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Safety, or No Safety

10K views 49 replies 33 participants last post by  DustStorm 
#1 ·
What say you guy's, do you prefer a safety on your carry gun or not?
When I carry concealed I like to carry IWB on strong side, just can't make up my mind, the Shields I looked at can be bought either way.
 
#2 ·
You will find a following on both sides of this question. Since you are posting in the Shield forum I will assume you are considering a Shield. Some that do not want the safety say there is a chance it will somehow shift to the on position and will not be ready to fire. Others carry in the safe position.

This is my reason for wanting the safety on my Shield:
In a proper custom holster there should be no concern for the safety moving.
You have the option of using the safety or not
It has a low profile and has resistance when you move it.
More AD's happen when you holster guns so it is a good practice to use the safety when holstering. You can then switch it off if you want to.
I feel a lot better using the safety when I pocket carry.
My safety has never moved by itself


I have the safety on mine and use it to holster and then switch it off. I use it to pocket carry. I use it if I am wiping down the gun or just handling it.

If you go with no safety you have none of those options. These are my reasons and I have no desire to start a heated argument one way or the other. Everyone has to decide this for themselves.
 
#28 ·
I have the safety on mine and use it to holster and then switch it off. I use it to pocket carry. I use it if I am wiping down the gun or just handling it.
Just curious JaysQ, don't you find it difficult to access your safety to turn it off with the sweatguard on your holster? Mine is similar in design and once I holster it, the sweatguard pretty much prohibits access to the safety, especially if I'm wearing it at 4:30.
 
#3 ·
I've been carrying pistols dang near 40 years. And all of those years the pistols I carried had NO SAFETY therefore I have NO training or experience in the use of one.

Some owners of the thumb-safety Shield's say they've owned theirs for a few days/months/years and have never found the safety to have been inadvertently engaged or disengaged so they just ignore it. Some have even gone as far as stating “I'm 100% sure it won't be accidentally engaged.” I am not one to be able to put 100% faith in a man-made mechanical device such as a thumb-safety and just ignore it. I'm a firm believer in Murphy's Law – Anything that can go wrong will go wrong. Therefore, if I buy a pistol with a thumb-safety I will have to spend the time & money training myself to use it because I've had ole Murphy raise his head more than once in my lifetime and I'll be danged if I'm going to let him do so in a possible life or death situation. Fortunately just as I was getting ready to buy a Shield they came out with the NS model so I carry a NS Shield 40.

ymmv
 
#6 ·
My 2 cents.... If you want a T/S and are going to "USE" it, buy one with it. If you don't intend to use it, buy it with out. I bought my first Shield when Smith first released them back in 2012, obviously with the T/S, because that was all that was available. I have 5 other M&P's all with out the T/S, there for I never train to use one. The lever is small, not intrusive, and has a real positive on and off, I agreed with others that there was no way to accidentally set it. WRONG...at last months local IDPA, at the last stage of the day I drew to engage my first target and dead trigger, racked the slide, dead trigger. To be honest I thought a primer dropped out and locked the trigger up(reloads with well used brass). Well I'm embarrassed to say that I had some how partially engaged the safety. DON'T LET ANYONE TELL YOU THAT IT CAN'T BE ACCIDENTALLY BE PUT ON SAFE. I have a lot of time with this gun too. I carry it every day, shoot IDPA, and local steel shoots with it. It has well over 6000 rounds through it and has never had a single malfunction. That IDPA stage made do a little thinking, if I would have needed to defend myself and that happened, I'd be dead. That Shield now has a new home and I now have one with out the T/S. I love the Shield and will probably always have one, but it will never have a T/S. I'm not telling anyone whats best for THEM but just get the one that meets YOUR needs, if it has the T/S, use it and train with it.
 
#7 ·
I carried my 1911's and other pistols such as my Browning. High Power locked and cocked back in my younger days and became real comfortable training with and using a safety. When I train with my Shield, I train with the safety on. My gal, on the other hand, has only been shooting for a few years. The majority of pistols that the has trained with have been striker fired polymer pistols (M&P's, Glocks, etc.). None of these pistols had thumb safeties. When she bought her first pistol, she bought an M&P 9 full size with no thumb safety. I bought her a Shield which has a thumb safety. She carries it with the safety off. I suggest carrying in a manner consist an with how you train.
 
