The grip safety in combination with the trigger safety feature was an important factor for me when buying my 1st gun. Having a four and 1 year old the safety features are definitely a plus.

 

If you like it, good for you.

However, a pistol is only as safe as it's user. If you think a mechanical safety is going to keep you safe...you're quite possibly going to be in for a rude surprise someday.

Food for thought.

 

Well you can't tell if a 1911 has a round chambered by feel. But then again it should NEVER be a question if your weapon has a round chambered. This isn't the movies where we all rack the slide before confronting the bad guys.

Chances are your 9 year old grandson would grip the weapon with BOTH hands and would be able to fire it just fine. Don't think that the grip safety is some sort of magic talisman that's going to negate proper gun handling and storage.

 

2 additional safety features built into the gun is a benefit when added to a gunvault, seperate storage if ammo and gun locked preventing from racking the slide. It doesn't mean your expecting a mechanical safety feature to replace proper handling. It's an additional 2 steps to get the gun into a firing status. Just food for thought.

 

Well, like Cannibul, I don't need to check that a round is chambered or not; if it's on my hip, it's loaded...and cocked (assuming it's not a wheelgun). I don't need a little dingies sticking out of the slide (in a very awkward places, as well--one needs to shift from a firing grip to check them tactilely), and fail to see how they will keep one safe.

I've gone into the grip safety enough times before I don't feel I need to reiterate it.

In short--the "extra safeties" don't actually make you safer, they just make you feel safer. There is a difference.

 

he'd never be able to hold the grip and even reach the trigger (way forward) with one hand.

I agree with Cannibul. A child will use 2 hands.

 

Safeties are nothing more than a process you have to take to make the weapon fire. Loaded chamber indicator is for when your showing other people your piece(in private) and that is just a quick visual before you make sure the Mag is out and the slide has been racked for clearing.
the striker indicator really in my opinion has no relevance, cause if a round is chambered than it is cocked ready to fire, unles you hand dropped a round in, and I have been told thatis a big NO NO.

PLEASE DON'T THINK SAFETY FEATURES MAKE FOR A SAFE GUN, A GOOD OWNER COMES WITH A SAFE GUN.

 

I agree with Cuda66 & Cannibul. The extra safety features on the XD/m line may be nice but they are not there to replace simple gun safety. You should always treat a gun as if it is ready to fire. If you rely on things like the LCI one day it may fail and you might pay a terrible price for that neglect.

That said, I don't mind that they are on the gun but I'll never base the condition of the gun on just those features. I always rack the slide and inspect it to verify that it is empty before I handle it and never point it in a non-safe direction.

 

If you like it, good for you.

However, a pistol is only as safe as it's user. If you think a mechanical safety is going to keep you safe...you're quite possibly going to be in for a rude surprise someday.

Food for thought.

True, very true.

But, I will always choose a gun with a manual safety over one without when a choice exists. As you put it, it makes me feel safer. But IMHO, it also does make it actually safer when compared to guns with the safety as part of the trigger. There are a cases where a shirt tail or other stuff got fouled in the holster and 'pulled' the trigger while holstering. As we all know, there is a whole class of injuries known as "glock leg" and I'll bet those injured people thought the gun was plenty safe. Yeah, some people can kill them selves with a dust mote, but for most a manual safety would have helped avoid the injury.

Still and always the best saftey is between the ears!


The other features of chambered round and ready striker are 98% hype, and only useful if you are in the dark hearing a noise and don't want to make any noise by racking the slide. How often does that happen? dog gone rarely ! But I'm old school and think looking at an empty chamber is the best way to verify!

 

you are all absolutely right. i am severely gun safety minded, for over 50 years. but i still like the features. i'm new to the site, so thank you all for your comments.

 

For me, I see "safety" as necessary in order to prevent the gun from firing if the gun is dropped. The XD has a great additional safety - the grip safety. This also helps prevent NDs during reholstering, in the unlikely case something gets caught in there (although you should be checking to make sure things are clear before reholstering).

that's about it. My opinion, but you shouldn't have to check to see if you are cocked and chambered when bringing the pistol to target in a self defense scenario - it should always be that way, so that you don't have to think about it.

I don't find thumb safeties necessary, but to each his own.

 

That grip safety is by no means meant to be thought of as child safety. Guns do not have safety mechanisms to deter children, and for good reason. Safeties are meant to reduce the chance of an AD/ND. The one on the grip is just to help prevenr Glock leg IMO.

 

I prefer my thumb safety on my XD45. The other features can be useful, and of course the booger hook is the only REAL safety, but I enjoy having a standard '1911" style safety just in case I ever get to own a 1911. Cross training, dontchewknow.

 

you are all absolutely right. i am severely gun safety minded, for over 50 years. but i still like the features. i'm new to the site, so thank you all for your comments.

We are pleased you decided to join us.

