Saw a thread on another site about when during the draw to take off the safety on a 1911.  Surprised at the number of people that saw they take the safety off as soon as they clear the holster.  I took the MD class, watched the videos, and I thought that was not what was taught.  I have the safety on till I start to extend towards the target, then the trigger finger goes to the trigger.  I thought Drake got on me at the class for taking the safety off too early with the reasoning that he has seen people shoot themselves in the leg.  The premature safety selectors counter that they don't want to run the risk of forgetting to take the safety off and not being able to get the shot off.  I'd rather run that risk than have a ND because of finger curl.

I tried to find the mention in the video clips, but all I could find was the drills, and they were with Glocks and M&Ps.  Where in the MD draw process is a 1911 safety taken off?  Guess I know what class I'm taking as a refresher in 2011.

I don't own a 1911, so have never really dealt with the matter first hand on a pistol.  However I'm going to weigh in and say if one of their training mantras is "consistency" than it would follow their fifth rule:

5.  Keep your weapon on “safe” until your sights are on target.

Although my duty handgun is a Glock and it doesn't have a manual safety, this rule still applies.  The first "safe action" safety is the trigger safety and it isn't deactivated until my finger goes to the trigger which is when my sights are on target and I'm ready to shoot.

Taking the 1911 off safe when the sights are on target is consistent with taking the safety off a rifle or shotgun when the sights are on target..

I don't get the argument about forgetting your safety.  It doesn't really matter if you forget it during presentation or during set, you still forgot it and the end result is the same - the weapon doesn't fire.

Only one of the shooters in AOTDH was running a 1911, Scott Wilson from Surefire.  

If you watch AOTDC2 both Travis and Costa are running 1911s as secondary weapons and it is fairly clear how their manual of arms goes if you slow your DVD down.  

Think of the 1911 safety as a "gas pedal".  When you are up on target you are behind the wheel of a car, hit the gas pedal, and drive.  

With a two handed grip, I disengage the safety just before my support hand grasps the primary hand. This prevents any pinching of the "meat" of my support hand which might occur.

** This is null and void if you're in an extreme closeup engagement, the kind where you're having to pull the trigger as soon as the gun clears the holster and is pointing at the bad guy. Then you just swipe the safety off immediately as it clears the holster!

Keep your finger off the trigger till your ready to shoot.

If your 'ready' right after you draw for something VERY close then your never going to see your sights before you fire. PERSONALLY I take the safety off as soon as the barrel rotates up. Finger is still off the trigger till I am ready to shoot. Safety is engaged when I pull back into a high compressed ready for a scan...barrel is still in a safe direction....finger off the trigger.

I don't disengage the safety until I extend forward, on target.

Do you other 1911 users ride your thumb on the safety?

Yes.





Riding the thumb safety as part of your grip guarantees that the you will instinctively deactivate the thumb safety when necessary. No "extra step" to remember during the draw.





I rotate between 1911s, Glocks, and M&Ps (with and without thumb safeties), and I've never failed to deactivate the thumb safety on the guns that have them.



I deactivate the thumb safety during my press out to the target.





 

This is what I do....
As soon as I clear the front edge of my holster, my wrist cocks the gun up toward the target and off comes the safety.  If I have to get a shot off from retention, I will not see my sights on target, I just know where my muzzle is in relation to the threat.

This is what I do as well.

In AOTDH Travis disengages the safety when acquiring grip before he even starts to bring the gun out if the holster.

maybe that's a tactic that he's developed for himself, because unlike MOST of us, he's actually used his sidearm to kill someone.

I personally would not trust myself enough to disengage that early though.

on target, on trigger (safety off)
at ready, finger off trigger (safety on)

is that so complicated?

Mine comes off as soon as my gun is pointed in the "stuff needs to break direction". This is waiting until I've rotated it the 90 degrees out of my holster (for the don't shoot yourself in the leg reasons), but well before I extend.

This is because of a technique I picked up when I was at the local Sheriff's Department to accurately squeeze off a round during that extension, safety has to be off for that to happen. If I decide nothing down range needs to break right now, I flick the safety back on and stay in that pressed ready position. As soon as I punch out I flick it off, back on when returning to pressed ready.

That comes from training and practice based on having to draw my sidearm very quickly as my only available weapon, me on my own, and a deadly assault already underway (or extremely imminent).

I ride the safety too. High thumbs grip I can't find a better place for that grip thumb, and I kinda miss the thumb safety as a grip ledge on my guns without it.

Ultimately, the safety is keeping your booger hook off the trigger till you want it to go bang.  Riding the safety as stated above is part of the natural grip on a 1911, so as soon as I establish that grip with the firing hand the safety is off, this is while the gun is leaving the holster, trigger finger extended straight beside the slide.  Join firing hand with support hand and extend outwards, place finger on trigger only when you want it to go bang, it's the same safety that Glock, XD, M&P, and many other semi auto pistols use.

Was hoping one of the Magpul guys would chime in.  Found one of Travis' draw drills where he uses a 1911 and it seems I hear a 'snick' when the gun is getting into the two hand grip before press out.

I really don't get the safety off as it clears the holster.  Most pros don't seem to stress muzzle snap to horizontal when you clear the holster, so you have your gun still pointed at your little piggies.  If you are going to snick off the safety that fast, why even have a safety- the grip safety and a good holster makes it almost impossible to get a round off inadvertanly when the gun is in the holster.  If your 1911 has a Glock or M&P like trigger, you have a really POS 1911, seriuosly.  I know, keep the bugger fetcher off the trigger, but  want to be more than one flinch, reflex squeeze or bad grip away from a ND.

I turn off my safety as soon as I turn my 1911 towards the target.  If my sights are off or not, I don't care.  Once the gun is pointed in a safe direction the safety is comeing off.

If I'm drawing and planning to shoot from retension  at 0-3yds  the safety comes off as soon as possible.  

Just because the safeties off deosn't mean the gun is going to go off.  It's a safety, not a trigger.