does everyone carry their 1911 cocked and locked?

[Chocolate Bayou]

Carrying 1911

Like an earlier poster said, most of the young less experienced users are not carrying 1911's, They are carrying the lighter more modern striker pistols. It's usually us older guys who have had experience withe 1911, certainly not for convenience. I think this is more of a generational thing. I'm 62 and i wouldn't think of carrying anyway but in condition one, I'm fully comfortable in that mode.

 

[fedlaw]

Have safely carried in Condition One for many years. (I do check to make certain the thumb and grip safeties as well as the half-cock and firing pin are functioning properly.)

 

[Kynoch]

Yes, cocked and locked. It is a belt weight otherwise.

Simply untrue. I think ridiculous comments like that do hurt the credibility of those espousing C1 carry.

 

[Armored farmer]

If we delete/ignore the posts of every poster that hasn't detail stripped and examined exactly how the 1911 functions, I wonder how different these threads would be? Get some training, people.

Easy there....I've had my 1911 apart many times... replaced the springs, checked it for wear etc. Just because I ask a question...doesnt make me an idiot. I'm just recently getting into 1911s.
I've forgot more about other disciplines of shooting than some will ever know, but I don't talk down to people that ask questions and are willing to listen and learn.

 

[1911Tuner]

Like it or not, there is only one practical way to carry a 1911 where the gun is safe and still ready for immediate use.

While it offers the advantage of being the quickest, simplest way to carry for "immediate" use...it's not the only way. The gun was designed to allow pretty much any mode of carry desired, depending on the user's choice...according to his perceived level of peril.

Personally, I've never been so presumptuous to imply that anyone is an idiot for not doing it the way I do it.

We rolls the dice and makes our choices...and hope that it's not the wrong choice.

 

[WC145]

I didn't suggest anything instead. I'm just pointing out that the comment "Yes, cocked and locked. It is a belt weight otherwise." is ridiculous.

C0, C2, and C3 do not magically render a M1911 to be a "belt weight." That's just nonsense.

I'm asking you - what is your better suggestion/option???? If you want to carry a 1911 in a manner that is safe and still ready for immediate deployment, then C1 is the only practical option. Anything short of that is not practical or sensible and, yes, amounts to having nothing but two and a half pounds of useless steel hanging on your belt. So, if you have a better idea, let's hear it.

 

[WC145]

While it offers the advantage of being the quickest, simplest way to carry for "immediate" use...it's not the only way. The gun was designed to allow pretty much any mode of carry desired, depending on the user's choice...according to his perceived level of peril.

Personally, I've never been so presumptuous to imply that anyone is an idiot for not doing it the way I do it.

We rolls the dice and makes our choices...and hope that it's not the wrong choice.

I'm not implying anyone is an idiot. I'm asking if Kynoch has a better method of carrying a 1911 that has the gun ready for immediate deployment. I carried the 1911 in C1 on duty as a LEO for years, if there was a better, safer, more efficient method I would have been happy to choose it but there isn't, you know that as well as anyone.

You're right, there are many ways to carry a 1911 and we rolls the dice and takes our chances, but if you want to bend chance in your favor and you carry a 1911 then you carry it cocked and locked.

 

[orionengnr]

There seems to be one poster in this thread who takes any dissenting opinion very personally.

FWIW, that is not in the spirit of THR.

I prefer C&L. That is my choice. I may believe that anyone who disagrees is mistaken, but i will leave it at that.

I am also pretty certain that anyone who has taken any training to include close-quarter "one-hand otherwise occupied" will agree that CIII is a losing proposition....and that CII is only a bit better.

If you are all that concerned about CI....carry an unloaded 1911 IWB for a week, and see if the thumb safety has become disengaged. Then carry it with the thumb safety off for a week. If you ever unholster to find the hammer has dropped, let me know.

I tried both, and other configurations, before choosing to carry a 1911. With an ambi safety, I occasionally found the thumb safety off. Once I rid myself of that device...no issues. Never found the hammer dropped, and no longer worry about it.

It makes no sense NOT to carry a 1911 cocked and locked. Anyone with a 1911 who doesn't carry cocked & locked shouldn't be carrying a 1911... There are other weapons that will suit those folks better.

That's simply not true.

I agree with the first statement, based purely upon experience,
and wholeheartedly disagree with the second, which i believe is predicated upon "feelings".
"Feelings" are not, and will never take the place of facts.

If you choose to carry in a certain configuration, more power to you. If you do so based upon your (or someone else's) "feelings", my pity upon you.

 

[Zerodefect]

You're right, it's not just a belt weight on con2 or 3.

But maybe it should be? Noone carries a SA revolver for defense anymore.

If con1 is so bad to someone, shouldn't they be looking for a different CCW pistol than a 1911?

 

[Sam1911]

<Gents, let's keep it on the question, not questions about how folks choose to answer the question, or arguments over how the folks who argued over how folks chose to answer the question, didn't answer the question. Thanks.>

 

[Walt Sherrill]

UOTE

Yes, cocked and locked. It is a belt weight otherwise.

Simply untrue. I think ridiculous comments like that do hurt the credibility of those espousing C1 carry.

I think you're BOTH overstating it a bit... We've generally been talking about C&L (Condition 1) for concealed or open carry of a SA weapon. That certainly informed my responses -- I wasn't thinking about home defense uses of the weapon.

For home defense, you will generally have a bit more time, if only because the attacker may not always know WHERE you are. Then, any of the four conditions can work. Condition 2 is still a one-handed way of bringing the weapon into action, and it could be used from the holster. Is it as SAFE as Condition 3 or Condition 1? Probably not, but its arguably as quick as condition 1.

