Glock, Cominolli Safety, and Out of Battery...

[ForeignDude]

Bear with me, folks, as I lay out my thinking and my question.

OK, I've been shooting a Glock 19 recently (rental, by the way). I must admit, I like shooting it, and I think I will get one once I return to the States (military overseas at the moment).

I have also thought about getting a Cominolli safety: I'm comfortable with the standard safeties when the pistol is in the holster, or when drawing, but I would like that extra measure of safety when holstering (this appears to be the node of weakness for AD’s/ND’s). I understand that, for this safety to be installed, a cut has to be made into the frame of the pistol.

Now, here are my questions:

(1) Does the cut to the frame necessary for installation pose any problems with regards to the integrity of the frame, long-term durability, etc.?
(2) Does the Cominolli safety prevent the slide from moving? So, if I activate this safety when holstering, will this prevent the slide from accidentally coming out of battery (even slightly)?
(3) If not, how do I prevent the slide from moving out of battery (even slightly) when holstering? (Is there anything wrong with holstering a Glock pistol with my thumb on the rear of the slide – Am I courting some unexpected problem if I do this?)

Thanks in advance for any info you can provide.

 

[Bix]

Several schools teach reholstering with the thumb on the back of the slide on striker-fired (i.e. Glock) pistols to prevent holster friction from pushing the slide slightly out of battery.

I would note that there are lots of us that use Glocks in classes and training (doing hundreds of live presentation/reholster cycles per day) who manage to not snag the trigger when reholstering. One certainly needs to be mindful whenever reholstering any weapon, but having an ND this way would make you the exception, not the rule.

 

[Skpotamus]

A hardware solution (cominoli safety) for a software problem (safe gun handling skills) just doesn't work.

Right now something ike 70% of US law enforcement is carrying or authorized to carry a glock. I don't know of any of those depts having cominoli safeties installed.

When you're holstering your firearm, just make sure you don't have something stuck in your trigger guard. AKA, pay attention to the firearm.

 

[GRIZ22]

I was the primary firearms instructor for an office with 150 agents carrying Glocks (with the 8 lb trigger). There has been zero AD with Glocks since 1998. There have been ADs with H&Ks and revolvers. If the standard 5 lb is too light get an 8 lb trigger and you'll be hard pressed top notice the difference.

 

[thales]

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A Cominolli safety is the next modification my Glock is getting.

One of the nice things about Glocks is that it is nearly impossible to get one to fire unless the triger is pulled. One of the unfortunate things about Glocks is that there is no provision for keeping one from firing if the trigger is pulled unintentionally. There are other things beside your own finger that can pull a Glock's trigger unintentionally; somebody else's finger, sticks, elastic cords on jackets, retention straps on holsters, etc.

There was a line of Fobus holsters that was recalled after a peace officer gave himself unintentional leg surgery while holstering his Glock. Apparently the holster manufacturer did not foresee such an eventuality and neither did Glock. We're all human and fallible, up to and including Gaston, so accidents will happen.

A manual safety is merely one more layer of protection; it wil not eliminate accidents, merely reduce their likelihood.

The Cominolli safety does not compromise the strength of the frame, and it will not prevent slide movement.


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[ten bears]

Cominolli Safety

15 years of being a firearms instructor I have witnessed one AD from a GLOCK on the range while reholstering and that was because the young officer pulled the trigger and poked a hole in the front of his holster. Operator error, poor skills...had nothing to do with the weapon. A couple of years ago I did see pics of another officer who went to reholster and (they claimed) the elastic band in the bottom of the coat entered the trigger guard. When the shooter went to reholster, the elastic snagged on the trigger and as the weapon continued in a forward motion, it fired. This "could" happen with any weapon. Use your head! Train! Practice with your handgun and develop good safe handling skills. Don't be afraid to ask for help. In my opinion Glocks are the finest combat handguns made. They are simple, not a lot of parts, less chance somthing is going to break or malfuncion and they are accurate. When you need to deploy one in a life and death situation, there are no levers buttons or switches. You point it, pull the trigger and it goes bang! Why mess with perfection? Take Care and good shooting! Ten Bears (Firearms Instructor / Glock Stocking Dealer)

 

[DirksterG30]

Welcome to the forum, ten bears.

There was a line of Fobus holsters that was recalled after a peace officer gave himself unintentional leg surgery while holstering his Glock. Apparently the holster manufacturer did not foresee such an eventuality and neither did Glock. We're all human and fallible, up to and including Gaston, so accidents will happen.

Didn't this holster have a retention strap that got into the triggerguard during reholstering? The fault was with the holster design, or rather the holsterer, not the Glock.

Personally, I wouldn't mess with a gun by adding a safety that wasn't a part of the original design. Glocks work just fine without one.

 

[Lonestar]

I looked into the Cominolli safety once and my very very basic understanding is that it stops trigger movement but not slide movement, so your weapon can still go out of battery. The only weapon similar that has a grip safety and both the trigger and slide don't move until its activated is the Springfield XD.

My advice is to try a XD or like other have suggested get a NYC trigger spring for the Glock.

 

[Skpotamus]

http://www.cpsc.gov/cpscpub/prerel/prhtml04/04155.html has the info on the fobus holster recall.

It was a holster specifically for guns with tac lights. The retention strap hooked onto the trigger guard itself instead of behind the gun. The new "safer" version has a plastic tip that's wider than the glock trigger guard.

If the gun doesn't go into the holster easily, don't force it, look at the damned thing and find out what's wrong.

There are a LOT of people carrying glocks without this gimmick that have yet to shoot themselves.

If you are relying on a mechanical safety to stop yoursefl from shooting yoruself, you don't need a gun, you need more training.

 

[strat81]

How many ADs/NDs were there when the most common service firearm for cops was a revolver?

 

[Flopsy]

I too considered the Cominoli safety for my G27. I ultimately decided that this simply wasn't the gun for me rather than alter it, risk some questionable machining, possibly damage the normal functioning of the weapon, and maybe risk the piece not working when I need it in an emergency.

 

[TheWanderer]

I always put my thumb on the back of the slide when holstering my Glock also.

I looked at those safeties, but in the end decided if I was going to go that route, I'll just get an HK USP.

 

[jlh26oo]

How many ADs/NDs were there when the most common service firearm for cops was a revolver?

Dunno. But maybe more than we heard about, without interweb so prevelant as it is today. Every incident now grows exponentially.