Safer carry gun - Glock or 1911?

Safer of two CCW guns: Glock or 1911?

  • Glock

    Votes: 44 23.7%

  • 1911

    Votes: 142 76.3%
  • Total voters
    186
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Thats

all well and good for "normal almost always in the holster" carry. When I leave PA and get to an anti-carry state I have to pull over on the side of the Interstate and meet a states carry law before I cross over. When I leave said state I reload the gun, more handling. Am I careful every time? Yes.
Could an accident happen? Yes.

If the gun or guns stay in the holster then their both equally safe, but if I pull my Glock or other gun out of the holster which I must do to unload it, seperate ammo from weapon etc. and drop it, my human nature will probably try to catch it. If I catch it by the trigger it will go off. In that circumstance a manual safety will make a difference regardless of the style of gun.

Also if I snag my shirt in my holster unbeknown'st to me and pull on my shirt the Glock will go off if its in the trigger guard just so. With a manual safety (s) it will not go off.

When these Glock versus 1911, which is more safe questions come up the answer is always the same. It the safety between your ears, keep finger out of trigger etc etc. Stuff happens and conditions are not always perfect for me.

Not everyone carries exactly the same or has to always be handling the weapon out of the holster.

For "certain" situations only and only just for me for my conditions the manual safety does make a difference to me.

Given a perfect situation every time both are safe to the same degree.

I have a Glock 27 which I really like to carry, when it can stay in the holster where it belongs. The premise that I would like to carry under is to not pull the gun out of the holster unless I am going to shoot it. All the anti-carry states will not allow that though.

But under normal, always perfect conditions, I agree they are both equally safe. Of course I'm not perfect yet.
 
If carrying a 1911 "cocked and locked" makes you nervous simply because you see that exposed hammer cocked back, then you should be equally nervous when you are hunting with your shotgun and a shell is chambered in it.

In both firearms the hammer is fully to the rear, ready to fly forward and strike the firing pin. Both have a simple safety to prevent that from happening, otherwise a short pull on the trigger fires the round.

External or internal hammer, the principal is the same. You should be very wary with either setup. But if you are comfortable with having a loaded shotgun or rifle (and rely on the safety) then don't be scared because you see the hammer on a 1911.

Heck, my XD-45 has the striker fully cocked unlike a Glock that is only partially to the rear.
 
nitesite

How'd we get dragged into this one anyhow? We know better. :)

I'm cocked and locked right now and very comfortable.

I was thinking along the same lines you gave though.

Go deer hunting with your budds with the safety off your rifle and you will be hunting alone next year. Tell them safety is between the ears and you will keep your finger off the trigger. I'm certain they will agree.:neener:
 
When the 1911 is cocked and locked, it's not just the trigger that's locked, I believe the hammer is locked too, and then there's the half cock safety besides, and the grip safety also. It's at least as safe as a Mauser 98 rifle which is cocked and locked, and the standard way to carry one of those to war was cocked and locked. For some reason when it comes to pistols, people think that arrangement becomes unsafe. I guess it's because with a 1911 you can see the hammer cocked, while with a Mauser rifle, the cocked hammer, though visible, is just protruding backwards a little more, and doesn't look like a hammer.
 
Originally posted by: Maximum1
Furthermore, when the bad guy is 21 feet and now charging you would you rather A) spend the 1.5 secs it take for him to reach you taking off the safeties or B) pulling the trigger on that ready to go (safe) DAO...... For me, I choose B...
Click to expand...

Really? 1.5 seconds? Wow.

Don't take offense to this, but really this is a matter of training. I guarantee that a shooter on the same level as me can shoot a DAO gun just as quick as I can squeeze off a round, and that goes vice versa.

I can instinctively click off the safety on my 1911s, without wasting anytime on the draw. And it certainly doesn't take 1.5 seconds to click off a safety. It all depends on the action/platform you train on.

Some like DAO, some like DA/SA, others like 1911s. I guarantee you that a really good shooter with a lot of experience with all three types of actions can shoot the first round off just as fast as the other. The DAO you squeeze the trigger as you acquire the target; the DA/SA you prep the trigger until you acquire the target; and the SAO you click off the safety on the draw and fire when you acquire the target. All it takes is training and practice.
 
