Thumb safety

[tipoc]

One of the strangest pistols I ever encountered was the Radom VIS 35 that my father brought home from WWII.

It was a single action automatic, with a decocker and a grip safety. No manual safety like a 1911 or High Power. If you carried it with the hammer cocked, the grip safety was all you had. If you carried it with the hammer down, you had to manually cock it and the hammer did not have a big spur on it.

I wouldn't have wanted to carry it, but being all steel and 9mm, it was practically recoil-free and very accurate considering the crude sights.

Great guns the P35. One the designers detested external safeties and so the decocker. To bring the gun into action you either racked the slide or carried one in the chamber and cocked the hammer. Designed for the Polish cavalry.

tipoc

 

[Southernman]

A safety provides an extra margin of security. I prefer a safety. As others have stated it all comes down to personal preference.

 

[timn8er]

Like others have said here, you've answered your own question. If that's
what you're used to, go with it! When I purchased my M&p40C, I wasn't
aware a thumb safety model was available, plus I was hot to trot after
already waiting several months for a 40 Shield. I'm trying to get in the
habit of carrying a round chambered, but its hard with the little voice
in my head saying "there's no safety". I realize what a slim chance I might have of drawing, racking & then firing in a bad situation...but there is still that little voice.

 

[housejacket]

Both my 9FS and 9c had thumb safeties, but I removed them after one particular class showed me clearly that they'd slow me down in a life-or-death scenario. I removed the safeties from both and don't regret it (S&W sent me the plugs for free when I first purchased the pistols).


This may or may not be applicable to you, but make sure you train for real life scenarios and that the equipment responds the way you want. In my personal case, the safeties got in the way.

 

[seattle911]

My M&P .40 does not have a manuel safety but I prefer it did. I didn't catch it when I bought it....I basically assumed all of them did due to the pic I saw of one before I bought it. Below is a current article I copied and pasted from WRAL TV in Raleigh, N.C. and I imagine the local law enforcement here use Glocks.

Fayetteville, N.C. — A Cumberland County Sheriff's Office deputy was wounded Wednesday morning when his service weapon accidentally fired as he was leaving home to drive to work, authorities said.

Maj. John R. McRainey, the chief jailer at the Cumberland County Detention Center, underwent surgery at Cape Fear Valley Medical Center and was in stable condition.

McRainey was putting a bag in his vehicle when his .40-caliber semiautomatic handgun, which was inside the bag, discharged, authorities said. Investigators said the gun apparently bumped against another item in the bag, which McRainey often used to transport the gun.

"Although it is always a tragedy anytime that anyone suffers a gunshot wound, we are just thankful that it was no worse than it was," Sheriff Earl "Moose" Butler said in a statement.

Most of my handguns do not have manual safeties, however, the ones that I carry in a bag (on the rare occasion that I do that) always have manual safeties for just this very possibility, or they are in a holster.

 

[BigCityChief]

I'm going to purchase a M&P .40 Compact in the very near future. This will be my first handgun, I've fired many but never owned one. Everything instilled in me tells me to get the one with the thumb safety. Every gun I've ever owned has had a manual safety and every handgun I've ever fired has had one. I'm just not sure how I safe I will feel if I don't get that option.

Will I notice the saftey sticking into me if I carry on the waist at five o' clock?

Non thumb safety models are ready to fire once the round is in the chamber, correct? What prevents accidental firing? What prevents someone from unknowingly firing it" God forbid if my 5 year ever got a hold of it... (yes, it will be in a bedside safe with ammo close by in another secure device.)


...I just don't want to regret my choice, and non of the shops around here carry a thumb safety model.

Sir, do only what YOU are comfortable doing. It sounds as if you've already decided. Get the pistol with the thumb safety and train with it so that you'll have complete mastery of the firearm. Good luck - let us know what you've decided.

 

[wilkoi]

For me, safety is a good feature, if you do not like it do not use it.

 

[garyhope]

Interesting discussion Gentlemen. To change topics slightly, does anyone know what those plastic things that you can insert in the firing chamber/slide/opening and magazine opening to show that the weapon is unloaded? I think they are red, yellow or orange color for increased visibility. I think they hold the action open slightly. They might be useful if you are declaring a firearm while flying or transporting a weapon. Thanks.

 

[GaryS]

I've always heard them referred to as chamber flags. Brownells has them in a variety of styles. I'm sure other places do as well.

Interesting discussion Gentlemen. To change topics slightly, does anyone know what those plastic things that you can insert in the firing chamber/slide/opening and magazine opening to show that the weapon is unloaded? I think they are red, yellow or orange color for increased visibility. I think they hold the action open slightly. They might be useful if you are declaring a firearm while flying or transporting a weapon. Thanks.

