Well, when Larry's and Daryl's brother was born, their parents were going to name him Larry, but decided that that would be too confusing.If I ever knew, I forgot it long ago. Please enlighten us.
Are Glocks safe?
- Thread starter max503
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Anyone remember Plaxico Burress? Ask him if he thinks they're safe.
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Miami_JBT
US Veteran
The military generally sucks at pistolcraft. I never looked towards the military for modern pistol shooting skills and handling.
6917sctygrp
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Glocks Are Safe If You Are
Like the rule says: Keep your finger off the trigger until you are ready to shoot. I carry a G26 everyday in the appendix position. I put one in the chamber, put the pistol in it's holster and put the holster in my pants. That is where it stays unless I return home and take the whole thing out of my pants or have to use it during the day (haven't had to do so yet). However if I did, I'd remove the holster, replace the pistol in it and then put the whole thing back in my pants. Glocks always go bang when you pull the trigger, are simple to disassemble and reassemble, and won't ever go bang unless you pull the trigger. They have 3 safety's and a 4th which is you finger.
Like the rule says: Keep your finger off the trigger until you are ready to shoot. I carry a G26 everyday in the appendix position. I put one in the chamber, put the pistol in it's holster and put the holster in my pants. That is where it stays unless I return home and take the whole thing out of my pants or have to use it during the day (haven't had to do so yet). However if I did, I'd remove the holster, replace the pistol in it and then put the whole thing back in my pants. Glocks always go bang when you pull the trigger, are simple to disassemble and reassemble, and won't ever go bang unless you pull the trigger. They have 3 safety's and a 4th which is you finger.
JcMack
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6917sctygrp
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Glock Triggers
Glock triggers are not their best feature as they are generally 5 or 6 lb. pull.
In my opinion there are far too many people who "forget" to actuate their manual safety and wonder why the gun didn't go bang. Same with those who don't carry with one in the chamber. No matter what practice is very important if you want to survive when the SHTF.
Glock triggers are not their best feature as they are generally 5 or 6 lb. pull.
In my opinion there are far too many people who "forget" to actuate their manual safety and wonder why the gun didn't go bang. Same with those who don't carry with one in the chamber. No matter what practice is very important if you want to survive when the SHTF.
Coyote56
Member
Striker fired pistol safety
If you study the incidents involving accidental discharges and shootings involving striker fired pistols, you will see how common it is for them to discharge under conditions where a pistol with an engaged mechanical safety could not be.
People who love the striker fired designs will argue, as did one post above, that safety is in the head of the person who has the gun.
Unfortunately, many of the accidental shootings involve gun owners not securing their pistol properly, guns being in places where they can get jostled against something or an errant hand contacts the trigger—that jostling or errant hand is often an infant or small child, or anyone who did not know the gun was there or who did not know any better.
Even very trained handlers have such pistols discharge when they do not intend to have it happen.
The gun industry does not want anyone to point out this reality, and “gun people” in general do not want anybody to tell them whatever.
One professional trainer wrote that they did not want a mechanical safety because it would be “…something else to fumble with.”
Thinking…if they are fumbling with a pistol in their hands, most of us don’t want to be nearby.
Proponents of mechanical safeties…and they are out there…recognize that proper training delivers proficiency at deactivating those safeties as part of a deliberate decision process when a pistol is to be fired.
If you study the incidents involving accidental discharges and shootings involving striker fired pistols, you will see how common it is for them to discharge under conditions where a pistol with an engaged mechanical safety could not be.
People who love the striker fired designs will argue, as did one post above, that safety is in the head of the person who has the gun.
Unfortunately, many of the accidental shootings involve gun owners not securing their pistol properly, guns being in places where they can get jostled against something or an errant hand contacts the trigger—that jostling or errant hand is often an infant or small child, or anyone who did not know the gun was there or who did not know any better.
Even very trained handlers have such pistols discharge when they do not intend to have it happen.
The gun industry does not want anyone to point out this reality, and “gun people” in general do not want anybody to tell them whatever.
