How safe is a striker fire for carry ?

It will only fire if the trigger is pulled. That means good holster that covers the trigger guard entirely.

The XD has a trigger safety, and a grip safety.

If you do not Grasp it in your hand, Depress the grip safety, and Pull the trigger?
It cannot go off accidentally and shoot you by itself.

Carrying an empty CCW gun is not worth doing.
You may not have both hands available to rack the slide & load it if somebody is on top of you pounding knots on your head with a brick.

Carry it loaded.
Or don't carry it at all!

rc

Consider in this day and age?

Would any firearms company sell you a CCW gun that was unsafe to carry loaded??

They would get sued out of business, if they could stay in business long enough to get sued.

They couldn't even sell guns to civilians in several of the largest population centers of the country if they were unsafe to carry loaded.

Let alone ever land the huge police sales contracts necessary to stay in business.

rc

Trigger discipline. Learn it, love it, live it.

Get a decent holster that covers the trigger, keep your finger off the trigger unless you want that big "boom" sound to come out of your piece, and carry on with the rest of your life.

That actually goes for any firearm, not just striker fired.

Also, learn to holster the gun by putting your thumb on the back of the slide. This takes the web of your hand off the grip safety and prevents a unintentional discharge if something gets stuck in the trigger guard (clothing, draw string, the edge of the holster). Practice it that way and do it every time and it will become muscle memory habit, just like drawing with your finger off the trigger.

Also, LOOK the gun into the holster every time - if you're reholstering it means the threat is gone, and the extra second you spend by LOOKING the gun into the holster can save a lifetime on hurt.

I agree with rcmodel, carry it with a round in the chamber or don't carry it at all. As kludge suggested learn to re-holster with your thumb on the back of the slide so the grip safety is not depressed. That way you won't end up with "Glock leg" if something snags the trigger. Without moving my hand on the grip I twist my thumb up so the first knuckle is bent over the corner that is the back of the slide. The pad of my thumb gets a pretty darn good grip on the rear sight and the web of my hand misses the grip safety by about half an inch. Even if I push the pistol as hard as I can against something I cannot depress the grip safety with my thumb on the rear sight. I've re-holstered my XD45C this way since I got it and the motion has become completely automatic.

I was where you were once on striker fired pistols JohnsXDM, For me, years of revolvers, mostly Single action shooting, and what do I buy?

A no Thumb safety, No Mag release safety, No grip safety M&P .40.

It took some time to get familiar with how they work, a few dozen readings of THR, a high quality IWB holster, and constant trigger awareness.

They're as safe as the person holding them. I wouldn't have minded the grip safety of the XD, but I Hate that Loaded chamber indicator.

As others have said the holster is very important. Make sure it is of a type that has nothing that will catch on the trigger when the pistol is inserted into the holster. Yes, it has a grip safety also, and that's good.

Many carry loaded (one in the chamber) striker fired, pre-cocked pistols without absolutely any issues. Glock, XD, Walther P99/PPQ, etc.

It will only fire if the trigger is pulled. That means good holster that covers the trigger guard entirely.

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^^THIS^^ Keep a round in the pipe and practice holstering while keeping your palm off the grip safety.

shouldn't you research things like this BEFORE buying?

use a good holster and don't handle the thing without reason

I don't understand why people don't research and address these questions before they make a purchase.

I can see if someone purchased a range gun, and then later start wondering about its suitability for carry, but to purchase a carry gun and then wonder about how safe it is for carry, is a mystery to me.

Police and civilians have carried DA revolvers for years and there's not a lot of concern or discussion regarding safety with them. Their only safety is the long DA trigger pull and of course the gray matter of the operator. Good holster and some training is the way to go.

I also am like you and very cautious with the whole striker fired carry guns with no external safeties. I am a hammer gun guy but just acquired my first Glock which is going to become part of my carry rotation. It truly is all about keeping everything away from the trigger (applies to all guns). Even with the simplicity of the Glock trigger safety I find it very hard to make that thing go off by accident. Like what has already been said, take your time and pay attention when holstering and you'll be fine. The only thing that needs to be fast is your draw, reholstering is done after the threat is gone, no need to rush it.

