External Safeties on Striker Fired Weapons

[MacFromOK]

1911s - Never fired one, but from watching the movies...

You have to rack the slide a few times, and then thumb-cock the hammer a few more times before shooting the bad guys. And this action must be repeated if more bad guys appear before ya fire.

Pump shotguns appear to work in a similar manner, minus thumb-cocking the hammer.

 

[Mr.Glock]

Pull Glock go bang, finger off trigger and reinsert to holster. Like the new commercial out about Express Auto Financing, Easy As F......!

 

[Blue Heeler]

I would agree that whatever you like and works for you should be what is in your hand. Not that having an external safety is good, bad or even indifferent ... it’s what works for the person with said gun in hand.

I am very comfortable shooting DA/SA. When I turned 21 in 1978, the first gun I bought was a SIG in the form of a Browning BDA (below) in 45ACP. My current carry guns are either a SIG P220 that I bought in 2003 or a SIG P225A1 ... both of which Robert Burke has worked his magic on.

Like most here, for the full sized (non-mouse gun backup) I have carried a lot of different handguns ... single action guns like 1911’s and the Browning Hi Power. SA/DA guns like the SIGs, a custom tuned S&W 3906 and a German Walther PPK/S. Carried a HK P7 for a few years. Carried a (Gen 4) Glock19 which despite being a superb combat handgun, I just seemed to be drawn back to the SIGs. But never once have I ever pulled a gun out and as I am drawing, thought about how the gun works ... like whether there is a safety or not.

 

[Cowboy777]

Striker fire guns don’t need safeties. They are double action only. They typically have at least 3 internal safety devices.

 

[MacFromOK]

Striker fire guns don’t need safeties. They are double action only. They typically have at least 3 internal safety devices.

Not so. Some are SA only.

 

[Jim Parry]

I appreciate the various perspectives. I am an older guy (55), so my time fighting bad guys was before the striker fired weapons became prevalent. However, I love secondary safeties. (As gunny explained, “your booger-picker is always ypur primary safety”). I appreciate the secondary safeties of 1911’s and even my S&W Shield 40 (although I may have to have someone rack the slide for me on that pafticular weapon — why is that sprng so dang stiff??). Anyway,. I’ve never had a secondary safety fail despite some pretty intense experiences. That’s not to say they won’t fail; just that I’ve been blessed not to experience a failure of the safety. However, I have experienced some stupid self-induced errors that occurred in the excitement , which we won’t mention, such as failing to rack a round, which caused failures in the excitement of the moment, (BTW, it won’t go “pew” if you don’t put a pew stick in the pipe —personal experience :-),

 

[Snattlerake]

Can't remember what your dad carried but I think it was a 1911?

I started with a wheelgun and went through the academy with it. I switched to a 1911 Springfield and never looked back. Now, it's either the 1911 or an XDM.

 

[Neanderthal]

When I first purchased my 365, I added a manual safety. We now have 2 Sig 365's, one with and one without. However, I tend to carry that lil sucker in my pocket sometimes and there's no way in hell that I'm doing that without a manual safety. Carry however you feel the most secure, because you're the one who has to be comfortable with it.

 

[rockchalk06]

Can't remember what your dad carried but I think it was a 1911?

I started with a wheelgun and went through the academy with it. I switched to a 1911 Springfield and never looked back. Now, it's either the 1911 or an XDM.

Ruger, then a Satin Nickle Colt and ended up with the Star PD 45. He carried that forever until they made him carry a plastic gun

 

[gerhard1]

I don't own a pistol with an external safety.
I am in the school of a safety being a potential point of failure in a life or death situation.
I will continue to rely on trigger discipline and good holsters.
Besides, my gun doesn't leave the holster unless it is time to go bang, so no reasonable need for a safety in my situation.

My attitude is a bit different. If I pull my weapon and the BG sees it and breaks off his attack, I don't shoot. In the vast majority of defensive gun uses, a shot is never fired.

A re-think may be in order here.