Carrying chambered 1911?

[Broph650]

So, when you guys carry your weapon condition 1, do you have the thumb safety on or off?

Does it matter?

[Lt. Commander]

On, yes it matters because that's the was it was designed to be carried...


Scott

[MSgt Dotson]

Originally Posted by Broph650

So, when you guys carry your weapon condition 1, do you have the thumb safety on or off?

Does it matter?

"ON", of course! Sweeping the safety off as the pistol is drawn and clears the holster is almost instinctive!

[Mountain Guy]

Originally Posted by Zorak

Could you better explain thumbreak? I just got my CWP and I am new to holsters

A strap on your holster that comes over the gun and snaps into place. As you draw, you break the snap hold with your thumb - hence, thumbreak.

[Broph650]

Originally Posted by MSgt Dotson

"ON", of course! Sweeping the safety off as the pistol is drawn and clears the holster is almost instinctive!

Thank you, Im totally new at the whole 1911 carry thing. I come from Glock and S&W where it did not make a difference. I am going to have to start drilling. Any recomendations?

[ozarkroots]

Pardon me if I show my ignorance but C1 with a 1911 is far better than a carrying a Glock at all. if the BG takes away my 1911 he has to figure out how to make it go, if he gets my Glock he simply points and shoots thanks to TV.

[theozz]

Yes been carrying cocked and locked since my CCW license showed up

[Shad Roe]

Originally Posted by ozarkroots

Pardon me if I show my ignorance but C1 with a 1911 is far better than a carrying a Glock at all. if the BG takes away my 1911 he has to figure out how to make it go, if he gets my Glock he simply points and shoots thanks to TV.

ozarkroots,that being your #1 post to the forum is worth at LEAST a "quote"-reply!

Yet another damn good reason not to carry a Glock.

[Mountain Guy]

Originally Posted by ozarkroots

Pardon me if I show my ignorance but C1 with a 1911 is far better than a carrying a Glock at all. if the BG takes away my 1911 he has to figure out how to make it go, if he gets my Glock he simply points and shoots thanks to TV.

What ozarkroots says is true for ANY gun without a safety depending on Double Action - like Sigs and revolvers. It's a really good point!

[MSgt Dotson]

Originally Posted by Broph650

Thank you, Im totally new at the whole 1911 carry thing. I come from Glock and S&W where it did not make a difference. I am going to have to start drilling. Any recomendations?

Holster (IWB---M-Tac, SUmmer Special or Summer Comfort, OWB--Galco Yaqui), or pistol (Colt XSE LW Cmdr or Colt Officer's ACP!)?

Many are terrified at the sight of "hammer back" operation/carry state, but, if anything, the design of the 1911, IMO, makes it *safer* than nearly all other 'just pull the trigger' designs'. Both my 1911 variants are Series 80, with grip safety (blocks the trigger until grip safety is held/depressed), thumb safety (thoroughly locks the sear into position), and firing pin block (deactivated only when the trigger is pulled, which you can't do unless both the grip safety is depressed/held, *and* the thumb safety is off.)

A few hundred or perhaps a thousand draws from the holster, and the 'safety-off' ritual will indeed be *so* instinctive, that I sold other pistols where the 'thumb down' sweep might actually activate the safety; it was the only reason I sold my 645,1006,5906, and 6906 S&W autos, which were excellent pistols.

[oldboondog]

Personally I believe that for self defense the 1911 is the best, and safest, handgun on the planet. I also believe the only way to carry a 1911 is condition one, cocked and locked and of course a chambered round!!!

If for any reason you don't feel safe doing this then the 1911 is not the gun for you. Pick something else, almost anything else---except a Glock, unless you are an "old hand." Glocks are not for newbies. If you don't feel safe with a 1911 condtion one then try an HK, or FN, or Beretta, or Sig, etc. My first carry gun (many years ago) was a SA Beretta, cocked & locked. I just don't feel safe carrying any striker fired pistol with a chambrered round.

