Which type of handgun is safest to carry?

[s1mp13m4n]

Hello everyone. I am looking in to buying my first handgun with the goal being legal concealed EDC. I am interested in both a small revolver and the subcompact 9mm like the Ruger LC9. I have a wife and 4 year old daughter and I want to look at the entire picture of owning a gun. I am interested in pocket or IWB carry. Which type of handgun is safest to carry? A revolver does not have a safety. Is hammer less safer than an open hammer revolver? What about hammer vs striker fired in a semi auto? Which gun is less likely to discharge by accident? Thanks for the help.

 

[venomballistics]

it depends on your knowledge of arms.
if well versed, all questionable designs get eliminated and those remaining are all equally suitable for carry.
if a hard headed idiot. Nothing past a photograph of a gun can be deemed safe

 

[s1mp13m4n]

I have been around guns, shot others guns at the range, taken my chp class, but have never owned my own gun. I am reading, asking questions, and watching training videos from the NRA.

 

[Hack]

Which type of handgun is safest to carry?

The one you are most comfortable with and have trained with. Negligent Discharges are operator error. Most Accidental Discharges are Negligent Discharges.

A revolver does not have a safety.

Some semi-autos also do not have safeties. EG: H&K P2000V2.

I would highly suggest you spend more than a few hours getting familiar with handguns and their various 'personalities'. This can easily be done at a local range that rents different models of pistols/revolvers. Enlist the help of certified instructor to show you the basics. Not all handguns, fit all hands. Nor, do they conceal easily on different people.

My carry gun is either a S&W 60 2 1/8" or 686 2 1/2". On occasion I will carry a 3" Kimber Ultra CDP II.

Good Luck and keep shooting.

 

[snubbyfan]

When I first decided to carry concealed I had certain parameters my concealed firearm had to meet. I wanted something reliable, safe, can be pocket carried when needed, was in a caliber used by law enforcement and was fun to shoot lots at the range. I had decided on an enclosed hammer 642/442 and coincidently someone at work had a 442 they bought in 1994, shot once, cleaned and put in a drawer. I bought it, made a few holsters and carry it daily, either on my belt or in my pocket depending on how I'm dressed. Along with a couple of loaded quickstrips in my left front pocket.

 

[ImprovedModel56Fan]

Many, perhaps even most, guns can be carried safely. Start by using a holster, or having nothing else in your pocket. Assuming that you know and follow most of the safety rules, perhaps the most dangerous thing about everyday carry is holstering or pocketing the weapon. You need to be sure that nothing depresses the trigger. Obviously, guns that have a manual safety which is already engaged when holstering add a layer of safety, but not all guns, even autoloaders, have one, and it isn't the best thing to depend on one. On a gun which is carried cocked, like the 1911, I holster it only while holding the hammer back with my thumb. On DA revolvers or autos carried uncocked, I hold the hammer forward with my thumb while holstering. With the Glock or similar actions, I usually consider it best to leave the gun in the store that is offering it for sale. However, such a gun (and the current hammerless revolvers are similar) can usually be safely holstered by doing it with the finger in the trigger guard behind the trigger. If you can't do this, you need a different holster or maybe even a different gun.

In general, a revolver is much more easily and safely unloaded and reloaded, at least indoors. Outdoors, it doesn't make much difference - just follow normal safe range procedures. Indoors, however, it may not be so easy to find that safe direction to point the thing, since you should only be pointing at things that you don't mind killing, like your TV.

If you seldom load or unload indoors, it probably doesn't make much difference. But if you go through this daily, you might want to consider whether sometimes you will come home dead tired, and still think that you should be unloading that thing. That's when accidents happen, even with a revolver. Also, some folks wake up faster than others, and some are a bit dependent on caffeine.

Can you tell that I like revolvers? But I don't completely rule out bottomfeeders for those whose routine and personal characteristics they may fit.

 

[Grayfox]

The real safety is between your ears.
Learn, practice and always be alert.

 

[Old cop]

My EDC is and always will be a small revolver b/c that is how I was trained in 1968. When my agency transitioned to the semi auto I continued to carry a revolver off-duty. The gun you train with the the one that is the safest for you, and for me that is a revolver.

Hammer or hammerless only relates to concealed carry as a hammer can get caught in clothing or a pocket when drawing in an emergency. Either one is safe.

 

[houdini26]

If you know any that have them ask the about them.

 

[Donn]

As has already been suggested, if the local range offers rentals it's worth the money. A revolver would probably be the best place to start. They tend to be safer, more reliable and user friendly than auto pistols. You won't have the ammo capacity, but you also won't be tempted to spray and pray like you might with a hi-cap auto. I'm sure I'll catch Hell for this, but I believe an external safety is a redundant component on modern handguns. I feel safer carrying my M&P in C1 with no safeties than my 1911 that has three, MHO you understand. Last but not least, be doubly careful with a young child in the house. You make a mistake with a gun, and bad things usually happen.

