Manual safeties on carry weapons: yes or no?

All my Carry Guns are Decockers with no safety. Range guns can be either for me.

On a SA/DA or revolver... no... my safety is my finger... If I'm not going to shoot anything then it shouldn't be on the trigger... Like my S&W has no safety... My Beretta 92FS I rarely leave it with the safety on...

On SA only pistols like a 1911... yes... I pretty naturally push down on the safety with my thumb when I take aim.... Even with the grip safety, I wouldn't feel comfortable carrying it cocked without the manual safety.

I like the XD solution: a manual safety in the form of a grip safety. It locks the gun and the slide, but is automatically disengaged when you grasp the gun to fire it.

I've certainly missed birds in the field because my safety was on. I don't want to have that problem in a self-defense situation.

NO, but on DAO guns. I don't like trigger dohicky type "safe actions". I want a revolver or revolver like DAO.

To my knowledge, the only DA revolver I know of that ever had a safety was the old Smith and Wesson lemon squeezer, what ever the model number was. It had a grip safety, though, not something you had to remember to deactivate. That was sort of goofy on a DAO revolver IMHO and apparently in Smith's opinion cause they dropped it.

On the fence...

While I most commonly use Glocks (a 20 or a 19), and have for years preferred the 'no manual safety' idea, I've been practicing with a Commander-length 1911 more and more recently. This, after seeing a relatively experienced IDPA shooter put a 9mm hole in his leg while re-holstering his Glock.

While I've always been careful with my Glocks, after seeing that, I have to admit I'm a bit more reassured having that extra thumb-actuated 1911 safety ...I just need to make sure I practice with it enough to make sure I don't forget to disengage it

If you practice the thumb-over grip, you'll find that you have to concentrate on not disengaging the safety lock too soon.

Define too soon.

S&W lemon squeezer..... That was sort of goofy on a DAO revolver IMHO and apparently in Smith's opinion cause they dropped it. - MCgunner

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They're back in the classic line Model 40 & 42. With the grip safety but without the dreaded lock.

I agree a 12# (or so) DA trigger and a grip safety is a bit like wearing a belt & suspenders.

All things equal I'd prefer a manual safety, but of my carry guns only my Kimber Ultra Carry has one, but its too big most of the year for my lifestyle. Usually its the Kahr PM40 or S&W SC360 J-frame or as last resort Kel-Tec P3AT, none of which has an external safety.

--wally.

Define too soon.

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Before you intend to. Like when the gun is still coming out of the holster.

I like my Smith 5906 9mm which has a safety but I like my 4046 Smith 40 caliber DAO with no safety just as much. I don't like the safety setup on my Bersa .380 Thunder. I do like both of my Sigmas, one in 9mm and one in 40 caliber. Both are DAO with no external safety.

I do like my CZ75BD, the one with the decocker, which has no external safety but I don't like the safety setup on my Rami 2075. For me it's not whether the gun has a safety or not, it's the individual gun that makes me comfortable or uncomfortable. In general I feel like I have to be careful with all of them, whether they have a safety or not. However, I do feel I have to be more careful if there is no safety or if the safety is off during carry or holstering.

Safeties or the lack of don't bother me. I switch between different guns as clothing allows, I've carried C&L or safety off+hammer down depending on the pistol.

I own and carry S&W revolvers, Kahr semi-auto pistols and 1911s.
So I guess the answer is (for me):
It's not whether or not the gun has a safety. It's whether it is a gun that I like and can shoot well.

Single action yes
Double action no

Manual? As in requiring an action to make it shootable? Like putting your finger on the trigger I'm voting no. The only safety you can rely on is between your ears. Use that safety and you don't have to worry about the trigger being accidentally pulled.

Anyone who carries an SA pistol like the 1911 with the hammer cocked and the safety off is, quite simply, a fool and trouble looking for a place to happen. We can only hope he blows off his own foot rather than harming some passerby.

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Jim, why would anyone carry a single action loaded and cocked? With very little practicing, you can learn to cock that hammer back as you are drawing. My hammer is back before the gun is facing my target, and before my finger is on the trigger. Just like those who flick the safety off their 1911's as they draw. It really is less than 1 second. Now my reaction time is a whole lot worse, but the action itself is quick.

