1911 holster question.

okay so i barely just lost my 1911 cherry last week when i purchased myself a Taurus PT1911 AF. Im used to Striker fired weapons or SA/DA, thus i am highly not used to the SAO weapons like the 1911.

when i bought the gun i got a serpa holster for OC, but as alot of you know this holster sucks for CC. So i went out today and bought a Desantis leather pancake with a thumbbreak for CC and dress wear.

the issue is this. i as most everyone else that owns a 1911 carry +1, hammer back and safety on.........issue is the holster *even though made for the 1911* flips the safety off whenever i lock the strap over the weapon and snap it in place.

my question to you 1911 vets is.........is this still safe to carry +1 hammer back with the safety off? am i right in assuming that because the thumbbreak leather strap goes between the hammer and the firing pin, blocking the hammer from dropping onto it even if it did drop makes this a safe way to carry?

i've now bought and returned 8 separate holsters and every single one does this.....is this normal and am i good to go?

I personally do not recommend carrying 1911 with the hammer back and the safety off. Why woukd you want to? If for some reason your gun had some kind of major mechanical failure, the thumb safety is your backup. I suppose the thumb strap would stop the hammer from falling all the way. Besides that it sounds as if the holster is not functioning as intended. Does your 1911 have an ambidextrous safety? I have 4 1911s. None of them have the problem you seem to be having. Holsters should not disengage your safety, this is unusual. PM me and I may be able to help diagnose your problem. If you need holster selections, PM me and I'd be happy to offer suggestions.

Edit: Does it have a regular thumb safety or an extended thumb safety?

I have the same holster and the same trouble. I will not carry with this holster . I would like to get a Serpa style but most seem to hang to low and not pull into the body tight enough.

I also would like recommendations from those who carry every day with the same holster both openly and concealed.

Probably a dumb question but.. Have you tried re-setting the thumb safety AFTER you have secured the strap in place?
IE: Secure the pistol in the holster in Condition 1, safety down, then -once snapped over between hammer and back of slide, flip the safety back up?

jayspapa said:

I have the same holster and the same trouble. I will not carry with this holster . I would like to get a Serpa style but most seem to hang to low and not pull into the body tight enough.

I also would like recommendations from those who carry every day with the same holster both openly and concealed.

Click to expand...

PM me and I will send you what I sent the OP.

j4l said:

Probably a dumb question but.. Have you tried re-setting the thumb safety AFTER you have secured the strap in place?
IE: Secure the pistol in the holster in Condition 1, safety down, then -once snapped over between hammer and back of slide, flip the safety back up?

Click to expand...

I don't think it a dumb question but it won't change anything. Because of the way the thumb snap has to be designed , when the 1911 is cocked and locked , if anything puts pressure on the front edge of the thumb snap , directed backwards , it will release the thumb safety. Of course you still have the back strap safety but I like the idea of the thumb safety doing it's part as well.

When I first found this problem I took the holster off , unloaded my pistol , then tried it again . I was amazed at how little backward pressure it took to deactivate the thumb safety.

jayspapa said:

I don't think it a dumb question but it won't change anything. Because of the way the thumb snap has to be designed , when the 1911 is cocked and locked , if anything puts pressure on the front edge of the thumb snap , directed backwards , it will release the thumb safety. Of course you still have the back strap safety but I like the idea of the thumb safety doing it's part as well.

When I first found this problem I took the holster off , unloaded my pistol , then tried it again . I was amazed at how little backward pressure it took to deactivate the thumb safety.

Click to expand...

agreed. there wasn't enough room between the inside of the snap and the safety itself to even push it up after the snap was snapped.

found a good solution though. i returned it and bought another serpa

next payday im going to get a IWB open top for it, and a Carry-lock OWB as well. but for now. the serpa doesn't effect any of my safeties, and adds one while its at it

I've got a Serpa for my 1911 too and I'm interested in a leather thumb break style. Tagging this thread and PMing SD

Many 1911 holsters with thumbbreaks, a la Galco, are intended to be used with the hammer down on an empty chamber. Obviously, most of us do not carry this way, which is why I don't like thumb breaks for 1911s. Incidentally, Tucker Gun Leather no longer offers thumbbreaks on any of their holsters.

I use open top leather holsters with nothing more than friction retention. FLAME ON!

cbpeck said:

Many 1911 holsters with thumbbreaks, a la Galco, are intended to be used with the hammer down on an empty chamber. Obviously, most of us do not carry this way, which is why I don't like thumb breaks for 1911s. Incidentally, Tucker Gun Leather no longer offers thumbbreaks on any of their holsters.

