Manual safety...am I missing something?

[desert gator]

I was reading on another board about how a manual safety can be added to a glock. I being new to guns think that's a cool idea, intact I don't understand why manual safety seem to be fading in popularity. Allot of the responses to this thread where horribly negative. Things like, people who need manual safeties don't need to be carrying, just learn to keep you gosh damn finger off the trigger, ect. I felt like the thread was encouraging reckless gun handling, as if a true expert needs no safety at all. I thought the name of the game is gun safety? Why the negativity towards manual safties?

 

[TAB]

"i'm the only one proffessional enough too..."

Glocks only have the safety between your ears, its the best safety and the one most likly to fail.

 

[legion3]

I drive a prius why don't you? I like 1911's why don't you? I support manual safeties why don't you? I don't cook in trans fats why do you? Glocks are unsafe why do you own one?


People should concern themselves less with me and what I choose and more with themselves. I don't want to be told what to drive, what to eat, what to do and that includes what is on my gun.

For me, its an extra item that at this point in my shooting life I simply don't want.

And if something should happen then so be it. My Choice, thus my consequenses and my regrets.

 

[WC145]

Glocks don't need a safety any more than my Beretta 8000D, my Kahr CW9, my Kel-tec P3AT, my HK USP, or any of my revolvers. The gun is safe as designed, if you don't want it to go bang, don't pull the trigger. Like legion3 said, make your own choice. If you're uncomfortable without a safety then buy one of the many pistols that have manual safeties and stay away from revolvers. IMO it is just one more thing to get in the way.

 

[CDH]

As WC145 hit upon, a LOT of newer design pistols have been designed to be carried without manual safeties and made to be very safe without them.

I no longer consider any carry pistols if they have safeties (with one obvious exception).
Included are a Rohrbaugh R9s, XD9SC, LCP, 642 (of course ) , and the one exception being a Colt Commander that was designed to be carried cocked and locked with the safety on.

 

[Hawk]

I'd suppose that if someone wanted a gun with a manual safety, used one so equipped, trained with one and didn't like the idea of going without, he'd simply adjust his purchasing habits accordingly.

But if such an individual found himself issued something he was profoundly uncomfortable with and given no choice in the matter, I can see an aftermarket safety fulfilling a role - it's not that there's any shortage of add-on safety cottage industries that have sprung up around Glock and its ilk.

Once someone decides what he wants he's generally navigated a "decision tree" of sorts and believes the reasoning behind his choice to be sound if not irrefutable.

A small minority of these folks will then go on the internet to explain their reasoning and imply that anyone that hasn't reached a similar conclusion hasn't examined the issue fully. This generates heat.

It's what powers teh intratubz.

 

[desert gator]

Just to clear things up, I don't own a glock, nor am I debating putting a manual safety on one. I am just a guy who is new to guns who is currently investigating guns and their mechanical safety options.

 

[Dan Crocker]

People should concern themselves less with me and what I choose and more with themselves. I don't want to be told what to drive, what to eat, what to do and that includes what is on my gun.

A-%^#*(%^-men!

 

[kyo]

I think its a little uppity when people assume just because you have a manual safety on the pistol then you don't need to be carrying it.
I picked the P345 for a reason. safety/decocker, mag disconnect, chamber indicator. The lockable safety is a nice bonus.
Everyone has their preference. I don't call people with glocks unsafe because they don't have a manual safety. Its all about the people. Stupid people will die regardless of how many safeties there are.

 

[mljdeckard]

You don't need to be a true expert to need no safety at all.

There are four gun handling safety rules for a reason. All of these negligent discharges from Glocks happened because someone broke the rules. Period. NONE of these Glocks just shot themselves.

Having said that, I quit carrying a Glock years ago, and I just use my 1911. Because it's what I shoot best. There are also those who say that having a manual safety on a defensive handgun means one more thing that you can mess up in a defensive encounter. You must train to proficiency with the system you carry no matter what it is.

Blaming the design for negligent discharges is just as irresponsible as blaming the gun for the crime.