 

[Hill_Country]

Just FWIW, I'll bet 90% of the people on this forum have a J frame. Many have SA pistols, but nearly all have a J frame. It can be carried anyplace, ankle, IWB, OWB, you name it.

A model 36, usually in an ankle holster, was my only regular cc weapon for over twenty years. Eventually, I got in to autos and now usually carry a CS9, but I still have a 638 that goes with me on walks or if it is just more appropriate.

If I could have only one cc weapon it would be a J frame.

Something to think about when starting out.

 

[whw]

Modern firearms will only discharge when the trigger is moved to a point where the hammer or striker is released, so we really need to study if some guns are less likely than others to be fired accidentally.

To keep this post short, let us look at three situations in which you are most likely to pull the trigger accidentally. They are; high stress situations, holstering and cleaning.

During high stress situations, the single action's light trigger pull and short trigger travel suffers no fools. If your brain moves your finger to the trigger and exerts about 5 or 6 pounds of pressure while moving it about an eighth of an inch, you have ignition. Revolvers require greater force to move the trigger a comparatively long distance before igniting a primer.

While holstering, a gun with a safety does offer a level of protection that isn't offered by a Glock. With Glock, one of the safeties is on the trigger and it is disengaged with the same motion as someone attempting to fire the gun. If some foreign object gets inside the trigger guard, the force of reholstering the gun is enough to cause the gun to fire. A revolver requires greater force to fire the gun and has the added benefit of being able to keep your thumb on the hammer while reholstering. If you feel the hammer move, you know something bad is about to happen.

Someone always seems to shoot themselves while cleaning. For the purposes of brevity I will just say the revolver is safer. Prior to cleaning, you have to disable the gun to unload by releasing the cylinder.

Your question requires a more complete answer than I have given, but I hope it adds positively to other advice you receive. In short, all modern handguns are safe but require of you, extensive training and regular practice. Pick a platform and stick with. Don't carry a 1911 for a week and then a Glock the next. That is a recepie for disaster, especially in a high stress situation.

Just as info, I like the double action platforms. I like the more deliberate action required to pull the trigger and I feel far safer when reholstering my gun.

Good luck.
whw

 

[Steve in Vermont]

The less experience a person has with a gun, and the less practice, the simpler it needs to be. A 642 or 640 type is as simple as they come. No hammer, no safety (the trigger is the safety), easy to carry and good for short distances. For someone with little experience the last thing they need, in a panic situation, is the need to stop and think "where is that safety?". So for the newbies out there, who are not going to practice for hundreds of hours and thousands of rounds, keep it simple.

 

[Comrad]

I like a revolver or semi with a decocker and a magazine safety.
The revolver takes a good pull to fire double action.
A semi with a decocker adds some comfort and a double action pull is long like the revolver and the magazine safety helps the stupid factor of an idiot thinking the weapon is unloaded because the magazine is out.

 

[Tenn2]

The safeist gun is the one with no ammo in it. The liberals will always tell you that.

 

[robertrwalsh]

With all due respect, this is an abusrd question. Any modern design and properly maintained firearm is SAFE if the operator is properly trained and has the correct mental out look and adequate intelligence. If the above are not the case, NO firearm is safe.

Having said that, a double-action revolver is the most operationally simple reasonable defense weapon. It has fewer things that can be done wrong and is easiest to understand. It can only be loaded one way. It has the fewest number of controls. It has the simplest malfunction recovery drill.

 

[s1mp13m4n]

Thanks for the input. I was curious about this and now I feel better knowing that a safe gun simply comes down to me and being safe with it. I was unsure if a gun with a loaded chamber could fire with say a spring under preasure or say I tripped and fell on my side if the gun was IWB for example. I am learning what I can before I buy a gun.

 

[cracker57]

s1mp13m4n
Way to go, do your homework and spend your money once. you have received some great advice. I also would like to add what someone else said, If at all possible stick to one gun and keep it simple. Do not be afraid to ask questions this is how we learn. visit gun shops and talk talk and talk guns some more. Try to learn all the options, safety, no safety, mag safety, no mag safety, revolver vs semi, iIWB, OWB holster, then make your decision and hope you made the right one the first time. Best of luck in your decision making.
cracker57

 

[Arik]

All modern handguns are equally safe provided you use the main safety, the one between your ears. M&Ps, Kahrs, Glocks can all go off if you dont use proper holsters and keep your fingers off the trigger. 1911s have 2 safeties and are still not idiot proof. When held, safety #1 is automatically off. If the finger is on the trigger (and 1911s have sensitive triggers) and the thumb safety is dropped the gun will go off intentionally or not.

Your best safety is a well documented reliable gun along with practice

Sent from my DROIDX using Tapatalk 2

 

[all357mag]

No one gun is safer than the other. Go with what feels good in your hand. Small J frame revolvers have a lot to be desired when it comes shooting time. They're really small, too small. And you're already down a shot. Try a six shot snubbie if you go that route. The autos have come such a long way, give them a chance also. Be safe and you'll have fun no matter the gun.