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mr.72 wrote: 9mm ammo is cheap and effective. If you can get more rounds for the dollar, you may practice more and you might become much more comfortable with your pistol. This is a counter to the .40 argument. I don't want to get into a calibre debate but I guess we will anyway.

Also, a manual safety to me is a terrible idea for a self-defense pistol. I would select one with a safety design that you are comfortable with, but that does not require two actions in order to fire. This is of course just MHO. Certainly there are thousands of people trained to nearly instinctively disengage the safety before firing but I don't think I would want to rely on that under stress.

This isn't the thread for a Manual Safety - DAO war either. but I want to comment for clarity.

The trick with me with a Manual safety is to make drawing and thumbing the safety all in one motion. The other thing that works for me is to only carry guns that are simular. Switching and practicing drawing with both a 1911 and a Glock fer instance could confuse muscle memory. YMMV

jeeperbryan wrote:Liberty, so what do you recommend as a safe CCW? Just curious because I went to the gun show yesterday and I'm still torn. Honestly, the gun that felt best in my hand was the Taurus PT-140. I'm not a huge fan of Taurus and have heard of issues with their Millenium series so I'm thinking I need to keep looking.

flame suit is on!!

I couldn't recommend a weapon, because everyone is different and the safety features work for different people in different ways, and to be be honest every gun is design is a compromise of safety, features, price, reliability and performance.

My advice is to pick a design and model that has been around for a while along with a manufacturer who has a reputation for safety and reliability.

I Prefer sa/da with a manual safety. I know just looking at the weapon that the gun is in pretty safe in that condition. My thumb has been educated to sweep whenever I go to the make ready position. I do believe that most 1911s are pretty safe but I find the hammer being back is a little creepy. I know its not gonna fall all on its own, but safety can have a lot to do with feeling comfortable. Your millage can vary. I do feel that reliability is a part of safety. I would hope that anyone that carrys any gun put a lot of ammo down range before they decide to trust it. 1911s can be finnicky particularly during breakin.

I don't care for Glocks, and DAO, but they work just fine for lots of other people. The no safety with double action just doesn't work for me. However if one is absolutely confident in their gun handling abilities, boogerhook control and always absolutely keeps it holstered they can be a safe gun. Just not for me..

Now There are many people with far more knowledge and experiance than me who have other opinions and their opinions are certainly with validation.

I have 2 carry guns. A Beretta 92Fs and a Ruger Stainless P95. Both are on the big side for concealed carry, but work fine for me. The Ruger is my primary carry weapon. but both guns operate very much the same. The Safety is similarly located. both are DA/SA and both are more accurate than I. Neither gun cost more than $400. Switching from one to the other is transparent. (except for carry method). I wouldn't recommend them as an everyday carry for most people because of their size and bulk even though it works for me.

There are some Taurus I feel might be good for every day CC but I would really want to put them through the ringer at the range before trusted them. Ive heard real good things about them reliability wise, but the occassional horror story seems to come out once in a while.

I think the important thing though is to find out what the safety features are, understanding them, and deciding what is important to you.

lunchbox wrote:

Liberty wrote:

lunchbox wrote:buy a 1911 and be done with it

Yeah sure!! There was a thread just this week about where a guy dropped his RIA only 3 feet and it went off.

Some 1911s can go off by themselves. Most modern weapons can't, but as I understand it is possible for some 1911s to go off without the trigger being pulled. Thats one of the reasons they reinvented the 1911 with the model 70.

We CHL carriers, pay a lot of attention to style, caliber, and trigger, but I suspect that some of us don't really take time to compare and understand safety features as well as we might.

the gun in question is a RIA wile a solid wepon its cheap and the design dates way back to the 50s im told
i have one just like the one in question and it has been dropped and i did not experience the same result as that is a rare situation.and from what others said can be fixed with a stiff firing pin spring. newer design 1911s wont have this problem. the gun is only as safe as the person operating it my advice dont drop your gun

Good advice, but I'm also talking about carry guns, guns that for some of us are worn and kept with us 24 hours a day, days a week, 365 days a year. Requirements for a range gun, or even home protection are different and may not be as extreme. The odds are pretty good for anyone that carries that someday they will drop their gun. Seeing as though I have dropped 2 cell phones in a swimming pool, and one under an 18 wheeler it is something I'm painfully aware of. I've never dropped a handgun, but i can't say it can't happen to me. Dropping isn't the only issue, car accidents or even some kind of fall come into play.

Again this is all in referance to the the OP where he isn't comfortable carrying in with one in the chamber. I believe understanding and selecting a handgun one has confidence in has a lot to do with this. A lot of people are uncomfortable with the 1911 hammer seeing it cocked back and ready to go, a realistic and full understanding of how these internal safetys work (if they exist) can be a big help in confidence. Telling someone that a 1911 , Glock or any other gun can't go off accidentally isn't good enough. It is important to understand the features of our handguns and exactly how these features work.

BTW: Just because a gun has been dropped on its muzzle and didn't go off doesn't mean that it won't the next time.

drw wrote:

MBGuy wrote:Why don't you study in detail how it is that your gun CAN'T just go off by itself. That's what I did.

Do you recall where did you read this? Having that information readily available would be very helpful (I'd personally love to read more about this.)

Different guns have different safety mechanisms or 'systems" if you wish.

Guns that are California approved have been drop tested.

Most guns today can't go off, without the trigger being pulled. Until the trigger is pulled the the firing pin is blocked. pulling the trigger removes the block then releases the hammer.

Guns with manual safeties isolate the firing pin.

A holster should make it impossble for fingers or anything else to access the trigger. Until the gun is drawn.


Before I buy a gun Concealed carry I find an owners manual and go over it until I completely understand how it works. We buy a hand gun to protect ourselves not expose ourselves to more danger. I make the the assumption that I will eventually drop my gun, get involved in an automobile accident with my gun or fall. These actually are more likely to happen to me than I would be required to draw my gun. Safety starts with the gun purchase and thay aren't all built the same, and what works well for one, won't always work for another.

I carry chambered and am confident of my safety while carrying.

lunchbox wrote:buy a 1911 and be done with it

Yeah sure!! There was a thread just this week about where a guy dropped his RIA only 3 feet and it went off.

Some 1911s can go off by themselves. Most modern weapons can't, but as I understand it is possible for some 1911s to go off without the trigger being pulled. Thats one of the reasons they reinvented the 1911 with the model 80.

We CHL carriers, pay a lot of attention to style, caliber, and trigger, but I suspect that some of us don't really take time to compare and understand safety features as well as we might.