A bump in the night, you grab your 1911 ...

[CommanderCrusty]

Imagine this scenario: You are asleep in your bed at O'Dark-30 when you hear a bump in the night. You are pretty sure it's a cat or a raccoon (otherwise you would call the police). As you grab your cocked and locked 1911 pistol and head out to investigate ...

• Is the thumb safety ON or OFF?
• Where is your thumb positioned?
• Why?

Granted, you should probably call the police. Granted you should only need the pistol for a few steps while you go for your 12 gage. But it's kind of the same question, since every shotgun I've ever seen was a cocked and locked single action.

For the record, my answer is: Thumb safety ON, with my thumb on the grip panel, firmly pushing UP on the thumb safety. Why? It's probably nothing so why wander around in the dark with a cocked and unlocked gun. Also, with my thumb in firm contact with the safety, I automatically know it's position and state of readiness. YMMV.

 

[Telekinesis]

My first reaction would be "wow, this 1911 sure feels similar to my Glock"

But in all seriousness, I'd have the 1911 with safety on, but thumb over the safety ready to disengage it. In reality the gun should be just fine with the safety off (assuming you use proper trigger discipline) but I would still treat the gun as if I was drawing - safety on until I start pointing it at a threat.

 

[thewillweeks]

I don't personally have a 1911 so take this with the grain of salt that you will, my hand guns of choice right now are a Glock 23 (trigger safety only) and a SCCY CPX2 (no safety, long DAO) so no safety to take off before firing with them to speak of, which means if I carried a 1911 as soon as I drew/carried it to use it'd be off safety. My brother works for a nearby PD that issues Sig 1911's and as soon as they draw safety is off, its part of draw procedure, that's policy.

Now, with a long arm I do leave safety's on, a hold over from hunting I think more than anything else. That's my policy, hand guns stay holstered/shelved, when they come out anything that'd keep me from pulling the trigger comes off, longer arms I presume to have to turn the safety off.

Longer arm safety policies may need to be affected due to retention ability for each individual. Handguns should be in theory easier to retain, but that's a whole other discussion.

 

[Elkins45]

Sig P220 with DAK trigger is my nightstand gun. I don't fancy myself enough of a steely-eyed gunfighter to want a single action trigger on a fighting handgun.

 

[CommanderCrusty]

Elkins45, I like your signature line. I've been eyeing the new Sig P227 TDA pistol. All those Sig .45s make good bedside companions.

 

[Tcruse]

Should be in same state as you would carry.

Practice one procedure and do things the same every time. No time to think about the gun during an emergency.

 

[MachIVshooter]

My first reaction would be "wow, this 1911 sure feels similar to my Glock"

Lol. Same here.

Love my 1911s, but do not want to screw with a safety if awakened in the middle of the night to a threat, and do not want my Kimber or Colt or even my R1 being carelessly handled by responding officers in the event that I ever have to use a firearm in defense of home. The Glock 20 is a more expendable asset.

 

[strambo]

Safety on, thumb on safety ready to disengage it, finger off trigger on frame. Same as with my AR, same as with my Sig P226 sans safety.

I really like how you included in the OP about thinking it is a raccoon or something otherwise you would have called the police. Spot on, if you are pretty sure it is a real threat, a barricade defense in a fixed location (gather up family as needed) and getting the po-po enroute is the best strategy by far. Only go looking when you think it is probably nothing but are just being cautious.

 

[sauer1911]

my 1911's are for IDPA, I have an SP2022 in .40 cal and a Springfield XD also in .40 cal for home defense.

God forbid I have to use them, they will go into evidence instead of my 1911's!

be safe

 

[GBExpat]

Imagine this scenario: You are asleep in your bed at O'Dark-30 when you hear a bump in the night. ...

I actually had something very similar happen in the '70s when I was working graveyard shift.

I was sound asleep during the day, with my K98k upside down under the front door doorknob of my one-bedroom apartment.

The sound of the rifle hitting ground woke me, I reached up & grabbed my C&Led Colt Combat Commander off of the headboard as I rolled out of bed to the right and came up into a two-hand stance with the pistol aimed down the short hallway at the poor telephone company guy who was stepping over the rifle on the ground with a puzzled look on his face ... he looked up and saw a naked guy aiming a .45 at his face ... and he RAN out & down the stairs ...

To answer your question: My Colt was still C&Led with my thumb on the safety and my trigger finger indexed.

 

[ColtPythonElite]

If I think I am going to be defending myself, the safety is off with a straight trigger finger. I have carried a duty weapon for over 20 years, but no 1911. My duty long guns get the safety flipped off as soon as the search begins.

 

[tomrkba]

Thumb safety on

High thumb/thumb on safety

So the gun can be fired nearly immediately

 

[notaglockfanboy]

The sound of the rifle hitting ground woke me, I reached up & grabbed my C&Led Colt Combat Commander off of the headboard as I rolled out of bed to the right and came up into a two-hand stance with the pistol aimed down the short hallway at the poor telephone company guy who was stepping over the rifle on the ground with a puzzled look on his face ... he looked up and saw a naked guy aiming a .45 at his face ... and he RAN out & down the stairs ...

So do you think it was the gun, or the naked guy he was running from?? I am glad I didn't have a mouthful of sweet tea when I read that.

 

[taliv]

with 1911s and ar15s, i always do the same thing. safety comes off when i am moving from low ready to point at a target. when i drop back to low ready, safety goes back on.


work on good habits, muscle memory

 

[RetiredUSNChief]

Depends.

This subject became a heated "debate" a while back.

