Hello All,
A friend's wife recently purchased a Kimber Micro 9 for him as he really desired one. He has begun using it for conceal carry purposes. Anyhow, I'd appreciate some input from those who may carry 1911's, as that would not have been my recommendation for a ccw pistol. He's reluctant to carry a round in the chamber on his ccw, so this pistol should ease his mind given it should be very safe to have one chambered with this 1911 style.
I'm not familiar with the Kimber Micro 9 though but as I understand it has a firing pin block. It's also a 1911 style so you must cock the hammer (manually or by slide) to fire the first shot. Anyhow, this should make carrying one in the chamber perfectly safe.
For CCW purposes:
1) Do you carry your 1911 "cocked and locked"?
2) Do you leave the safety off; with one in the chamber and plan to cock the hammer for the first shot?
3) Do you leave the safety off; and plan on manually racking the slide to chamber the first round and cock the hammer, such as the Israelis do?
My instinct would be #2 from having grown up shooting revolvers. Otherwise, I have no problem with #3. Either way, he needs to practice and practice to make it second nature with either. I personally would not be comfortable with #1 and would never recommend that.
Your input is appreciated.
Ralph
I will start by saying that I know nothing about the Kimber Micro 9. I am answering, regarding the 1911, in general. I owned a 1911 as far back as late 1982 or early 1983, have occasionally carried them for personal time self-defense since the late Eighties, and used 1911 pistols, off and on, for police duty, since 1990, until I retired in 2018. I recently discontinued carrying* 1911 autos for defensive purposes, with my right hand not aging well, and none of my 1911 pistols being set-up well, as of this time, for left-hand carry.
Regarding the three questions:
1) This. When I carried a 1911 for police duty, and personal-time carry, it was Condition One, a.k.a. cocked-and-locked.
2) Not normally this, which would be Condition Two. It is important to get a proper firing grip, on a 1911 pistol. Cocking with the weapon hand thumb interrupts that proper grip, to a major degree. The 1911 is not shaped like a Single Action Army revolving pistol, that allows easy thumb-cocking, with the weapon hand thumb. Perhaps most important, getting that hammer into the lowered position has to be done VERY, VERY carefully. Cocking with the support hand is OK for sporting purposes, or a pistol kept positioned for home defense, but in a sudden defensive carry situation, in the wild, or on the streets, that support hand may not be available.
3) Not this, which would be Condition Three, for general carry. I consider it too likely that the support hand might be needed, for other things, during a defensive emergency. Plus, it is quite possible to fumble the running of that slide. Condition Three is OK for off-body storage, or toting the weapon in a sporting context.
As for being comfortable with Condition One, well, I think that it is more safe than carrying a Glock, with its “Safe Action” trigger system, which is, really in Condition ZERO. I have also used Glocks for police duty, and personal carry, and feel a need to be MUCH MORE CAUTIOUS when handling, especially when holstering, at which time an obstruction could fire the weapon, or, when moving through a brushy environment, as with a manhunt situation, with all of those little branches trying to work their way into everything. The 1911 can be directly managed, with a thumb, while holstering, while the grip safety offers yet another margin of safety. The thumb safety of a 1911 offers another margin of safety. If one has to move through brush, with a weapon in a ready position, the 1911 may be a best tool for the job.
To be clear, I must add the disclaimer that I do not believe that handing a 1911 should be self-taught.
*I still have a 1911 set up for home defense, though I would rather grab one of the Benelli shotguns. We have canine early warning systems, which should enable me to establish a good hold, left or right hand, on a 1911.