Carrying a DA/SA pistol with manual safety off?

[BoneDigger]

The title pretty much says it all. I have a ruger P345 that I have been carrying quite a bit. It is a traditional DA/SA pistol, with a manual safety. The DA trigger pull is rather long and hard. ould it be safe to carry the gun with a loaded round, but with the safety off? Of course, I realize that a safety is "between the ears" and that a good holster is a must, but is there any reason it should not be done?

Todd

 

[The Lone Haranguer]

It will not be any less safe for you to carry. As you said, the safety is between your ears (with some contribution from the longer heavier DA pull.)

I carry Smith & Wesson "traditional" autos, which also have a slide-mounted safety, this way. This kind of safety is awkward to disengage, especially under time pressure, if used as a safety. I think of them as merely a decocker and use them as such. In other words, when I wish to cease a string of fire, I thumb down the safety to decock, then immediately push it back up so the gun is ready to go. This is not normally done under as much time pressure and is a little more natural motion.

One thing to be aware of is that, if you should be disarmed in a struggle, the safety being off will make it easier for the attacker to shoot you with it. However, this applies to any pistol without a manual safety, as well as revolvers, for that matter.

 

[Ed Ames]

That's something I've been thinking about quite a bit. I was forced to think about it by my new-to-me CZ-82... that gun gives you two choices for carry. Cocked and locked or hammer down and safety off. You can't even engage the safety if the hammer is down. The manual for the CZ-83 (same gun really) describes it as a "feature" to ensure that you won't accidentally disable the gun by engaging the safety when it is carried defensively but it still bugs me.

Thinking about it, and thinking about the realities of an emergency where small motor control will be hard and mistakes will be easy (and remembering all the times at a range in perfect conditions where I've pressed that trigger and realized the safety was still on), and I've come to the conclusion that decocked and unlocked is probably the best way to carry.

The only remaining problem is me... I don't like decocking a loaded firearm. Call me paranoid or silly but I don't like that momentary violation of "rule three". I practice decocking with a never-used plastic snap cap, and in thousands of decocks I've never dimpled that snap cap... but I'm still uncomfortable with it.

 

[CajunBass]

The only way I'd ever carry one, (In my case a S&W 39-2, and a Makarov) is with the decocker/safety in the "fire" position.

 

[Deacon Blues]

Some crazy people actually carry guns with no manual safety, so I would say that it is perfectly safe so long as you have a proper holster and practice proper gunhandling (and I'm guessing you do). I personally think that the absense of the safety trains you to treat the firearm with more respect; you are unlikely to neglect Rule #3 when you know that it will likely result in a ND. But that's just the opinion of a decocker-equipped CZ guy.

I have to agree with Ed about decocking; even using my father's ultra-safe two-handed method, I never felt completely comfortable with it. While you can't always depend on decockers (they've killed people before), it's nice to have a mechanism that ensures you don't have to risk your thumb to bring the hammer down. Just make sure it's pointed in a safe direction!

 

[Michael_2112]

Well... a whole lot of people carry DA revolvers with no option of a manual safety. Many DA/SA automatics don't have them, with some opting for a decocker instead. I subscribe to the theory that the best safety is between your ears.


Mike

 

[sturmgewehr]

Safeties on double action autos are kind of pointless. The only safety required is a hammer drop. Take the Sig P22x pistols for example. They only have a hammer drop safety. The down side is that you can't carry them cocked and locked. But a safety on a double action is about as useful as tits on a bull.

But then I'm old fashioned.

 

[MICHAEL T]

Decocker / safety off Ready to fire.

 

[Soybomb]

I don't see the need for a safety on a gun in DA mode. As far as decocking and leaving the safety off, are you absolutely sure it won't have been accidentally bumped on when you need it?

 

[JDGray]

The ONLY time I use the safety on any of my guns, is when I hand it to someone, to shoot. My carry guns, have no safety. I carried my P345 with the safety off, but after many holstering drills, and drawing with the safety on and forgeting to flip the safety up, I oppted for a Glock.

 

[obxned]

My P345 is a decock only model. I do not need or want a manual safety. The long trigger pull from hammer-down is your 'safety', same as if it were a DA revolver.

 

[PX15]

JMOFO:

I consider an external safety on a traditional DA/SA firearm the *"solution to a non-existent problem"..

I"ve carried revolvers for decades with no concern for ad/nd's, and I feel the same comfort with DA/SA, or DAO pistols.

If you manage to overcome a heavy da trigger/striker pull and have an nd/ad, then you shouldn't be allowed out with a loaded firearm.

All opinion/YMMV

J.Pomeroy

*Not original of course

 

[10-Ring]

I carry my USPs & 92fs' chamber loaded, hammer decocked & safety off for YEARs w/o a problem. If you commit the time & $$ into a quality firearm & holster and train properly using them, you're safe

 

[romma]

My Walther goes Safety off, Double and ready!

 

[Josh Aston]

Standard procedure in the Air Force is to carry the M9 with a round in the chamber and safety off. If I carried a DA/SA with safety off duty it'd be carried the same way.

 

[GunNut]

Yep, don't recall ever carrying one of my DA/SA with the safety engaged.

 

[Exmasonite]

boy, hope that isn't a problem!!

they must've forgotten the manual safety on my Sig p220