Grip Safety- Necessary or Just a Warm Feeling?

[crzy4guns]

There you go, I know several people who carry that way and have not had one AD/ND because they keep their finger off the trigger until ready to shoot. I carry my Glock with one in the chamber and so do a lot of LEOs all across this great nation of ours. I am sure that you are a competent and trained shooter with experience, but a new shooter should probably use the thumb safety as well. I certainly hope that this thread does not erupt into the old 1911 vs. Glock fight or my gun is better than yours. We all have our preferences and opinions and whatever works for you is fine by me. I will say no more on this subject as I do not want to hijack this fellow's thread. Have a good day everyone and get out to shoot more often with your EDC.

[DefensiveCarry.com]

[Captain Crunch]

I did a bit of research on the Texas Rangers website and now have a name for you. Captain M.T. "Lone Wolf" Gonzaullas of company B, February 1940 - July 1951. I did not mean that the Chuck Norris movie was about him only that it was loosely based on some of his exploits. The captain by the way believed that his two Colt 1911 .45s were the best fighting handguns a man could own bar none. Who could've argued with him, he sent many criminals to their graves that thought otherwise. Also that movie was awful and cheesy and did not do justice to the Texas Ranger law enforcement officers.

Thanks, 4guns. For a moment there, I was thinking you were suffering from Chuck Norris Hero Worship Syndrome!

Yeah, Lone Wolf McQuade and Walker, Texas Ranger bear absolutely no relevance to the real life Rangers. The State of Texas should have sued the producers for slander.

[kpw]

I carry either a Glock or a BHP so I guess it's a non-issue for me. I don't mind them on 1911s or XDs but it's not a design feature I look for or desire in a pistol.

[crzy4guns]

You are totally right Captain, Chuck Norris may kick my rear end for saying this, but Walker, Texas Ranger is awful and cheesy too!

[limatunes]

On the XD, I could take it or leave it.

The grip safety is SOOO small that there are times when my tiny little hands have missed it upon manipulating the firearm to show to potential customers. When I'm trying to lock back the slide with no magazine inserted in the gun as the slide will not move to the rear without the grip safety depressed. For some reason, the way I have to move my hands to perform this task does not engage the safety and I'm left fumbling to rack the slide. My answer is usually to insert an empty mag and rack the slide. For me, it's inconvenient on the XD. I like the safety, I just wish it were bigger and therefore easier to depress.

That's why I like my 1911 grip safeties. They are huge and are impossible to miss.

Once, while doing force on force with JD with disabled 1911s, he had managed to pin me face down on the floor. Even with my other hand pinned underneath me I was able to draw my 1911 to the rear, practically upside down, turn my wrist and point shoot from the behind my back. The quick "snap" of the hammer surprised him as he wasn't even aware I was capable of drawing from that position.

He would have been hit mid to high chest had there actually been ammunition and a gun capable of firing.

My grip was a poor one due to how I was contorted but the grip safety was depressed and the hammer did fall.

We did other drills that day including gun retention and we got forced into some pretty strange positions and angles. Not once did either of our firearms fail because of the grip safety.

If I had even the slightest doubt that I couldn't get a lifesaving shot off because of a device on my gun it would be gone.

Conversely, the grip safety had its purpose and need in history and those purposes and needs were why it was added to the 1911 design over 100 years ago.

Not many people know that the first JMB designs did not call for a grip safety or a thumb safety, but that the Army was not pleased with the design's lack of safeties.

The grip safety was added before the thumb safety but it finally appealed to the military enough to adopt it as their sidearm.

I suppose that at times the grip safety can seem superfluous but I appreciate the added safety.

[1YoungGunna]

Sense I own a XD, I find it to be somewhat of a "bonus" feature. I enjoy the pistol to the fullest and in my trials haven't found the grip safety to be a hassel or inconvience or discomfort. With a proper grip, there is a very small possibility that I or anyone holding the pistol won't deactivate the safety. IMO. Once again that's IMO and not offiicial research.

[bps3040]

I appreciate that extra safety every time I re holster in my Smartcarry, or am involved in some physical contortion that might put some pressure on the gun, even in an IWB.

At some point I'll probably own a Glock, but having a grip safety on a gun I own now isn't a bad thing.

That is one reason I like it, re holstering the 2nd ..it gives my wife confidence to carry it. She wants a safety.

[TerryD]

Me and my wife looked at the XD about a month ago, but ended up getting a Glock. And one of the big reasons was because of the safety on the XD. Neither of us like safeties of any kind on our pistols.

She has a S&W 642, a Glock 26, and I got a Sig 220R Equinox... no safeties.

[SpringerXD]

Let me take the counter view.

I was all set to buy an XD because I liked the idea of a grip safety. As far as safeties go, it is a good idea. But someone brought to my attention that if you do not hold the gun just right, you cannot fire it. Not a problem in say competition or at the range, but what happens if you get into a (gun) fight, and your hand is injured? You cannot hold the gun properly to grip the safety and therefore cannot fire it to maybe save your life. But if you had, say a Glock, you could still fire a gun.

Just something to think about.

This hasn't been my experience at all. My XD 45 Compact grip safety has very little margin for error, i.e. as long as you're actually holding the gun in your hand, the grip safety is compressed.

[adaman04]

It's a safety feature alright. It does what it is intended to do.

However, I was at a defensive handgun class a couple weekends ago and the guy next to me was shooting an XD. In the exercise, we had to draw from our holster with our off hand and fire 2 shots.

I drew, reversed the gun in its holster, acquired the target and fired my two shots. The guy with the XD had a less than ideal, but secure firing grip on his gun and was shaking like mad. I looked closer and noticed he had his hand too low to activate the grip safety. He pulled on the trigger but the gun did nothing.

I'm not saying that everyone should write of grip safeties, but it is something to keep in mind. The "perfect" firing grip may not be in use when you need it most.

[Rob72]

I'm not saying that everyone should write of grip safeties, but it is something to keep in mind. The "perfect" firing grip may not be in use when you need it most.

We consistently cite that violent altercations are most likely to be a bad-breath distances...and then discuss tools and tactics as though we have the option of the pre-emptive (vs. reactive) draw and 15+ yards.

Personally, I get the most oversized GSs possible and minimize the spring tension as fully as possible.

Unnecessary- we don't ride horses and reload in the saddle in a cross-draw position anymore.

[SIXTO]

we don't ride horses and reload in the saddle in a cross-draw position anymore.

Speak for yourself!

[kubmiester]

I prefer the grip safety, especially without a thumb safety. I’ve never had a problem with either of my XDs not firing because I wasn’t holding the grip safety down far enough.

[NE45]

Ok on my 1911s but one reason I bought a G19 was to simplify the whole thing by eliminating the traditional safeties.