Poll - safety use on SW DA/SA autos?

[EB71]

Hello all,

I recently got my very first S&W auto, a 4013TSW, and I've been playing around with it a lot. It's the first gun I've ever had with a slide-mounted safety, and the process of flicking it off on the draw is certainly...different from the glocks and 1911s that I've owned. I've got the move down though, and now I'm just practicing.

It led me to wonder; of the folks here who use a DA/SA Smith for everyday concealed carry, how many of you carry on-safe, and how many just use the lever as a decocker? Do you feel the safety feature is useful, or do you think that carrying concealed negates the need for the safety? I'd be glad to hear from the voice of experience!

[Buck Mossie]

It is a decocker not a safety... Have no fear of concealed carrey with the decocker in the correct up position...

B

[ab4ka]

I carry my 6906 "off safe"...I just use the safety as a decocker. When it's stored at the house I keep it "on safe".

[bigmoose]

I do the same as ab4ka.

[kbm6893]

It's a decocker AND a safety. If you're gonna own a gun with a safety, you should at least assume it is "on safe" and train yourself to disengage on the draw. If it accidentally gets flicked to "on safe" and you don't train to flick it up, it's not gonna work when you need it to. We all automatically press the brake pedal before shifting into drive. Why not automatically flick the gun to "off safe" even if it is already off safe? For me, I carry safety on. I automatically disenage the safety on the draw. It's why my semi autos are limited to S&W 3rd gens and Berettas. Same manual of arms.

[carbuncle]

I keep my 3rd Gens "on safe" because in a defensive situation I'd automatically "check" the safety by flicking it up without looking at it anyway, might as well just leave it on. I'd have no problem carrying with it off, though, they're just as "safe" either way from a mechanical viewpoint.

[Win75]

Originally Posted by ab4ka

I carry my 6906 "off safe"...I just use the safety as a decocker. When it's stored at the house I keep it "on safe".

My 659 and CS9 are in the same condition as ab4ka's 6906.

[Maximumbob54]

I with the club that thinks of slide mounted safety decockers are pretty much mainly decockers. I load one in the mag, insert it, pull back the slide and let it load itself, use the decocker, refill the mag, and I'm done touching the lever until next time. Slide mounted safetys just aren't very ergonomic, are a whole next muscle memory to adjust to, and have a bad habit in some holsters of popping off safe. Berettas dis that to me all the time until I just stopped using them. That heavy double action is all I need to feel perfectly safe. It's more than most striker firing guns offer you. And they are supposed to be perfectly safe enough for our public servants...

[safearm]

I learned to use the slide mounted safety on S&W M39s a long time ago. When lots of LE agencies were carry S&W autos, there were many highly respected trainers (Mas Ayoob) that advocated carrying with the safety on to give you one more chance of controlling your gun in a disarming scenario (proprietary safety).
Every S&W I carried (M39, M59, M4566) and Beretta M9s in the military, I carried with the safety on, and I never had any problem with drawing and disengaging the safety. It's a training issue; once you learn how to do it, you don't have a problem.

[OK Hog Shooter]

Originally posted by kbm6893
It's a decocker AND a safety. If you're gonna own a gun with a safety, you should at least assume it is "on safe" and train yourself to disengage on the draw. If it accidentally gets flicked to "on safe" and you don't train to flick it up, it's not gonna work when you need it to. We all automatically press the brake pedal before shifting into drive. Why not automatically flick the gun to "off safe" even if it is already off safe? For me, I carry safety on. I automatically disenage the safety on the draw. It's why my semi autos are limited to S&W 3rd gens and Berettas. Same manual of arms.

I'm with kbm6893.

[pharmer]

Originally Posted by ab4ka

I carry my 6906 "off safe"...I just use the safety as a decocker.

Another vote here. Joe

[ajpelz]

Originally Posted by ab4ka

I carry my 6906 "off safe"...I just use the safety as a decocker. When it's stored at the house I keep it "on safe".

This is what I do with my 4566.

[XAVMECH]

For CCW, I use both a 3913 and 3953. When carrying the 3913, it's decocked - lever returned to the "fire" position. While the trigger pull is different between these two pistols, the draw and fire manual of arms is the same: draw the weapon and pull the trigger. Same as my old Glock 19.

[18DAI]

I do both. On my 3rd gen duty gun - I use it as a decocker - safety off in the holster. My 4566 is equipped with decock only - my 645 and 4506-1 are standard configuration. They are carried safety off in the holster.

In fact, my G&G thumb break holsters can't be snapped shut if the safety is on.

My off duty guns are usually carried IWB. My 3913 being my most carried pistol. I am ingrained in sweeping off the safety on the draw. I still do it, even though the decock only guns have already done it themselves.

I prefer the safety on an IWB carry gun. My 0.02 Regards 18DAI.

[Forsmithers]

Pharmer - What's up with the picture of your 6906 on the porcelain throne? Is that where it get's parked?

Oh, and my 3914, 6906, 5906, 4516 and 6450 were all carried with the safety/decocker in the Fire position. That was never an issue with the 4046 or currently my M&P40C since both of those are DAO.

[RufusG]

Originally Posted by Forsmithers

Pharmer - What's up with the picture of your 6906 on the porcelain throne? Is that where it get's parked?

Just be happy the picture doesn't include the next foot and half or so back towards the camera.

[VTHokiesDuckHunter]

Originally Posted by Forsmithers
Pharmer - What's up with the picture of your 6906 on the porcelain throne? Is that where it get's parked?


Just be happy the picture doesn't include the next foot and half or so back towards the camera.

Thank God Anthony Weiner is not a member of this forum

[pharmer]

Originally Posted by Forsmithers

Pharmer - What's up with the picture of your 6906 on the porcelain throne? Is that where it get's parked?

Only when I'm there "on business." Joe

[yustinus1973]

Iv carried my 5903 both ways, but off safe would be the one i do the most. I like decocker only types to, iv looked at and tried beretta 92Gs, and Ruger P-91DC. Thought about haveing my 4006TSW converted but S&W wanted to much for that, maby in the future.

[Palmetto Sharpshooter]

Where's the poll?

Nyet on the safety.

[EB71]

Originally Posted by Palmetto Sharpshooter

Where's the poll?

Nyet on the safety.

Sorry- I was using the word "poll" figuratively. I don't know how to set up an actual one

[vista461]

Well we can't carry here yet (although it just passed the state senate, woohoo!) I plan on carrying the 4003 safety off, in fact one of these days I am going to send it to S&W to have it converted to decock only

[Gunhacker]

When you think of it, how is a loaded (one in the chamber) 3rd gen pistol carried decocked and "off safe" any different than carrying a loaded DA revolver, as far as being any more or less unsafe?

I keep my 4506-1 decocked and off safe and treat it like any other loaded handgun at home or a field.

[blujax01]

We left-handers have a history of dying younger than our right-handed counterparts due to the lack of ergonomically correct tools. (It's true, look it up!).

Smith and Wesson was thoughtful enough to provide a safety lever I can actually use as it was intended so by God I am going to use it!

Now about that mag release ...

[MeefZah]

I don't use it, except to drop the hammer.