One professional trainer wrote that they did not want a mechanical safety because it would be “…something else to fumble with.”
Thinking…if they are fumbling with a pistol in their hands, most of us don’t want to be nearby.
Proponents of mechanical safeties…and they are out there…recognize that proper training delivers proficiency at deactivating those safeties as part of a deliberate decision process when a pistol is to be fired.
If you prefer the safety of the double-action trigger pull on your 638, then you might want to look around for a Sig P250. They are DAO, and their trigger pull reminds me of a really smooth double-action revolver. I grew up with revolvers, so when I first tried the Sig P250, it was "love at first trigger pull". I own multiple P250 fire control units and even more conversion kits in all the calibers that Sig offered them in from .22LR through .45 ACP and all sizes, from subcompact through full-size. All of my P250s have smooth trigger pulls in the 6 to 7 lb range. Sig ceased production of that model a few years ago and has switched to the striker-fired P320. The P320 is a nice striker-fired pistol, but it is not as nice as the P250 to me. YMMV. I suggest you look for a good used P250 if you want a DAO. Barring that, the best alternative is either a Kahr or an H&K P30SK with their LEM trigger.
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The Glock is mechanically safe from a discharge if dropped. Like your revolver, it will fire if you or anything else (think zipper pulls, keys, lipstick, or anything else) pulls the trigger. Thus, if you pocket carry, use a pocket holster and put nothing in your pocket.
If you want a heavier trigger pull, have your local Glock armorer install the NY-1 or NY-2 trigger spring. That makes it so heavy, you’ll never hit anything, which is why NYPD is finally ditching it and going to the standard 5.5 pound pull.
Although the Glock is mechanically safe, YOU must have confidence in the weapon. Remember Rule 3. Not just with Glocks, but with all guns all the time.
An earlier post said the 1911 had several safeties, and the Glock had none. That, of course, is demonstrably false, at least as to the Glock. The 1911 has the thumb safety, the grip safety, the disconnector safety, the firing pin safety (Swartz or Series 80 only), the half-cock notch, and the extra lug on the back of the thumb safety.
The 1911, of course, has a device that prevents pulling the trigger unless it is switched off. Oddly, the thumb safety doesn’t work at all unless the hammer is cocked, yet people who tout its presence are often uncomfortable carrying the 1911 in Condition One. That said, the Glock does not have a manual safety, but neither does a revolver. If that is a big deal, then don’t buy a Glock.
Think of the Glock as a revolver - safe if dropped, but will fire if you pull the trigger. The Glock has three internal, automatic safeties to prevent a discharge if the weapon is dropped.
1. The firing pin safety prevents inertial firing if it is dropped on the muzzle.
2. The unfortunately named “trigger safety” (the blade in the body of the trigger) prevents inertial firing if the pistol is dropped on its rear (think SIG Sauer P320, which doesn’t have it and apparently they learned why “the hard way”).
3. Finally, the Glock’s third internal, automatic safety is the drop safety (again, the name implies safe from dropping the pistol, when the actual meaning refers to an internal device called a “positive guide means” or a safety shelf, which positively prevents the cruciform sear from “dropping” out of engagement with the lug on the firing pin until just prior to the moment of release, thereby preventing an unintentional discharge).
Glocks have been dropped from helicopters from quite a considerable distance to test the soundness of its safety systems.
At the end of the day, you have to be comfortable. Here are two ideas to help you get there: (1) Rack the slide without a magazine so that the action is set as if you had chambered a round, but you are not actually chambering a round. Carry it around for a week, checking each day to see that the trigger hasn’t magically “pulled itself.” Once you are confident, load up and carry. (2) Attend a Glock armorer’s course. Unlike other gun companies, Glock allows ordinary folks to attend. In-depth explanation of how it works goes a long way in instilling confidence In its safety.
Good luck.
