Why carry a 1911 in Condition 1 over Condition 2?

I think it has to do with not wanting the pistol to fire if bumped. I think with the hammer resting on the fire pin is not a good idea. The pistol is designed to be carried cocked and locked.

I feel that if I have to draw my 1911 in a moment of high stress I will be much more likely to quickly and successfully complete the simple act of swiping the safety off rather than the more complex act of cocking the hammer. YMMV

What do you mean by modern firearms? Series 80 Colts and current series II Kimbers are designed with additional safeties to preclude that from happening, but not original 1911s, older Kimbers (the ones we own don't have them), and most of the current production 1911s.

The pistol is designed to be carried cocked and locked.

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I don't believe any plans current are known to the public that indicate that the gun was designed to be carried in any particular manner or not carried in a particular manner. Because of its design, however, it is safe to be carried cocked and locked and it is safe to be carried with an empty chamber and the hammer in any position.

It's much easier to sweep the safety off than it is to cock the hammer; there's much less wasted motion thumbing the safety down. When you acquire your grip, your thumb is RIGHT THERE at the safety. Thumbing the hammer back requires a much different motion, one that forces you to readjust your firing grip.

You can't fire a properly-functioning 1911 by "bumping" the hammer, even if down on a loaded chamber. 1911s have an inertial firing pin that require velocity to contact the primer.

Field strip one, then push the back of the pin in until it's flush. It's not long enough to reach the primer.

For that matter, to answer the OP, borrow your buddy's pistol and compare relative efforts of safety vs. hammer cocking. You'll have your answer in about 15 seconds.

1911's are designed to be carried cocked and locked.

The only way to un-cock the hammer is to hold the hammer back with your thumb while you pull the trigger, and then gently lower the hammer. You can't do this with the safety on, and remember you have a live round in the chamber. While you may be able to get away with this most of the time, sooner or later your thumb is going to slip and ka-bang!

This plus all the other reasons (thumbing hammer back is much slower and harder to do than releasing safety, hammer down can set off round on impact, etc) is why most people think cocked and locked is best for a 1911.

If 1911 was "designed" to carried C&l, WHY did we not hear about till the Col. TOLD us thats how it was supposed to be carried, yet JB never made mention of this way to carry when he first gave us the gun?

Condition 1 means you're protected by 2 manual safety's that need to be physically manipulated (grip & thumb, that with a proper firing grip will both be deactivated on the draw... but don't forget about the half-cock notch and firing pin spring that are there also, just in case) and is in a totally safe state that will not discharge without quite a bit of help... and oh yeah, IT'S READY FIRE IF YOU NEED TO USE IT TO SAVE YOUR'S or SOMEONE ELSE'S LIFE! (kinda important)

Condition 2 means you are trusting your chances of an ND to the strength of a very small firing pin spring... hit that hammer too hard by mistake or drop the gun just right and... BANG! (not to mention trying to cock the hammer on the draw is a pipe dream that will probably just lead to getting you killed or if you're lucky just a broken thumb at some point... unless of course the bad guy is kind enough to give you some extra time to carefully and deliberately prepare to shoot...)

I think it has to do with not wanting the pistol to fire if bumped. I think with the hammer resting on the fire pin is not a good idea. The pistol is designed to be carried cocked and locked.

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This is not a problem. The firing pin does not protrude with the hammer resting on it.

However, if one cocks a series 70 and the hammer slip on cocking, bang. You can cock it with your off hand as you aquire, but you might not have a functional off hand in a fight. Condition one is faster, safer, and more natural.

JMHO, though. Do as you think best.

What if your 1911 has a "half-cocked" position? As of now, I don't feel enough safety with the "cocked and locked" position when carrying, so I've left mine half-cocked.

This is not a problem (hammer down). The firing pin does not protrude with the hammer resting on it.

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The firing pin spring is designed with only enough strength to overcome the firing pin's inertia (firing pin weight)... how much more force it needs to go over that threshold to set off a primer you may find out at your own peril.

What if your 1911 has a "half-cocked" position? As of now, I don't feel enough safety with the "cocked and locked" position when carrying, so I've left mine half-cocked.

