1911 Thumb Safety - On or Off?

[Anthony1911]

Question for you fellow 1911 carriers out there. Do you leave the thumb safety off or on while you carry?

I currently have it on while carrying. I've built up a lot of muscle memory of drawing and flicking the safety off while bringing up the weapon, to the point where it's off by the time I'm somewhat aiming. However, under stress of an engagement I may miss of fail to flick the safety off, or even forget altogether, and it got me thinking if I would be better just leaving it off, so I can just draw and fire, like I can with my Glock. Thoughts?

[MOUNTAINORACLE]

As someone who uses a M1911 pattern pistol for EDC I will make the following statement:

IMHO the only way to carry is Condition One...Cocked and Locked. This means the chamber is loaded, hammer is cocked, & thumb safety is on. This requires you to move the safety lever down before firing and back up when you're finished. Condition one is the fastest way to get the 1911 into action and the least prone to mistakes.

I believe that J. Moses Browing meant the 1911 to be carried in Condition One by the fact that the thumb safety doesn't function unless the hammer is cocked and up/safe, down/fire operation of the thumb safety is natural.

[afdcomposer]

As someone who uses a M1911 pattern pistol for EDC I will make the following statement:

IMHO the only way to carry is Condition One...Cocked and Locked. This means the chamber is loaded, hammer is cocked, & thumb safety is on. This requires you to move the safety lever down before firing and back up when you're finished. Condition one is the fastest way to get the 1911 into action and the least prone to mistakes.

I believe that J. Moses Browing meant the 1911 to be carried in Condition One by the fact that the thumb safety doesn't function unless the hammer is cocked and up/safe, down/fire operation of the thumb safety is natural.

What he said.

[marinakorp]

Condition one

One in the chamber
Safety on

[franklinman]

From someone that has carried only Colt 1911's for over 30 years; Condition One is the way the pistol was designed to be carried, and has been proven to be the safest way as well as the fastest from which to bring the gun into action. Proper training will develop the right muscle memory to the point that, along with the right holster, you will be able to grasp the gun, draw, bring it up to correct firing position, and take the thumb safety off in one smooth motion. Speed will come with more practice. One day you will reach the point, like most of us, that after drawing you will actually say to yourself "now how did that thing get up there?". It feels great too!

[Anthony1911]

Thanks guys. Condition one is how I've been carrying. And like I said, I have built up that muscle memory so that when I draw, the safety is off by the time I establish some sort of aim. It does feel very natural to me.

[1911]

While I agree cocked and locked is the way to go, it wasnt designed that way. JM's prototypes did not have a thumb safety; it was reportedly added at the government's insistance of having the means to make the pistol safe on horseback.

[Mitch10mm]

No way I would carry a 1911 condition zero. It's the platform I carried for most of my life. If you can't flick a thumb safety off, you may have problems even pulling the trigger if you're that bad off. Jk mostly. Cocked and locked for a 1911 it's not a Glock.

[sprrdhawk44]

You keep mentioning that you have some sort of sight picture by the time you take the safety off. You should be taking that safety off as soon as the gun clears leather. You should be incorporating retention shooting into your defensive regimen, which would involve taking the safety off once the gun is clear.

[Pilot321]

While I agree cocked and locked is the way to go, it wasnt designed that way. JM's prototypes did not have a thumb safety; it was reportedly added at the government's insistance of having the means to make the pistol safe on horseback.

^^^^^^This. Browning designed the pistol to meet the U.S. Army's specification. The 1911 was first a cavalry pistol, carried in a flap holster often with hammer down or at half cock. Cocked and locked is my preference for carrying the 1911 but that is for self defense purposes not battle.