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How do you carry?

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Carrying chambered 1911?

363K views 941 replies 542 participants last post by  Tim Burke 
#1 ·
I recently purchased a 70's series Springfield Micro Compact. I have been working for a gun dealer as a salesman for almost a year now and I have several co-workers who also carry 1911s; all of which carry theirs chambered. When I asked about carrying it chambered with the hammer dropped my co-worker told me if you drop a 70's series chambered with the hammer down it will go off. He told me if i was going to carry it chambered have the hammer back and safety on. I plan to familiarize myself with the weapon more before i start doing this but in the mean time i have been carrying it unchambered with the hammer back and safety on to see if my safety will ever fail or shift. I have a nice Galco holster and when i bought the gun it came with an extended safety. Just wanted to see how everyone else carries and make sure I am safe before I accidentally blow my leg and buttocks off with a .45 magsafe round.
 
#2 ·
I think you'll find that most here carry cocked & locked (condition 1). Carrying it like you are will let you become confident that it will not go off by itself. If your Galco is an open top you should be fine. Not knowing better, my first holster for a 1911 was a Galco with a thumbreak. The thumbreak caused the safety to come off.
 
#3 ·
Andy W. said:
I think you'll find that most here carry cocked & locked (condition 1). Carrying it like you are will let you become confident that it will not go off by itself. If your Galco is an open top you should be fine. Not knowing better, my first holster for a 1911 was a Galco with a thumbreak. The thumbreak caused the safety to come off.
Could you better explain thumbreak? I just got my CWP and I am new to holsters
 
#4 ·
Condition 1...the ONLY way it should be carried. Anything else is asking to be shot/stabbed/clubbed/punch in the face first. ;)

Only in Hollywood is it "COOL" to rack the slide before you take action...or if you are an Israeli commando where its protocol...outside of that, being prepared should the SHTF, is paramount.

Besides C1 is the safest mode of carry...both for the gun, and the enduser needing it ready. In a confrontation, split seconds count...why give the BG an upper hand?
 
#6 ·
i carry con 2 but i have trained myself that part of my draw is thumbing the hammer, call me wierd or stupid its just how i do it. i think it comes from carrying a M9 to much were you always have the hammer down cause you can fire double action in those, i have drilled and practiced enought that i feel confident that buy the time i present the weapon its locked and cocked and someone is going to be eating a few hydra-shok rounds. i know everyone is going to come on here and tell me that con1 is the only way to carry, i have tried it and i get paranoid about the safety coming off
 
#7 ·
My every-day carry is off-body, and I carry it C2 (I need two hands, and a few seconds to get at it, so ultimate speed isn't my main concern). When holstered, it's always C1.
 
#9 ·
primersinmyshoe said:
Will a 1911 fire if while thumbcocking the hammer slips off of the thumb and strikes the firing pin?
good point, i never tested it, mine if you get it past half way hold in a kinda half cocked postion, i think its a safety to prevent that, or mines just messed up
 
#11 ·
i have tried it and i get paranoid about the safety coming off
then the 1911 is not for you... it is impossible for it to fire in this mode. Three things have to happen for it to go bang, and those three things cannot happen when holstered unless your holster is some strange breed that exposes all firing controls.

1. Thumb safety off
2. Grip safety depressed
3. Trigger pulled

One who carries in a different mode C2, C3...you must consider what you will do should you not have two hands to charge the gun. Thumbing back the hammer is not always easy on a 1911 (one-handed) and in many cases you have to shift your hold to accomplish this. What if you are fending off an attacker with your weak hand (or worse, just took a knife blade in your weak arm) and you need to rack your slide because you carry a way other than C1...you are SOL, unless the BG is kind enough to let you use your heel, the rear sights or a tabletop to rack your gun...that of course is provided you do NOT have a full length guide rod. :p

even if its riding in your holster with the thumb safety off, there is no danger if you keep you finger off the trigger, which is a cardinal rule...finger off the trigger until your gun is pointed at your intended target anyhow.

I take it you will never carry a Glock with NO manual safeties on it...a far more unnerving gun to holster safely...if a shirt or cover garment gets inside the trigger guard during holstering, BANG! You won't see this happening with a gun that has a thumb safety, let alone a grip safety.
 
#151 ·
Condition #1



I agree!!
I've carried a 1911, in all sizes, in all ways, since 1980. Never, never have I had a problem. Holsters; thumb brake, belt slide, mexican carry, stuck in the belt on the side, shoulder rig, upside down shoulder rig, cross draw and a few with no names or equals.
It aint gonin off unless you pull the trigger, the safety is off and you have the grip safety depressed
.
 