 

[oneounceload]

The only safety you need is the one between your ears...

I have Glocks and P-7's.......love the fact there are no other safeties except what's there - point and shoot, just like a simple Kodak camera - the last thing you need is something else to remember when the SHTF

 

[23Glock]

 

[Drail]

I think it's strange how many people have the idea that a safety is undesirable because you may forget to push it off under stress. That is like saying you may forget where the brake pedal is when someone pulls out in front of your car unexpectedly. Another strange idea is that safeties are built into a weapon just so that you can pull the trigger and it won't go off. Pulling a trigger is not the only thing that will fire a weapon, especially if it is dropped. I've always found it amusing that so many people think a grip "safety" on a 1911 makes it safer somehow. Considering that it only blocks the trigger, it doesn't block the hammer or the sear, just the trigger. Almost as effective as the Glock mechanism.

 

[ezypikns]

Why the negativity towards manual safeties?

Because the person you're addressing the question to doesn't have one on their weapon, and you've just mortally insulted him (or her) and his weapon.

It's a matter of preference. If you want one on your weapon, have it installed. Or buy a weapon with a manual safety.

I have one on my 1911. I carry it cocked and locked. I'm reasonably certain (since I've done it thousands of times) that I can sweep the safety off on the way to the ready position.

I also grew up hunting with rifles and shotguns. It was always a cardinal rule that the safery stayed on until the weapon was being brought up to fire.

The double action weapons in use today are outsatnding choices, and for most, a manual safety isn't wanted or needed, but please don't verbally beat the hell out of someone (especially someone new) when they express an interest in a safety.

 

[Ruggles]

Manual safeties make guns "safer" in a very real sense of the word. Having a AD/ND with a S&W 6906 with the safety engaged is a hell of alot harder and unlikely than with a Glock 19. Not to say guns without manual safeties are unsafe but guns with them are safer to carry.

Try this, list the step by step events that are required to fire the two handguns above from a typical carrying situation and then decided which is less likely to have an AD/ND.

Is have no dog in this fight as I carry a Commander sized 1911 (safety) and I am picking up a DAO pocket gun (no safety) Wednesday to carry as well.

I will now put on my flame protection suite as I am cooked alive by those who insist that this basic little bit of truth is hogwash.

 

[Zerodefect]

Striker fired guns need decent trigger disipline and you allways need to remember during training that there is absolutly no real world reason to be in a hurry to reholster your weapon.

You can't just throw a Glock or Xd back in its holster. Unless you like holes in your foot.

That said, they're perfectly safe. No amount of thrashing about will set them off unless you accidentally shove something in thier trigger. If its holstered its safe.


I saw a real funny aftermarket safety for a Glock. It goes on the trigger. Its a push button switch that locks the trigger safety out. As long as the saftey is set you can't pull the Glocks trigger back. It looks like the safety button on a Spyder paintball gun. The funny thing though is: you have to touch the trigger to turn on/off the safety! Kinda defeats the point.

Plenty of guns with safeties. M1911a1, M9, FN p45, HK Usp, Sig. Nothing wrong with safe action trigger stuff either if thats your thing.

All the guns with safeties can still usually be carried safely without the safety on.....within reason, they still aren't all of a sudden going to go off. The safety makes them safer, it still a gun. For example, a 1911 still needs its trigger pulled and its grip safety squeezed to go off. Not likely to happen inside a leather or kydex holster. Is it?

 

[PT1911]

it is amazing all the people that oppose any sort of safety and then contradict themselves by saying they carry a 1911 cocked and LOCKED... follow your own advice and carry the 1911 cocked as well... afterall the only safety you need is between your ears right?


nope, you will get up in the morning load your gun, rack the slide, and flip up the safety...

or, if you keep the gun loaded all the time, just pick it up the way it was when you put it down... cocked and locked... even if not you still have the 1911 grip safety...

until all the posters who so hate manual safeties dont use them on any gun, EVER, meaning, no thumb safety or grip safety on the beloved 1911's, none have the right to down any safety on any gun....


that said, those other grip safeties are just weird!!!!