Thumb safety question

[gc70]

Anyway, the zealot arguments of no thumb safety versus a safety is identical to a 1911. The series 80 1911 has a grip safety, and the 80 safety / firing pin lock which makes its thumb safety redundant.

A grip safety or firing pin safety WILL NOT prevent a gun from firing if the trigger is pulled.

A manual thumb safety WILL prevent a gun from firing if the trigger is pulled.

 

[STORMINORMAN]

For thems that "...won't carry a firearm inside my pants, in any spot, without a manual safety.": I'd guess that rules out all the revolvers (What! No J-frames), pocket holsters, etc, as well?

Wait: those 22lr Heritage Rough Riders all have thumb safeties!

I guess it all really does boil down to one's individual choice, after all?

Cheers!

P.S. Remember that Andy's beloved deputy, the "Barn", carried his service weapon in a belt holster with a strap and the bullet in his front shirt pocket and still managed a negligent discharge (or two?)...

 

[Rastoff]

I'm a little late here, but I think the OP's concerns are moot.

The entire Shield line is intended as a self-defense gun. As such, it should be easy to remove the thumb safety; it is.

Putting the safety back on being a little difficult or requiring a grip change is not an issue. Let me explain....

In a self-defense situation the thumb safety has to come off easily or it can be hazardous. Once off it stays off until the life threatening situation is over. If there's no more hazard to life, you have time. If you have time, then changing your grip a little to put the thumb safety back on is not an issue because you don't need your gun anymore.

 

[ogso]

I have a G43 and now have a Shield with a safety. As stated above wasn't happy having a non-safety equipped pistol pointed at my junk as I have seen first hand what happens when ones gets too excited or sloppy! I have oiled/greased my safety where it flips off with ease, now I feel more at ease carrying mine stuck anywhere.

 

[STORMINORMAN]

Uh, are you REALLY "at ease" with it "stuck anywhere"...? Near your junk?

You're a braver (& much more acommodating?) guy than I, Gunga Din!

Cheers!

P.S. Rastoff: What if one unfortunately doesn't recall (in the heat of the moment) whether the safety was in the OFF or the ON position...? Or, whether it was SUPPOSED to be in the up or down position?

 

[gc70]

P.S. Rastoff: What if one unfortunately doesn't recall (in the heat of the moment) whether the safety was in the OFF or the ON position...? Or, whether it was SUPPOSED to be in the up or down position?

It is sad, but some people do not practice or train enough to use their guns reliably and some are simply so ignorant and irresponsible that they hardly bother to learn how their guns operate.

 

[STORMINORMAN]

As far as the grip safety on a 1911 pistol in fully operating condition is concerned: the grip safety if not depressed definitely WILL prevent the gun from firing if the trigger is pulled.

No grip (or some other outside mechanism independently depressing the control) , no hammer fall. This is also independent of the thumb safety. I personally would hesitate to describe the thumb safety on a 1911 (or a CZ 75 or an FN FNX, et al) as redundant as it allows for safe carry cocked & locked as was originally designed.

Cheers!

 

[Rastoff]

P.S. Rastoff: What if one unfortunately doesn't recall (in the heat of the moment) whether the safety was in the OFF or the ON position...? Or, whether it was SUPPOSED to be in the up or down position?

Practice. Carry only one gun. Use and practice with that gun a lot.

Grip the gun so that the shooting thumb is on top of the thumb safety. This way you will instinctively depress the safety as you point in.

 

[dirty & hairy]

I purchased my shield plus with the intent on sometimes carrying it AIWB. You can bet it has a thumb safety. I actually quite like the manual safety on the shield; the other M&P’s not so much.

 

[M&PDiamond]

Can't someone answer the question?

It amazes me how on ANY forum a question is asked and people do nothing but give a reason why it is the way it is. Which is NO help.

So what if the Shield is made for concealment some of us would like a bit larger safety. No one said as large as the safety on a 1911. Just one larger then what is on the shield. Hell, the majority of us bought it for concealment. That doesn't mean a larger safety would hinder the Shield from still being comfortably concealed.

