Please explain why some do not like manual safeties on semi-autos?

[CoalCrackerAl]

I have both. I like both. But the only time i use the safety is when im carrying a 1911 cocked.

 

[Omaha-BeenGlockin]

My Shield Plus has a safety but I also carry Glocks, revolvers and a LCP Max without safeties----so I don't know I like them all.

 

[Mike J]

I have carried pistols that did & did not have a manual safety. My opinion is simple. If you want to carry without a safety do so. If you want to carry with a safety do so. I do have one opinion I will voice. If you carry a pistol that has a safety train yourself to take it off before shooting. I know some folks say to just leave it off. It has been my experience that safeties don't always stay where they are left. I'd rather take a safety off that isn't on than think it is off when it is on.

 

[tws3b2]

I have pistols with and pistols without. Never had a problem with or without. If you know your gun like you should with or without should make dang little difference.

 

[nettlle]

Safeties are really not a bad idea. Sure doesn't hurt to have one. If you don't like a safety leave the safety off all the time.

 

[MikeInOr]

I it it just the "I meant to fire but forgot to release the manual safety" on my pistol that is the objection to having one on your pistol?

Is a person less of a shorter or some kind of wimp if he/she elected to buy a gun with one?

I finally picked up a P-365 with a safety and couldn't be more pleased.

Given the odds of actual use for self-defense verses the likely hood of an AD, an extra layer of protection seems like a non brainer.

I learned to shoot with DA/SA pistols with manual safety's. I bear you no ill will or shame for selecting a gun with a manual safety as a carry gun. It took me a long time to get used to carrying a pistol that DID NOT have a manual safety! I can still shoot my Beretta 92 just fine with one in the chamber and the safety on.

When shooting my Beretta I have not had to think about switching the safety off for a very long time... it just happens automatically. I doubt it will take you a whole lot of practice for your thumb to switch off the safety automatically when you draw your P365. It is kind of like lifting your leg up when you are putting your pants on... it just happens.

 

[lysanderxiii]

"[A] handgun is unsafe for untrained personnel regardless of the number and type of safety devices."

-Army Field Forces Board No. 3, Lightweight Pistol

 

[.308 Norma]

Serious question. Did people get as worked up about folks' pistol choices pre internet as they do on these forums?

No sir, I don't think so - at least I don't remember folks getting as worked up over other folks' pistol choices before internet usage became so widespread. Maybe that's because there just weren't as many pistols, or pistol types to choose from back in the pre-internet dark ages though. I mean, Glocks (and other polymer pistols) just weren't around until the 80s, and internet use didn't become widespread until the '90s.
However, I personally believe the reason people on the internet become so "worked up" over other people's pistol choices is because the internet provides them with an anonymity they would not otherwise have. So, people on the internet feel free to act as rude as they really are.
BTW, I remember when the pistols with that funny sounding name ("Glock") first came out. There was a guy at work, a "Chicken Little" sort of guy, that was telling me about the new pistols that would slip through airport metal detectors undetected.

 

[Ironicaintit]

Id rather my muscles ingrained memory include sweeping the safety off.

I suppose preferences come from what a person gets used to. I was raised and trained on SA's, and a safety kinda goes with that.

 

[Jerkstore]

If a safety is on my EDC gun, then it's one more thing to worry about. I have to worry whether it is on. It's like leaving the house without checking whether the oven is on. Unless I check, I always am worried that I might have left it on. If the gun has no safety, then it isn't an issue.

Having the safety unintionally engaged could cost me my life in a self-defense situation.

I don't leave my handguns lying around for other people to play with, and I trust myself not to pull the trigger, and I have great holsters, so I don't need a safety.

 

[sisyphus]

 

[TomJ]

I think I mentioned this the last time it came up on this forum but it bears repeating. Carry what's best for your situation, but if you carry a gun with a safety practice disengaging it when you draw until it becomes second nature as well as reengaging it before you holster the gun. There's about a dozen of us who volunteer as armed security for our church, and we train regularly. During one of our training sessions a while ago one of the guys who normally uses a gun without a safety (I don't remember which model) tried a 1911 he had just bought. We were practicing a timed drill where we draw and shoot and he did not disengage the safety before pulling the trigger. It took him a second or two to figure out why his gun didn't fire, which in a real life SD situation could have cost him his life.

