Who chooses an XD over others because of the grip safety

[Bobson]

I voted other.

I dislike traditional manual safeties on handguns (like 1911s, Beretta M9 / 92 series, etc), but I still want some sort of mechanical safety aside from the mechanics of the second knuckle on my index finger.

The main reason I bought an XD40 was because the grip fit me better than any other handgun I've ever held. The grip safety was a plus, but it wasn't the main selling point.

 

[mgmorden]

So I am assuming you disabled that articulating trigger saftey gizmo on the M&P?

Not at all, as being part of the actual trigger it doesn't change the mentioned scenario: that when the trigger is pressed the weapon goes bang.

I did get the M&P with no mag disconnect or thumb safety though, as those are features that though offered on certain models, I certainly DID NOT want. Thankfully, they make models without them.

 

[Skribs]

Looking at the answers in the thread, I think the OP should have instead used the following poll options:
-The grip safety made an impact on my decision TO buy an XD
-The grip safety made an impact on my decision to NOT buy an XD
-The grip safety made little/no impact on my decision whether or not to buy an XD.

 

[daytodaze]

Right now, none of the guns I own have any safeties... other than "safe action" or just not pulling the trigger. I have a G27 in the nightstand and a decocked P226 in a lock box. Both have 1 in the pipe, and neither have ever fired without me wanting them to. I don't know why there is so much fuss over adding safeties. I've always thought that if you can't prevent AD or ND by keeping your fingers out of the way, you should probably work on your form before you start carrying around a loaded gun.

 

[easyg]

I never cared for a grip-safety.
I just think it's unnecessary.

 

[Coyote3855]

"Ever had a pistol fail to fire because of the grip safety?" Yes. I shot 1911 pistols in IPSC/USPSA competition. I have small hands and even with the "extended" grip safety with the bump at the bottom, I had failures if my grip was not perfect. I own several 1911's, all with the grip safety disabled in one way or another. I do have an XD .45 with grip safety and never a failure to fire.

 

[mdauben]

So what was wrong inside that 1911? Was in unfixable? Was it a result of Bubba or Danny Dremel doing a "trigger job" on the gun?

The gun was box stock, no qustionable mods of any kind. The only thing "wrong" with the gun was that it had questionable and unnecessary "safety device".

It's not like no one else has ever suffered failure of the grip safety. At one time "pinning" the grip safety was a commonly recommended mod for 1911s.

 

[bigfatdave]

The gun was box stock, no qustionable mods of any kind. The only thing "wrong" with the gun was that it had questionable and unnecessary "safety device".

So you did zero troubleshooting or adjustment?

 

[REAPER4206969]

I prefer guns without grip safeties. Just like John Browning did.

 

[ku4hx]

The only real safety is between your ears. The mechanical devices are there for temporary assistance only.

 

[outerlimit]

I don't have a problem with the gripsafety on my 1911.

I just don't think they're necessary.

I have a problem with the 1911's grip safety, it's totally unnecessary, like pretty much all grip safeties. It's just another part that can fail.

That said, the 1911 is good enough, where most people can overlook it.

I'm really suprised that no one has ever come out with a 1911 that doesn't have one.

To stay on topic, the XD's grip safety is also a factor against the gun for me. Glock or a lot of other plastic fantastic manufactures never saw the need to put one on their pistols, I wonder why Springfield did?

 

[Jabr0ney]

They added it because a trigger safety isn't much of a safety... If something gets in there and snags the trigger, chances are the safety will be pressed too, or when reholstering and people leave their finger on the trigger, again it won't do much.

Think of it as a safety on your acceleration pedal... If it's being pressed down,it's being pressed down..

 

[The_Armed_Therapist]

The grip safety is why I ruled it out without even touching it. LOL

 

[KenW.]

It's just another part that can fail

Alrighty. Has anyone here ever, since the year 1911, had a grip safety fail to operate as advertised?

I think the little flippers on the triggers are silly. Talk about tiny parts that "might" fail.

If not, why the whoopla?

 

[mgmorden]

Alrighty. Has anyone here ever, since the year 1911, had a grip safety fail to operate as advertised?

Two people in this very thread have already stated they've had issues with it.

 

[KenW.]

OK. I re-read the thread. There are 2 posts, one states the grip safety was not consistant; but doesn't mention what the diagnosis was, and the other person admitted to having small hands.

I won't say those amount to a failure without more information. Was the inconsistant one dirty or grimey? was something actually broken? Was the shooters grip at fault? There are shooters who dislike them. I cannot fault Springfield for having them. If they stop now, that opens them up to litigation after this long. the ambulance chasers will ask "why did you decide to make this weapon even more dangerous by removing a safety device?" Much like the people that pin those on the 1911.

 

[mdauben]

So you did zero troubleshooting or adjustment?

