[rachilders]

To expand a bit on the discussion here, what type of external "safety" would everyone prefer if they could pick and choose one for their favorite guns? I know there are quite a few people who like no safety at all except the one that's between their ears, but I personally prefer some sort of safety system. If nothing else, it's simply because to me they're an added layer of protection when trying to prevent accidental discharge. However, that doesn't mean they're fool proof or your brain doesn't need to be engaged and fully functional when handling a firearm. Besides, a little redundancy doesn't hurt and while I may get some negative comments about this next statement, I'd rather have a gun not go bang when I expect it to (because I forgot to disengage the safety) than have it fire when I DIDN'T expect it to. It's a quick and easy thing to flip the safety off, but once a bullets been fired there's no calling it back. I want to make sure that in all cases possible, that bullet is being fired at something I'm aiming at and not in a direction - and at a time - I never intended!

I have numerous handguns, including autos, single and double shot - think Derringer - and revolvers. Some like my S&W revolvers have no external safety at all, other's have a bolt that blocks the hammer from striking the firing pin.

Most of us seem to use auto's and they all come with some sort of "safety". Among the autos, a few have decock only, some have a slide or trigger lock and several incorporate a variation of all the above. My personal favorites are the decock only that's on my CZ40P and the decock/safety combo on my Taurus PT945. With the 40P, it's like carrying a revolver without a safety, only you can decock the gun without pulling the trigger. The gun remains at half cock and being a DA/SA pistol, all you do is pull the trigger to fire.

My favorite overall is the design of the Taurus. It's a three position switch that in the up position locks the slide, 1911 style. In the center it's disengaged and the down spot decocks the gun, then returns to the center. I think it's the best setup because you can carry cocked and locked, locked and uncocked but can fire DA by disengaging the safety or you can decock if you want, but still fire DA if required.

 

[rachilders]

The Taurus seemed to offer the best of all worlds, that's why I decided to get it. The price was right too, $350 NIB. It's like a 1911/Sig226 hybrid. It only has a 8+1 capability, but I have a spare mag. If I need to fire off more than 16 rounds, especially with a 45, I'm in deep poop and will probably need more than a few extra bullets to pull my butt out of the fire.

 

[rachilders]

KENPOTEX...

I've only had the Taurus a few weeks and put about 100 rounds through it, so the jury is still out on reliability. So far though, I think it's great and I'm very happy with the purchase. If John Browning had made his 1911 a DA, I think he'd have made this gun. It feels and handles much like the 1911 but is DA/SA vs. SA only and much easier to take down... no barrel bushings, the slide release is a button instead if a pin and all the other stuff that makes the 1911 a pain the take down and reassemble has been simplified or eliminated. The inner workings are more like a Hi Power or a SIG. I wasn't trying for accuracy at the range, rather I was just getting a feel for the gun, how it works and trying to break it in a bit. Still, using WWB ball ammo I had no failures from the 100 rounds I shot and at 10 yards, I averaged groups of less than 3" firing 5 shot strings offhand. There was the occasional flyer that bumped a group to about 5", but more often than not most shot groups were 2" or less. The gun will probably shoot better than I'm capable of shooting it when it's broken in a bit more. One drawback, at least from the standpoint of concealed carry, is it's a relatively large and heavy gun... about the same size and weight of a combat commander. Still, if you're comfortable carrying a gun that size, it should be no problem. Fit and finish are excellent and there are aftermarket accessories available (grips, extra mags, sights, holsters, springs, etc) for it if you want to do a bit of customizing

Bottom line - It shoots and feels like a 1911 that was mated with a Hi Power. It's been accurate, reliable (at least after 100 rounds), has "modern" extra's like improved sights, DA/SA trigger and a decocker with the familiar feel and safety of the 1911. Also, at $350, I think it was a steal.

 

[rachilders]

One more thing about the PT945 (actually 2 more things).

First, they come with the built in Taurus safety lock. Insert a hex type key into a small screw in the rear of the grip and it locks/unlocks the trigger. Some folks like 'em, some don't. My view is it's great if you want to keep unauthorized little hands from playing with the trigger and if you don't like them, just don't use it.

Second, I read up on the PT945 a bit before I bought mine. I checked the web and looked at some forums/newsgroups. The only problems I saw mentioned were a couple of posts about the guns not have good accuracy and they involved guns made prior to about 2000. They also said that they returned the guns to the factory to be checked or got new barrels and the problem went away.

Even with those gripes, 9 of 10 people said thay loved the gun.