#13 ·
guess i should have jumped in my flame proof suit after that post but i see your point, and like i said, its a habit born of many many many hours carrying a M9 beretta. though you do make a great argument for it and i might just start carrying con1, heck since i got my CCW i went from a con3 carry to a topped off con2 carry and i think i will go to a con1 topped off carry now, baby steps, one day i will be a uber cool ccw guy like yourseld. sorry had to toss a little flame out, lol
 
#14 ·
Cocked and locked is the only way to go. It's one of the most compelling reasons to carry a 1911 vs. other firearms.
 
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#15 ·
Funny you should bring up the Glock. I used to love them, then I tried a 1911. Glock isn't safe to carry and I am surprised by the number of LEO and agencies that issue them as standard. The are a fine fairearm, I will agree, but with a round in the chamber your asking for loss off mobility(after shooting yourself in the foot). Don't say only an untrained idiot could do such a thing, we have had not one but two State Patrolmen have their Glock discharge while unholstering. Neither are employed by the state anymore.
 
#142 ·
Unsafe Gun Handling!



This didn't happen because of the gun - but the operator. Glocks are safe. I've carried both Glocks and 1911s Con 1 and have NEVER had an AD because I PRACTICE SAFE GUN HANDLING!! It's irresponsible for someone to blame a chunk of metal and plastic when they don't handle a gun properly.

(Not a personal attack - just an observation).
 
#16 ·
i know everyone is going to come on here and tell me that con1 is the only way to carry, i have tried it and i get paranoid about the safety coming off
I was paranoid at first. Someone suggested carrying with the hammer back & an empty chamber until I was satisfied that it was safe. I did this for awhile with the safety on and with it off, and learned that the safety won't take itself off or that the hammer won't drop by itself.
 
#17 ·
Andy W. said:
... and learned that the safety won't take itself off ...
I once carried in a Bianchi Black Widow holster that had a thumb break. That holster did wicked things to the thumb safety. Ocassionally I'd check my gun and the safety would be off. Now I know why they named it Black Widow. This happend a couple times. Anyone want to buy a used holster? :grumble:
 
#18 ·
primersinmyshoe said:
I once carried in a Bianchi Black Widow holster that had a thumb break. That holster did wicked things to the thumb safety. Ocassionally I'd check my gun and the safety would be off. Now I know why they named it Black Widow. This happend a couple times. Anyone want to buy a used holster? :grumble:
I have a Bianchi paddle holster for my Beretta 92FS that does the same thing. It just turns the safety off.
 
#785 ·
I bought a Blackhawk paddle holster when I got my Kimber. The thumb-break kept disengaging my thumb safety. I returned it and got a Blackhawk pancake holster - the thumb-break hasn't disengaged the safety once. Same maker, different styles but the same holster in the end. Could've just carried with the thumb safety disengaged, but I prefer things work like they are meant to work.
 
#19 ·
C & L! Just the way it sits on my hip as I type. I don't have a spare mag on me, but I am in my house with the rest of my defense things :) Tracy
 
#20 · (Edited)
Victimized said:
Funny you should bring up the Glock. I used to love them, then I tried a 1911. Glock isn't safe to carry and I am surprised by the number of LEO and agencies that issue them as standard. The are a fine fairearm, I will agree, but with a round in the chamber your asking for loss off mobility(after shooting yourself in the foot). Don't say only an untrained idiot could do such a thing, we have had not one but two State Patrolmen have their Glock discharge while unholstering. Neither are employed by the state anymore.

Wow, guess I have just been lucky the 10 years I carried a GLOCK (and still do at times). Or maybe I just didn't allow myself to become so lax that I didn't pay attention while holstering or to allow my booger hook inside the trigger gaurd. :)

Curious to hear how they discharged while UN-holstering. I'm sure since they no longer work for the State that they were ND's.

ETA: For the original question. Round chambered, hammer back, safety on. C&L
 
#483 ·
I've carried a Glock for years and never had any problems. If you practice with the right kind of clothing, and holster, it really should be a problem with any pistol. Practice makes perfect. I too carry my Kimber Ultra C&L ...
 
#21 ·
one in the chamber with the safety on

is the way to carry a 1911 but you shouldn't do that until you are comfortable with it and confident that it is safe.

As others have said, the thing to do is to carry it 'cocked and locked' with an empty chamber around your house for a while. While you do that, get a copy of the drawings of the 1911 and study how the pistol, particularly the safeties, works.

After some time carrying in condition one and with an understanding of the inner workings of your pistol you will carry with confidence in condition one just like the rest of us.
 
