If your EDC has a safety, how many of you use it?

[Der Biermeister]

Bought my Shield about 9 months ago. It of course has a safety. My other 3 handguns do not and two of them used to be carry weapons. Not sure just why, but with the Shield I've kept the safety ON while carrying and have always told myself that in a critical situation I would remember to take the safety off immediately upon drawing. But lately, I question that thinking. My last two trips to the range, I forgot to turn off the safety and of course had that momentary DUH when first pulling the trigger. Lord only knows where my mind would be in a bad situation.

I think now I am going to get into the habit of turning off the safety when I holster before leaving the house. I am not really worried about accidental discharge as my holsters are secure and cover the trigger well. My trigger, even reduced to 5 lbs, still is not that sensitive. But I will also try to remember to turn the safety on whenever I handle the weapon at home or handing to a friend, etc.

This all got me to wondering what most others do when their guns are equipped with safetys?

 

[mjdupuis]

I have a shield, the only handgun I own with a safety. I have the safety on while holstering, then immediately put the safety to the off position once holstered. I put it on safe when I'm not wearing it while I'm at home, my primary home defense weapons do not have the safety engaged if they have them.

 

[Rpg]

I use a Colt 1911: always use thumb safety.

 

[Poodle Soup]

I would (and do) practice thumbing the safety every time I pick up the gun. If you never use it and need the gun it could ruin your day when you pull the trigger and nothing happens because it was accidentally bumped on and you don't practice with it. If I didn't want a gun with a safety I would just buy a gun without a safety. : )

 

[Number1gun]

EMP cocked and locked. M&P no external safety. My finger is my safety. My brain the trigger. Keep your *******g finger out of the trigger guard until you want to shoot something. That is all !

 

[Smitty357]

My trigger finger IS the safety.

Game over.

 

[forrestinmathews]

I only own firearms that have a readily usable manual safety. I do not own a Beretta 92FS nor a Shield. They are both highly impractically designed defensive tools.

Go ahead and tell me how the M9 is so awesome and how it is our current military service pistol. Thanks be to politics! I have qualified enough times with it to know that it is trash. I believe the Shield to be very similar.

 

[pawncop]

Primary off duty sidearm is a Glock model 32. No safety. Next is department issued 686. No safety. Discreet off duty is a Colt Mustang. Safety.

 

[Clovishound]

I always carry my EDC with the safety on. As I have stated before, way too many accidents with highly trained individuals carrying striker fired weapons that have no safety.

You need to train with a safety equipped weapon. At some point it becomes muscle memory to thumb the safety off when pulling from the holster.

 

[bp231986]

The only handgun i have that has a safety is my M&P 22 and i dont use it, since the safety is rubber/plastic i have considered cutting them of but cant bring my self to doing it so for now they are still on the gun but i dont use them.

 

[WC145]

Duty is a FNP45 Tactical, carry it cocked and locked.
Primary off duty is a Colt Commander, carry it cocked and locked.
BUG is a J frame, no safety.

 

[cmort666]

I use a Colt 1911: always use thumb safety.

+1

The ONLY way I would EVER carry an M1911 is cocked and locked. That's how I carry my Norinco.

 

[Don 73]

Having never owned a SA auto, only DA/SA autos, I never used the safety except as a hammer-lowering device. My 9c came w/o a safety so I keep my booger picker off the bang stick until it's time to fire.

Using the safety on a 1911 or similar firearm is only common sense.

 

[NCIC105]

Like a good tradesman, I go cocked & locked.

 

[Lost Lake]

But I will also try to remember to turn the safety on whenever I handle the weapon at home or handing to a friend, etc.

I don't want to appear to be nit-picky, but when I hand a gun to a friend, I drop the mag and rack the slide a couple times, checking the chamber to be sure it is empty.

To let a friend get the feel of a gun with the mag in, which is very important with compact guns because your pinky usually rests on the mag, I insert an unloaded mag or unload the mag I just took out.

Years ago I showed a gun to a friend and he pointed it and pulled the trigger! Thank God I had the thing unloaded, but that incident stuck with me for my entire life.....

.

 

[Der Biermeister]

I don't want to appear to be nit-picky, but when I hand a gun to a friend, I drop the mag and rack the slide a couple times, checking the chamber to be sure it is empty.

No problem being a nit-picker. The few times that I have ever handed my weapon to a friend, I have done exactly that. Same when I am in a lgs and want them to look at it for some reason. But I'll still practice putting the safety back on before I ever get to that exchange. The thing is there ...... might as well use it for another layer of safety.

 

[Der Biermeister]

I only own firearms that have a readily usable manual safety. I do not own a Beretta 92FS nor a Shield. They are both highly impractically designed defensive tools.

Go ahead and tell me how the M9 is so awesome and how it is our current military service pistol. Thanks be to politics! I have qualified enough times with it to know that it is trash. I believe the Shield to be very similar.

While not the focus of this thread, I am still curious about your distaste of the Shield. Perhaps you'd be willing to elaborate over in the "M&P Pistols Forum"? I love the gun, but maybe there are things about it that I should know that I haven't picked up on. Thanks.

 

[Smoke]

My carry guns are both third gen smiths. Safety/decocker off

 

[S&W45Colt]

I no longer carry 1911 style pistols, therefore none of my carry guns have safeties on them. It's just one more thing to have to remember. I do not want a carry gun with a safety. JMO.

 

[Kanewpadle]

When I carry a 1911 it's cocked and locked. When I carry a striker fired gun without a manual thumb safety it makes no difference. I shoot thumbs forward and my right thumb swipes the safety down anyway if there is one. Nothing to remember. For me it's natural.