Locked, Cocked, but Not ready to Rock

[Trigger Dr]

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Mainsail wrote:

Ugh. Every time this comes up I have to wonder what people are thinking. If you knew, beforehand, that a violent criminal was going to attack you in the parking lot outside the grocery store, would you still go?

Carrying a firearm in such a condition that requires the use of both hands to make it ready to fire, assumes that you will have foreknowledge of the event and will be prepared by making sure that you have both hands free. Do you have such foreknowledge, and if so, why haven’t you won the lottery?

Any time you assume preparedness for only an exclusive (narrow) set of circumstances you are setting yourself up to fail.

If I am attacked:

don’t know for sure that both my hands will be free…

I don’t know for sure that in a stressful situation I won’t short-stroke the slide…

I don’t know for sure that in a stressful situation I won’t be trying to squeeze the trigger while I’m chambering a round…

I don’t know what planet you’re on, but I seldom have two free hands. I might have a sack of groceries, a 2x4, the mail, cellphone, girlfriend, or any number of other things in my left hand that would either prevent or seriously slow my ability to engage an attacker. You can pretend you’re all mall ninja and walking around like Mr. Tacticool, arms at your side like some western gunslinger all the time, but I’m just a regular guy going about my business. Sometimes that business will occupy my off-hand.

Failure to prepare = preparation to fail.

 

[USMC1911]

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Mainsail wrote:

Ugh. Every time this comes up I have to wonder what people are thinking. If you knew, beforehand, that a violent criminal was going to attack you in the parking lot outside the grocery store, would you still go?

Carrying a firearm in such a condition that requires the use of both hands to make it ready to fire, assumes that you will have foreknowledge of the event and will be prepared by making sure that you have both hands free. Do you have such foreknowledge, and if so, why haven’t you won the lottery?

Any time you assume preparedness for only an exclusive (narrow) set of circumstances you are setting yourself up to fail.

If I am attacked:

I don’t know for sure that both my hands will be free…

I don’t know for sure that in a stressful situation I won’t short-stroke the slide…

I don’t know for sure that in a stressful situation I won’t be trying to squeeze the trigger while I’m chambering a round…

I don’t know what planet you’re on, but I seldom have two free hands. I might have a sack of groceries, a 2x4, the mail, cellphone, girlfriend, or any number of other things in my left hand that would either prevent or seriously slow my ability to engage an attacker. You can pretend you’re all mall ninja and walking around like Mr. Tacticool, arms at your side like some western gunslinger all the time, but I’m just a regular guy going about my business. Sometimes that business will occupy my off-hand.

+1 It CAN happen at any time, any where, to any one, Be Prepared !

 

[David.Car]

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The ONLY way to carry a 1911 is round chambered, hammer back, safety on.

That is the way it is meant, and it will result in giving you the best opportunity to defend yourself in any situation.

 

[Batousaii]

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The series 80 colts had firring pin blocks that effectively made condition-2 feasible (inseries 80 ONLY), since the trigger had to be pulled in order to unlock the firring pin. In order for the weapon to fire due to a sharp bow, it first has to get past the half cock, then past the firring pin block. Also the half cock can be notched a lil better to prevent it from being pulled off with the trigger. This however does still pose the possibility of an AD while lowering the hammer. ---- Pre series 80 1911 do not have this feature, and thus are still dangerous in C-2 on half cock.

- correct me if i am wrong, but this would make a division between the two 1911 series, one (old) being dangerous in C-2 .. and the other, (newer 80 series) being on for C-2. Myself, have no problem with C-2 on a series 80 (with pin locks), but will fully agree with most regarding C-2 being dangerous on the pre-series 80 models.

Curious about your thoughts comparing the two series.

Bat.

 

[warhammerjr]

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David.Car wrote:

The ONLY way to carry a 1911 is round chambered, hammer back, safety on.

That is the way it is meant, and it will result in giving you the best opportunity to defend yourself in any situation.

+1
That's how I carry mine.

 

[kito109654]

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The ONLY way to carry a 1911 is condition one, cocked and locked. If you don't carry it like that you probably should carry another piece until you're more comfortable with firearms or the 1911 battery of arms in particular.

 

[Bo]

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I remember a few years ago, the OP's question was frequently asked by the noobs on the 1911 forum http://forums.1911forum.com/.

Frustrated members would simply respond, "If you have to ask, you just don't get it." [Meaning the whole 1911 thing, of course] I tend to agree.

However, the OP also stated that asa Marine, he carried a 1911 with loaded chamber at "half-cock" in the 70s and 80s. As a former MP, having learned my combat pistolcraft from the Marines, I never heard of this. Stateside, we carried Condition 3, and deployed overseas, were only sometimes allowed to carry Condition 1. There was a huge to-do about allowing us to carry the M-9 in Condition 1 during and shortly after the transition (until the wars, of course). As if we could not be trusted to administratively load and unload our pistols in the clearing barrels.

Also, it's not "Israeli carry," it's the "Israeli draw" (from Condition 3).

 

[Mainsail]

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Bo wrote:

I remember a few years ago, the OP's question was frequently asked by the noobs on the 1911 forum http://forums.1911forum.com/.

Frustrated members would simply respond, "If you have to ask, you just don't get it." [Meaning the whole 1911 thing, of course] I tend to agree.

However, the OP also stated that asa Marine, he carried a 1911 with loaded chamber at "half-cock" in the 70s and 80s. As a former MP, having learned my combat pistolcraft from the Marines, I never heard of this. Stateside, we carried Condition 3, and deployed overseas, were only sometimes allowed to carry Condition 1. There was a huge to-do about allowing us to carry the M-9 in Condition 1 during and shortly after the transition (until the wars, of course). As if we could not be trusted to administratively load and unload our pistols in the clearing barrels.

Also, it's not "Israeli carry," it's the "Israeli draw" (from Condition 3).

We carried our M9s with a round in the chamber, de-cocked, and safety off

 

[Bo]

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We carried our M9s with a round in the chamber, de-cocked, and safety off

Yes, exactly; what I meant to convey was the hand-wringing by all the weenies about allowing us to have our pistols loaded with one in the pipe after the adoption of the M-9. It was the paradigm shift subsequent to the constant re-writing of the rules during the 1911 era.

 

[daddy4count]

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I have always carried condition ONE

Your trigger finger is the only safety you should ever rely on... keep it in check and there isn't anything more reliable...

 

[killchain]

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I carry my .45 in hammer down, round chambered.

But that's because I have a DA/SA trigger, no "safety" (just a Ranger safety mind you) and I sit in my living room with snap caps practicing my trigger pull.