Do You Prefer or Reject Decockers?

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22/45 Fan

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grobin said:
From the above it appears that the decocker is an unnecessary complication! On my lever action Henry I simply put my thumb on the hammer and pull the triger, then releasing the trigger lower the hammer to the safe position.
That technique works just fine....as long as your thumb never slips. Decockers were developed because thumbing the hammer down is not always done properly and unintentional discharges were frequent enough to warrant finding a better way.
 

grobin

Blackhawk
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Quite true but it appears that failed, implementations and users still result in discharges-so what has the decocker really solved. Just another complication that fails!
 

haymaker

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I LIKE HAMMER DROP SAFETIES. Most morons can't figure out how they work so if my gun is ever taken away from me I have time to react before the bad guy figures out how to make it fire.
 

MedicYeti

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I don't mind the decocker or the 1911 style cocked and locked safety. When I go the the range, particularly if I'm shooting a competition, I take a little time refamilizing myself with that specific gun. For home defense I don't want an external safety (same for carry but there is no carry in NJ so it's a moot point).
I would rather a gun be one or the other. I have a Taurus PT 840 which has a 1911 like safety: up is safe down is fire but the safety lever can be depressed further to decock the pistol. I have hit the safety a little to aggressively a few times and have bypassed fire and gone straight to decock. Training more will help but this type of set up isn't my favorite. I prefer safe or decock, not both on the same gun.
 

TucsonDirt

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Arizona
I have guns with both. My newest acquisition is a CZ75B Omega with decocker, that comes with safety levers that can be installed instead.
I found I like the decocker personally. I installed the safety levers to see if I liked them, and somehow on this gun I just like the decocker better.
I think arguing the pros and cons of safeties vs decockers is kinda like caliber wars, there are better ways to spend time.
 

toysoldier

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blume357 said:
No safety on double action revolvers for the simple reason they don't need one.... very few of us would argue with this fact.
So logically a double/single action semi-auto is just as safe with no safety as long as the hammer is down.
It is not that complicated to add a decocker to one of these for when you want to 'safely' drop the hammer.

My first large-caliber handgun was a Brazilian-surplus 1917 S&W, a cosmetically-challenged DA/SA revolver with a wonderfully smooth action. That was followed by a KP-90DC, also with nice DA/SA action. I don't see how anyone can argue that the decocker on the auto pistol isn't safer than manually easing down the hammer. I'm a southpaw, so not fond of the right-hand safety found on most auto pistols.
 

grobin

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Assuming that you have a modern gun which is safe to carry with the hammer down on a loaded chaimber, it will not fire unless the trigger is pulled? Yes. So try this experiment;
Place a round in the chamber with the gun cocked ( with a pistol simply chamber a round),
Now placing your thumb on the hammer to control it,
Point the pistol in a safe direction and pull the trigger letting the hammer move just a little so when you let go of the trigger it resets,
Now let go of the hammer,
The gun should not discharge!!

If it does there is something wrong as it went off when the trigger was reset not pulled.

This being so the decocker is just something to fail as pointed out above.
 
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I'd humbly suggest if you are going to try something like this it is better to not chamber a round but drop a pencil with eraser end down in the barrel and try it this way... if the firing pin actually slams forward it will throw the pencil out of the barrel. Much safer test than the chambered round.
 

Tom W

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I had a choice when I bought my last pistol. I got a CZ 75 SP01 without the decocker. . I know they work, but I don't feel comfortable with them. Maybe because I'm old and carried a Colt GM since 1975......
 

montegomx70

Single-Sixer
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I just got a cz75bd decocker and i love it, but i like old ugly cocked and locked as well.
 

mpalm

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My first guns were all double action revolvers. then in law enforcement, we trained using double action only semi-autos.
I guess its a training issue, but I dont like fumbling around with safety levers.
Keep It Simple Stupid
 

Colonel Daddy

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Still shooting my Ruger KP90DC .45acp. Did a lot of practice 1 shot double action followed by 1 shot single action then decocking. No problem transitioning from 1 to the other. What ever you shoot, practice, practice, practice!
 

jasper661

Bearcat
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Apr 6, 2017
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A decocker is cheap insurance against accidentally shooting yourself. The best choice in a carry gun is a DA/SA gun with a decocker. The next safest carry is a DA/SA hammer fired gun carried with the hammer down.

There are lots of incidents of folks carrying the Glock style guns with just the trigger tab safety accidentally shooting them selves or others.
 

mohavesam

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A decocker sure comes in handy when your "hammer thumb" is wet or fatigued. Or can that never happen?

"What-if Land": Sure wish someone would make a revolver with a decocker. THAT would be an ideal defense carry gun!
 

Old RugerFan

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My first Ruger back in the late '80's was a P-85 with the safety that subsequently went back for the recall. When the P-89DC came out, I traded the P-85 for it and have been happy with it ever since. I used to shoot competitions with the P-89DC in the early '90's, and used the decocker at the end of every round to show unloaded and clear. Never a problem. My favorite guns are my Sigs, all but one of which is the traditional DA/SA w/decocker, and none of them have ever failed. I also have a 1911 that I have carried cocked-n-locked, no problem. My most recent purchase was a CZ-75B Omega that I bought specifically for the decocker, which is great. I also have Glocks and Springfields that are striker-fired.

I guess you could say I prefer decockers, but I'm comfortable with anything.
 

22/45 Fan

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mohavesam said:
"What-if Land": Sure wish someone would make a revolver with a decocker. THAT would be an ideal defense carry gun!
They make them already. They are called "double action" and they decock after each time you pull the trigger! :)
 
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I've started carrying a semi-auto that is double action only.. still like the DA/SA with decock for the range and such... but am pretty happy with double action only for everyday carry... at least for now.
 
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