If you are carrying and are attacked (or about to be struck or cut), you may need to use your offhand to block a blow. to fend off an attacker, or to push a friend or family member away from the conflict. If that happens and you're carrying condition 3, you can draw your weapon but you can't do much else except use the weapon like a club (or a big detachable belt weight) until your other hand is free.

A drawn weapon that hasn't been fired but which is held in one hand will become a new high priority target for the attacker. Unless you've had retention training -- and most of us who aren't LEOs haven't had that sort of training -- you'll probably be faced with a type of struggle you've never even thought about dealing with before.

While "time is of the essence" is considered a legal phrase used when discussing contracts, it also seems to summarize the importance of being able to do things quickly with a weapon if your life is at risk. Bad guys don't GENERALLY give folks much warning.

If there's no surprise, and we've got plenty of time to plan our steps or our gun handling, the folks involved this discussion are like medieval clerics arguing about how many angels can dance on the point of a pin. It's meaningless under those conditions. Let's hope we're not surprised and we've got plenty of time.

 

[GBExpat]

Do all you 1911 guys carry with one in the chamber, cocked and locked?

When I carry one of my 1911s, yes, absolutely.

 

[mongoslow]

all 4 of my carry guns are ready to go with a minimum of fiddling, the Shield or the 1911 , flip the safety while drawing and by the time it starts forward it's ready to go, my glock ,draw and fire, my Rossi .44 spc., draw and fire.. If you are jacking around trying to get a mag in the gun or racking a slide when a goblin has chosen you for prey you are toast.

 

[1911Tuner]

You're right, there are many ways to carry a 1911 and we rolls the dice and takes our chances, but if you want to bend chance in your favor and you carry a 1911 then you carry it cocked and locked.

No argument there, but not everybody has a need for a fast draw...like a cop might every once in a while. Truth is that...outside of law enforcement...few of us even need to carry a gun at all.

We carry because we can...because it comforts us...and because it's better to have and not need than vice-versa...but mostly because we can.

But a real or defined need?

It's just not there.

On the occasions that I even carry a 1911 these days, I carry it cocked and locked, but there have been times and under certain circumstances that I carried in Condition 2. Slower, to be sure, but it still allows one-handed operation of the gun in a reasonable time frame, and if the pistol is cocked before it leaves the holster, it's not as slow or as awkward as you might think.

Since I don't engage in the activities that made C2 a better option any more...and because I generally carry a revolver now...it's a moot point.

 

[JTQ]

Do all you 1911 guys carry with one in the chamber, cocked and locked?

Yes I do.

 

[DeepSouth]

When I carry mine, I carry it locked, cocked, and ready to rock.

Additionally, I don't give a rats A how anyone else carries theirs.

If you want to carry it with a 2lb trigger with trigger gaurd removed, safety off, grip safety bypassed, and a hot load in the chamber....go ahead.
If you want to carry it with the saftey on, the mag out, and 1 bullet in your pocket... You can do that to.

I couldn't care less.

 

[WC145]

No argument there, but not everybody has a need for a fast draw...like a cop might every once in a while. Truth is that...outside of law enforcement...few of us even need to carry a gun at all.

We carry because we can...because it comforts us...and because it's better to have and not need than vice-versa...but mostly because we can.

But a real or defined need?

It's just not there.

On the occasions that I even carry a 1911 these days, I carry it cocked and locked, but there have been times and under certain circumstances that I carried in Condition 2. Slower, to be sure, but it still allows one-handed operation of the gun in a reasonable time frame, and if the pistol is cocked before it leaves the holster, it's not as slow or as awkward as you might think.

Since I don't engage in the activities that made C2 a better option any more...and because I generally carry a revolver now...it's a moot point.

Not everybody has the need for a fast draw, or for a loaded gun, until they do. What I've been saying is that it doesn't matter if you're a cop or not, if you are going to carry, then carry in a manner that will serve you best if you actually need to use your weapon to defend yourself.

You're right, few of us will ever have to draw our guns to defend ourselves. Thankfully I've never had to, even during the time that I was a LEO, but I was always ready, as was my weapon, because no matter how slim the chance that the gun will be needed the chance is there. Because of that, if you choose to carry, then carry in the most expeditious manner for the weapon you have. In the case of a 1911 that is condition 1. To carry in any other way may be symbolic, you may feel good about exercising your rights, but if it impedes your ability to deploy your weapon at the moment you need to defend yourself or someone else, then you are doing yourself and everyone around a disservice.

And, to answer the OP's question directly, if it isn't clear enough by now, yes, I carry my 1911s loaded, cocked and locked.

 

[jimbo555]

Condition 2 felt safer to me when I owned a 1911 and when equipped with the original wide hammer can used like a single action revolver.

 

[mnhntr]

So I will make my statement more elaborate because the first time it was too simplistic for some.
If you do not carry it cocked and locked you are missing 1 more round in a platform most already believe to be low capacity.
If you do not leave it cocked and locked on your nightstand or in your holster you are giving up precious time in what could be an already intense situation.
Carrying a 1911 in any other fashion other than cocked and locked is the same as carrying a modern revolver on an empty cylinder or a Glock with an empty chamber, which make no sense to me either. If you cannot carry a 1911 cocked and locked because of a thought of it being unsafe you need to spend money on training and ammo because you are clearly not ready to carry anything. The only TRUE safety is keeping the booger hook off the bang switch until you are ready to fire.

 

[Bang!]

Cocked and locked. If that wasn't in my comfort zone...I'd carry something else.

 

[Nom de Forum]

When I carried a 1911 and if I ever did again it would be cocked and locked simply because only one hand is needed to make it fireable and thumb cocking that little hammer-spur is more difficult a task than I want to attempt to do under stress. There is a reason why SA revolvers have a large easy to cock hammer spur.

 

[TimboKhan]

Closed. Evidently talking about condition one is tantamount to insulting mothers or something.