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Thread: Thumb on hammer holstering a SA/DA ?

  1. #1

    Thumb on hammer holstering a SA/DA ?

    I own a Beretta 92A1. I don’t shoot competitively. I was watching an Ernest Langdon video about the things he likes about SA/DA pistol. One of them is his ability to put thumb on hammer when holstering the pistol compared to striker fired. I see the wisdom of having positive control of the hammer. One thing I like about an SA/DA (with visible hammer) is being able to tell if cocked by sight and/or feel, compared to striker fired. What I am not sure of is what is the undesirable outcome that might happen without thumb on hammer? In competition is it possible for the hammer to get hung up on clothing or belt and the hammer fall? I’m guessing and inadvertent discharge has happened in the past during a competition? With a Beretta 92 having the firing pin block, could it fire without pulling trigger if it the hammer did get snagged? And if you are putting thumb on hammer do you keep down pressure on it so it can get charged (pulled back), or do you put up pressure on it so it can’t fall forward, or do you just keep it from moving at all. I am gonna adopt the thumb practice when shooting and I want to apply it correctly. Up until now I exercise the decocker/safety (mine is not decock only) and then holster the pistol. Perhaps the thumb move is more useful with an active trigger (decock only)? Thanks

  2. #2
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    It is the trigger getting snagged, not the hammer that is the issue.

    Why are some folks concerned about reholstering a striker fired gun, especially AIWB? Because, if something catches the trigger, there is no way for you to know it pretty much until the gun goes bang.

    With a hammer fired gun, particularly a DA/SA (they start DA with the first shot and then become SA), with the hammer decocked, when reholstering, if you have your thumb on the hammer, and something has gotten inside the trigger guard and is pulling the trigger, you instantly know, because you feel the hammer putting pressure on your thumb and you can stop.

  3. #3
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    On the Beretta as taught by most, you decock, return the safety/decocker to the fire position, and then put your thumb on the hammer to assure that it does not move while you holster. If the hammer tries to start moving, your thumb prevents it from doing so. You stop holstering and pull the pistol back out and figure out what is contacting the trigger to cause it to try to shoot your leg or groin, clear the obstruction or problem, and then holster with the thumb again providing positive control of the firing system.

    WIth a traditional DA revolver or DAO hammer-fired semiauto, you holster the same way, and with an SCD equipped Glock, you mimic the hammer fired semiauto by placing your thumb on the SCD while holstering. All give you positive control over the firing mechanism and tactile feedback to know if something is wrong, i.e., you’re about to put a hole where one doesn’t belong.

  4. #4
    Wow! I never considered the Trigger. I knew there was a good reason . I just don’t have the experience to know why. Thanks for the explanation. This forum is awesome! I guess by me holstering mine with safety on (not decock only) the trigger won’t fire the pistol (dead trigger). But if I were to shoot a competition, I would be holstering the pistol with safety OFF, and then be vulnerable to this risk. Makes perfect sense now. Thank you.

  5. #5
    Member AdioSS's Avatar
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    And if you have a G model Beretta there is no safety.

  6. #6
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    Quote Originally Posted by Duelist View Post
    On the Beretta as taught by most, you decock, return the safety/decocker to the fire position, and then put your thumb on the hammer to assure that it does not move while you holster. If the hammer tries to start moving, your thumb prevents it from doing so. You stop holstering and pull the pistol back out and figure out what is contacting the trigger to cause it to try to shoot your leg or groin, clear the obstruction or problem, and then holster with the thumb again providing positive control of the firing system.

    WIth a traditional DA revolver or DAO hammer-fired semiauto, you holster the same way, and with an SCD equipped Glock, you mimic the hammer fired semiauto by placing your thumb on the SCD while holstering. All give you positive control over the firing mechanism and tactile feedback to know if something is wrong, i.e., you’re about to put a hole where one doesn’t belong.
    This was also how we were instructed with 2nd and 3rd gen S&W pistols.

  7. #7
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    Quote Originally Posted by Rmiked View Post
    But if I were to shoot a competition, I would be holstering the pistol with safety OFF, and then be vulnerable to this risk. Makes perfect sense now. Thank you.
    You mentioned competition in both posts, but it really isn't a competition issue. While it is your gun, and you can carry it any way you want, as the folks have mentioned above, most folks decock and then take the safety off.

    Perhaps, this is the Langdon video you are referring to?

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Db8t-f54Im0

    The part at about the 2:45 mark to the 3:30 mark will explain this.

    However, the 2:05 mark to about the 2:45 mark is one of my favorite parts.
    Last edited by JTQ; 06-04-2020 at 08:04 PM.

  8. #8
    Deadeye Dick Clusterfrack's Avatar
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    I always thumb the hammer when I holster my CZs. AIWB or my USPSA production rig, always thumb on hammer when it goes into the holster.

    I’ve never had the trigger snag. But, I did once catch myself holstering with the hammer back, during a long practice session with lots and lots of draws.
    “There is no growth in the comfort zone.”--Jocko Willink
    "You can never have too many knives." --Joe Ambercrombie

  9. #9
    Thanks. I watched the video. I like the idea of removing safety after decocking. The Beretta 92 is as safe as an SA/DA revolver in that configuration. I had a SW 686 (SA/DA revolver) for 25 years before getting the 92A1. One of the main reasons I like the Beretta 92 (compared to striker fired ) is how familiar it is compared to that revolver. I like being able to see the hammer. I like being able to shoot DA or SA. A class participant suggested Ernest’s 92 was “like a Glock”. I don’t know what he was talking about but Ernest clarified that they were NOT alike. That was an interesting exchange.

  10. #10
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    Quote Originally Posted by Rmiked View Post
    A class participant suggested Ernest’s 92 was “like a Glock”. I don’t know what he was talking about but Ernest clarified that they were NOT alike. That was an interesting exchange.
    Glock literature (and membership across dozens of internet gun forums) would have you believe the Glock Safe Action is a Double Action Only gun. As Mr. Langdon describes in the video, for the user, the Glock is much closer to a single action gun, than the DA/SA Beretta 92.

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