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Galco project X

Summit_Ace

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I have been carring a 1911 for years and I like to carry condition 1. A couple of years ago I switched from a colt MKIV to a kimber ultra carry. The Kimber has a extended safety and can not be put in a thumb break holster do to the fact that it disengages the safety. This has not been a problem do to the fact that I previously lived in NY and I carried concealed. When I moved to Louisiana I opted to open carry instead of paying to get a permit. I belive it would be irresponsible for me to open carry without retention. After looking all over to try to find a retention holster for my gun and even trying to have one custom made,I had no luck. I spoke to a representative from Galco and they suggested this holster.
Not being a big fan of plastic holsters I was apprehensive. Well it came in the other day and I got to say I am very impressed. The gun fits very well with no play. Retention is on the trigger guard and is very secure. It takes a little practice to draw but is not difficult. Bottom line is if you carry a 1911 condition 1 I HIGHLY RECCOMEND THIS HOLSTER!!
 

Alexcabbie

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I myself hate both plastic holsters AND "condition 1" carry (there is something about having the hammer back on an open chamber, safety or no, that goes against my instincts and I am well known for this.) My concern woulod probably be assuaged with a thumb-break that puts the strap between the hammer and the frame. (The Para LDA is someting I have been looking into but I have yeat to be able to live-fire it).

However the trigger-guard retention looks very secure, and if it could be combined with some kind of hammer-blocking strap in a thumb-break configuration I would probably go for a straight-up SAO 1911 A "double break" draw with the thumb breaking the "safety strap" and the trigger finger breaking the securing mechanism would be ideal IMHO.

AND I see no reason at all why such a holster could not be designed in soft, gun-coddling flexible comfortable LEATHER instead of all hard, uncomfortable plastic, with the plastic component relegated to the trigger guard retaining feature.

Why all the plastic and carbon-fiber holsters anyway? Has there been a revolution? Has PETA invaded the ranks of the handgun community?
 

Summit_Ace

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Alexcabbie wrote:
I myself hate both plastic holsters AND "condition 1" carry (there is something about having the hammer back on an open chamber, safety or no, that goes against my instincts and I am well known for this.) My concern woulod probably be assuaged with a thumb-break that puts the strap between the hammer and the frame. (The Para LDA is someting I have been looking into but I have yeat to be able to live-fire it).

However the trigger-guard retention looks very secure, and if it could be combined with some kind of hammer-blocking strap in a thumb-break configuration I would probably go for a straight-up SAO 1911 A "double break" draw with the thumb breaking the "safety strap" and the trigger finger breaking the securing mechanism would be ideal IMHO.

AND I see no reason at all why such a holster could not be designed in soft, gun-coddling flexible comfortable LEATHER instead of all hard, uncomfortable plastic, with the plastic component relegated to the trigger guard retaining feature.

Why all the plastic and carbon-fiber holsters anyway? Has there been a revolution? Has PETA invaded the ranks of the handgun community?
I am with you on the whole plastic thing,I have always used leather. In an open carry situation it is not possible. Should you ever find a leather holster with a thumb break that will work with an extended safety please let me know.

As for condition 1 carry I know it is not for everyone. I have been carrying a 1911 for about 15 years so I am quite comfortable with it,but I see your point.I think the next safest way to carry would be hammer down on an empty chamber. I am not comfortable with that method of carry. One thing I will say is that carrying a 1911 condition 1 should only be done by very experienced people.It is NOT a good first gun,or second for that matter as carry weapons go.
 

Alexcabbie

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I have been told that hammer down on a loaded chamber is dangerous but it seems to me that the risk of dropping the piece on the hammer spur is miniscule VS getting your nads blown off with a safety failure. Problem is really easing the hammer down. One slip and BLAMMO :what:
 

Marco

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Alexcabbie wrote:
I have been told that hammer down on a loaded chamber is dangerous but it seems to me that the risk of dropping the piece on the hammer spur is minuscule VS getting your nads blown off with a safety failure. Problem is really easing the hammer down. One slip and BLAMMO :what:
Carrying a 1911 with the hammer down on a loaded chamber/round is stupid (IMHO).
Condition1 carry is as safe as using a decoker, using modern guns that are well maintained.

I'd trust my 40's era 1911 safety design over let's say a Walther from the same era and even up to the early 90's.


[line]
That is one of the ugliest/cheapest lookingplastic holsters I've seen, it is on the verge of dethroning the Fobus.

ETA:
I have experience with both designs, regarding firearms.
 

Ian

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Alexcabbie wrote:
I have been told that hammer down on a loaded chamber is dangerous but it seems to me that the risk of dropping the piece on the hammer spur is miniscule VS getting your nads blown off with a safety failure. Problem is really easing the hammer down. One slip and BLAMMO :what:
Carrying loaded with the hammer down is ASKING for a negligent discharge. Every time you lower that hammer down you're taking a huge risk.
 

curtiswr

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Some people overthink and overworry with regards to 1911 carry conditions, and it should stop (but I know it won't).
 

Alexcabbie

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One thing to consider is especially with OPEN carry, the sight of a cocked firearm adds an additional layer of :what:to the reaction of observing sheeple. Me, I don't care if you carry "condition 1", it's your leg/foot/thigh/rump/nads but boy your common citizen is Boobus Americanus and they get even more nervous than usual.

On the flip side most of the staff at the ranges and gun stores carry like that, and the BGs have the same reaction in spades.

It's not like I cut my beer with lemonade or anything, somebody ELSE carrying C-1 is fine in my book......
 

curtiswr

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Alexcabbie wrote:
One thing to consider is especially with OPEN carry, the sight of a cocked firearm adds an additional layer of :what:to the reaction of observing sheeple. Me, I don't care if you carry "condition 1", it's your leg/foot/thigh/rump/nads but boy your common citizen is Boobus Americanus and they get even more nervous than usual.