 

[Smokin Gator]

Manual thumb safety, no manual thumb safety? Not an issue for trained, experienced shooters.

 

[TarDevil]

Depends on the gun.

I would think someone who has been around as long as the OP has seen enough of this discussion, and the ensuing arguments.

 

[bearcreek]

Manual thumb safety, no manual thumb safety? Not an issue for trained, experienced shooters.

True. Unfortunately, only a tiny minority of gun owners are trained and experienced, or have any genuine desire to get that way.

 

[JohnKSa]

If I were going to pocket carry a firearm without a holster, I would want it to have a manual safety since otherwise there's nothing to protect the trigger. If I had a carry gun that didn't have a passive drop safety, I'd want a manual safety that functioned to prevent discharge if the firearm was dropped.

If I'm going to carry a firearm in a hard holster that protects the trigger and prevents it from being operated while the gun is holstered, and if the gun is drop safe as it stands, then I would rather it not have a manual safety because I already have all the bases covered.

Other than for pocket carry or for carry of a gun that's not drop-safe without a manual safety, Idon't want a manual safety that lets me pull the trigger without firing the gun because any time I pull the trigger I either want the gun to fire or I have thoroughly checked it to ensure it is unloaded and I need to dryfire it for practice or for maintenance/testing.

 

[cfullgraf]

I prefer DA/SA semi-autos for self defense. A number of years ago i wanted to be proficient with my S&W 642 revolver, DA only. This skill transitioned to my DA/SA semi-autos.

But I'm warming to H&K's LEM trigger.

I have a few striker fire pistols including a Glock 17 and S&W M&P's. Also, I'm a big fan of 1911's. I'd never carry them but that is my choice.

But what floats your boat on handgun safeties. That is fine by me.,

 

[toivo]

Depends on the gun.

Absolutely. I think that says it all.

 

[1KPerDay]

Strange that the 1911 was used throughout many wars.

Usually carried hammer down. So the thumb safety isn’t an issue since it can’t be applied with the hammer down and thus doesn’t enter the manual of arms.

 

[9mmepiphany]

We've done this argument an uncountable number of times on this forum. No this doesn't mean we can do it again for folks who might not have been here before, however...

Let this be fair warning that this "discussion" will not be of unlimited posts. I'll likely shut it down after 100 post or 3 pages...so if you really want to contribute to it, please do so before that time

 

[gc70]

A huge factor in individual decisions about the mechanics of gun safety involves individual perceptions of the different risks we may face. What risks are you more likely to face (only considering some of the risks mentioned in this thread): a dangerous lapse in routine gun handling; a part breaking at a critical moment, or; forgetting to engage/disengage a safety at a critical moment? And the risks we expect to face may -and probably will- change during the course of our lives.

There is no universally "right" answer. The best we can hope for is for each person to practice to become proficient using guns as safely as possible with whatever combination of safety features they may have.

 

[Tallball]

My carry pieces are all drop-proof and I carry them in holsters that cover their triggers.

I've been mostly carrying DA revolvers for the past 35 years or so. That's what my hands are used to, so if I carry a semi-auto, I want it to work like a revolver.

Everything is DAO. Draw, aim, squeeze, bang. No other steps.

Other people can carry whatever they want. I might be interested to hear about it.

IDC if the brothers and sisters are carrying 22's or 44's or whatever. They're living their own life and it isn't my business.

 

[Hokkmike]

Thanks all, for your responses. I'll read them through several times and give it some thought before commenting.... Much appreciated.

 

[CDW4ME]

I've carried Glocks for over 30 years, never had a safety on one.
If I have to draw that Glock the situation is dire, point & shoot simplicity deemed advantageous.

 

[sparkyv]

Handgun safety: some use their thumb, some use their brain.
Let the flaming begin!