Shield CC Safety

[GKC]

Do you have any documentation that the Shield was specifically designed to be carried with the safety off?

I mean if that's the case why put a safety on it in the first place?

I guess the best indication is that S&W makes models without a thumb safety, and there is no difference in the trigger. Both models have a trigger safety.

As to why put a thumb safety on it? As others have said, it's personal preference and to make it available in markets where it's required.

 

[Muss Muggins]

I guess the best indication is that S&W makes models without a thumb safety, and there is no difference in the trigger. Both models have a trigger safety.

As to why put a thumb safety on it? As others have said, it's personal preference and to make it available in markets where it's required.

This explains it pretty succinctly . . .

 

[GKC]

I just bought a Shield .45 with a thumb safety. It was the first one my LGS had gotten in, and after handling it, I actually like it. When I first grasp the gun, my thumb falls right on the safety, and flicking it off isn't difficult as I move my thumb down to the firing position. At the same time, the safety is positive and doesn't seem at all likely to engage or disengage unintentionally.

Perhaps my time with my SD9VE has toughened me up, but the trigger pull on the Shield seems light and smooth...more so than the Shield 9mm that I owned a couple of years ago...so I'm glad I have the thumb safety. I don't anticipate being in any quick draw gun fights, but I will train so that swiping off the safety as I grasp the gun becomes natural...which it already seems to be.

 

[eahicks]

My Shield has no thumb safety. My safety is me.


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[exdetsgt]

Ditto what eahicks said. I carried Glocks for years until I got out of law enforcement and none had safeties, other than the trigger safety, much like a Shield. Neither gun will fire unless the trigger is pulled. I will never pocket carry. Either trigger-covered IWB, OWB. Once I pocket carried an S&W alloy snubbie in a DeSantis pocket holster wherein the trigger was completely covered but discontinued the practice as there was no room for it and my car keys.

 

[senior shooter]

New to semi-auto's

I'm new to this forum and I found this thread interesting, I have always owned an carried revolvers. My last one was a Ruger lcr.38 spl, a good concealed carry, very light and somewhat hard to shoot. I;m getting up in years and my hands are getting arthritic so I bought my first semi- auto, it is a Shield 9 with safety. I use the safety when I carry even though I know that I don't need to, I have no problem hitting the trigger with anything or touching the trigger until I'm ready to shoot. So after reading all these interesting and informative posts I'm going to leave the safety off. Thank you
By the way I love the way that gun shoots, it never hurts me.

 

[jim46ok]

Do you have any documentation that the Shield was specifically designed to be carried with the safety off?

I mean if that's the case why put a safety on it in the first place?

For those of us that want the option.

 

[scatter shot]

Response to "are there more ND with striker fired guns" Statistics may be hard to find but the training facility I work for has seen a number of ND's from striker fired pistols. It appears the firearms that require a trigger pull to take them down for cleaning also requires the operator to have his/her brain engaged when doing so. I have repaired more than a few bullet holes in the cleaning room walls in spite of strict agency policies. BTW, not one with hammer fired weapons.

I have owned a Shield since they came out and appreciate the thumb safety. It is an extra protection when loading/unloading/handling the gun, and is very easy to swipe off on the draw. If for some reason my gun were suddenly removed from my holster by an individual other than myself, with the safety on, it just might give me the fraction of a second I needed to react before I got shot with my own gun.[/QUOTE]

My thoughts exactly regards to handling a loaded firearm. Case in point-
Years ago when I took my CWP class the instructor took the time to tell the class his qualifications and experience with firearms. His resume seemed to be very solid.
While in class, he was demonstrating how the slide lock works on a Glock and recommending that you never disengage a slide that is locked back by pushing the slide lock button down with your thumb because of the potential to "round off" the lobe that locks the slide back thereby possibly causing a future failure of the slide to lock back.
During this demo while he was manipulating the slide from the locked back position he also had his finger on the trigger. This was a big no-no in my opinion and as such, I pointed it to the class. The instructor was a little dismissive of the whole idea but thankfully another student asked a follow up question and the advantages of safety verses no safety was discussed.
My point is, even an experienced firearms instructor can have a brain fart every once in awhile. Considering the potential lethality of a brain fart while handling firearms, I personally choose to put everything in my favor to never have an ND.
Like most of you, I have been around firearms for many years and have been fortunate enough to have never had a ND but once again, I put everything in my favor that I can including a manual thumb safety on my pistols. I have owned a Shield 9MM with TS 4 years now and if I buy the Shield45 it will also have the TS.

 

[eahicks]

I don't care a whole lot either way, aesthetically I like the shield better without. I also frequently carry my SR40c. It has thumb safety, trigger safety, AND that silly Loaded Chamber Indicator. Kinda overkill really, but you learn to deal with it. Will the next handgun I buy have a TS? Who knows.... it may be a Shield 45 or a Ruger American Compact 45, should they make that. I'll probably end up with a TS on it, whichever way I go. Doesn't mean I'll have it on!


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[T2C]

Response to "are there more ND with striker fired guns" Statistics may be hard to find but the training facility I work for has seen a number of ND's from striker fired pistols. It appears the firearms that require a trigger pull to take them down for cleaning also requires the operator to have his/her brain engaged when doing so. I have repaired more than a few bullet holes in the cleaning room walls in spite of strict agency policies. BTW, not one with hammer fired weapons.

I have owned a Shield since they came out and appreciate the thumb safety. It is an extra protection when loading/unloading/handling the gun, and is very easy to swipe off on the draw. If for some reason my gun were suddenly removed from my holster by an individual other than myself, with the safety on, it just might give me the fraction of a second I needed to react before I got shot with my own gun.

My experience is the exact opposite. We transitioned from DA/SA to striker fired service pistols in 1997. Prior to the transition we had plenty of ND's (Negligent Discharges) both in the field and at training facilities due to poor trigger discipline. When we made the transition to striker fired service pistols, training was developed with more emphasis on trigger discipline. From 1997 forward we had a lot fewer incidents of ND's both in the field and at training facilities.

It's a software issue, not a hardware issue. It's about proper training with continued emphasis on proper in service training with officers who work in the field.

 

[GKC]

I've owned a lot of pistols (at least in my counting, which may not be a lot to some others here) in a variety of configurations: some with a thumb safety, some without, some with a thumb and grip safety (1911s), some with a grip safety (Springfield XD), some with a decocker and no safety (SIGs), some with a decocker and a safety (Berettas.) On a pistol with a lighter trigger, I prefer a thumb safety IF it has a positive and firm action. If it's mushy (like those that were on my full size and compact M&Ps) I'd rather not have them. I do like the TS on my Shield .45...it's very crisp, firm, and yet easy to disengage when I intend to do so. I don't worry about it engaging or disengaging accidentally.

I think this is an area that really comes down to personal preference. Just be sure to train with whatever you have, so that muscle memory kicks in when you are in a stressful situation, rather than having to think about what to do.

 

[JL Murray]

I bought two 9mm shields one for me and one for my wife, both have the safety, I figured if I didn't like to use it I could always just leave it off.

My wife adamantly wanted hers with a safety, I go ahead and use my safety since I chose to buy one with it just so I would be in the habit of turning the safety off. Plus my wife insists that I should so... HAPPY WIFE HAPPY LIFE !

To each his own IMHO.