On the flip side most of the staff at the ranges and gun stores carry like that, and the BGs have the same reaction in spades.

It's not like I cut my beer with lemonade or anything, somebody ELSE carrying C-1 is fine in my book......
If I based what I do and how I do it off of the irrational hoplophobia of a very few amount of sheeple I wouldn't OC at all. And if they aren't purely anti, the sight of it not only provides opportunity for education with regards to open carry and carry laws in general, but education as it pertains to one of the greatest firearms ever designed.


Here, have fun reading these; hope they make sense to you:

http://www.sightm1911.com/Care/1911_conditions.htm
http://www.sightm1911.com/lib/tech/cockedandlocked.htm
[align=left][/align][align=left][line]The mode of readiness preferred by the experts is Condition One. Generally speaking, Condition One offers the best balance of readiness and safety. Its biggest drawback is that it looks scary to people who don't understand the operation and safety features of the pistol.[/align][align=left] [/align][align=left]Condition Two is problematic for several reasons, and is the source of more negligent discharges than the other conditions. When you rack the slide to chamber a round in the 1911, the hammer is cocked and the manual safety is off. There is no way to avoid this with the 1911 design. In order to lower the hammer, the trigger must be pulled and the hammer lowered slowly with the thumb onto the firing pin, the end of which is only a few millimeters away from the primer of a live round. Should the thumb slip, the hammer would drop and fire the gun. Not only would a round be launched in circumstances which would be at best embarrassing and possibly tragic, but also the thumb would be behind the slide as it cycled, resulting in serious injury to the hand. A second problem with this condition is that the true 1911A1 does not have a firing pin block and an impact on the hammer which is resting on the firing pin could conceivably cause the gun to go off, although actual instances of this are virtually nonexistent. Finally, in order to fire the gun, the hammer must be manually cocked, again with the thumb. In an emergency situation, this adds another opportunity for something to go wrong and slows the acquisition of the sight picture.[/align][align=left] [/align][align=left]Condition Three adds a degree of "insurance" against an accidental discharge since there is no round in the chamber. To bring the gun into action from the holster, the pistol must be drawn and the slide racked as the pistol is brought to bear on the target. This draw is usually called "the Israeli draw" since it was taught by Israeli security and defense forces. Some of the real expert trainers can do an Israeli draw faster than most of us can do a simple draw, but for most of us, the Israeli draw adds a degree of complexity, an extra step, and an opening for mistakes in the process of getting the front sight onto the target.[line][/align]​

If you're afraid to carry the gun in a way that keeps it ready for you and safe, in the best balance of the two for that model you should get a different gun, who's design you are comfortable with, rather than complain about how it scares you and you won't do it.

And because the author of the article couldn't do it... maybe you could since you seem to believe that it is such a highly probable occurrence: provide cites where people have damaged/lost "
leg/foot/thigh/rump/nads" because of condition one failure?
 

Alexcabbie

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Well, then, I will carry my Walthers and wheelguns and you carry your 1911. Just because I ain't comfortable in C-1 doesn't mean you can't be. But it doesn't mean I'm a sissy, and C-1 carry of a 1911 doesn't mean you are more manly either. I would get a 1911 and cary it C-1 also, but I would want some sort of thumb-break strap between the hammer and the firing pin as an additional layer of safety.

Good heavens. And I thought the rift between tablature vs sight-reading in the guitar community was contentious.
 

curtiswr

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Alexcabbie wrote:
Well, then, I will carry my Walthers and wheelguns and you carry your 1911. Just because I ain't comfortable in C-1 doesn't mean you can't be. But it doesn't mean I'm a sissy, and C-1 carry of a 1911 doesn't mean you are more manly either. I would get a 1911 and cary it C-1 also, but I would want some sort of thumb-break strap between the hammer and the firing pin as an additional layer of safety.

Good heavens. And I thought the rift between tablature vs sight-reading in the guitar community was contentious.

You're the one that brought condition of carry and opinions regarding it up in the thread where the OP never mentioned it, did you expect to go uncontested? When you proffer an opinion it is generally known that you accept the fact that it may lead to discussion of that opinion.

I never said it made you a sissy nor me more manly; I don't know where you got that from.

I simply said that if are afraid to carry the gun how it is made to be carried then it's not an appropriate gun for you. I'm glad you understand that and choose to carry other firearms.
 

Superlite27

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+1

The 1911 was designed for condition 1 carry. Condition 2 is unsafe, and condition 3....well..... why not just carry a nice paperweight? It's what you're basically doing with a 1911 in condition 3, anyway. A paperweight would be just as effective as an unloaded gun, and a heckuva lot less expensive.

If you consider a 1911 in condition 1 "scary", your best bet is probably a DA.

Although, this is not for me as I believe trusting a firarm that has a button other than the trigger to INTENTIONALLY DROP THE HAMMER on a blocked, yet loaded, chamber in order to NOT fire it seems less safe than carrying one that is designed to drop the hammer only when you want it to go bang.
 

Alexcabbie

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I keep the muzzle pointed at a safe direction at all times when handling any weapon. When I load my Walthers at home, I take them outside and pint the muzzle at the soft grass or I point the thing at my mattress, and then decock the hammer. Point taken about the compaarative safties; all I have to add is that safeties are mechanical devices and can fail, so no matter what one carries or how , it still behooves the carrier to ensure the safety of himself and others around him.

Out side of that, you run your railroad your way, and I'll run my railroad my way. ;)
 
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