#8 ·
The Shield with no thumb safety (NTS) was the Shield I've always wanted, but it wasn't available when I boughten mine (May 2013). I carried my Shield (with safety) for a few months since I got my state CCW permit when it got warmer... Being lazy and lucky, I never practiced drawing my Shield from concealment and never had to for self defense. As others have said, my safety was very stiff/positive and I had never used it.

And then the NTS very was released... This past Friday I traded my old Shield for a new one with NTS. This is the Shield I want. If the other M&P sizes and other firearms (including other subcompacts) don't have thumb safeties, then the Shield doesn't need one either.

But this is just my opinion.
 
#9 ·
I just picked up a 40 Shield NTS. I was LE for 30+ years we carried Beretta 92F. Policy was to have safety engaged. I would see some who would carry safety off. All Dept. training was geared with safety on as you draw the safety would be thumbed off. I did hear of an officer who carried safety off and when he needed the gun the safety somehow was engaged. He was pulling the trigger repeatedly and unable to use his weapon. Bottom line you will do what you practice/train. I found that when I took my gun out of the holster the safety came off automatically. MY last 12 years I carried an HK USP 45.
 
#11 ·
I'm a long time 1911 guy, and have no trouble with safeties.

If a gun has one, I use it.

If it doesn't have one (like my M&P's); I'm OK with that, too.

I prefer not having one, or a mag safety (won't buy a gun that has one) on pistols like the M&P's that come either way.
 
#12 ·
Safety or no safety

My carry guns have always had thumb safeties. My winter carry is a 1911 and my summer carry is my Shield with thumb safety. Switching the safety off is automatic when the gun is drawn from the holster Switching it on is automatic when re-holstering. I am a creature of habit and expect that my training will carry-over if a shtf moment should occur.
 
#13 ·
I pretty much agree with JaysQ on all he says. I train with the safety and in a stress situation I feel confident I will disengage the safety as I have trained. Although I am leaning toward disengaging the safety once it's holstered. There was once at the range yesterday I got in a hurry during a moving target drill and swiped the safety when drawing but didn't get it off all the way and the gun didn't shoot. I just need to train more. I would imagine statistics will show that more people shoot themselves with no safety than with one and also imagine more people shoot themselves with their own weapon than are shot by others.
 
#14 ·
I carry a FS M&P 40 at work all day, but it's in a duty belt on the outside.
My concealed gun is carried IWB on my strong side.
The gun I carry concealed now is a 442 revolver, I just want to be safe when holstering the weapon inside my pants.

That is way I was asking about a safety.
 
#16 ·
So let me get this straight.....the safety on a handgun is what makes them safe and keeps handguns from discharging unintentionally and people from shooting themselves and other unintended people? Okay...I would like to suggest the four firearms safety rules
1- Treat all firearms like there loaded
2- Never point a firearm at anything you don't wish hit or destroy
3- Don't put your finger inside the trigger guard and on the trigger until you are on target and ready to shoot
4- Always be aware of whats behind your target
Again a safety, or not, is a personal decision and NOT for me or anyone else to decide. My only advice would be if you purchase one with, train and use it ALL the time. When someone is under stress they go to what they know and how they trained. Thus my problem at my IDPA match, I never use or have ever trained with the safety and had a FALSE security that it could not engage unless I engaged it. WRONG
I APOLOGIZE for the rant but I leave my clubs range all the time because of idiots and their irresponsible gun handling as well as wont shoot with some of my friends for the same reason. Whether they think their guns are unloaded or not there is no reason to muzzle someone with it. And if the 4 basic rules are followed NO one EVER shoots themselves or anyone else unintentionally.
 
#17 · (Edited)
I know the safety rules for safe gun handling, never had a ND, or an AD in my life, hopefully it stays that way.


I have never carried any gun that has a safety, I've carried a revolver IWB for over 40 years,
I've used a gun for SD twice in all those years, and I'm still here so I guess my training worked

I'm going to stay away from safety on a CCW gun, cause I'm not used to them.


My original question was seeing as how the gun now comes both ways, what do you guy's prefer.
Thanks for the help.
 
#18 ·
JohnR my post was not directed at you, referring to post of someone else. " I would imagine statistics will show that more people shoot themselves with no safety than with one and also imagine more people shoot themselves with their own weapon than are shot by others." And Rainsong please not anything towards you either, its just we unfortunately live in times when no one ever does anything wrong and it's always someone on something else to blame when things happen. I hear all the time how unsafe Glocks and M&P's are because on not having thumb safeties, its just ridiculous.
 
