TexasCHLforum.com

To LarryH:

Thanks for the BDM link. I read it and now know what it is.

To TEX:
Thank you for your long post above on safety styles.

What's a BDM?

Also, can you enlighten the viewers at home on the semantics or
actual differences between a "safety" and a "de-cocking lever"?

PBR:
Being new to carrying a pistol I was hyper-sensitive to an AD. But after
reading some posts from more experienced carriers, and after carrying for
a few months, I have become accustomed to the reality that if your safety is
on and there's no finger pulling the trigger, the gun is simply my quiet friend,
but always at the ready with a snick down of my thumb safety.

As someone new to handgunnery, I am concerned with the safeties on
various handguns. I'd like to lay out what I know about various handguns
and get input from everyone on their experiences and preferences.

Revolvers generally do not have safeties -
Please provide brands and models that might have safeties.
Although I have considered a revolver for a BUG, I'm very leery of carrying
something that might be more prone to an AD/ND.

Glocks - They have the double trigger but to me, this seems like no safety
at all. Reinforcing this was a report I read of an undercover LEO who was
re-holstering his Glock and his sweatshirt's cinching string got caught in the
trigger and discharged the Glock into his leg.
I have heard people express the opinion that a Glock is the safest gun
to carry, but little else was provided as to why they thought so.
Plaxico Burress was carrying his Glock .40 in a pair of
sweatpants, without a holster. The gun fell down from his waistband and as he reached down
to pull it back up he hit the bang button and that's how he shot himself.
But of course this violates all kinds of gun safety rules.

Springfield XD/XDM's - These have the double trigger as well as the grip
safety. I could feel comfortable with these since there are 2 different devices
that need to be involved before "bang" happens.

1911's - Did the original JMB models have a grip safety on the backstrap,
or just the more modern ones?
Do all currently made 1911's have backstrap safeties?
Carrying "cocked and locked" with the hammer back in Condition One seems
dangerous, but I suppose it's no different than having a striker-fired semi-
auto with one in the pipe and the thumb safety on.
A guy at a gun store was of the opinion that if a 1911 is carried in Condition
One that the thumbstrap of the holster should lay across the gap between the hammer
and the cartridge.
Also - Doesn't carrying a 1911 in this manner invite lint and threads to interfere
with firing the weapon?

Thumb safeties - Many guns have these. I am now used to this kind since it's
what my Millenium PT111B has.
My understanding of these is that the classic 1911 safety operates "up is safe,
down to fire".
But didn't 1 or more gun makers (Walther maybe?) screw this up by reversing
the directions?

For safety purposes I am interested in the XD .45 with the thumb safety. This gun
has the double trigger, the backstrap safety, and the thumb safety. My reasoning
is that if a BG grappled with me for the gun, the thumb safety would be one extra
thing that would slow him down from shooting me with my own gun.
Plus, the more I read about people hit with smaller caliber weapons and still
fighting, it makes me think more seriously about moving up to .45ACP.

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Side issue - What do you think about handguns that will or will not fire when the
magazine is ejected? Good safety during a fight for your weapon, or bad since
you may eject the mag by accident and you should at least be able to fire the one
round still in the pipe?

Please comment with your thoughts regarding the different safety styles.