d_holliday
Member
I have heard it shouted and I've heard it preached, "There is no firearms safety like safe gun handling habits."
This gentleman, GunBlue490, on YouTube has a whole video series on firearms:
He seems old, wise and sensible.
This latest video on (why not buy a Glock?) Well, Herr Gaston Glock, forgot to put a stupid safety on the thing even! Mr. 490 claims that the thumb safety has saved the lives of many a policeman who carried an auto on duty such as the venerable old Colt 45 Govt. Model. The Glock has a so-called safe action but there is nothing in the world from stopping a human finger from pulling that trigger back to fire at will or unintentionally. That plastic flipper built into the trigger won't stop that. The striker-fired Glock has a very spongy but short trigger and not much pull in weight. The double-action revolver has much more trigger weight and a much longer pull length and that is the virtue of it's built-in safety while the hammer is resting.
I have been contemplating getting a new M&P 9 Shield EZ from Smith & Wesson in 9mm. I have two choices from Springfield, MA in this model....thumb safety or no thumb safety. I was thinking along the lines of no thumb safety for speed and ease but firearms safety might be seriously compromised still. The man in the video claims that with proper training, a thumb safety can be taken off in no time at all while drawing. I will have to do more research and see how easy Smith thumb safeties are to take off in a hurry. I never had any problems with the thumb safety operation on any of the 3 Colt Govt. Model 45's I've owned in the past. Now, I want a sensible rather-compact conceal-carry gun. Some thumb safeties can be stubby and hard to get a thumb hold on in a flash.
One other caveat I'm lately discovering about the Smith Shield: that "catch/slide release" on the port side of the slide is not actually made to be operated by a human firing-hand thumb as with a Glock or with a 45. Releasing the locked-back slide is a two-handed operation... with slide in locked position, pull the slide all the way back with the non-firing hand and let it pop into battery to fire the next loaded magazine. You should hear the catch click to be release when the slide goes all the way back.
What are your thoughts on selecting a concealed-carry handgun with regard to safety, reliability and your personal ability to effectively and safely operate the firearm in an emergency situation? Are there situations where having to use the other hand to release the slide might be a handicap? In most defensive situations by American citizens, rarely do more than three shots have to be firered. The Shield EZ holds 8 rounds in the magazine so it's very rare that that slide might have to be released with the non-firing hand in the heat of battle because the second mag had to be loaded. Ideally this gun would be carried in a holster or waistpack locked-and-cocked, full mag loaded in gun and with one already in the chamber: IOW, Condition One...flip down the thumb safety to go to Condition Zero.
This gentleman, GunBlue490, on YouTube has a whole video series on firearms:
He seems old, wise and sensible.
This latest video on (why not buy a Glock?) Well, Herr Gaston Glock, forgot to put a stupid safety on the thing even! Mr. 490 claims that the thumb safety has saved the lives of many a policeman who carried an auto on duty such as the venerable old Colt 45 Govt. Model. The Glock has a so-called safe action but there is nothing in the world from stopping a human finger from pulling that trigger back to fire at will or unintentionally. That plastic flipper built into the trigger won't stop that. The striker-fired Glock has a very spongy but short trigger and not much pull in weight. The double-action revolver has much more trigger weight and a much longer pull length and that is the virtue of it's built-in safety while the hammer is resting.
I have been contemplating getting a new M&P 9 Shield EZ from Smith & Wesson in 9mm. I have two choices from Springfield, MA in this model....thumb safety or no thumb safety. I was thinking along the lines of no thumb safety for speed and ease but firearms safety might be seriously compromised still. The man in the video claims that with proper training, a thumb safety can be taken off in no time at all while drawing. I will have to do more research and see how easy Smith thumb safeties are to take off in a hurry. I never had any problems with the thumb safety operation on any of the 3 Colt Govt. Model 45's I've owned in the past. Now, I want a sensible rather-compact conceal-carry gun. Some thumb safeties can be stubby and hard to get a thumb hold on in a flash.
One other caveat I'm lately discovering about the Smith Shield: that "catch/slide release" on the port side of the slide is not actually made to be operated by a human firing-hand thumb as with a Glock or with a 45. Releasing the locked-back slide is a two-handed operation... with slide in locked position, pull the slide all the way back with the non-firing hand and let it pop into battery to fire the next loaded magazine. You should hear the catch click to be release when the slide goes all the way back.
What are your thoughts on selecting a concealed-carry handgun with regard to safety, reliability and your personal ability to effectively and safely operate the firearm in an emergency situation? Are there situations where having to use the other hand to release the slide might be a handicap? In most defensive situations by American citizens, rarely do more than three shots have to be firered. The Shield EZ holds 8 rounds in the magazine so it's very rare that that slide might have to be released with the non-firing hand in the heat of battle because the second mag had to be loaded. Ideally this gun would be carried in a holster or waistpack locked-and-cocked, full mag loaded in gun and with one already in the chamber: IOW, Condition One...flip down the thumb safety to go to Condition Zero.
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