Opinions on external safety

[Speederlander]

Hoping this is not the typical pro-con external safety debate that is so common. Better sample of experienced people on this forum.

If you have a pistol with an external safety (1911, etc.), and assuming you train the hell out of it....and if the fight is 6 yards down to grappling distance or otherwise up close, personal and ugly QUICKLY and unexpectedly.
For this specific case, is an external safety:
1. A hindrance no matter how much you practice (due to the unexpected, etc.)
2. A wash compared to the other options (net impact zero as long as you are well practiced)
3. A benefit (preventing the assailant/perp/etc. from forcing an unwanted discharge, etc.)

Or none of the above and something else?

Again, this question assumes you have spent significant time training that weapon with that particular safety and the fight is sudden and bad breath distance or close enough to get that way in a second or two.

[Wayne Dobbs]

Some very scary personal experience says #3. I'm here today to bother/entertain/inform y'all because of a 1911 safety.

[Speederlander]

Some very scary personal experience says #3. I'm here today to bother/entertain/inform y'all because of a 1911 safety.

Exactly the kind of informed feedback I am looking for. Thanks.

[farscott]

I am not an expert, but my belief is, "it depends". At least one forum member mentioned that his thumb was injured badly enough in an encounter to make a thumb safety not usable. I have seen experienced people fail to click off a 1911 safety under the stress of IDPA. I am also personally aware of at least one person who survived because the bad guy could not figure out how to get the safety to the "bang" position.

My other belief is that, for me, a long consistent trigger pull is better than a manual safety. Less controls to manipulate and fewer variables are better for me. As such, I prefer LEM.

[DA_Auto]

# 1 for me

DAO

[JohnO]

I posted this somewhere on this site before.

I was in a Kyle Defoor class where Kyle demonstrated some contact shots on a target with a Glock. Kyle put just under the amount of pressure required to force the Glock out of battery on the muzzle of the gun. Kyle then went on to say the 1911 was an archaic gun because it was not capable of doing what he did. Seeing as I was shooting a 1911 in his class I begged to differ.

I proceeded to grab the target with one hand and jam my 1911 into it with the other. I'm talking about significantly more force than Kyle was using as the target was deformed by the pressure from my gun's muzzle. I then proceeded to easily put a contact round into the target. I explained to Kyle the 1911's Safety locks the slide in battery. If I need to make a contact shot I could put all my weight into the gun if required and still fire a shot. The technique is finger depressing the trigger. Disengaging the Safety fires the pistol. That was something his Glock can not do! He learned something.

[Sensei]

It depends. For SA it’s a must. For DAO or DA/SA it’s probably unnecessary. For striker-fired guns without a SCD/gadget it’s probably a very good idea.

[LSP552]

It depends. For SA it’s a must. For DAO or DA/SA it’s probably unnecessary. For striker-fired guns without a SCD/gadget it’s probably a very good idea.

This ^. And I’d add that if you carry a gun with a safety, don’t mix and match with others that don’t. I carried a 1911 for work for a number of years, and truly love them. When I carried them, the only non 1911 I carried was a J-frame backup.

I have a former coworker who failed to take the safety off a Browning HP when he was being shot at from about 6 ft distance. He carried a revolver sometimes and swapping likely messed with his head. He is lucky the asshole missed. I’m lucky because the asshole missed me when I rolled up.

[JAH 3rd]

I look at this from the aspect of which pistol I shoot most proficiently, that is shoot with confidence and accuracy. If it has a safety I incorporate that into the training for that pistol. I also look at a safety as something that I can use or not. Sort of like a weapon mounted light, it's there and I decided if and when to use it. If we are talking about a safety on a duty pistol, then SOP might regulate it's usage.

Magazine disconnects can also spark a lively debate!

[DocGKR]

I have twice seen officers' lives saved when an engaged manual safety prevented a pistol lost from their control from firing...