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James E. McCall
Member
I will add my two cents here, long ago maybe 50 years I was going off duty and at my locker( I was carrying my Smith & Wesson Model 39 ) and just taking off my gunbelt when my Lieutenant who had his locker across from me when I heard a bang and the door of my locker which was open and hit with a richochet and the bullet struck me on my tieclasp very lightly and wound up in my hand, and as I turned to him he had a ragged hole down his trousers and a big chunk taken out of his right shoe at the heel. I turned to him shaking as I did so and asked him if this bullet in my hand was his and he stated "yes" as I handed it to him and asked him what had happened and he related that his New carry was a Glock. He is a veteran shooter and I could not believe he had an accidental discharge . He then stated that he was taking it out of his holster and it went off . He then with hands trembling ejected the magazine, pulled the slide back and ejected the round in the chamber, locking the slide back, I asked him if he had any injury and he said no, mean while a whole bunch of our fellow officers came down the stairs and asked what ha happened, well to conclude he had to fill our a form about and accidental discharge and told me later he brought back that Glock to where he bought it and instead bought a Model 39 like mine. Glocks are not safe no matter what anyone says , I know it takes training training and more training but still I will never want one or shoot one ever.
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Sheepdogged
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Personally, I don't think you are overthinking it as has been suggested. Unfortunately, there is too much groupthink on this topic (and in the gun world and other fields generally) and not enough independent thinking going on.
Let me preface this by saying that I've owned dozens of concealed carry firearms over the last 16 years it's been [again] legal to carry in my state. I've had six Glocks and six M&P's alone (some with and without manual safeties). I've also had DAO, SAO, and DA/SA carry pistols as well, so I am intimately familiar with a variety of pistol actions.
One of the worst sayings in the gun world is that "The only safety you need is between your ears". Either that or "Just keep your booger finger off the trigger and you'll be alright" or something similar. Those are both very bad ways to look at it in my opinion.
Let me ask the forum a question. How many times has "Glock leg" occurred with a pistol with a manual safety, DAO, SAO, or DA/SA pistol? Glock leg happens every year, and I've read dozens and dozens of reports over the years researching this, and although I am sure some idiot somewhere did it, I've never heard of Glock leg happening with anything but a striker-fired pistol, and they've always been ones without a manual safety. Again, I'm not saying it hasn't happened, but clearly it is almost always with a striker-fired gun without a manual safety. Say what you will, but it is not just a coincidence.
I remember a news story years ago where three police officers got Glock leg for the same reason (the draw string from their jacket got caught in the trigger guard holstering their weapon). This was a mainstream news story. One guy was wearing a Glock 22 and after the gun went off, the doctors couldn't tell him for days if he was going to keep his leg.
I still carry striker-fired pistols without a manual safety (M&P9 M2.0 Subcompact), but I prefer DA/SA or something with a manual safety. On my S&W PC M&P9 Shield M2.0, I have a manual safety, but I only engage it to holster the weapon and then I turn it off. I know there are risks associated with drawing a pistol without a manual safety as well, but I am very familiar with the possibilities and I take that risk, but I limit it (as the pistol is only among five that I carry). But I wouldn't tell anyone not to overthink it.
Nor would I ever imply that the only safety you need is the one between your ears because we can all fly on autopilot. Have you ever put something that belongs in the refrigerator in a cabinet? Have you ever missed a turn you're made a thousand times?
Moreover, it is very foolish in my opinion to otherwise leave the impression that as long as you keep your finger off the trigger (until you're ready to fire) you'll be okay because it's not always true.
By and large these kinds of accidents are fairly rare, but they happen—like clockwork—and it historically happens with striker-fired pistols without manual safeties even before they became as popular as they are today.
Let's also understand that striker-fired pistols are cheaper to build and thus more profitable, so the groupthink is significant as you can imagine.
That said, I wouldn't discourage anyone from buying a Glock. They are great guns. I think it's a pistol every gun owner should own at some point just to get familiar with the concept so long as they feel they can handle it.
I remember many years ago when James Yeager came on the scene he really impress upon people the misconceptions I mentioned (as if everyone trains like him each day or that he is immune to auto-pilot).
