Posted: 7/17/2007 2:12:48 PM EDT
|
Why DID they put the half-cock notch "safety" on the 1911 pistol? Today it's clear that the only sensible way to carry is condition 1, and the only safe ways are conditions 1 & 3, although in the past condition 2 was considered fashionable (Makes you wonder if 1911 enthusiasts of the future will call condition 1 crazy and sell them without the half cock notch in the first place). What I am curious about though, is the following: Who designed this safety, JMB (intending condition 2 carry), or did the Army have it incorporated? What was the purpose? Was it safety for condition 2, a notch for lefties to leave the hammer on for ease of use, or both? Historically-backed answers prefered, speculation is welcome, so long as you disclaim it as such. |
|
I have always heard that the original intent for cavalry use of the 1911 was for it to be carried chamber loaded, hammer down and the hammer "wiped" down the troopers pants leg to cock it when needed. Don't recall at the moment if it was US Troopers or Polish cavalry using the Radom, but one or the other actually had leather reinforcement sewed onto the pants legs for this purpose. In 1917 / 1918 no one carried Condition 1 but horse cavalry guys could not count on having both hands free to chamber a round...apparently they also did not know the uber cool method of turning it sideways and using the holster to chamber a round either, or decided it was not consistent enough for serious use. Or msybe all the above is old BS. I can't say for certain. The half cock notch is undoubtedly designed to catch the hammer if it slips while the pistol id=s being cocked on a loaded chamber, however...not much doubt of that. |
I try to maximize my potential Actually I phrased the question a little broadly so as not to harness the answers in a particular direction. It was a 99% percent "certainty" that the principal intent of the half cock notch safety was to protect against slippage in condition 2 carry. What I was trying to figure out however, is: 1. Was this JMB's doing or one of the Army's mods 2. Was this the (only) intended purpose, or was it also a "shelf" to rest the hammer on for LH shooters, as I have heard some (mis)used the 1911 that way as early as WWI |