#22 ·
i carried my 91A1 in a bianchi holster, and it would wipe the thumb saftey off. i didnt mind much, cause a 1911 with the thumb saftey off is still safer than a glock.. lol..

i dont have anything against glocks, but i always carried mine in a holster. i didnt like putting it in the door or console of my truck with a round in the chamber and no holster though... hell, the chief i used to work for would stick his glock 22 in his back pocket ( no holster!!!!!) we finally ordered him a paddle holster cause we hated seeing him do that.

my springfield i carry now has a much stiffer thumb saftey and i dont see it coming off that easy.

cocked and locked is the only way to go on a 1911...

carry however your comfortable, but learn as much as you can about the 1911, and you will see that cocked and locked is very safe.. its the hands its in that make the difference

russel
SDMF
 
#23 ·
Cond 1 is the way to go. My big issue w/ Cond 2 is the possibility of an ND when lowering the hammer. The only ND I have ever had was lowering the hammer on my 1911. You can only lower that hammer so many times before you screw up. My procedure was to cover the firing pin w/ my weak side thumb, taking it away as I let the hammer all the way down.

It doesn't work.

I lost my traction on the hammer and it hit my thumb and still struck the pin with enough force to fire a single golden sabre through an interior wall and into an exterior wall. No one was hurt, but my family was in the house and I was very shaken by the incident. I still have that shell casing in a baggie taped to my gun box to remind me to be careful.

A moment of carelessness can cause an ND, BUT there are techniques and procedures that are basically inviting one. I thank God no loved ones were hurt. That incident ended my cavalier attitude about guns and stopped the, in my opinion, stupid practice of Cond 2 carry.

Cond 1 or Cond 3. Cond 2, tactics aside, is asking for trouble.
 
#411 ·
I lost my traction on the hammer and it hit my thumb and still struck the pin with enough force to fire a single golden sabre through an interior wall and into an exterior wall. No one was hurt, but my family was in the house and I was very shaken by the incident. I still have that shell casing in a baggie taped to my gun box to remind me to be careful.
I did almost the same thing when I was new to pistol owner ship. I have and FNP 9mm with a decocker as this was one of my firsts it was my HD gun so I kept it loaded my other at the time was a S&W M&P (DOA stiker fired). For some reason I thought it would be better for the hammer on the FN to be all the way down I guess I thought resting at 1/2 cock would wear or eventually harm the gun. Long story short thumb slipped and I put a fired off a hollow point in the master bedroom closet. Thank God no one was hurt and the damage was minimal as the bullet hit a one of those steel wire closet shelves and came apart with only very minor damage to the closet shelf. Going forward for me if a gun has a manual safety the gun remains cocked w/ safety on it it's a decocker then I decock it ONLY. HArd lesson to learn.
 
#24 ·
i hate glocks the only handguns i will carry are either 1911's or XD-45 ACP, i like the grip safety and actaully last night i just wore my 1911 around the house con1 and i am starting to get use to it, my wife is actaully more parnoid that i am, she is not a big pistol lover, she like rifles better, i have taken her out and taught her how to shoot my 45 but i think i need to get something smaller for her, i was thinking of a XD-40 subcompact, i think her dislike of handguns comes from hearing to many bad stories from her dad who was a handgun instructor for the marines, yet i am also a handgun instructor but she won't listen to me about them. oh well. yeah so i am now one of the masses that carries con1 L&C.
 
#116 ·
I got my wife the xd sub-compact 9mm. It's easy to fire for her. I'm not a big fan of polymer or 9mm (but even less so the 40, just my opinion), but the gun is light and it's an easy round to fire for her. The trigger is heavy enough (and with the grip safety) that I don't worry about accidental discharge. She loves shooting hers.
 
#25 ·
razor777 said:
guess i should have jumped in my flame proof suit after that post but i see your point, and like i said, its a habit born of many many many hours carrying a M9 beretta. though you do make a great argument for it and i might just start carrying con1, heck since i got my CCW i went from a con3 carry to a topped off con2 carry and i think i will go to a con1 topped off carry now, baby steps, one day i will be a uber cool ccw guy like yourseld. sorry had to toss a little flame out, lol
I'm not sure who you were directing the "Little flame" at. Your 1911 ain't a Beretta. New manual of arms, Marine. Learn the weapon and train with it.
Lowering the hammer on a loaded chamber is unnecessarily risky, and relying on pulling back the hammer to ready the weapon in a time of stress is bad juju.
 
#27 ·
ferretray said:
I'm not sure who you were directing the "Little flame" at. Your 1911 ain't a Beretta. New manual of arms, Marine. Learn the weapon and train with it.
Lowering the hammer on a loaded chamber is unnecessarily risky, and relying on pulling back the hammer to ready the weapon in a time of stress is bad juju.
"little flame" was just a general shot out for a joke. oh and i do now carry con1, i know there is a difference from the M9 to the 1911, trust me if i could i would toss my M9 out the side of my huey and only carry my 1911, the 9mm ball round is worthless (yes i have had to use deadly force with my M9). [sarcasm]Ferretray if you had read my most recent post you will see that i have now been converted by you all to the uber 1911 CCW crowd [/sarcasm], i carry con 1 and am comfortable with it.
 
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