M&P thumb safety or not?
- Thread starter Ruger Nut
- Start date
nogoodnamesleft
Member
I just removed the one on my M&P .45 ..... it not only would flip randomly when holstered, but its one more thing to fumble should I ever be in the situation where I need to fire at someone .... checking weapons, careful holstering, and keeping that booger hook off the trigger are all the safety I need.
Plus, they are a breeze to remove. About a 2-3 minute job on my gun.
Plus, they are a breeze to remove. About a 2-3 minute job on my gun.
nogoodnamesleft
Member
Silversmok3
Member
Id like to lodge a dissenting vote against M&P's with safeties having bad trigger pulls. The BNIB M&P40 with a safety at my old base gun counter felt 'standard', and by far the best M&P trigger was an M&P45 down the street that feels as close to a 1911 trigger as a M&P ever will be. Its so different in feel from any other M&P that there's a case for a trigger job on the part of the previous owner, but there is of course no way to verify that.The trigger externally looks stock, but there you have it.
Rangel
Member
My M&P 40c has the ambi safety and my gunsmith, who's seen a lot of M&Ps, said it came with the best trigger feel of any M&P he's seen so far....
anybody that takes a professionally run defensive pistol course will tell you to not a get safety.
Before firing on me, I am a retired LEO who never had a safety on a revolver (and yes it is the same thing) and also a retired soldier who knows how much fractions of a second count in combat.
All of the schools teach the prety much the same techniques and you do not need a safety and a safety may cost you your life.
Before firing on me, I am a retired LEO who never had a safety on a revolver (and yes it is the same thing) and also a retired soldier who knows how much fractions of a second count in combat.
All of the schools teach the prety much the same techniques and you do not need a safety and a safety may cost you your life.
Rangel
Member
Geeze, I wonder why they've been using 1911's with safeties in combat for about a hundred years now? What could Mr. Browning have
been thinking?
OP
Ruger Nut
US Veteran
It's called "progress".There are a million and 1 things I could use as an example here,but i'm sure you get my point.
JarE-3
Member
The only way I could get my hands on an M&P was to buy one with the safety. So I bought 2: a 9 and 45 both with thumb safety. Seems that nowadays those nifty little frame plugs occupy the space where the safeties were and I have a little bag with 2 full sets of safety parts. I wonder how that happened?
nogoodnamesleft
Member
Where do you find those plugs? I emailed S&W and never heard back ...
If you read the history of the original development of the 1911, Browning designed the gun to be carried with the hammer back and a round in the chamber but the Army blanched at that idea.
You really need to learn the difference between single action only hammer guns and double action/single action hammer guns and then learn about striker fired guns.
If you drop the 1911 with a round in the chamber and the hammer down, it will fire. If you drop a 1911 with the hammer back and a round in the chamber and the safety off, it will fire.
You just compared apples to oranges.
As a long time 1911 shooter, the two M&Ps I recently purchased (40 full size and 22LR) both have manual safeties. Sweeping the safety during the draw is so ingrained in my muscle memory that it is highly unlikely that I'd ever "forget" to disengage the safety during a panic draw. Also, the manual safety makes it easier for me to cross carry both weapon types.
The M&P45s with manual safeties that I have handled have had lousy triggers (heavy). The smaller caliber M&Ps don't seem to have that problem...
The M&P45s with manual safeties that I have handled have had lousy triggers (heavy). The smaller caliber M&Ps don't seem to have that problem...
So, you draw your pistol and sweep the safety down like on a 1911 because of ingrained practice.
Except the M&P safety goes "up".
There is no reason for a safety on a revolver, that's why they don't have them. There is also no reason for a safety on a striker fired pistol.
The only reason they are there is because municipal and government procurement officials who have no idea what they are doing require a safety.
It's the same with the magazine disconnect. Why is it needed?
Because some bureaucrat decided it was a good idea.
Except the M&P safety goes "up".
There is no reason for a safety on a revolver, that's why they don't have them. There is also no reason for a safety on a striker fired pistol.
The only reason they are there is because municipal and government procurement officials who have no idea what they are doing require a safety.
It's the same with the magazine disconnect. Why is it needed?
Because some bureaucrat decided it was a good idea.