Safeties

Black Majik...+1. The only handgun faster for the first shot from the leather than the 1911 is the Colt 1873 Single-action...and that takes a lot of practice. (Bill Jordan managed a near quarter-second draw and fire on signal and on-target with a Model 19 Smith & Wesson...but such men aren't the norm.) I carry a 1911 in Condition One, and wipe the thumb safety off as the gun is clearing leather. Finger goes onto the trigger as it comes to low-ready, and by the time it's on target, the hammer is down. Best time for a draw and hit was a tick under 3/4 second from signal to shot from a carry rig...but I'm old now, and my shoulders and wrists are stiff...and I can only manage to average a bit under a full second from a high-ride, open-topped holster. With a low-slung speed rig, I can probably nudge my best time if I loosen up the creaky joints first.

As far as safety goes...I feel that the 1911 is perfectly safe in C-1 as long as all safeties are functional, and the shooter maintains trigger finger discipline.
i.e If you want it to fire, pull the trigger. If you don't...don't. That simple.
The pistol is based on redundant functions that back each other up. The grip safety blocks the trigger. The thumb safety blocks the sear. The half-cock backs up both in case a part breaks...and the real safety is our competence, as nothing can be proofed against fools. A fool will always find a way, given enough time and opportunity.
 
Since the term 'Glock Leg' has become a term much like 'Google It', I would comclude that the 1911 has a better record, although both are as safe as the shooter minus Murphy's Law...


Dead
 
n00B question!

Sorry for the silly questions

1. What does "DAO" mean?
2. Do all 1911's have to be cocked to be ready to fire?
I'm not crazy about the idea of carrying a cocked gun, locked or not.

This may simply be an unwarranted newbie fear, but I've heard this from others too.
 
I'm going to have to say it has a lot more to do with the person than the tool. If you can't be safe with one, you probably shouldn't be carrying either.
 
Here's my 2 cents...

...I have a Springfield XD and I have a CZ 75B.

I have no problems carrying the CZ "cocked & locked" (one round in the pipe and the safety on).

However, when I carry my XD, I never keep one in the pipe. I just don't trust striker-fired pistols that much. The last thing that I want to worry about is my finger inadvertently "tapping" the trigger in a stressful situation and having a round cook-off.

Safe carry gun? In my honest opinion, I've always trusted my CZ or a double-action revolver. And in between those two, I trust a double-action revolver.

Why a revolver? No manual safety...just a smooth and stronger trigger pull. No need to worry about accidentally "tapping" the trigger and cooking-off a round.
 
I guess how I voted should be obvious.

Day to day, staying in the holster except to clear and store for the night (or day if you work my shift) they are equal.

However... When's the last time you saw a DEA agent shoot himself with a 1911? Where are all the threads about 1911 AD's (which are really ND's)? As soon as your activities require handling a firearm, the safety on a Glock becomes a non-item. For all practical purposes, it doesn't exist. When something, finger, shirt, thumb break on a holster, moves the trigger the gun will fire. Tell me again where the safety is. Tell me again how it's moved to the "off safe" position. Now tell me how that can possibly be safer, or even as safe as, a locked 1911.

Vic Ferrari, they aren't dumb questions, we all need to ask them at some point. I, for one, wasn't born knowing this stuff.
1) DAO means Double Action Only. This means that the handgun decocks itself after every shot, so every trigger pull is long, horrid and gritty. Unfortunately, it's becoming more popular.
2) Yes. A 1911 is a Single Action handgun. Pulling the trigger will not move the hammer to the rear, only make it fall.
3) Unfounded fear. When you eliminate the marketing and fanboy hype, carrying any handgun with one up the pipe requires thought and safety. The "cocked" part of the C&L equation is no different than carrying a Glock. When you pull the trigger, it will fire. With a 1911, you must disengage the manual safety and pull the trigger, as well as have the pistol in your hand (grip safety) for it to fire.

Now the Glock-o-philes are going to jump me, but that's one persons hands-on, don't listen to the salesman, look at the product experience.
 
