[4my sons]

I was reading an article in Combat Handguns last night, it was talking about the safety issue of not using the decocking device on your gun if it has one. If you use the old method of thumb on hammer and finger on trigger, the hammer goes all the way down, allowing it to strike the firing pin and discharge the chambered round if the hammer is struck or lands on the hammer in a fall.

I don't have this feature on my glock, but am looking at diversifying some in the future.

Is there a safety position for the hammer on these guns, My SA frontier scoutt 22 has a first cock, keeps hammer off the pin, second allows rotating the cyl to load/unlaod and the third is the firing position. I'm guessing this is the same basic process.

I figured this might be something good for others here to know who also have these types of guns and may not have heard of this yet. The article didn't give any specific brands or models.

We can't be too careful.

:yup:

 

[.45acp]

One thing I like alot about my Mak, decocker, safety and very stiff trigger pull on the first shot.
No way I'm going to have an AD on this thing.

 

[Bruces45]

thumbing the hammer down is always a damgerous move. The 1911 has a half cock notch that is there to catch the hammer should it slip off your thumb, but it is still a bad idea to use such a method.

You should always read your instruction manual for your firearms and get acquainted on how your particular firearm was designed to function. You shouldn't try to modify and of the safety features either.

 

[CopperKnight]

Maybe it's a question to pose to the group. How do you decock?

My personal preference? I use the decocker. I'm more inclined to trust that it functions correctly, than to trust that the hammer won't slip from under my thumb. Never had a decocker fail. Did once have the hammer slip. Luckily it was empty, but lemme tell ya. The "holy cr**" factor still hit and made me think...What would have happened if it had been loaded?

There's my 2cents worth.

 

[QKShooter]

The SIG decocker

Once you understand the SIG firing system you'll learn to trust the SIG decocker.
It is impossible for a properly functioning SIG Pistol to fire when decocked using the SIG decocker.

 

[David III]

Don't the SIG and Walther (PPK series) decockers let the hammer down "almost" all the way - and then when you flip the decocker back to the fire position, the hammer goes down to its resting position? I don't have a SIG around here to try it, but I just seem to remember that they kind of catch the hammer just before the down position.

 

[firefighter4884]

4my son,

I have an HK USPc .40 V1. It has a combination decocker / safety. I'll show you the difference between a hammer that was dropped with the decocker, and a hammer that was dropped by pulling the trigger.

I'll post pictures later tonight.

--Jim

 

[sarhog]

Maybe it's a question to pose to the group. How do you decock?

My Smith & Wesson 5906 has a decocker, which I use. It doesn't come out of the safe very often though.
My 1911's never get "decocked". No reason to, that I can see. If it's loaded, it's cocked and locked.... if it's cleared, I pull the trigger on an empty chamber.
Good luck. :smile:

 

[Landor]

I have an H&k with a decocker. It does make me feel a bit better knowing that the gun is decocked yet ready to fire just by pulling the trigger a bit harder then normal. My HK is DA/SA so olny the first shot is DA.

 

[srfl]

For as much as I love the CZ-75 and most of its clones is as much as I dislike the fact that you have to pull the trigger and ease the hammer down to decock and put it in DA fire mode.

As a result, I carry my CZ-40B (when I do) in SA mode (cocked and locked) as not to use that way of decocking the gun.

 

[rstickle]

Once you understand the SIG firing system you'll learn to trust the SIG decocker.
It is impossible for a properly functioning SIG Pistol to fire when decocked using the SIG decocker.

+1

That is one of the things I like about my SIGs. Some of the newer models don't have it, but I don't have any of them (yet?).

 

[Rugerman]

I use the decocker on my Ruger P85 and it works great, although anytime I use it with a round in the champer the muzzle is pointed in a safe direction.

 

[Dingle1911]

If your gun was designed with a decocker then you should use it, if you carry a 1911 style handgun then cocked and locked is the way to go, no reason to decock if your gun does not have a decocker

 

[Wayne]

My HK has a decocker and I am not hesitate to use it at all. My Ruger P89 and 95 had it as well and I always used them.

Just a heads up: If you get a CZ-52, test out the decocker first on an EMPTY chamber. I have two. The first one works no problem, on the second it is a second trigger :gah: . Luckly I did research before I tested them out with a live round.

Also, if you put a slide stop on the CZ-52 (which I did on the second one since the decocker didn't work anyway), the decocker becomes a second trigger.

As for the 1911, it just stays cocked and locked when carried. If I need to put the hammer down then I unload it first and then do it. On a revolver, well, you have to use the thumb/trigger method.

Wayne

 

[P95Carry]

Agree with QK re SIG's - I know the mechanism that provides the block and it is as foolproof as any design I have encountered - tho I as you'd expect decock always into a safe zone - and i mean always.

I have decock also on P95, P97 - they also are A1 reliable. The Mak is fine too. I find the Bersa also to be reliable. The SW99 is equally safe from useage experience but I do not as yet know the mechanism so am maybe a shade more leary of that one .......... of course there, no hammer to lower anyways :wink:

 

[ExSoldier]

...What would have happened if it had been loaded?

Well, if you were following the FIRST RULE and the muzzle was in a safe direction...meaning that it would cause NO harm if it went off....well.....nothing would've happened.....:wave:

 

[ExSoldier]

I have an H&k with a decocker. It does make me feel a bit better knowing that the gun is decocked yet ready to fire just by pulling the trigger a bit harder then normal. My HK is DA/SA so olny the first shot is DA.

This is why I carry my USP hammer down and always use the decocker. Although it is possible to carry the variation 1 USP "cocked and locked" like a 1911, I never do so because I'm afraid the act of sweeping the safety would cause it to go into decock mode and the delay might cost me my life. Rather go for the DA first shot.

 

[ExSoldier]

Once you understand the SIG firing system you'll learn to trust the SIG decocker. It is impossible for a properly functioning SIG Pistol to fire when decocked using the SIG decocker.

I love the decocker system on my P245. It just feels "right."

 

[4my sons]

I must say thanks for all the feedback, but I am thinking that I didn't express the question the way it was intended,:embarassed:

What I was looking for is to know if anyone has any experiance with using the "Thumb Down" method on a decocker equiped gun, leaving that gun in a mode that would allow it to be discharged when the hammer is struck, vs. using the decocking method leaving the hammer in a safety position preventing the hammers ability to strick the firing pin.

 

[P95Carry]

My answer Mike is no!!

I actually like knowing that, in SIG case in particular, there is a physical block between FP and hammer. Added to which I do not favor thumbing down on any semi from choice - the exception I will make is when at the range sometimes.

I should qualify the SIG situation in fact - it will matter not whether decocked or thumbed down - the final status is the same. The hammer can only move fully to impact FP at rear trigger travel so FP is still protected with relaxed trigger anyways.

I have not checked all semi's to see if this applies both to post-decock vs hammer thumbed down tho with Ruger P series the decocker just moves FP out of reach as hammer falls - not sure how much an impact could affect things after that.