Practice to Switch From Striker to 1911

[9mmepiphany]

I'm really interested in the various points in the presentation that folks here have trained to disengage the thumb safety. I'd only been trained previously on two: 1) during the rotate/count three (Gunsight), and 2) just after the slap/at the beginning of count four (like Koenig).

Others here have trained to disengage the thumb safety on grip/count 1. Some suggest later in count four once the sights are on target.

Personally, the latest step in the presentation that I would ever want to train to disengage the safety would be during rotate/count 3. This is to be able to fire from retention/close contact.

But I had never before considered disengaging on count 1.

When I first learned to operate the 1911, I was taught to disengage the thumb safety upon contact in the holster. That;s what I did until in got into LE and they taught us to disengage between position 3 and 4, on the pushout, with the shot breaking as you reached full extension…as it was advocated by Cooper at that time.

I later took some CQB classes from an instructor who had been on the pointy end of the spear and he taught to release the thumb safety at position 3…letting the rotation of the gun from the vertical to the horizontal assist in pushing off the lever. Whenever the muzzle rotates up, the lever rotates down. For LE usage, the decision point to flip it back up is during the pushout

 

[Roverguy]

I still remember my “times tables” with remarkable clarity though the location of car keys, glasses, and other sundry items placed by me in recent hours is a mystery.

It’s about repetition. And pain. We sat at our desks and repeated the damned times tables over and over again while Sister Anne Cecilia, a former Nazi death camp guard of particularly vile bent, circulated with yard stick and slapped your hands with great vigor if you got it wrong.

So, work on repetition of the manual of arms until it’s painful. I’d skip the sadistic nun if I were you, but, then, you may already be married…

 

[johnmcl]

My approach to training for a 1911 and striker world is simply to engage in dry fire exercises under as many scenarios as I can think of. Straight presentation (Cooper protocol), around walls, weak hand, and so the list goes on. In fact, there's a third leg here, getting a Sig 229 into the rotation.

Net result is that on the range, both for action pistol and static shooting, the transition from one platform to another is seamless for me. In short, dry fire is my solution. YMMV.

On a historical note, when the Bureau transitioned to Glocks an ice age ago, the old time 1911 shooters always had the best scores. Go figure.

 

[Twisted Chemist]

I still remember my “times tables” with remarkable clarity though the location of car keys, glasses, and other sundry items placed by me in recent hours is a mystery.

It’s about repetition. And pain. We sat at our desks and repeated the damned times tables over and over again while Sister Anne Cecilia, a former Nazi death camp guard of particularly vile bent, circulated with yard stick and slapped your hands with great vigor if you got it wrong.

So, work on repetition of the manual of arms until it’s painful. I’d skip the sadistic nun if I were you, but, then, you may already be married…

The nun, was it the Penguin?

 

[Cayle]

I teach to disengage the safety as the gun is being raised. Doing it at the holster is how these fools shoot themselves in the leg. I also teach to practice disengaging that safety with every weapon, even if it doesn't have one if you carry different guns. When I draw my revolver you will see my thumb run down the left side of the weapon as it comes up.