1911 Carry question...

[TonyB]

I know the 1911 was made for c&l carry.....however,would there be an issue carrying with the hammer down?It seems it wouldn't take any longer to cock the hammer than take the safety off....I ask this being a lefty and the non-ambi safety is awkward....not that I have a 1911 anymore,but was considering useing my Father's for idpa once in a while......or have I just been watching too much tv and think that cocking the hammer is cool? '
anyway assuming the gun has the hammer block safety thing,is this acceptable(1911 guys don't flame me too bad).....

 

[zahc]

You should never cock a 1911 by hand.

Consider condition 3 carry if C&L bothers you, but if C&L bothers you, I would suggest you not carry a 1911.

In fact I would say the thumb spur on a 1911 has no normal purpose.

 

[HighVelocity]

I agree. If you don't want to carry it C&L then there are better choices in a carry gun for you.

 

[Seraph]

Tony, I don't think they'd want you to carry with the hammer down on a live round in IDPA, anyway.

 

[TonyB]

Point taken...I'm not crazy about 1911's anyway(usually can't hit the broad side of a barn w/ one)....I was only asking for the idpa thing.I carry a revolver(and probably always will)thanks for the responses...it's not the c&l that bothers me(My PT99 I used that way)it's the non-ambi safety that I can't reach(being a lefty).thanks again.

 

[Father Knows Best]

If the problem is lack of an ambi safety, then add an ambi safety. The biggest problem with hammer down carry on a 1911 is how you go about getting the hammer down. There is no decocking lever on a 1911. Trying to do it manually is an AD just waiting to happen.

Another option if you just can't stomach C&L is the Safety Fast Shooting System (SFS) from Cylinder & Slide. I haven't used it, but I hear good things about it. It will come with an ambi safety.

 

[EghtySx]

I have to agree with Father on this one. Letting the hammer down is a little dangerous. Much safer to leave the hammer back and engage the safety.

Spending more time with one should help to alleviate your fears.

 

[mete]

Letting the hammer down on a 1911 is not a problem - just put one thumb over the firing pin.....The 1911 was designed to be carried cocked and locked, you have to do three things to fire it ; depress grip safety, depress thumb safety, pull trigger. That's three times safer than a Glock.! It is too awkward and slow to cock a 1911.

 

[Ala Dan]

Agreed! Carrying cocked and locked with the safety engaged is much
safer than carrying a 1911 with the hammer down and one up the pipe.

Best Wishes,

 

[usp_fan]

Just by way of information, there are 2 bad things that can happen if you carry a 1911 loaded with the hammer down (aside from droping the hammer when you try to lower it).

1. The hammer is all the way down and you hit the back of the hammer with something, or drop the pistol--if done hard enough BANG!

2. The hammer is resting on the half cock notch and the pistol is loaded. The muzzle of the pistol hits something, or you drop it, the hammer travels back slightly and then moves forward past the notch and BANG! If the pistol falls or is hit on the rear of the hammer while at half cock, the hammer shelf or hooks can be damaged or your sear can be damaged and BANG!

Cocked and Locked or hammer down on empty chamber are the 2 options, and only 1 works with a pistol meant to be used when needed.

my 2 cents,

--usp_fan

 

[TonyB]

ok,ok

yOU TALKED ME OUT OF IT.....Man,you 1911 guys are rough
While I AM comfortable w/ c&l ,I was just asking about this to see if I could use some one elses 1911 once in a while w/ out them having an ambi-safety...I never knew that 1911's had no firing pin block safety though...Just to muddy the waters......what about a Para LDA ......carrying w/out using the safety?

 

[Father Knows Best]

The Para LDA would be an option, though the 1911 purists out there will tell you that it's not really a 1911. I guess that depends on how you define a "real" 1911.

The Para LDA is a 1911 pattern pistol that uses an operating mechanism much like the Glock "safe action" system. Cycling the slide actually preloads the striker, or "cocks" the gun. Despite the "Light Double Action" name, the LDA is not a true double action design. It's a single action with a huge amount of take-up on the trigger. If you have a misfire, you have to execute a tap-rack-bang sequence, just like with a traditional single action 1911 (with a DA autoloader, you could just pull the trigger again).

I carry a Para Ordnance CCW, which is a commander length barrel/slide (4.25") on an officer frame, and the LDA trigger system. I was transitioning to 1911s from Glocks, so it was easier for me than going straight to cocked and locked. I may someday go all the way to C&L.

The LDA does indeed have a manual safety (along with the 1911 grip safety), which sets it apart from the Glock. Whether you use it or not is up to you. One could argue that it's not necessary thanks to the long trigger travel of the LDA. I use it because I shoot single action 1911s in action pistol, and I'm in the habit of sweeping the thumb safety off, anyway.

You should also know that the LDA thumb safety works a little different than a traditional 1911 thumb safety. It locks the slide and disconnects the trigger. Thus, you can pull the trigger with the safety on, but the gun won't go bang. The fact that the trigger isn't locked confuses some people into thinking that the safety is off. I figure that will give me an extra few seconds in the unlikely event some BG gets a hold of my CCW piece.

 

[TonyB]

A buddy of mine has the black hawk watch(or something like that)it is an amazing gun..never jams and the trigger is awesome......if i had themoney i'd get one today.....
)

 

[brickeyee]

"1. The hammer is all the way down and you hit the back of the hammer with something, or drop the pistol--if done hard enough BANG!"

The same thing would happen if you hit a cocked and locked Series 70. The firing pin in a 1911 is inertial. It is shorter than the tunnel. If the hammer is down it is resting on the frame and will not move forward, and the firing pin while touching the hammer, is to short to also touch the primer.

This goes to the pretty much non-existant problem of having a 1911 discharge from dropping on the muzzle. While colt made the seroes 80, no one else jumped on that nad colt has series 70 gns available again.

 

[BluesBear]

1. The hammer is all the way down and you hit the back of the hammer with something, or drop the pistol--if done hard enough BANG!

There is NO WAY in hell you can hit 1911 hammer hard enough to cause it to fire. The ONLY way you might get it to fire with the hammer down is if you dropped in on the MUZZLE.

Condition two carry on a series 80? I know people who do it regularly. I also know quite a few guys who have carried pre S80 models that way formore years than I've been alive. With MUCH practice and a STRONG firing pin spring it is safe.

Now, I'll just sit back and wait for the unexperienced to flame me to death.

 

[Bobby Lee]

A 1911 carried hammer down will NOT fire from a blow to the hammer. I don't reccomend hammer down carry but it is a huge load of BS that a blow to the hammer will fire the pistol.

 

[Gunnutz13]

I carry a...

Para Ordnance P12-45 stoked with 10 rounds of 45acp Black Talons as my CCW daily. It's pre-LDA. I feel confident that I can bring it to bear in a stressful situation...

I used to carry my Colt Gold Cup National Match (Cocked and Locked) before I got the Para...is there any other way ?