Part of his training was to demonstrate how safe a striker-fired pistol like a Glock can be when dropped. So they'd throw the pistol on the ground and step on it to show the class how safe it is. One day one of his trainers did it and the gun fired a bullet into someone's truck. THAT is what I am talking about regarding groupthink.
Some people get other people's ideas in their head and treat it as if they did their own thinking just because the researched what others said. Had Yeager and his trainers thought it through before they became "experts" they would have understood the dangers of doing something so foolish.
Anyway, that's my thoughts about it. Just make sure you are taking all the precautions you can think of. As someone who has been around guns all his life, I don't have to tell you that you can't unpull the trigger.
Let me preface this by saying that I've owned dozens of concealed carry firearms over the last 16 years it's been [again] legal to carry in my state. I've had six Glocks and six M&P's alone (some with and without manual safeties). I've also had DAO, SAO, and DA/SA carry pistols as well, so I am intimately familiar with a variety of pistol actions.
One of the worst sayings in the gun world is that "The only safety you need is between your ears". Either that or "Just keep your booger finger off the trigger and you'll be alright" or something similar. Those are both very bad ways to look at it in my opinion.
Let me ask the forum a question. How many times has "Glock leg" occurred with a pistol with a manual safety, DAO, SAO, or DA/SA pistol? Glock leg happens every year, and I've read dozens and dozens of reports over the years researching this, and although I am sure some idiot somewhere did it, I've never heard of Glock leg happening with anything but a striker-fired pistol, and they've always been ones without a manual safety. Again, I'm not saying it hasn't happened, but clearly it is almost always with a striker-fired gun without a manual safety. Say what you will, but it is not just a coincidence.
I remember a news story years ago where three police officers got Glock leg for the same reason (the draw string from their jacket got caught in the trigger guard holstering their weapon). This was a mainstream news story. One guy was wearing a Glock 22 and after the gun went off, the doctors couldn't tell him for days if he was going to keep his leg.
I still carry striker-fired pistols without a manual safety (M&P9 M2.0 Subcompact), but I prefer DA/SA or something with a manual safety. On my S&W PC M&P9 Shield M2.0, I have a manual safety, but I only engage it to holster the weapon and then I turn it off. I know there are risks associated with drawing a pistol without a manual safety as well, but I am very familiar with the possibilities and I take that risk, but I limit it (as the pistol is only among five that I carry). But I wouldn't tell anyone not to overthink it.
Nor would I ever imply that the only safety you need is the one between your ears because we can all fly on autopilot. Have you ever put something that belongs in the refrigerator in a cabinet? Have you ever missed a turn you're made a thousand times?
Moreover, it is very foolish in my opinion to otherwise leave the impression that as long as you keep your finger off the trigger (until you're ready to fire) you'll be okay because it's not always true.
By and large these kinds of accidents are fairly rare, but they happen—like clockwork—and it historically happens with striker-fired pistols without manual safeties even before they became as popular as they are today.
Let's also understand that striker-fired pistols are cheaper to build and thus more profitable, so the groupthink is significant as you can imagine.
That said, I wouldn't discourage anyone from buying a Glock. They are great guns. I think it's a pistol every gun owner should own at some point just to get familiar with the concept so long as they feel they can handle it.
I remember many years ago when James Yeager came on the scene he really impress upon people the misconceptions I mentioned (as if everyone trains like him each day or that he is immune to auto-pilot).
Part of his training was to demonstrate how safe a striker-fired pistol like a Glock can be when dropped. So they'd throw the pistol on the ground and step on it to show the class how safe it is. One day one of his trainers did it and the gun fired a bullet into someone's truck. THAT is what I am talking about regarding groupthink.
Some people get other people's ideas in their head and treat it as if they did their own thinking just because the researched what others said. Had Yeager and his trainers thought it through before they became "experts" they would have understood the dangers of doing something so foolish.
Anyway, that's my thoughts about it. Just make sure you are taking all the precautions you can think of. As someone who has been around guns all his life, I don't have to tell you that you can't unpull the trigger.