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Half-cock is an extra "safety safety" for just in case the hammer somehow managed to slip off the full-cock notch. So carrying at half-cock may be the most dangerous since not only do you need to take a risk to manually cock the hammer to fire, you're also carrying without the thumb safety engaged, with the hammer in a position to have a bit of a head start on hitting the primer with no half-half cock notch to catch it if it was to get bumped... bad idea IMO.
If you're not ready for condition 1, carry condition 3. Besides, racking the slide is a gross motor skill, cocking the hammer is a fine motor skill, guess which one deteriorates most quickly under stress?

I've done it both ways. I even had a Commander fitted with GM grip safety and wide spur GI hammer specifically for Condition 2 and I got pretty comfortable with it. Then I realized the guy who promoted that approach was lefthanded and learned in a day before ambidextrous safeties were common. I transitioned to Condition 1 and have been there ever since, about 25 years. Faster, easier, and safer. A few hundred IPSC and IDPA matches will get you in the habit of punching the safety on the draw.

All the more reason to get a striker fire pistol with a safe action trigger. Nothing to worry about.

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A striker fired pistol would get me killed. Anytime someone hands me a Glock to test fire, I spend three or four seconds trying to disengage the safety. That comes from spending 35 years with 1911s.

To answer the original question: Condition one. My thumb is on the safety once the holster is cleared.

In my opinion, striker fired is no safer than any other type.

Stchman,

Generally, no I don't manually lower the hammer. Once I insert the mag and get a round in the chamber, I flick the safety on and it goes in the holster, ie cocked and locked. It stays that way until I either shoot it or unload it.

And after unloading and clearing it, I point the gun in a safe direction and drop the hammer by pulling the trigger. That way I am sure the gun is unloaded.

Lowering a 1911's hammer on a live round is just too risky for me. All it takes is one slip-up and you've got an ND. YMMV.

Generally, no I don't manually lower the hammer. Once I insert the mag and get a round in the chamber, I flick the safety on and it goes in the holster, ie cocked and locked. It stays that way until I either shoot it or unload it.

And after unloading and clearing it, I point the gun in a safe direction and drop the hammer by pulling the trigger. That way I am sure the gun is unloaded.

Lowering a 1911's hammer on a live round is just too risky for me. All it takes is one slip-up and you've got an ND.

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AMEN!

It's mostly just a safety issue. If you want to carry in condition 2, you're going to have to pull the trigger and then lower the hammer on a loaded chamber. One mishap and you're potentially going to have a new hole in the floor. Much safer to simply rack the slide, flip the safety up, and then reholster.

Don't use the Half-cock as a safety. If you drop a series 70 pistol carried thus, and it lands in such a way as to shear off the half-cock notch, the mainspring may very well have enough energy to fire the cartridge.

As of now, I don't feel enough safety with the "cocked and locked" position when carrying, so I've left mine half-cocked.

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You need a new pistol, or a better understanding of how a 1911 works.

Well, it's kind of a circular argument, but for IDPA competition, which is supposed to simulate self-defense situations, the rules state -

14. Pistols must start from mechanical condition of readiness appropriate to their design. In general, single-action autos will start cocked and locked (ESP & CDP)

I'm not sure what the safety officer would do if you tried to start from Condition 2. Probably be a violation.

Most folks who have tried both, with a timer running, agree that Condition 2 isn't for speed, especially if you have a modern "bobbed" hammer spur.

So, it's slower than Condition 1 and potentially unsafe if you lower the hammer.

For those folks who believe in "combat zone" vs "rear area" thinking, do the administrative procedure from Condition 1 to Condition 3 as warranted, and hope that you never choose a readiness condition inappropriate for a given area...

You need a new pistol, or a better understanding of how a 1911 works.

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I know how it works...just the fact that my arse is resting against it whenever I set down is bothering me...will with any gun really. I'll give condition 1 a try after reading that half-cocked isn't advisable.

As far as (taking the) safety off (is) easier to (do) than (thumbing the) hammer back I don't know.

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Serious 1911 carriers DO know. That's why they carry them cocked and locked.