 

[bab]

Ok first off I'm a 50+ year shooter, carrier, user of 1911s so hang with me. I'm not talking about whether a striker fired pistol should have a thumb safety or not-I'm quite ok without one.

What I'd like to know is why is the thumb safety on the Shield/Plus so tiny?! I can disengage it fairly easily but not when I try to engage it while holding it in a typical manner. I have to rotate the gun out of my firing grip, hold it on it's side and push up with the end of my thumb to engage it.

I'd like to put the standard single thumb safety the "larger" pistols use but don't think that's possible. Right now I carry it without the safety engaged-and I'm quite comfortable doing so fyi-and only engage it when the pistol is off my body/out of the holster.

This Shield Plus is the only M&P I have with the thumb safety-and posted about doing so without paying attention LOL.

Does anyone know if the single side safety will work on the Shield Plus? Since it's there I'd like to have a slightly extended thumb safety on it similar to my various 1911s.

Theres a guy making them for sale I saw them on another forum Im not sure if I can post a link to another forum or not on here. Anyway the contact is [email protected]. One of the reviewers a professional instructor said it was just like a 1911 safety.

 

[routeburner]

Shield is a typical concealed carry pistol and all levers were designed to minimize the contour of the gun.
I've been reading tons of questions about this and still don't understand why shooters expect this safety to be the same as on full size or compact pistols.
Shield as a striker fired pistol doesn't need thumb safety to be a safe tool.
Just treat this lever as something usable once you don't carry it and need extra safety when it is sitting somewhere in your house. You set it ON when in not is use, then OFF when you carry it.

Well said, You set it ON when in not is use, then OFF when you carry it.

 

[rwsmith]

I jut pulled mine out and clicked the safety.

It is small, but it's right there and easy to operate. I got an EZ for my wife which has a bigger lever. Very easy to use. Good gun.

 

[hardluk1]

S&W Fan You could or should have been able to figured out if you could deal with the little thumb safety before buying your shield plus , Right !

I bought my first pistol in '76 and it was a 1911 and had on in my carry rotation since . Only striker fired pistol I have owned that did not have the thumb safety was a tp40 kahr but the trigger pull was long with a consistent 5lb pull thru out the movement . I carry a lw commander with 3lb 6oz trigger pull or a m&p 4.25 40sw with an apex fst kit for a 3lb 6oz trigger pull with a reset very short like the 1911 and stock thumb safety . I've had this m&p for 11 years and always been reliable with 8000 rounds fired .
Maybe your a guy that carry's your shield+ in your pocket ? Other wise a
M&P 2.0 sub compact with a thumb safety might have been a better choice or a p365 with a thumb safety or one of the other little 9mm's . My wife is 5-2 and carry's ether a kimber ultra 9mm or a P365xl with thumb safety with a wilson grip module that lets it feel more like her kimber ultra .

 

[jake1945]

I carry a S&W M&P 45 with the manual safety. The safety lever is not tight and is always being bumped off or on. I just be careful with it!

 

[gc70]

It amazes me how on ANY forum a question is asked and people do nothing but give a reason why it is the way it is. Which is NO help.

So what if the Shield is made for concealment some of us would like a bit larger safety. No one said as large as the safety on a 1911. Just one larger then what is on the shield. Hell, the majority of us bought it for concealment. That doesn't mean a larger safety would hinder the Shield from still being comfortably concealed.

The OP has not felt the need to come back to pursue his question in a year, but you use your first post on the forum to rant about a stale question not being answered.

 

[S&W Fan]

Well there’re some clever responses here. As I said in my original post I’m no stranger to firearms, carried one sort of 1911 or another for over 40 years, shot them for over 50 oh and they all had the same size thumb safety whether Colt Defender size or 5” Government-all highly concealable.

I’ve moved on from this topic and didn’t feel the need to keep beating the dead horse. Sorry if I offended anyone by not chiming in.

Striker fired pistols have advantages and disadvantages as does virtually anything made by man let alone a firearm lol.

I’ve since been advised of an option but it’s from a different forum so it won’t be discussed further.

Hope you all have a good week.