Some people are more comfortable carrying a loaded pistol that has a manual safety. A pistol manual safety has advantages and disadvantages. Your skills are critically important when carrying a gun with a manual safety.
Most modern pistols have multiple safety features that reduce the chances of a negligent discharge. Automatic safeties are very common in striker fired pistols and are disengaged when the trigger is pressed. A manual safety requires the operator to disengage the safety before pressing the trigger.
Pistol Manual Safety during Self Defense
The purpose of concealed carry is being prepared to protect yourself and your family. The decision to carry a pistol for self defense comes with great responsibility. It is important to examine your equipment and techniques used for self defense.
Defending yourself effectively can depend on the speed of your first defensive shot. Any delay in making your first shot can decrease your chances of stopping an attacker. Someone under stress may forget to disengage the pistol manual safety before pressing the trigger.
Defensive Pistol Training is Critical
Defensive pistol training will reveal issues with various shooting techniques and equipment. The disadvantage to having a manual safety is the additional time it takes to fire your first shot. Self defense is one of the most stressful situations you could ever be in.
I’ve seen people in defensive pistol classes forget to disengage the manual safety before pressing the trigger. Having a failure to fire during training is better than having one as you are defending yourself.
Regular training is very important for anyone who carries a gun with a manual safety. You must build the muscle memory of disengaging the pistol manual safety each time you draw your pistol.
Horse hockey I have been using firearms with external manual safeties as long as I have been shooting going on 55 years now. It is no different than anything else practice builds muscle memory and it becomes a habit to release the safety as you draw your firearm. People that forget to release it are inexperienced shooting firearms with external safeties. I have seen numerous videos of someone drawing their pistol and shooting themselves as they draw it. I own a couple striker fired pistols but my EDC is not and never will be a striker fired pistol. I feel more comfortable with a manual safety if I am in a close quarters struggle with someone I know that most likely they won’t think of releasing a manual safety should they out muscle me for my weapon so I have a few second extra to turn things back in my favor. Just like driving a car with a stick shift the younger generation barely can drive an automatic transmission let alone a stick shift. So I will take any advantage no matter how small and hope it’s enough.
That is the point of the video and the article. You must regularly practice to build the muscle memory. If you do not practice the chances are greater that you will not disengage the safety before trying to fire. I see it all the time in pistol classes.