simply because it's nickel plated and I don't want to change anything that's finished.

My Springfield Ultra Compact has an extended safety and it feels good too.

As long as it has a solid "snick" on and "snick" off, I'm happy with it.

 

[FunGunner]

I have carried with a standard thumb safety, and had no problems with it.

 

[wildehond]

You mean there is another type of thumb safety?

 

[Rob96]

The Colt on my hip has the standard thumb safety as well as slide lock and grip safety. Works for me.

 

[bigmike45]

Since I use the thumb safety to rest my thumb on, I like the "running board" extension. I carried a Champion for about a year with the standard GI style thunb safety and I had several occasions, during handgun course training, that I swiped the thumb safety and it did not disengage. This gun was my primary carry weapon and I certainly did not want that happening in a life or death situation. I changed to a Wilson extended and never looked back.

 

[TexasRifleman]

Standard here. The only time I've had the safety moved accidentally in the holster was when carrying a 1911 with an extended safety.

 

[AirForceShooter]

There's a thumb safety?

Condition 0, just like a glock.

AFS

 

[TexasRifleman]

Condition 0, just like a glock.

Problem with that idea is that a safety DOES exist on the weapon. If you train to ignore the safety because your habit is to leave it disengaged, what happens the one time you draw and the safety has been ENGAGED.

I'll agree that the weapon is perfectly safe that way, but train with the weapon in the manner it was intended to be used, cocked and locked.

 

[JoeHatley]

Sure,



Joe

 

[NoahFN]

I tend to use the "tactical" extended safeties made by Ed Brown and Wilson Combat. I haven't had any trouble with them being swiped off inadvertently while being carried. I would probably be fine with the standard safety, but when I'm drawing in a hurrying I like to be able to easily and assuredly swipe the safety off.