Carry guns going off?

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Hot brass

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I want to have the wife get a CCW, and get her a carry gun. She likes the size of the med frame Glocks. I read of an undercover cop carrying a Glock and when he went to sit down he adjusted the gun and shot himself in the arse. At one time I thought of buying a Glock but reading stories like this keeps me away from the guns with no external safety.

Not knocking the Glock, I think they look nice and function well. But the safety issue bothers me. I think a SA XD 9mm for the wife, and then an XD 40 next, unless SA is going to do the XD in 45acp? Any comments?
Glock, XD in 45acp?
 
If you are conerned of a situation like that happening to you or yours maybe a gun with an esternal safety might be something to consider. The XD like the GLOCK has no external safety although the combinantion of Grip, Firing Pin and Trigger Safeties make any ND like that darn near impossible but I would say that about GLOCK as well. I've heard of an XD .45 for sometime next year.
 
There have been 33 documented incidents in the last 5 years of cops unintentionally discharging glock pistols either wounding themselves or a bystander.

In almost all cases part of the holster, clothing or gear was in the trigger guard pressing on the trigger as the gun was being reholstered.

I'm sure other types of service pistols are negligently discharged but probably for far more stupid reasons.

I'm not sure if a glock would be a first choice for someone who hasn't carried before. Although after some experience and practice it may be very suitable.
 
A glock isn't intended to be carried with a round in the chamber. With practice the time saved in not having to rack the slide while drawing the weapon doesn't offset the additional risk of AD or ND. Even with an external or manual safety things can and will go wrong.

Murphy's law makes me not trust carrying any gun with a chambered round.

YMMV
 
A glock is only gonna go off if you pull the trigger.

Story: Athens-Clarke County, Ga. cop had an ND. He claimed he was reholstering and thumb-break got inside the trigger guard. Fine.

He starts spouting this story at the gun store I worked in..."never buy a glock." Got me to thinking. No holster co. lawsuit?

So I dig out a Safariland SSIII and an empty G19 (the equipment in question) and try my best to replicate his discharge. Every possible angle...gun in one hand, holster in the other. No dice.

I privately offered him $100 bucks if he could make the striker fall with the thumb-break. He couldn't. We're still friends, but boy was he red faced.

The only way to bypass the 3 inherent safeties (unless you cook it off in a furnace) in a functional Glock is to pull the trigger.
 
Posted by Hot brass
Not knocking the Glock, I think they look nice and function well.

Function well, yes........but the Glock has to be the most ugly gun in the world.:D
 
While I do not own a Glock, I do have some reasonably extensive experience firing them (most of my friends like them more then other manufacturers) and I'm inclined to chalk up those discharge stories to nothing more then operator error. I've yet to encounter any malfunctions while firing any Glock, and it has never fired unless I've consciously pulled the trigger. If your wife is aware of the slightly higher chance of an AD and is trained on how to minimize/avoid a scenario like that, the weapon should work marvelously for her IMVVHO.
 
If she likes the mid-size Glock-like handguns but wants an external safty, look into the Steyr M9 it has a manuel safty inside the triger guard. Then practice the rules of gun safety, most every gun will "go off" when the trigger is pulled.
 
Thumper, good for you. That's very clever!!!

I used to hear the same cover stories at IPD about how S&W M66s were all "defective" in that they would fire while reholstered or "cleaning" (one revolver shot a air compressor at the range).:rolleyes: I would just shake my head and mutter something about the lack of quality in American manufacturing.:D

Wish I would have thought to do that!
 
Blacksnowman wrote.......

A glock isn't intended to be carried with a round in the chamber. With practice the time saved in not having to rack the slide while drawing the weapon doesn't offset the additional risk of AD or ND. Even with an external or manual safety things can and will go wrong.
Click to expand...

That is definitely the safe way to carry a pistol.

My personal preference is to carry the cartridges in my left side pocket. Then when I need my pistol quickly, I just grap the mag from my right pocket and quickly insert the cartridges from my left pocket. After that, grab your pistol, insert magazine, rack slide and you're ready for anything.

On the other hand, I normally carry with 7 rounds of Golden Sabre 185 +P in the mag and one more up the spout. I don't have time for screwin' around when the fight is on.
 
the last time I went through firearms training (a couple of months ago) the instructors all advised that one carry a round in the spout in any new/modern automatic. I carry both the Sig 220 and the Sig 245 and there is always a round in the chamber. As a cop I don't have time to be messing around with the slide. When I need that weapon to go I need it to go now.
 
A glock isn't intended to be carried with a round in the chamber
Click to expand...

If you leave it at home locked in the safe it probably won't go off either, but what's the point. I'm not a Glocksman myself, but the gun is perfectly safe as long as the user is as well.
 
most every gun will "go off" when the trigger is pulled.
Click to expand...

Not my Davis P380. It is 50% less likely to accidentally discharge than most other pistols.

That makes my Davis one of the safest guns going :evil:
 
Hot Brass

One key thing when it comes to women and handguns is the pocketbook. I here people constantly talk about getting a gun for the wife(friend, girlfriend, sister...) to carry in her purse.

A worse environment for a handgun than a purse simply could not be developed. Just look inside one once and count all the things just waiting to get inside the trigger guard.

SO...

After all the hype about this model or that model settles, look for a good holster for her to use. It could be a pocket holster, conventional one, even one designed to go into that purse. But get something that will protect the gun, and keep it handy so she can actually use it.

Contact some of the women that frequent this board. They really know their stuff and will give you great advice.
 
"most every gun will "go off" when the trigger is pulled."

I knew someone would jump on that.:D


What Jar said is very true.

You might want to look about getting her a purse made to carry a firearm. That would make it accessable and keep the trigger clear of lipstick and car keys. If she's like my wife she would jump at another reason to buy a new purse.
 
Jar speak good.
Holster a must in purse or pocket.
Have retrieved quite a bit of junk from purse guns.

One was a primary revolver and it could not be fired single OR double action. She had been undercover for a year and had not fired that gun the whole time.

Nelphs from pockets can clog em too. Buddy had to strip and clean a Colt 1991 the other day that was rendered inoperative by junk.

Sam
 
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