Actually, the M&P manual safety lever operates the same as the 1911... Up is "safe, down is "fire".
I spent some time tonight dry firing/drawing my new M&P40 w/ thumb safety. I felt right at home with it. That is rational enough for me to have a thumb safety on a striker fired weapon.
No thumb safety for me. It was a smart move on S&W's part to offer a thumb safety option for the M&P pistols. The wide selection of options and calibers, the excellent ergos, and an ever increasing reputation as very reliable/durable weapons means there's something to fit just about anyone (save those looking for different geometry/ergos).
T-BoneFL
Member
I opted for no thumb safety on my M&P9c. I have a few friends with 1911 45s equipped with thumb safeties. Occasionally, my thumb would hit the safety upward when I was preparing to shoot.
I can only imagine that in an urgent situation, the thumb safety could get in the way. But I am a novice w.r.t guns. LEOs may not have issues with the thumb safety.
-T
I can only imagine that in an urgent situation, the thumb safety could get in the way. But I am a novice w.r.t guns. LEOs may not have issues with the thumb safety.
-T
Silversmok3
Member
Au contraire, there are plenty of great reasons for having an external safety on any weapon.
It takes a crook time to figure out how to work the gun if he gets it away from you if its safetied. That buys you time to get things under control if need be. I have told friends at the range where the safety is on my guns I have let them shoot,and each of them has pointed and pulled the trigger on a safed firearm.In the time it takes for a scumbag to look at your firearm and wonder what went wrong its enough time to set things straight in your favor.
With Glocks and DA/SA unsafed guns, if the bad guy gets the weapon you're hosed. If you're prepared enough to face an armed encounter by carrying a gun you should have a plan for what to do if the bad guy gets your gun away from you.I am a beginning student of martial arts and ive seen several simple ways you can disarm someone.No one who carries a weapon should assume that they're immune to being disarmed.
Because the magazine disconnect saves lives.Dont take my word for it. Ask member 'boingboing' who posted his tale on this very forum.
About 6 moths ago I responded to a domestic call. Dad was beating up daughter. When I grabbed dad to get him off daughter he turned on me. During our "struggle" dad grabbed my 4006TSW that was still holstered. I put my hand over his as we continued to struggle. I pressed the mag release at the same time the rotating hood strap broke allowing him to pull my gun out. My had slipped off the gun and the dad pointed it at me and pulled the trigger. To his surprise nothing happened. As I rolled away from him I was able to take possession of my gun and as we were both standing up, I smacked him on the side of the head with the slide. I was tired and didn't know how hard I hit him but apparently it was hard enough because I knocked him unconcious. Thank God for mag safties and steel guns.
As I stated before, one should have the option to have or not have a safety feature on their firearm.Your money , your option as far as I am concerned.
yep, for every tale in support of an issue there is an equal number that support the opposed side.
Here's what I know. In twenty years as an LEO, no one ever got there hands anywhere near my weapon. The last five of those years, I was Chief of a small department and no one ever lost thier weapon. As a Police Firearms instructor for over 15 of those years, no offender ever got thier hands on a police firearm during a struggle.
Has it ever happened? I bet it has. But the possibility is so finite, with modern retention holsters, as to not even be an issue.
I based my position on actual knowledge, education and experience as a police officer, a police firearms instructor and a graduate of a several defensive pistol courses.
Again, safeties on striker fired pistols are a requirement of procurement bureaucrats, not the end users.
Here's what I know. In twenty years as an LEO, no one ever got there hands anywhere near my weapon. The last five of those years, I was Chief of a small department and no one ever lost thier weapon. As a Police Firearms instructor for over 15 of those years, no offender ever got thier hands on a police firearm during a struggle.
Has it ever happened? I bet it has. But the possibility is so finite, with modern retention holsters, as to not even be an issue.
I based my position on actual knowledge, education and experience as a police officer, a police firearms instructor and a graduate of a several defensive pistol courses.
Again, safeties on striker fired pistols are a requirement of procurement bureaucrats, not the end users.
I won't waste my time (again) explaining why I prefer manual safeties on my guns, but I will say that different users prefer/require different features to meet their specific use. That is why S&W graciously offers options on the M&P line. I am glad they do.
