(And they say that only the police can be trusted with firearms.)
Posted on 08/07/2002 6:24:01 AM PDT by jalisco555
Do you care about safety? Do you care about fast, accurate shooting? Then avoid the Glock - even though they're cheap. SIG, H%K, even Walther make better guns. And if you've got the time, the money, and the will to get pistoliferous - get the best - 1911 Colt design pistol - Kimber, Para Ordnance, or Springfield brand.
Call me brain dead this time of the morning...I just worked a 12 hour Saturday and come home and read a post by our dear friend harpseal...talk about a wake up...Even if it was almost two years old it was worth it :O)
It grabbed my attention too!
Early Colts and Remington also were made with a safety pin or cutout on the rear or the cylinders between the percussion cap nipples.
The Walker had one pin; the later Colts one between each chamber.
I designed a custom hammer screw for my vintage Colt .44-40 SA that acts as a positive safety and works just dandy but during the Klintoon years gunmakers and custom part designs were targeted by the government.
I prefer to have all six chambers loaded.
Many very early Colt and S&W DA revolvers had internal safeties.
Glad to see I can still get people arguing even after two years. There are still the occasional reports here of negligent discharges with Glocks. I have a Sig which also lacks a mechanical safety. Even a "non-professional" like me knows to keep my finger off the trigger unless I intend to fire.
For a thumb-safety to be any good, the shooter must always operate the thumb safety any time the gun is picked up to shoot--even when target-shooting on a range where it would otherwise not be necessary. In a crisis, one is apt to rever to what one practices the most, whether or not it makes sense. If one normally picks up the firearm without switching the safety to "fire", that's what one's likely to do in a crisis, with bad results. And if one normally sets down a firearm without switching it to "safe" [nb: many semi-autos can't be switched to "safe" when the slide is locked back] one is apt to do so immediately following a crisis shooting, also with bad results. With the Glock, there is no reason to handle the gun on the range in a manner significantly contrary to what would be necessary in the field. Provided one always makes sure one's finger is off the trigger before lowering the weapon (whether the slide's locked back or not), and provided one doesn't try to collect brass after each shot, safe gun handling on the range will equate to safe gun handling in real life. Out of curiosity, does anyone know why John Moses Browning designed the 1911 so the slide cannot cycle with the safety on "safe"?
how convoluted is removing the magazine, clearing the chamber and keeping one's freakin finger off the trigger...
the only convolution is in your mind... glocks are efficient tools for the well thought shooter...
teeman
Operating the manual safety is a learned procedure, just as not pulling the trigger until you are ready to shoot.
I see you've already gotten plenty of replies, so I'll keep mine short and to the point..
I would rather you had said "malfunction" instead of "poor design"..
That is because I have always contended that the Glock "safety" system is indeed, poor design..
As pointed out in the article, the weapon operated correctly, as designed and did not malfunction..
Therefore, the blame is placed on the operator..
Sorry, I just don't buy it..
From the introduction of the Glock, I have avoided it, and advised all I know to avoid it..
The accounts above are of people supposedly trained in law enforcement, and often specifically trained in weapons safety with a Glock..
Yet, there is a high incidence of accidental/unintentional discharge..
That can be extrapolated to mean one would expect an extremely high incidence of such discharges among the untrained, occassional user..
The only reason reports have not been exceptionally high, is that among occassional users, the weapon is usually stored, not carried.. it is meant to be used only in "emergencies"..
IMHO, the Glock line of handguns are the most dangerous weapons on the market today..
(Short & to the point, yeah, sure.. LOL )
Well, heaven forbid we obey the first law of firearms training. As my instructor taught me: "All guns are loaded, always."
Semantics. I've never "un-intentionally" discharged either of my Glock's, and no one else will either, if they do as you suggest, which really all just boils back down to general respect for firearms that many of us were taught as kids.
I had to re-read the entire thread just to find what the heck I said, LOL! As was said earlier in the thread - carry what you're comfortable with, but if it's a Glock, make sure you have a good quality holster that completely covers the trigger. I've carried my 11 year old (bought in '93 I believe) Glock 19 daily for almost 6 years, in both Galco crossdraw and hip holsters, and the only time it has discharged (many, many thousands of times) is when I have pulled the trigger.
(And they say that only the police can be trusted with firearms.)
My sentiments exactly!
I love my S & W!
We could make them need to request fire through a special court with judges offering to complete the action.
Lets go back to maces and whirling stars for the Law Enforcement types who do no good defending themselves from the under privileged.
Great weapon but still dangerous in the hands of an idiot.
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