Officer with hammer down 1911 in oly

[1911_CQB]

I was at the Olympia Lakefair yesterday, and I saw a police officer with a 1911 ( HAMMER DOWN!) in a blackhawk SERPA holster, with a taser ina drop leg holster right below it. I almost said something to him, as it took it a minute to sink in, I said it to my wife, and she said I was being silly. It didnt look like a Para, it was single stack...wait para makes singles....It might have been an LDA, but im not sure. Anyways..rant over.

 

[usp_fan]

The Para LDA's have a bobbed hammer. Maybe that will help with I.D.

--usp_fan

 

[VARifleman]

I thought Para LDA's didn't have a visible hammer at all? I thought it sat flush until you pulled the trigger. Anyway, it could have been in condition 3 for some reason (I sure hope it was).

 

[1911_CQB]

damn your right, they do have bobbed hammers, so I guess he was carrying hammer down.

 

[Chupacabra]

Maybe he has one of those SFS (Safe-Fast-Shooting) things installed?

Cylinder & Slide SFS System

 

[1911_CQB]

Its possible I guess. Its actually the first officer i have seen in oly with a 1911. All the others I have seen had Glocks. Including the disagreeable officer who didnt like my CCW being on me when he responded to my fender bender. ( hes told me, "reach for it and it will hurt boy", not exactly a professional way to do things. The deputy that helped me change my tire that was blown out in the accident was straight up cool about it, casue the older fellow wanted me to disarm, and the deptuty told him basically to go away, and helped me get my car up and running. He was a cool guy...srry off topic)

 

[Josh Aston]

I'm pretty sure some of the older LDAs didn't have bobbed hammers.

 

[Dave Workman]

"Reach for it and it will hurt, boy?"

You know, that could be construed as a threat. Did you get the name of this knucklehead? When did this happen?

As for packing a 1911 hammer down, my guess is that it's a guy with the safe carry system installed.

I was over on the northwest hiker's forum last week after the trail killings and mentioned that I carry cocked and locked sometimes on the trail. Alas, the list moderator didn't have a clue what that meant and I had to explain it to him.

recall the tale of the fellow who was packing cocked and locked and a woman saw that and inquired, "But isn't that dangerous?"

And the reply: "You're damn right it is."

Ah, one must appreciate those who reach the point by the shortest possible route...or least expense of words

 

[U.S.SFC_RET]

Option #1. Probably had the hammer down with the chamber unloaded?
Option #2. Probably had the hammer down with the chamber loaded?

Flip a coin.

Probably had the hammer down to put at ease the sheeple who have no idea what a 1911 pistol is, all they see is the hammer cocked back. " Officer why is your hammer pulled back? Isn't that damgerous?" I can imagine having to explain to citizens at the lakefair several times, "Ma-am This is safe" (citizen)Not it's not the hammer is back........
BTW I have been to the lake fair and that strip of land is pretty narrow and packed with people.

 

[wadcutter45]

Colt Series 80

A Colt Series 80 is safe to carry hammer down on a live round.

 

[mp510]

Not all Para LDA models feature a bobbed hammer. The 7.45 , which is the single stack LDA model with a 5" barrel and otherwie traditional 1911 appearance. However the hammer is round- not traditional 1911 or commander type.

I believe that the best we can do know is hope for the best, and fear for the worst.

 

[SAG0282]

"reach for it and it will hurt boy"

In the future, please make note of that officer's badge # or name and file a complaint with that agency. About a month ago a State Patrol officer pulled me over for an HOV lane violation and upon coming to window I informed him that I had *gasp* TWO guns! Never mind that carrying two loaded guns concealed is legal in WA state, or that it was a SIG and a GLOCK and not a Lorcin or similar, or that I was licensed and up front with him. He began literally yelling at me, spitting in my face as he did so, and threatened to take me to jail for the felony the 2nd gun constituted. We made it through the traffic stop and a few hours later I paid his supervisor a visit at Bellevue's office. That officer was very nice, but also thought it was illegal to have a 2nd, loaded gun in the car. He called back a few days later after researching it, apologized, and said he'd make it known to other officers.

Whether it's because of ignorance or simply being a poor police officer, we all have a responsibility to hold officers accountable for when armed interactions are conducted unprofessionally.

 

[1911_CQB]

Yeah at the time I was just plain pissed off at the fact I got into an accident, so i guss i wasnt thinking about that, i was thinking about my JUST out of the body shop car that got smashed in the back. I wonder if it is possible to find out who it was..prolly not it was back in November, ah well, lesson learned right?

 

[Husker1911]

Especially in a military context, a condition three 1911 (hammer down, empty chamber) in a flap holster is completely understandable. A military sidearm is a last-ditch, save your heinie firearm, to be utilized after your main firearm (your rifle) has been disabled.

A sidearm is just that: when your rifle is out of action, something to withdraw from your flap holster, chamber a round, and utilize to your best advantage, while you retreat or arm yourself again with an offensive weapon. In this context, the Glock military sidearm is a nearly perfect sidearm. Leave it unchambered until needed, when you remove it from your flap holster and chamber a round. For gosh sake, don't carry the darn thing actually loaded!

 

[gunsmith]

My glock always has one in the pipe

they were made to be carried that way, you don't put your finger on the trigger untill you are ready to shoot.
Very simple ......but there was this DEA guy who insisted "he was the only one in the room qualified to handle this glock fotay"

 

[flatdog]

...illegal to have a 2nd, loaded gun in the car.

Would someone please explain why the officers thought this was illegal. If your legal why should the number of loaded firearms in the car make a difference?

Thanks.

 

[U.S.SFC_RET]

+1 to wadcutter 45

 

[SecuritySixShooter]

Pardon my ignorance. Why is it bad to carry with the hammer down on a 1911?

 

[71Commander]

My Para

 

[Greg L]

SSS,

It won't go bang if you need to use it in a hurry. They were designed to be carried with the hammer back & the safety on.

 

[joab]

Or it may go bang when you don't want it to. There is no transfer bar on a 1911

 

[CNYCacher]

Or it may go bang when you don't want it to. There is no transfer bar on a 1911

"Transfer bar" being that which prevents the round from going off if the hammer is down and gets bumped?

 

[1911 guy]

Transfer bars.

A transfer bar is a small piece of metal that moves up between the hammer and firing pin when the trigger is pulled. It fills a small gap, allowing contact and tranfer of force to allow firing.

However, 1911's have a firing pin that is shorter than the tunnel. A hammer resting on the frame will not cause the firing pin to be in contact with the primer of a cartridge. There is a spring on the pin pushing it away from the primer. The spring is overcome by the hammer strike and inertia causes the pin to hit the primer with enough force to detonate it.

Having said that, the real reason it's Bad JuJu to lower the hammer on a loaded 1911 is human error. It's possible to have a minor slip of the finger or thumb turn into a .45 caliber hole in something that does not require or desire a hole.

 

[HerrWolfe]

Does the COLT .45 ACP model XSE have the safe hammer down feature? I believe the old army Colt 1911 model had a feature that you could let the hammer down and pull back into a safe postion that the pistol would not fire if struck. I was shown this feature on a 1911 in a gun shop. Is this on the XSE model?

 

[Father Knows Best]

the real reason it's Bad JuJu to lower the hammer on a loaded 1911 is human error. It's possible to have a minor slip of the finger or thumb turn into a .45 caliber hole in something that does not require or desire a hole.

I agree. There is simply no safe, reliable way to lower the hammer on a typical 1911 with a round in the chamber. The likelihood of a negligent discharge is just too high.

There are still those who believe in condition three carry, however, and the so-called "Israeli draw."