 

True, very true.

But, I will always choose a gun with a manual safety over one without when a choice exists. As you put it, it makes me feel safer. But IMHO, it also does make it actually safer when compared to guns with the safety as part of the trigger. There are a cases where a shirt tail or other stuff got fouled in the holster and 'pulled' the trigger while holstering. As we all know, there is a whole class of injuries known as "glock leg" and I'll bet those injured people thought the gun was plenty safe. Yeah, some people can kill them selves with a dust mote, but for most a manual safety would have helped avoid the injury.

Still and always the best saftey is between the ears!


The other features of chambered round and ready striker are 98% hype, and only useful if you are in the dark hearing a noise and don't want to make any noise by racking the slide. How often does that happen? dog gone rarely ! But I'm old school and think looking at an empty chamber is the best way to verify!

You seem to contradict yourself--those folks who tried holstering their pistol with somethig fouled in the trigger guard had their safety between their ears fail; the pistol was not at fault. BTW--I read a report from Front Sight (iirc) that listed their ND's while hostering--more 1911's and Sigs had issues with this than Glocks. If I were to venture a guess, it'd be due to those folks figuring that their extra safeties (thumb safety/DA trigger pull) meant they didn't need to pay as much attention...oops.

 

I think the grip feature is nice. When I put the gun in my holster, I keep my hand off the grip lever.

The trigger "safety" doesn't make any sense to me. The odds of it ever preventing the gun from firing are astronomical.

I don't mind the chamber loaded indicator. I guess it's nice to have.

The striker indicator doesn't make any sense. As was mentioned above, there is no possible way to get a live round in the chamber and prevent the striker from being cocked.

I don't believe any of those features make the guns any safer around my children. (I have 3, ages 2, 4, 5). They don't touch any guns unless they ask. Their rifle is the only one they're allowed to pick up on their own after I have given permission and they know how to check the chamber as soon as they pick it up. It's really cool watching my 2 year old daughter check the chamber on a Marlin .22.

 

Safeties are mechanical devices, and like all mechanical devices, subject to failure. Murphy's Law applies.

Do not, repeat, DO NOT rely on a safety to prevent a child from shooting it. The only way to assure the safety of children is a gun safe. Not a cheap metal box, but a real gun safe. Any other storage with kids around is irresponsible.

As to your shooting, what kind of training have you had?

 

Chances are your 9 year old grandson would grip the weapon with BOTH hands and would be able to fire it just fine. Don't think that the grip safety is some sort of magic talisman that's going to negate proper gun handling and storage.

amen, if you have kids in the house you have to be extra careful, as well as educate the kids about gun safety...
a 9 year old who wanted to, could fire the gun.

 

You seem to contradict yourself--those folks who tried holstering their pistol with somethig fouled in the trigger guard had their safety between their ears fail; the pistol was not at fault. BTW--I read a report from Front Sight (iirc) that listed their ND's while hostering--more 1911's and Sigs had issues with this than Glocks. If I were to venture a guess, it'd be due to those folks figuring that their extra safeties (thumb safety/DA trigger pull) meant they didn't need to pay as much attention...oops.

Good points. -->They show you can't let your attention waver for an instant when handling guns. No matter if they have one or one hundred safeties.


(but I still prefer a mechanical safety when given the choice. Preferences don't have to be rational, do they?)

 

After 17 years in the ER, I can tell you the little tykes will definitely use two hands. The other thing they tend to do is to hold it with the muzzle pointing toward themselves. Just had one not too long ago do that.

Gun safe! I have and electronic keypad version on the living room bookshelf and a biometric one on my bedroom bookshelf. My XDm .45 with the TLR-2 laser/light lives in the one in the bedroom. That way I do not have to worry about where my EDC light is. My gun lives in my holster, or in my safe. I have great kids that I really do not think would mess with them, and we have had several safety talks, but I sure would not bet their lives on it.

RJ

 

I'm getting a "retention" holster with a release button, as soon as I can find one that will fit with a Crimson lg-448.

 

911 Call Reveals How Toddler Reportedly Shot, Killed Mom - FoxNews.com

As I was saying....

 

I was originally 'warned' by my CHL instructor that some guns had all these 'safeties', trigger and grip and that they weren't that great or something. Anyway, initially, I steered clear of the SA HGs. But the cool thing is, when you pick up the HG and intentionally fire it at the range, those safties are totally transparent to the end user. There are probably specific things and events (like glock leg) that this combo was designed into the HG, but for all practical purposes they are transparent to me.

Now, I can envision some kind of odd tactical situation where I can't fully grip the HG and the BG is coming, where having those safeties might be bad but you'll never have a situation where you mean to shoot it and something like a lever safety is on and no 'bang' happens. That's a much worse danger, imo. Bottom line I like them. It's part of the reason why I now feel safe enough to carry one in the chamber.