Safe way to draw a 1911 in condition 1

[rpenmanparker]

i’m left handed and have a 1911 with only single sided safety lever. As normal it is on the left side. If the pistol is in condition 1 in a OWB holster what is the safer way to draw it? I can flick the safety off as my thumb passes it on the way to gripping the pistol while it is still in the holster. Or I can wait to flick off the safety on the way up to eye level or until I have the pistol up at eye level. Because of being left handed, it is much easier for me to flick off the safety as my thumb passes by the pistol in the holster. Is this considered safe? I keep my trigger finger outside the trigger guard until I have a sight picture established.

 

[Mike .45]

I would lean towards it not being safe but not grossly negligent or anything. I am right handed but I flick it off as my hands come together and press out toward the target. I fitted an ambi on one of my 1911's for my youngest son who is also a lefty and it was actually really easy. If I was a lefty I would put an ambi on.

 

[rpenmanparker]

Might do. Flicking it with my left thumb while the pistol is still holstered is really easy for me. I’m just concerned about a discharge on the rise.

 

[LNK]

Might do. Flicking it with my left thumb while the pistol is still holstered is really easy for me. I’m just concerned about a discharge on the rise.

I too would put an ambidextrous on it. That is the simplest way and the safest. Why risk an ND for a few dollars or worse.

LNK

 

[Corpral_Agarn]

I don't take the safety off until my front site is on a target.
I may not have a site picture, but the muzzle needs to be covering something I intend to destroy.

How do you lefties flip the safety back on?

 

[rpenmanparker]

Well, it’s easy when the gun is back in the holster, but then you have that risk factor again. I am able to move my thumb to the left side to put the safety off and on, but just not rapidly like during an SD draw.

 

[SASS#23149]

even tho I"m not LH, I would not do it that way. Under duress, things could go very wrong. Same could be same for at the range...too risky, imho.

 

[rpenmanparker]

Good advice all. Thanks. I’ll make a trip to the smithy in a day or two.

 

[z7]

Ambi safety and then work on flipping the safer after the weapon is clear of the holster and pointing down range. Down range can occur pretty quick, near your side as you bring the gun to chest level for the support hand to meet up,

 

[rpenmanparker]

Right now I am working on doing it with the standard left side safety after bringing the gun up. Not so hard. Working pretty well.

 

[Klint Beastwood]

I would agre with ambi safety or finding away to get it to the left side. You might like riding the safety on the draw too, makes things a little more simple. Other than that, you don’t NEED a safety on it, as long as your finger is straight and off the trigger when you draw and you slowly work up your draw speed muscle memory...still people sometimes go outside their comfort zone to far and get hit with an ND so...yeah, don’t do that. Slow is smooth, smooth is fast.

 

[Sistema1927]

As a lefty I find an ambi safety an essential for a 1911. All of the rest of the controls are easily manipulated without modification.

 

[Fine Figure of a Man]

I shoot left hand. An ambi safety is necessary for establishing and maintaining a proper grip while drawing and getting on target IMO.

 

[RPZ]

It should be swept off when well clear of the holster, both hands on the grip and coming up on target. Then finger on the trigger as the sights come on the target. All fluid motion.

 

[Jim Watson]

A lefthander must have a GOOD ambi safety. Or "bilateral" as the American Rifleman staff has taken to saying at every opportunity.

A heavy handed southpaw here beat two or three name brand safeties of the Swenson style to scrap in short order and the King's I recommended did not last much longer. He gave up and went Glock.

There are better safeties now, look at Wilson and EGW.

 

[rpenmanparker]

A lefthander must have a GOOD ambi safety. Or "bilateral" as the American Rifleman staff has taken to saying at every opportunity.

A heavy handed southpaw here beat two or three name brand safeties of the Swenson style to scrap in short order and the King's I recommended did not last much longer. He gave up and went Glock.

There are better safeties now, look at Wilson and EGW.

Are the expensive Wilsons necessary? I see models ranging from about $55 to $180.

 

[Jim Watson]

The $58 ambi is of conventional Swenson design. I am sure they will tell you it is top quality. The $150 Bulletproof is of a different design, I think better, and supposedly of superior material. Is it worth 2 1/2 times as much? Not to me, but then I am not left handed to be hitting it on every draw. Maybe somebody who has one or the other can report.

 

[MedWheeler]

I've been practicing this myself lately with my R1 Enhanced Commander. For me, the fastest way to get the gun to bear and ready is to draw it, and cross the thumb over to knock the safety off, then move the thumb back to where it belongs. I've gotten pretty quick and smooth at this, but it's mostly out of curiosity, anyway, as I have no plans to carry this gun any time soon, so I doubt I'll be springing for an ambidextrous lever.

I compared it to carrying it with the hammer at rest (safety off) and thumb-cocking instead, but the rounded "skeleton" hammer currently on the gun offers less purchase for the thumb. The one on my TISAS GI-type is much better for that.

 

[someguy2800]

In my opinion the only safe way to shoot a 1911 left handed is to have an ambi safety. If I were left handed I would get an ambi safety and grind it smooth on the left side. I don't like having a safety exposed on the outside of the gun where it can be accidentally bumped off. I had that problem on one carry gun I had with an ambi safety. I actually prefer striker fired guns for carry with no safety where the trigger mechanism itself acts as the safety.

 

[rpenmanparker]

Well I am taking a personal defense firearms course soon and plan to take the 1911. It has to be holstered, and there will be a lot of draw and shoot exercises. Right now I am operating the safety very rapidly and effectively with the cross over thumb motion after the gun is pointed downrange and both hands are in position. I am trying to figure what is wrong with this.

 

[Sistema1927]

I am trying to figure what is wrong with this.

What if your off hand is incapacitated or being used to fend off your attacker, hold a child, keep you from falling over, or any number of other possibilities? This is also a strong argument for having a round chambered, regardless of type of pistol.

Any left hander using a 1911 for self-defense really should invest in an ambi safety.

 

[ATLDave]

Well I am taking a personal defense firearms course soon and plan to take the 1911. It has to be holstered, and there will be a lot of draw and shoot exercises. Right now I am operating the safety very rapidly and effectively with the cross over thumb motion after the gun is pointed downrange and both hands are in position. I am trying to figure what is wrong with this.

Among other things, that means crossing over with the thumb and then getting it back clear of the slide before you can fire. Under time pressure (whether artificial in a class or game, or real self-defense duress), you may fire before the thumb is back across and get it injured by the slide. If not that, then you're wasting time. 1911 safeties don't add any time to the first shot from draw precisely because they are removed as part of fully establishing the firing grip. That's different than having a separate move. All those silly Glockophile arguments about why safeties are bad are suddenly kinda valid for a safety that requires a separate action.

Just get an ambi safety.

 

[Zaydok Allen]

Ambi safety

 

[rpenmanparker]

Among other things, that means crossing over with the thumb and then getting it back clear of the slide before you can fire. Under time pressure (whether artificial in a class or game, or real self-defense duress), you may fire before the thumb is back across and get it injured by the slide. If not that, then you're wasting time. 1911 safeties don't add any time to the first shot from draw precisely because they are removed as part of fully establishing the firing grip. That's different than having a separate move. All those silly Glockophile arguments about why safeties are bad are suddenly kinda valid for a safety that requires a separate action.

Just get an ambi safety.

Actually now I have the safety off between the time the gun first points downrange and when it is fully up to shooting position and sighted on target. It is really quite easy.

 

[ATLDave]

I don't see how you can possibly move the gun as aggressively while you're handling it with the thumb on the wrong side, but maybe I'm wrong. Have you ever worked with a shot timer?