The only safety you can rely on is between your ears.

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That gets said here and on other gun forums a lot. I have trouble reconciling that with my impression that almost 100% of the AD/NDs reported here and other forums apparently occur when somebody did something stupid or without thinking. I know you're gonna say that if people keep their fingers off triggers until ready to shoot, they won't have accidents, but the fact that they do have accidents that are seldom the fault of the gun, tells me that the "safety between your ears" is the least reliable of all.

meh. what about all the people who don't have an ad/nd?
They outnumber the knuckleheads 100:1 at least. That's not bad.

I read all kinds of things on the internet. Last week a guy on a car forum said he'd patch his Mustang's roof with pieces of aluminum flashing he'd weld to the steel roof. He said "I think it'll be fine."

The internet fosters a culture of chest thumping and people repeating the right answers that often helps, but for some is just an act wherein they go offline and do stupid things.

THR tends to negate some of that, I find. And, I appreciate it when someone is willing to go through all the e-humiliation of posting an ad/nd story with pics for the betterment of us all.

I don't have a safety on my carry gun. It's the one between my ears. No AD/ND as yet and 20 some years into carrying.

bubbaturbo - I have been handling firearms for 21 years. Keep your booger hook off the bang switch is so ingrained that I have to make a conscious thought to put my finger on the trigger. I have been around exactly 2 ND's. Considering I spent a year in Iraq, 8 years in the military, and worked with hundreds of soldiers at ranges and down range... that isn't too bad of a percentage. That is less than 1 percent. Everyone makes mistakes, and I probably will to. The reason I don't have AD's is simple, I clear my gun 2-3 times before I play with it. Quite frequently I will take the bolt out, or the cylinder out, or the chamber out (barrel on my semi auto) before I do dry fire drills. I got beat for pointing an unloaded gun at a family member accidentally as a child... and it stuck.

Scythefwd

I understand what you're saying but I'm not talking about those who haven't had an AD/ND. I'm talking about those who have had one and it seems that most of those occurred when the "most reliable safety" was the one that failed. For anyone to dismiss the effectiveness of other safeties, including the ones you speak about, in favor of the cliche that "the only safety you can rely on is between your ears" seems absurd. It appears that it is the one that will let us down when we need it the most.

Now before someone else steps in to make the obligatory comment that "maybe we should just keep our guns unloaded or disassembled if that's how you feel", no, that's not what I'm saying. I am only stating my opinion on the absurdity of "the only safety you can rely on is between your ears".

You would think a pilot would never land with the wheels up right? Pretty fundamental and after all, all you have to do is follow a motto like, "keep your plane off the ground unless the wheels are down" but guess what - that doesn't work so backup plans were formulated like checklists and ground proximity warnings.

Your poll is flawed. And I would guess your assumptions on how other people "carry" is too.

Some of my carry guns have safeties and some don't.

Glocks, CZ (yes safety), J frame Smith (no real safety on a revolver is there?), 1911, BHP.

You have to dress for the occasion.

I chose my M&P with a manual safety because I mainly purse carry and was concerned about obstructions while drawing (even from the holster in the special compartment). I also carry with a round in the chamber.

I just recently read something from Mas Ayoob that discussed how that can also be a lifesaver if someone gets hold of your gun...so if someone grabbed my purse and drew my gun on me, they might not realize the safety was on. Something to think about.

(I practice drawing and releasing the safety)

I understand what you're saying but I'm not talking about those who haven't had an AD/ND. I'm talking about those who have had one and it seems that most of those occurred when the "most reliable safety" was the one that failed.

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bubba - But to say don't rely on that safety is saying that people can't be trusted to do what is right so they need to have a physical intervention. It's kinda like my phrase (about motorcycles) "It isn't a matter of IF you go down, it's a matter of how and when you go down". It assumes that at some time you are going to screw up and the only thing that will save you is that physical safety. How many of these AD/ND's occurred with firearms that had safeties?

single action revolver, i dont think if a cougar was about to attack me i have time to click a safety off and wrry if hammer is cocked. SA action is simple pull hammer pull trigger end of story.