 

[ginzo]

Thumb safety for me. Not a deal breaker if I didn't have it, but I do, got it on purpose, so it's part of my training.

 

[Robotech]

I've always heard them referred to as chamber flags. Brownells has them in a variety of styles. I'm sure other places do as well.

Chamber flag or chamber safety flags. Many new guns come with them. My club requires that they be inserted between shooting sets during competitions.

During a stop at my LGS, I asked if they had any, and the salesman looked around on the floor behind the counter and came up with several, enough types and sizes to cover all of my pistols and one of my wheel guns.

The club supplied flags for those that didn't have them for last week's military rifle shoot. The other thing they'll accept as a flag is a length of florescent string-trimmer plastic "string", inserted through the breech into the barrel, so the range officer could easily see that the action was open and no round was in the chamber. This shows up even better than many of the purpose-made versions, which may be quite small, works very well as long as the slide/bolt is locked back, and is super fast to remove when the load command is given.

 

[Rastoff]

Interesting discussion Gentlemen. To change topics slightly, does anyone know what those plastic things that you can insert in the firing chamber/slide/opening and magazine opening to show that the weapon is unloaded? I think they are red, yellow or orange color for increased visibility. I think they hold the action open slightly. They might be useful if you are declaring a firearm while flying or transporting a weapon. Thanks.

Yes, they are called a chamber flag. Every new M&P is sold with one. In fact, I believe every new S&W pistol comes with one.

 

[AKAOV1MAN]

A safety is a deal breaker for me. I regard a Glock as akin to a Browning HP cocked with the safety off. I have one Glock and I use the trigger block safety, that little hunk of plastic that you slip behind the trigger and just push out of the way when you want to fire. Got 6 of em, so if I lose one or two is no big deal. I have been packing weapons professionally fo very close to half a century and my worst fear is a gun grab. Been there, done that, not fun. Normally when in a crowd situation I pack my BHP with the weapon at half cock and the safety on. Let some gun grabber try to figure that out before I get my 940 out of my left pocket and into action-not likely. Since we are now carrying Walther PPQs, I drop the firing pin on a loaded chamber so that all I have to do is slip the slide back about 1/8th of an inch to fire, and do it while drawing, using the holster as a "shelf" to do it on. Works perfectly. I do have 2 M&Ps, a fullsize .357 and compact .45. We are going to be allowed either of them starting in July after we qualify with them-but they must have a safety! It is very easy to wipe the safety off while presentng the weapon. I am a definite safety fan.

 

[thndrchiken]

I have the M&P 40C with the thumb safety, really wasn't an issue for me, I do use it when carrying. Now with that said I wouldn't have any issue carrying if it didn't have the safety, my Sigs don't have one and in today's striker fired handguns, there is enough safety built into the design of the gun that if you practice safe gun handling it should not be an issue.

 

[Plinker99]

I'm going to purchase a M&P .40 Compact in the very near future. This will be my first handgun, I've fired many but never owned one. Everything instilled in me tells me to get the one with the thumb safety. Every gun I've ever owned has had a manual safety and every handgun I've ever fired has had one. I'm just not sure how I safe I will feel if I don't get that option.


Non thumb safety models are ready to fire once the round is in the chamber, correct? What prevents accidental firing? What prevents someone from unknowingly firing it" God forbid if my 5 year ever got a hold of it... (yes, it will be in a bedside safe with ammo close by in another secure device.)

Sounds like you've got enough concerns to justify the safety. A good holster will keep the lever from digging in...and as a BONUS it might keep you from blowing a hole in your back side!

 

[RussC]

I'm going to purchase a M&P .40 Compact in the very near future. This will be my first handgun, I've fired many but never owned one. Everything instilled in me tells me to get the one with the thumb safety. Every gun I've ever owned has had a manual safety and every handgun I've ever fired has had one. I'm just not sure how I safe I will feel if I don't get that option.

Will I notice the saftey sticking into me if I carry on the waist at five o' clock?

Non thumb safety models are ready to fire once the round is in the chamber, correct? What prevents accidental firing? What prevents someone from unknowingly firing it" God forbid if my 5 year ever got a hold of it... (yes, it will be in a bedside safe with ammo close by in another secure device.)


...I just don't want to regret my choice, and non of the shops around here carry a thumb safety model.

A good holster that covers the entire trigger is a safety.

Good meaning the material is ridged enough that you cannot make contact with the trigger while holstered.

Desantis is my favorite but there are plenty of good quality holsters.

The Shield thumb safety has grown on me.

I would recommend if you go with a thumb safety you acquire thumb safeties for all future gun purchases and you train sweeping trigger when you draw weapon. (Make sure weapon is empty)

I know some complained about the Shield safety but honestly if you practice sweeping it is no big deal and the safety is in the right place at the joint of the thumb. In all my practicing I have never missed sweeping safety.

Russ