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If you study the incidents involving accidental discharges and shootings involving striker fired pistols, you will see how common it is for them to discharge under conditions where a pistol with an engaged mechanical safety could not be.
People who love the striker fired designs will argue, as did one post above, that safety is in the head of the person who has the gun.
Unfortunately, many of the accidental shootings involve gun owners not securing their pistol properly, guns being in places where they can get jostled against something or an errant hand contacts the trigger—that jostling or errant hand is often an infant or small child, or anyone who did not know the gun was there or who did not know any better.
Even very trained handlers have such pistols discharge when they do not intend to have it happen.
The gun industry does not want anyone to point out this reality, and “gun people” in general do not want anybody to tell them whatever.
One professional trainer wrote that they did not want a mechanical safety because it would be “…something else to fumble with.”
Thinking…if they are fumbling with a pistol in their hands, most of us don’t want to be nearby.
Proponents of mechanical safeties…and they are out there…recognize that proper training delivers proficiency at deactivating those safeties as part of a deliberate decision process when a pistol is to be fired.
People who love the striker fired designs will argue, as did one post above, that safety is in the head of the person who has the gun.
Unfortunately, many of the accidental shootings involve gun owners not securing their pistol properly, guns being in places where they can get jostled against something or an errant hand contacts the trigger—that jostling or errant hand is often an infant or small child, or anyone who did not know the gun was there or who did not know any better.
Even very trained handlers have such pistols discharge when they do not intend to have it happen.
The gun industry does not want anyone to point out this reality, and “gun people” in general do not want anybody to tell them whatever.
One professional trainer wrote that they did not want a mechanical safety because it would be “…something else to fumble with.”
Thinking…if they are fumbling with a pistol in their hands, most of us don’t want to be nearby.
Proponents of mechanical safeties…and they are out there…recognize that proper training delivers proficiency at deactivating those safeties as part of a deliberate decision process when a pistol is to be fired.
FLF
Member
Glocks are very safe. Sometimes people are not. Pull the trigger on a DA revolver and it goes bang, same as a Glock. My EDC is a 43X. I also have carried a G26 and loved it until the G43X came along. Galco OWB holster or a Crossbreed IWB holster depending on what I'm wearing. IMHO the safeties built into the Glock are every bit as good as a DA revolver and simpler to operate under pressure than a semi-auto with a manual safety. I carried a Colt 1911 for many years, cocked and locked. Love the gun but much more comfortable with the Glock. Bottom line - train with what you carry and get a quality holster.
I wouldn't trust Plaxico Burress with a musket.
Just some “safety food” for thought. There’s an inexpensive aftermarket trigger called a Siderlock (about $50) that’s essentially a cross bolt-style safety trigger available for Glocks. As a guy who may occasionally slip a G43X into his waistband (temporarily, of course) to run a quick errand or if a shady character is closer than I prefer … me thinks the Siderlock trigger may be just what you’re looking for … an extra margin of safety … yet can be easily & quickly deployed if & when needed. Of course, it’s best to carry in a holster albeit not always an option.
I think I know where you may be coming from. When I was in the Navy we got zero pistol training. I had a 1911 for mid watches and had never fired one in boot camp. I did however understand how to use it.
The military trains lots of people who have never held a pistol, not unlike the thousands of people who just purchased their first pistol. Regardless of weather you have looked to the military for your pistol training or not, it doesn't much matter. They're tasked with taking people from the unwashed masses and giving them enough training to safely use a pistol for SD. Hence the requirement for a manual safety on the new M9 replacement. It's always been that way and will probably never change for the average troop. Mostly they get pistol 101 until they become something other than the average troop. Then they train with Sigs and Glocks. You probably have no idea of the advanced training those folks receive these days.
I had a brief discussion with a Coast Guard dude a few weeks ago about his training and he said he was expert with a Sig P-229. No reason to doubt that. I know that's the lowest qual but he was trained to some level competency.
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adams484
Member
I agree and keep this in mind, it won't go bang if you can keep your finger off the trigger. If you can't don't buy it as most striker fired guns will shoot you in the butt without even thinking about it.
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