I use open top leather holsters with nothing more than friction retention. FLAME ON!

Click to expand...

"But, but, but! Someone will grab your gun and shoot you with it, right after they shoot you first for being in the bank they are robbing." lol

I believe in using a little extra retention when open carrying, myself, but I'm not gonna flame any one for their decisions. Liberty FTW.

I carry my sig 1911 in a bianchi model 82. No problems and holds close to the body.

http://www.bianchi-intl.com/product/prod.php?TxtModelID=82

cbpeck said:

I use open top leather holsters with nothing more than friction retention. FLAME ON!

Click to expand...

No flames from me. I carry condition 1 only with open top leather holsters as well.

OC = Avenger

CC = Mernickle SOB

I too carry condition one. If the strap runs the risk of switching the safety to the disengaged mode, I would not personally use the holster. However, the details and intricacies of your carry are yours, and yours alone. If you can ensure safe carry in condition one with the holster without running the risk of a ND, then do it to it.

Also. 1911 in concealed?

I could never fit mine in a situation wherein it wouldn't print unless I wore heavy overcoats or business attire all day. Otherwise it would print for sure. Another reason I simply do not CC.

There are smaller iterations of 1911 that may be better concealed than a full size one would for sure.

If you can adequately conceal that thing, you must be either:

A.) A pretty big dude

or

B.) Used to cold climate attire.

I have a Backwoods Leather holster that I carry my 2 Kimbers in and have not had any problems with. Not a pancake holster though but, a belt slide that can be worn straight up or canted and also weak side for a cross draw.

slowfiveoh said:

Also. 1911 in concealed?

Click to expand...

It is always shame to cover a 1911, but sometimes discretion is in order.

slowfiveoh said:

If you can adequately conceal that thing, you must be either:

A.) A pretty big dude

or

B.) Used to cold climate attire.

Click to expand...

or

C.) Your name is Magnum P.I. and you can conceal a full sized 1911 sans holster with nothing more than a pair of Bermuda Shorts, a Hawaiian Shirt and an epic mustache.

I have the same model PT1911 as you do, and due to its "butter soft" trigger, I would not feel comfortable carrying with a round in the chamber, hammer back, and safety off.

I really don't understand why a couple of you guys are acting like its some big deal to CC a 5" 1911. Its a piece of cake. I use an all-leather open top Blackhawk IWB holster to CC one quite often. Its a rather slim handgun compared to many other common handguns. The key is to use a holster with a strong forward cant. For what its worth, a 4" commander length model isn't going to be substantially easier to conceal, as the grip is identical. Hell - I even have a small mag well on my Kimber Tactical Custom II & I still don't have any difficulty with concealment.

Sometimes I wonder if the people who say it can't properly be done have ever even tried it. Maybe its just a matter of needing the right holster. I do it year round, mostly in shorts/jeans & a T-shirt.

PS - while I'm not a tiny guy (6'3", 225) I'm also not some monstrosity of a man. I could possibly see a really short wiry fellow having difficulty, but the average size man should be able to CC a 5" 1911 without a doubt.

Dress around the gun. You don't have to wear coats all the time. Just go up a size on your t-shirts. I no longer buy "athletic fit" t's. I'm wearing XL & in some cases XXL shirts, and no, the xxl's do not look overly baggy or thuggish on me. Some of my CC attire doesn't work well for OC, and vice versa. You can't decide to start concealing any full-size handgun and expect that all your attire from your pre-carry days will work. Some will. Some will not. Adjust accordingly. [/rant]

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I897 using Tapatalk

Thank you Ruger. I am 6' 4" and weigh about 195. I have no problem concealing a full-size 1911. It can be done by anyone.

thebigsd said:

Thank you Ruger. I am 6' 4" and weigh about 195. I have no problem concealing a full-size 1911. It can be done by anyone.

Click to expand...

Anytime my friend

I see this idea perpetuated on way too many firearms forums. It has become a pet peeve of mine.

I've found that my SR40 is a tad bit trickier to conceal in its M-TAC than my Kimber 5" in its aforementioned Blackhawk IWB. LOL

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I897 using Tapatalk

+1 Ruger and SD.

I think that my full sized 1911 is just as easy to conceal as most other full sized pistols. The slim grip is a great advantage. Depending on holsters, it conceals as well or better than my USPc. Heck, if someone relatively new to concealing like me (the week of Nov 1st Wisconsin) can figure out how to hide a 1911 I'd think others could just as easily. Ruger's right, forward cant is key. If you have an OWB, riding it fairly high helps too and is more comfortable while driving.

I'm still looking for a new OWB holster for mine actually. Haven't decided on one as of yet.