Do You Prefer or Reject Decockers?

[FergusonTO35]

I think the standard CZ-75 can be carried cocked and locked but has no decocker.

 

[22/45 Fan]

I think the standard CZ-75 can be carried cocked and locked but has no decocker.

That is correct and both it, the 1911 and the Browning Hi-Power have only a safety and no decocker.

 

[blume357]

It took me a while to wrap my head around cocked and locked on a 1911 type pistol... but on at least the original design of a 1911 this makes sense in that at least for me it takes two hands to cock the hammer back initially... and in a serious situation you don't need to be doing that... much simpler to just draw, drop the safety with your firing hand thumb and then squeeze the trigger.

 

[Clovishound]

I, too, struggled a little with carrying a 1911 cocked and locked. I was won over by the large, very positive safety. I was further mollified by the fact that my SA is not ambidextrous. I don't have to worry about the safety being bumped when in the holster. I have had this happen with an ambi safety.

The only problem I have with carrying my 1911 concealed is the size and weight. It's a brick. It does carry nicely in the factory OWB holster when hunting.

 

[Mike J]

When dressed up I have carried my SR 1911 in a Galco Fletch holster a friend that is a member here gave me. The only real difficulty with carrying it is the length of the barrel. Of course wearing a suit coat conceals that & it is thin enough to conceal easily.

Carrying cocked & locked doesn't really bother me as there is also a grip safety as a fail safe.

 

[Jeepnik]

I suppose in the end it comes down to what life experience has taught you is best.

Personally, I know the 1911A1 works. I'll stick with that when the chips are down. The Hi Power is a second close, but I'm not enamored of the 9mm (again life experience).

Folks say today's 9mm's are more effective due to improved bullet construction. But anything that could be done to improve the 9mm has also been done to the .45acp. And if all of the fancy "improvements" fail, the .45 acp starts and ends with a bigger hole.

 

[Conservative]

I don't understand the preference some have for a decocker vs. a standard issue safety.

How does having a decocker provied a greater benefit over a standard safety?

Perhaps, I don't get it because I've never owned a pistol with a decocker...? The idea of the decocker once activated thus stopping just short of firing a chambered round gives me the heebie-jeebies.

Thank you.

 

[Clovishound]

The only time I have ever used a decocking lever over a live round was in the Military with the muzzle in a clearing barrel. If it went off, it would be stopped by the barrel. I would have had to change my flight suit, though.

 

[blume357]

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.

 

[FergusonTO35]

Since I got my Kimber Micro and Browning Hi-Power I have come to appreciate single action autos. Good trigger pull, and the safety positively locks the hammer in place.

 

[5of7]

I have long viewed de-cockers as a solution to a non-existent problem. If I need to de cock a semi auto pistol, I just place the thumb of my weak hand between the slide and the hammer and pull the trigger, let up on the trigger and that is that. 8)

 

[grobin]

I bet that smarts! Doesn't that leave you attached to the pistol by your thumb? LOL

I agree that a decocker is a problem looking for a solution! We can always vote with our feet and just not buy defectively designed pistols.

 

[blume357]

I have to disagree, but to each their own, I really like the decock function. When I first started using one I would still hold the hammer and drop it down while using the decock lever instead of the trigger... after a few years I finally just started using the lever and letting the hammer fall on its own.

 

[22/45 Fan]

I have to disagree, but to each their own, I really like the decock function. When I first started using one I would still hold the hammer and drop it down while using the decock lever instead of the trigger... after a few years I finally just started using the lever and letting the hammer fall on its own.

The only guns I recall reading that this shouldn't be done with were the Walther PP/PPK/etc. series. Apparently the decocker's firing pin block could break after many, many hammer strikes and allow the gun to fire when being decocked. Most other designs better protect the firing pin during the decock operation.

That said, I also eased the hammer down while operating the decocker on the Ruger P-series, Sigs, etc. I have owned and/or handled.

 

[arfmel]

I killed my mattress once decocking an old surplus Walther P-1 with the hammer drop safety. Taught me to ease the hammer down with my thumb as I operate the decock lever on pistols that have one.

 

[blume357]

well, that is the rule regardless.... that the gun needs to be pointed in a safe direction... always. Even if it is a mattress.

 

[montegomx70]

Personally I love a decocker. Prefer it over a manual safe. At least with the decocker there is not an additional step (moving to off safe) when deploying the weapon. Just my two pennies worth.

what he said.

 

[Coyote Hunter]

The Walther PPK/s had a recall. Seems that when used with a live round chambered they had a bad habit of igniting the primer with other bad things following. Sent mine back to S&W for the fix, but still drop the hammer softly when using it. Have fingers and thumb, better safe than sorry.

My Browning BDM also has a decock safety. No recall on it but, as with the Walther, I drop the hammer gently.

 

[grobin]

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. Given the transfer bar on the single six/10 I would expect that pulling them releasing the trigger would result in the hammer down on around without lowering it; similarly on my sig! I'll need to test it though.

 

[s4s4u]

From the above it appears that the decocker is an unnecessary complication

Complication? Press the lever and the hammer drops safely. What is so complicated about that?