WTF? (why the frame?)- Slide mounted levers vs. frame mounted levers

[LukeNCMX]

All these control variations can be trained around. I learned to flag my firing hand thumb away from the slide early on so slide mounted controls are no big deal.

I think the drive for frame safeties come from the 1911/2011 crowd and the popular grip people used to shoot one well (strong side thumb riding safety/close to the slide, web of firing hand centered in the beavertail).

I also think if more folks manipulated pistols off the front of the slide instead of the rear then many of the gripes about slide mounted controls would go away.

In case someone has not seen Langdon's take:

[PX4 Storm Tracker]

Where?

With the exception of LTT https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LA8btM5RFp4 as @LukeNCMX mentioned, I have found that about every YouTube guru, everyone quoting their instructor, every gun reviewer seems to be against the slide mounted safety. They refer to them in derogatory terms and want Beretta to go back to the frame mounted levers.

I value your question, but to me it seems ubiquitous. P-F is far more savvy, mature and information based, but outside of this forum that opinion is prevalent.

[MattyD380]

With the exception of LTT https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LA8btM5RFp4 as @LukeNCMX mentioned, I have found that about every YouTube guru, everyone quoting their instructor, every gun reviewer seems to be against the slide mounted safety. They refer to them in derogatory terms and want Beretta to go back to the frame mounted levers.

I value your question, but to me it seems ubiquitous. P-F is far more savvy, mature and information based, but outside of this forum that opinion is prevalent.

I agree. It’s almost a cliche to deride slide-mounted levers. I prefer lower profile levers in general (the PX4’s “stealth” levers are great) but I’m kinda indifferent, personally, as to whether they’re on the slide or frame. As someone mentioned, decocking seems like something you do “before you leave the house”—not in action. That said, for a non-decocking safety… I suppose the frame would be my preferred location.

Honestly, my favorite decocker of all time… which happens to be slide mounted… is the P99’s push-button. It’s completely flush with the slide. Easy to use. And, for some reason, pushing a button is just very tactily gratifying.

[AdioSS]

Many people just think JMB got it right with the 1911 & Hi-Power. My favorite is no safety or Decocker, like a CZ75. I don’t actually own any CZs yet, though. With my first Beretta, an M9, I carried it a while & noticed that it could get bumped off of safety or the safety/decocker could be accidentally engaged when working the slide. I do prefer G-type levers for those reasons now. And while carrying a 1911 I have found that the safety got bumped off, too. It could’ve just been that gun & holster combination. The few times I’ve carried my Single Action Frame-safety Beretta Billennium there were no issues with the levers.

[MandoWookie]

Many people just think JMB got it right with the 1911 & Hi-Power. My favorite is no safety or Decocker, like a CZ75. I don’t actually own any CZs yet, though. With my first Beretta, an M9, I carried it a while & noticed that it could get bumped off of safety or the safety/decocker could be accidentally engaged when working the slide. I do prefer G-type levers for those reasons now. And while carrying a 1911 I have found that the safety got bumped off, too. It could’ve just been that gun & holster combination. The few times I’ve carried my Single Action Frame-safety Beretta Billennium there were no issues with the levers.

Cz75s do have a safety, just no decocker as standard. That's why I was never able to be comfortable with them, as I never felt safe decocking them manually, and the safety was too far forward for me to disengage without breaking my grip. The new Omega models have the option to switch between safety only and decocker only like the P07/09s. Haven't been able to find one locally to see if is an improvement or not.

I have stubby orangutan thumbs so for me 1911 style thumb safetys work the best, but I had no issue with disengaging the safety without breaking my grip on my 92X before I converted it to decocker only.
Ruger P series, not so much.

Also JMB didn't originally have a thumb safety on the series of designs that led into the the 1911. It was actually one of the last things added, the 1909 model(that was otherwise mechanically a modern 1911)just had a grip safety, they only put on the thumb safety in 1910 at the insisting of the cavalry. And I think it was a Colt engineer who did it.

[Bucky]

I am a huge fan of the 92, but the slide mounted controls are my least favorite feature. Unlike the OP, I have to readjust my grip a lot to manipulate it. When carrying a non G model, I’d occasionally find the gun on safe, which is not how I wanted. Today, all but one of my 92s are G models.

Like a couple have stated, I also believe the P2000 / P30 is the best decocker out there. Not only is its location very clean, and out of the way, it’s just mechanically so simple / brilliant.

[Bucky]

Fun fact, some time back I started a poll asking which design was best.

https://pistol-forum.com/showthread....ecocker-design

[Phaedrus]

You make some great points but I don't want a safety lever on my sidearm at all.

[TeeBee]

Generally speaking, I don't have a problem with slide mounted solutions. I've shot some 92s and PX4s, and I don't see any issue with the location aside from a training perspective. I'm very accustomed to the frame mounted lever of the CZ P-07/09, so if I went over to something like Beretta, I would just spend more effort getting to the slide mount lever. Not a big problem in my opinion.

The only time I've run into problems with frame mounted decockers is on the Sig P22X platform. This is also on a P229 Legion with reduced sized controls. As Ernest pointed out in the video, my support hand starts to activate the lever, causing light primer strikes. I'm sure I could adjust my grip to not interfere with the lever, but I see that as a bigger training obstacle than adjusting where my firing hand (or support hand thumb) reaches when I want to safely drop the gun's hammer.

[4RNR]

Kinda indifferent. The only one I can think of that seems to work well for me is the P07. Beretta is about the same as the old SW and Ruger. I like the HK one but it can inadvertently be decocked but it's kinda natural right under the thumb

I think the whole "grip break" is a little overblown. Up until relatively recently every lefty had to break their grip to release the mag, for the most part. There are some exceptions. For me a decocker is something to use when I'm done so I really don't care where it's placed

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