Striker fired guns are only as safe as the design and the actual condition of the gun. I still remember a writer for American Handgunner writing back in the 80s and tellling a story about a striker fired gun that he had carried for many years discharging in the pocket of his leather jacket while he was riding a motorcycle down a highway. No one was hurt but it definitely got his attention. Wear was obviously a huge factor here but he swore he would never carry any striker fired pistols again. Of course the same thing could happen with a 1911 with a worn or improperly installed thumb safety (and has). Firearms require frequent inspections if you are going to be safe with them. I have worked on and competed with 1911s for many years and I still have some qualms about trusting a thumb safety when out knocking around in the real world. I test mine EVERY single time I rack it. All of my CCW guns are now DA revolvers. I still love semi auto pistols but I have seen enough of them fail I cannot place 100% faith in them. I have seen DA revolvers fail as well but it was always due to operator error or lousy ammunition.

Love the XD(m) series grip safety!

This is an interesting thread. I get asked fairly frequently on recommendations for carry or HD weapons. Given the more pervasive advertising for semi-auto's, they're usually predisposed towards bottom feeders.

My consistent advice if they're looking at striker-fired pistols - it needs to have at least one external safety. While I agree with proper holster choice, training, etc. it's unlikely these criteria will be universally adhered to. If the weapon has an external safety, it's there period.

IMO, a safety-less striker-fired pistol is not equivalent to a DA revolver. Trigger movement is much shorter regardless of weight of pull. Even 8lbs. is not sufficient. A comparison I'll typically use is if you're comfortable carrying a 1911 in Condition 1 with the thumb safety off, and grip safety pinned, then go ahead with something like a Glock. I've even seen folks at gunshows getting 3.5lb. trigger setup's installed in their Glock CCW guns. Good grief.

Regarding the 1911 info posted above...I'm curious. I've built a few and worked on several. The thumb safety blocks sear movement. If the lug were to wear enough to allow the sear to move incrementally, the hammer should fall to half-cock. Even if the sear breaks, there's really nowhere for the metal to go... Also, the grip safety has to be depressed to allow the trigger to move enough to disengage the sear. On Series 80 guns this would be required for the firing pin to move. Proper function tests and occasional inspection is always a good idea, but the 1911 is an inherently safer design than something like a Glock.

Again, practice and training, but it's pretty easy for most safety systems to become just part of the manual of arms. I have to doubt they add any delay in preparing the weapon to go bang.

Funnel

I've had 3 striker pistols (2 XDms and a M&P) and one LDA pistol (LCP), never had a ND. They're perfectly safe to carry as long as A) your holster covers the trigger guard with a non-stretchy material (soft cloth like Uncle Mikes not a good idea) and B) you have good trigger discipline.

I think rcmodel said it best. No gun company today is going to put an unsafe CCW in our hands with the Liability issues that they would have. With the proper holster, and proper technique, your fear is misplaced.

Unsafe, no...perhaps unwise - definitely possible given the number of CCW users and various law enforcement agencies.

Funnel

Don't see it as unwise. You never wonder if it's on safe, and never think the safety is on when it isn't. Whether you carry a 1911 or a Glock, you need to know the safety rules and not forget to apply them.

I appendix carry a Glock 19 and have no worries. Safe gun handling and a holster that covers the trigger guard are the keys to carrying safely. So I would say carrying a striker fired pistol is safe. Oh and always keep a round in the chamber, a combat pistol should always be combat ready.

I can see if someone purchased a range gun, and then later start wondering about its suitability for carry, but to purchase a carry gun and then wonder about how safe it is for carry, is a mystery to me.

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Not everyone purchases a gun with carry in mind. I owned and shot a handgun for quite a few years before I even thought about getting my carry permit. My main criteria were just to get a reliable handgun that didn't cost too much (ended up getting a P95).