[oldboondog]

I believe there is nothing wrong with carrying chambered round, hammer down, if that's the way the gun was designed. There are a number of guns designed to be carried chambered round, hammer down, to function either DAO or DA. The current service 9mm Beretta is carried that way, safety on or off. First pull is DA, goes to SA on second pull, or you can decock it. FN's candidate for service pistol works that way also. Both have hammers. I like a visible hammer. Sig has several that work that same way. They are designed to be carried chambered round, hammer down. The 1911 is not.

[1911 Buckeye]

Cocked, locked, ready to rock!

[Stephen87]

To those that carry a chambered gun do you chamber a round then replace the missing round in the mag(ie carry the gun 7/8+1)

[chifus]

Originally Posted by Stephen87

To those that carry a chambered gun do you chamber a round then replace the missing round in the mag(ie carry the gun 7/8+1)

yep.

[jaydoc1]

Originally Posted by Stephen87

To those that carry a chambered gun do you chamber a round then replace the missing round in the mag(ie carry the gun 7/8+1)

Absolutely.

[NineteenElev3n]

Originally Posted by jaydoc1

Absolutely.

+1! Cocked & Locked, Baby!

[coldsteel]

At one time I was not comfortable carrying a condition 1 1911 so I carried a double action semi-auto. I used my Colt Government Model for for IPSC and bullseye shooting. Then a Couple of years ago, I begin carrying an S&W M&P 40c and realized that was carrying a cocked and unlocked firearm. So I bought a Kimber Compact CDP and carry it cocked and locked with confidence.

[1903a3spring]

I've been carrying a 1911 for 35 years (plus/minus). I've always carried it cocked and locked. In the past I have used either a Safariland or bianchi holster, on duty and off. Since the holsters made by both those companies have for whatever reason changed the design so that the thumb strap can no longer be placed in front of the cocked hammer (at least on the holsters I prefer) but over the hammer with the hammer down. Product liability I imagine. So now I use a Galco with no thumb strap.

The 1911 was designed to be carried in this way. I don't know if anyone has realized that the 1911 was designed in such a way that the hammer need not be touched at all.

To cock and load the 1911 one inserts a loaded magazine and pull back and release the slide or release the slide from the lock back position.

Engage the thumb safety and you're done.

One should avoid thumbing the hammer whenever possible, especially if the firearm is loaded.

Proper familiarization with the 1911, and I mean a lot of range time and practice handling and shooting the 1911 will allow you to become more comfortable with the safe operation and handling of your 1911. Do it until you can manipulate it without thinking about every step.

[SA1911A1/45]

Cocked and locked.

[xXxtreme]

Cocked and locked for me also...........

"When seconds count and the police are minutes away".

[Sheepdog87]

Cocked and Locked is the way God wanted John Browning to design it!

[TX_Punisher]

90 percent for cocked and locked is good enough for me.

[wyatt earp]

whatever

[blacksharkL82]

Originally Posted by wyatt earp

You guys are crazy!
Isn't it much easier for a safety to slip and hammer fall, than for a 1911 slide to rack and chamber a round? Now i'm not speaking to law enforcment or military, but isn't unchambered alot safer around women, children and civilians? Couldn't an average man sense danger 2 seconds ahead and pull his slide?
I mean; John Browning invented his in wartime to kill men. I thought we were not at war anymore, and we're just trying to protect ourselves.

wyatt earp
___________________
"fast is fine, accuracy is final."

You must never have been in a confrontation, or a shooting school.
There is a standard, most are taught in a school you should have attended.
21', 7 yds, is the no comfort zone. Anything approching you, in that area, can get to you in less than that two seconds, you claim, to chamber a round.

Draw with covered gun, fire on target, two rounds, two seconds.
This put the BG, at your feet or falling on your feet.
Get real and learn what you can and can't do.
If you carry a gun, be prepared to use it, at all times.
Could you realy kill another human being? If not, put your guns away.
The 1911 or any clones of it, were designed to be carried in condition 1.
If you're worried about the saftey slipping off, have the saftey lever, drilled a bit, so the plunger, rides in the slot a little deeper.
I've been carring 1911s, since 1963, condition 1, and never had any slide off safe.