I think my S&W 640, with its internal hammer, is just as safe, or safer. As much as I loved my Kimber, I found that my total confidence that it would fire when and if I needed it to in my j-frame revolver made it the one I would slip into my pocket.
 
Cocked

Probably won't make any difference to those who are uncomfortable with a cocked pistol...but I have personal experience with a few that have been left loaded, cocked and locked for extended periods...including one old commercial Colt Government Model that laid in an attic in that condition for 62 years...and never "went off" until the trigger was intentionally pulled.

Pullin' the trigger makes'em go bang. If you want the gun to fire, pull the trigger. If you don't...don't.

A Merry Christmas to all!:cool:
 
I voted for the glock.

Ive never had my last line of defense on a glock disengaged by a holster. I think it was a Galco holster I had for my 1911 would take my little tiny stiff safety off for me.

I keep my finger off the trigger till the gun is well ahead of me but I can see people getting lazy thinking the manual safety is there to protect them and cooking one off on accident.

The Glock I know without a doubt do not touch the trigger until it's time to go. That I've practiced a million times with DA/SA guns and only a quarter of a million times with a SA + manual safety. The Glock trigger reminds me more of the DA pull.
 
I prefer DA/SA Smitty semi-autos, but have an XD, and revolvers, but won't buy a Glunk... they fit my hand like a 2x4, and don't REALLY have any safeties!

that said, I can draw the Smitty semi's and wipe the safeties "mid draw"

also, my 1911 works the same way... except that it is cocked already... pull it outta the Galco, wipe the safety mid-draw, and shoot it!

my vote was for the 1911, with the real, fubctional safety!
 
While I agree that in the end the actions of the handler are most important it is hard to argue with the fact that a properly handled 1911 is safer than a properly handled Glock.

1. Neither gun will fire without pulling the trigger. This is the first and last line of defense for the Glock.

2. The 1911 will not fire without the grip safety depressed. Since the grip safety depression is in the opposite direction that the trigger needs to be depressed it is very unlikely to happen accidentally. Depressing the grip safety while carelessly holstering the pistol could allow for this to happen which leads to the third safety feature found on all 1911s.

3. The 1911 will not fire with the manual safety on.

Additionally, the Glock features a chamber which is not fully supported. The Glock can also fire out of battery where as the 1911 can not.

If the question was, "Are both the 1911 and Glock designs safe" I would answer yes. The question was which is safer? I personally don't think the answer to that question can be honestly argued.
 
The Glock is far less forgiving of poor gun handling skills.

If that makes it unsafe, I guess that's a conclusion one can come to. I won't say that. I'll stick to saying its far less forgiving of poor gun handling.


Maximum1 said: Furthermore, when the bad guy is 21 feet and now charging you would you rather A) spend the 1.5 secs it take for him to reach you taking off the safeties or B) pulling the trigger on that ready to go (safe) DAO...... For me, I choose B...
Click to expand...

That's a gross over-exaggeration to prove your point. Even most unskilled shooters who spend some time with a good instructor or coach can get a draw, from concealment, to first shot fired in 1 and 1/2 seconds in a weekend. I can do it in under a second. With training, thumbing the safety becomes instinctive.

Use whatever excuse you want to for rationalizing why you can't do it yourself, but I get tired of seeing the myth repeated ad naseum that a 1911 safety adds time.
 
CountGlockula, if lightness is your only criteria for
CCW, wouldn't you be better off with a Smith & Wesson Scandium J-frame? they weigh what, about 1/4 of what a small Glock does... and they have no safety either, besides a long heavy DA trigger pull?

(but also have "restrike" and "SA" options?)
 
CountGlockula, if lightness is your only criteria for
CCW, wouldn't you be better off with a Smith & Wesson Scandium J-frame? they weigh what, about 1/4 of what a small Glock does... and they have no safety either, besides a long heavy DA trigger pull?
Click to expand...

That could be another option, but the Glock can hold more rounds--subcompacts can hold up to 9 rounds.

1. What does "DAO" mean?
Click to expand...
Double Action Only.
 
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