Since the gun was not mine to begin with, no I didn't. And it wasn't like the gun would not shoot at all. When I changed my grip a bit it worked fine for the rest of the shooting session. It just didn't make me terribly confident in such a gun, that might not shoot if I didn't grip it "right".

In the end, I just look at grip safety's in the same way I look at magazine disconnects. Its a fairly useless "safety" device, which introduces needless extra complexity to the mechanism of the gun and provides another potential point of failure in a device that should be made as totally reliable as humanly possible.

 

[jeffmack]

Question: Would any of you carry an XD in a pocket, ready to fire with one in the chamber?
If you would carry an XD like this, would you do the same with a Glock or M&P?

 

[Skribs]

Question: Would any of you carry an XD in a pocket, ready to fire with one in the chamber?

I have. My sister visited for the weekend and brought her 1-year-old nephew, so I was sleeping in the RV instead of my bedroom. Put my XDM in my pocket when I went out to the RV, because I didn't feel like bothering with a holster. Note to self: when putting something that heavy into your pants, make sure you have a belt of some sort.

If you would carry an XD like this, would you do the same with a Glock or M&P?

My LCP doesn't go into my pocket without the pocket holster. HOWEVER, it is a lot smaller, and it might get turned around and cause me to grip it weird. In the pocket I was wearing in the above scenario, it worked kind of like a holster. I probably would carry a Glock like that.

On the other hand, if there was anything else in the pocket (such as a pen), which might hit the trigger, I'd feel a lot safer with a grip safety. With that said, in a holster, it doesn't matter.

 

[easyg]

Question: Would any of you carry an XD in a pocket, ready to fire with one in the chamber?
If you would carry an XD like this, would you do the same with a Glock or M&P?

I wouldn't carry any handgun in my pocket without a pocket-holster.
Not a Glock and not an M&P and not an XD.

 

[R.W.Dale]

I will not buy one BECAUSE it has a grip safety.


JMB worshipers flame away but IMO a grip safety is the most superfluous firearm feature ever devised. REALLY, what is the point in a safety on a modern pistol that you defeat the moment you pick it up.

Modern autos are pretty dang drop safe, the XD's grip safety is there as a pure placebo to get the 1911 guys to buy a modern polymer autoloader, and it appears to work just fine in that role. Can anyone here lay out a scenario where a grip safety would prevent an inattentive "glock style" ND just because of the grip safety

I like my 1911 pattern guns to not have grip safetys (star pattern) and I for darn shure don't like em on my glock pattern guns.

 

[Skribs]

JMB worshipers flame away but IMO a grip safety is the most superfluous firearm feature ever devised. REALLY, what is the point in a safety on a modern pistol that you defeat the moment you pick it up.

Because it's there for when you haven't picked it up.

I honestly don't understand why people shy away from it because "it's extra". If you know you defeat it when you pick it up, then it should be a nonissue instead of a reason against it.

 

[R.W.Dale]

Because it's there for when you haven't picked it up.

I honestly don't understand why people shy away from it because "it's extra". If you know you defeat it when you pick it up, then it should be a nonissue instead of a reason against it.

so you're insulating there's a problem with guns just going off by themselves sitting there


dollars to doughnuts these same people railing for grip safety because "they won't hurt anything" are the same ones railing against internal locks in other threads

 

[CoRoMo]

It is a lot like the reflector that is mounted in the spokes of my bike.

Has it gotten in the way? No.
Has it caused problems? No.
Does it work right? Yes.
Is it necessary? I doubt it.
Could I do without it. Sure.
Is it an issue. Of course not.
Do I get hysterical when I see one? No, that's silly.
Do I get hysterical when I don't see one? No, that's silly.
What's my reaction when I see one? I don't care.

 

[Skribs]

Dale, there's a difference between grip safety and internal lock. A grip safety is something that you deactivate when you pick up the weapon with a standard grip. An internal lock is something that you manually activate and deactivate, and isn't something you're likely to do during a draw.

I'm not saying guns go off randomly when sitting on the table. I am saying there's more positions a gun can be in than sitting on the table, sitting in a holster, or in your hand. They could be in a desk/dresser drawer, where you may have a pen or (for females or a select few males) a stick of lipstick. When openning and closing that drawer, stuff gets shuffled around.

I will agree that the whole "while putting it into a holster" (either with the finger still on the trigger or with the holster strap getting in the way) isn't a good reason, because you're likely to have the grip safety deactivated.

So, to follow CoRoMo's line of thought...
Does the grip safety add an extra step to using the firearm? No
Does the grip safety add an extra step to field-stripping and cleaning the firearm? No
Does the grip safety cause the grip to change drastically compared to another firearm? No

So yes, in most situations it might not do much. However, if you're never in that situation, is it really hurting anything? Probably not. I don't pay much attention to mine on the XDm. When I pick it up, it feels just like a gun that doesn't have one.