Hi, I have a 1st Gen Shield 9mm with a safety that i plan to CC. After researching and learning about concealed carrying, I realize that if I had it to do again, I would have bought one without a safety. Opinions about whether you should carry chambered aside, would carrying it with the safety "off" be the same as carrying one without a safety, mechanically?
Carrying with safety off
- Thread starter mouse65
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smith10
Member
Yes, it is the same. the only operational difference being that you have to make sure its off when you need it to be.
KSDeputy
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I have generation three pistols, DA/SA, which I always carry with the safety off. They are as safe as revolvers. The decocking feature requires more training, but it is worth it. We first carried a model 645, then a model 4506 just before I retired. I love the ones I have and I love a DA/SA pistol in .45acp.
Marshal tom
Member
I have the same and carry it with the safety off all the time. If the model with no safety had been available when I purchased mine, I would have preferred it but no matter. I just choose not to use the safety. I am a lefty which also makes a difference.
royal barnes
Member
My primary carry is a pc Shield in 9mm. It came with a thumb safety that I don’t use. Would have preferred no thumb safety but it was not available that way.
Frame mounted safeties are fine with me, long as they work correctly Id use it. I come from the competitive world and always used 1911's, 2011's. So sweeping a thumb safety down on the draw is second nature to me.
What I wont touch is those god awful designed slide mounted abominations.
1 they work exact opposite.. UP for fire.
2. they dont change the feel of the trigger.
3. Get a stoppage and half the time when u speed rack the slide to clear it u end up flipping the dang thing down, which u dont realize until u go to shoot again and the dang safety is still on.
Dang M-9 was horrible for that.
What I wont touch is those god awful designed slide mounted abominations.
1 they work exact opposite.. UP for fire.
2. they dont change the feel of the trigger.
3. Get a stoppage and half the time when u speed rack the slide to clear it u end up flipping the dang thing down, which u dont realize until u go to shoot again and the dang safety is still on.
Dang M-9 was horrible for that.
Thanks everyone. I just wanted to make sure that there was not any additional internal safe-guards on the model without a safety that are not on the one with a safety. I don't want to have to worry about taking the time to flip the safety off in what would already be a tremendously stressful situation.
It doesnt take any time, It should just be part of establishing a proper grip. Which u learn by practice and dry fire.
What it can do for is GAIN u some time to react in the event ur gun gets grabbed or picked up by someone unfamiliar with it.
I see zero negative to a manual thumb safety and possible positives.
What it can do for is GAIN u some time to react in the event ur gun gets grabbed or picked up by someone unfamiliar with it.
I see zero negative to a manual thumb safety and possible positives.
Once in the holster I flick it off.
I never cared for the thumb safeties on M&P full size and compact pistols...I had several, and they all felt mushy to me, plus being so obtrusive. (I like 1911s, and of course like and use the thumb safety on them, but they don't stick out as far and are more positive to engage/take off.) My Shield 9mm didn't have a thumb safety, but when the first Shield 45 hit my LGS, it had a thumb safety. I'd been wanting one so I went ahead and bought it, figuring I wouldn't use it. Turns out I like it a lot...the thumb safety is very flat against the frame, and it's very positive to engage/take off. I don't worry about it being engaged accidentally, and I practice taking it off. I feel a lot better about carrying the gun with the safety engaged.
One afternoon I lost my 5906 in a scuffle with a robbery suspect. By the grace of God, he did not know how to release the safety. I've been retired 13 years and I still like pistols with safeties.
A number of years ago, some surveillance footage was shown on TV in which a jeweler, drew what appeared to be a Walther PPK/S and attempted to fire at a robber who was firing on him. Try as he might, he struggled through the footage and never got off a shot.
Analysis was easy. He always carried with the safety on except when he went to the range. He disengaged the safety, fired off his box of ammo, re-ingaged the safety and went home.
Carrying with safety on or off is neither wrong nor correct. What matters is that you train the way you carry and develop the muscle memory necessary so that you can disengage the safety subconsciously.
Analysis was easy. He always carried with the safety on except when he went to the range. He disengaged the safety, fired off his box of ammo, re-ingaged the safety and went home.
Carrying with safety on or off is neither wrong nor correct. What matters is that you train the way you carry and develop the muscle memory necessary so that you can disengage the safety subconsciously.
DJINCO
US Veteran
There are a lot of us who carry our guns without a safety lever. They are called revolvers, and with one in the chamber, hammer down.
Short answer, yes. I carry a Shield with a safety (because I got for $199 after rebate). I don't use it though. With the Shield the safety is unobtrusive so I don't think it can be inadvertently flipped. I don't know if I would say that for every gun though.
I have read several accounts over the years of a safety on a duty weapon giving an officer that extra half second to regain control of his pistol when it’s been taken by a perp who doesn’t know how to quickly unsafe it. I would propose that they have saved the lives of many LEOs.
I've carried a 1911 for most of my carry career so sweeping the safety off is second nature. My agency carried HK USP handguns with frame mounted safety's and we taught sweeping the safety off even if the officer chose to carry safety off in the event that the safety was inadvertently moved to safe during carry. I would suggest that anyone carrying a weapon with a safety for EDC to sweep the safety whenever drawing the weapon as a common sense precaution. As a uniformed Officer, my HK USP variant 2, carried safety on, gave me added piece of mind in the event of a disarm; a second or two to deploy my backup M-37.
What he said.
mike campbell
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I carry revolvers and one auto with no manual safety. Obviously, I don't think a manual safety is necessary on a DA/striker-fired gun.
But IF I were to carry an auto with a flip safety, I would use it. I would practice taking the safety off as part of every draw and shoot. I would not pretend it isn't there. Why? Because Murphy's Law says that if I carry a gun with a flip safety and choose to ignore it, and not train with it so that I automatically disengage it each and every time I draw and shoot ... then sure as heck when I draw it in a real emergency, the safety will be engaged. Oops.
Steel challenge shooters draw a cocked and locked 1911 from a holster, disengage the safety once the muzzle is pointed downrange, and put 5 shots on 5 targets in less than 2 seconds. When I shoot guns with a safety, I practice with the safety.
I have lasers with momentary switches that work only when I squeeze the grip to fire. They also come with a manual on/off power switch. It's a tiny little thing in a recess that's difficult to engage....presumably so I don't turn the power off accidentally. I consulted Murphy and he convinced me to put super glue in the on/off switch.
But IF I were to carry an auto with a flip safety, I would use it. I would practice taking the safety off as part of every draw and shoot. I would not pretend it isn't there. Why? Because Murphy's Law says that if I carry a gun with a flip safety and choose to ignore it, and not train with it so that I automatically disengage it each and every time I draw and shoot ... then sure as heck when I draw it in a real emergency, the safety will be engaged. Oops.
Steel challenge shooters draw a cocked and locked 1911 from a holster, disengage the safety once the muzzle is pointed downrange, and put 5 shots on 5 targets in less than 2 seconds. When I shoot guns with a safety, I practice with the safety.
I have lasers with momentary switches that work only when I squeeze the grip to fire. They also come with a manual on/off power switch. It's a tiny little thing in a recess that's difficult to engage....presumably so I don't turn the power off accidentally. I consulted Murphy and he convinced me to put super glue in the on/off switch.
andyo5
Member
I'm surprised that you had to ask. Of course it is the same as having no safety. I have one with a safety, and I use the safety.