#20 ·
No offence taken, just thinking out loud if I want a safety or not, seeing as how we have a choice now.
I like the idea of a safety for re holstering, but I also like the choice of not having a safety to mess with at a very critical time. (SHTF)

Too many choices. :dizzy:
 
#19 ·
What people need to understand is that thumb lever type manual firing inhibitor does not increase safety. It is merely a different way of managing safety.

While such device may reduce the risk of accidental fire in SOME situations, it does not in anohter.

Also it comes with its own set of additional risks:

- Manipulation failure resulting in failed or delayed fire, allowing the operator of the pistol to be killed or injured by opponent. Some dadvocates of the device will try to make it appear as if it is a simple matter of more training making the user not forget the manipulation. However, that is a misleading, since the reality is that the problem is far more complex than simply forgetting to switch the device on or off. A situation rapidly switching between shooting justified and shooting not justified multiple times can present a problem with manipulation speed not being able to catch up with mental decision speed.

- The lever or device switching between "firing enabled" and "firing inhibited" status without user's knowledge, resulting in delayed or failed fire.

- Inability or reduced ability to manipulate the lever when user is injured. "Grip safety" also presents same problem.

- Inabiliry or reduced ability to manipulate with left hand with the device is designed only for right hand.

- How the hand grips the gun may have to be adjusted from maxium efficient way to less than that in order to place the thumb or base of thumb area in a way that allows manipulation of the device. Also, the base of thumb area moving right before the gun as to be fired, when it needs most stabiity, may further reduce control. "Grip safety" also presents same problem.

Some advocates of the device falsly claim that the above risks can be elimitated with training, however the above risk cannot be eliminated. It can only be reduced.

Pistols without these device does have their own set of risks too, but that does not make the pistols with one any better in regards to totality of the situation.
 
#24 ·
Ah,the old safety or no safety question again.I've wondered for a while now if the majority of shooters in favor of safeties are avid rifle/shotgun hunters such as myself.Been hunting for almost 40 yrs. now and the act of releasing the safety seems to be a natural part of shooting,for having the safety on is a natural selection when walking with a loaded rifle/shotgun through brush,tall fields, or with groups of hunters.After years of using a safety,it becomes pretty fast to release it,even in quick fire situations.Myself I can do with safety or no safety,remembering which gun I have is just a part of hunting and knowing where the safety is on each gun.To non hunters this may seem too much of an extra step,I don't know.But if my handgun has a safety,it seems no problem to release it quickly, as a normal step in firing.
 
#25 · (Edited)
Long gun appears to have no relevance.

Many combat training experts come from decades of rifle experience also, but only a minority portion of them regularly use a pistol with a thumb switch as their primary pistol.

Hunting is a pretty relaxed environment, while fighting with a gun is not. Some might say "How hard is it to flip a lever?"

Actually, It is not. It is not hard at all if shooting is the only thing you need to focus on.

However, in combat, shooting is just one of manything you are doing at the same time. It is not so hard to shift a gear in a manual transmission car either when you only need to focus on driving. It does become harder when you need to operate the radio, watch traffic you have no control of, operate lights and sirens, while keeping track of an armed suspect vehicle, while in a hot pursuit.

I've even seen an instructor, and one's that taught me are pretty skilled ones, forget to release the thumb switch on pistols.
 
#30 ·
I had a shield with the safety and carried it for a few months. I never had an issue swiping it off on the draw or it accidentally being put on safe during use or holstering. However, I sold it to a friend because I preferred carrying my 9c and just didn't feel comfortable having one extra step if I did needed to use it defensively. This is just a personal preference and there is plenty of built in safety in the pistol anyway. I also don't pocket carry and I use a quality holster.
The guy I sold it to carried it without engaging the safety and did inadvertently engage it a few times. I'm not sure how or weather it was during the draw but either way that's an issue.
I did just buy one without the safety and I absolutely love it! No worries.



Sent from my iPad using Outdoor Forums
 
#31 ·
No preference. For me, having a thumb safety or not, has no bearing on my decision to purchase a particular model. I have a Shield with the thumb safety. I can choose to use the safety or not use the safety. Same with my Model 39-2.

I'm fine with not having a thumb safety on my Glock 17.
 
#32 ·
My pistol prior to my shield did not have a safety, they both have the same type of action so for me it is safety off. The safety on the shield is fairly stiff so I don't fear it magically turning itself on by unholstering it. I certainly don't feel the need to trade or buy a new Shield just because of the safety.
 
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