If the gun is holstered, and stays in the holster just as it would when I am carrying it normally, then it's in my carry condition: Condition 1, round in chamber, cocked and locked.

If I draw the weapon from the holster with the intent to use it in self-defense, then the safety comes off during this process and I carry it accordingly, with the full understanding of what this means. My finger remains outside the trigger guard until I enter the aiming phase.


Some will argue this, but people need to understand the dynamics here:

If you've made the decision to draw your weapon for self-defense, then the weapon needs to be ready to actually USE for self-defense. A weapon with the safety on is NOT ready to use for self-defense.

Some argue this because, in their point of view, the safety keeps them from "accidentally firing the gun" when they really shouldn't. Horse pucky.

This is intentionally relying on a mechanical safety device to prevent a human from firing the gun when the trigger is pulled. NOT a good idea. The FIRST line of defense against accidental firing is ALWAYS the human behind the trigger, NEVER the safety device. The safety is a backup plan, not the primary plan.

And relying on a safety to prevent you from "accidentally" shooting a gun when you're deliberately and actively engaging in self-defensive measures is stupid, in my opinion. If it will stop you from "accidentally" shooting your gun, it'll stop you from "deliberately" shooting your gun at the moment you most need it.


That said...this is MY opinion and MY philosophy. Others are, of course, free to disagree. And that's fine...have a plan and train accordingly, and if it serves you well, then great.

 

[hso]

As you grab your cocked and locked 1911 pistol and head out to investigate ...

First -

You wait. You listen. You check your alarm panel across the bedroom mounted on the wall so you can see the indicator lights. You look at the dog to see what they're doing. You check if the spouse is in the room. THEN you may acquire a firearm and check if the kids are in their room (which are on the same floor and side of the house your bedroom is on). You wait and listen and if everyone's where they're supposed to be you take up a commanding position. The very LAST thing you do is leave a secure area with your family and fumble around your house looking for trouble.

There are too many different gun with safeties, decockers, DAO to answer after you've decided it wasn't a bit of pudding.

I'm trained to a SA auto with a safety so I would have a chambered weapon on safe because I'll sweep the safety as part of the decision to fire if it comes to that.

 

[ColtPythonElite]

Sooner or later, you gotta go look or call the police. Chances are you are gonna have to go thru an unclear area to open the door to let LEOs in.

 

[hso]

Not if you've thought about this as a realistic scenario. I keep a key on a chem stick to toss out the window for the sheriff to use and if someone's actually inside the house the deputies are welcome to enter forcibly while the BG is between a rock and a hard place.

 

[7.62 Nato]

Cocked and locked.
Thumb safety engaged.
Thumb positioned on top of safety, ready to disengage.
Trigger finger on side of frame, above trigger.
I carry a 1911 every day. It's within reach every night.

 

[taliv]

If you've made the decision to draw your weapon for self-defense, then the weapon needs to be ready to actually USE for self-defense. A weapon with the safety on is NOT ready to use for self-defense.

why? if flipping the safety off doesn't add any time, it seems to me like it's just as 'ready' with the safety on.

Some argue this because, in their point of view, the safety keeps them from "accidentally firing the gun" when they really shouldn't. Horse pucky.

definitely not my rationale. my rationale is doing things the same way. e.g. the gun might not be holstered. it might be laying on the table by the bed. if my habit is only flipping the safety off when i draw, then will i remember to flip the safety off when i don't pull it out of a holster at 3am? maybe, maybe not

 

[ColtPythonElite]

Not if you've thought about this as a realistic scenario. I keep a key on a chem stick to toss out the window for the sheriff to use and if someone's actually inside.

Good idea. In 20+ years of night shift LE, I have never seen that. I have cleared hundreds of bump in the night houses, too.

 

[MistWolf]

Yes, listen and assess. But, unless you have reason to lie still for a moment, have your firearm in hand while listening and assessing.

The 1911 will be cocked & locked. Whether or not the safety is engaged will depend on the situation.

No, I will not be taking a few steps to grab a 12 gauge shotgun. I long ago moved into the 20th century and replaced the shotgun with a rifle for house defense. Less recoil, more ammo, better terminal performance, better pin point accuracy, same or better maneuverability

 

[herrwalther]

with 1911s and ar15s, i always do the same thing. safety comes off when i am moving from low ready to point at a target. when i drop back to low ready, safety goes back on.


work on good habits, muscle memory

Same. I have used 1911s as bedside guns. Even on firearms without a thumb safety, my thumb naturally rubs where one would be.

 

[RetiredUSNChief]

why? if flipping the safety off doesn't add any time, it seems to me like it's just as 'ready' with the safety on.



definitely not my rationale. my rationale is doing things the same way. e.g. the gun might not be holstered. it might be laying on the table by the bed. if my habit is only flipping the safety off when i draw, then will i remember to flip the safety off when i don't pull it out of a holster at 3am? maybe, maybe not

It's part of my rationale and the way I train. If I'm drawing my weapon to shoot or as part of my defensive posture in preparation for self-defense, then the safety comes off.

Putting the safety back ON is a conscious decision I'll make at some point in time based on the circumstances.


I also do not keep a loaded gun outside of a holster, regardless of whether it's on my belt or next to my bed. So my training is likewise consistent...I'm always doing the same thing.

 

[1911 guy]

Maybe I'm the strange one, but here's my routine:

Hint: short answer is safety on if I decide I positively MUST go investigate.

If the pistol is on its way to acquiring a target, the thumb safety comes off. Otherwise, the safety is on and finger indexed along the slide. What was drilled into me was "using" a firearm, safety off. "Handling" a firearm, safety on. If you're not shooting, you're merely handling it before or after shooting.