[ryanws]

Pardon my ignorance, but I've never really paid to much attention to pistols due to my long love for shotgunning and deer hunting. However, I do own a Sig P230 .380.

Recently, I have grown fond of pistols and specifically the 1911. My question is...Do they make a 1911 with a decocking lever? I know they have a thumb safety, but from what I have found, that doesn't decock the hammer. Is this correct? I really don't like the fact of having to decock the hammer by pulling the trigger and slowly releasing the hammer by thumb. Any knowledge about this subject would be appreciated. Also, what would be a great 1911 on a budget?
Thanks.

 

[Fuelburns2]

I am aware of no 1911 with a decocker. It is best to unload the gun and lower the trigger manually. I would recommend looking at the Springfield Armory MilSpec 1911 if you want quality on a budget. Actually I have one for sale. What a coincidence. :wink:

Seriously the MilSpec is a great gun for the price.

 

[wwb]

I fail to understand why so many people get their shorts in a bunch over carrying the 1911 "cocked & locked".

Virtually every rifle and shotgun without an exposed hammer (EXPOSED is the key word) is carried "cocked & locked"... it's just that the hammer is unseen, inside the receiver..... but it's cocked, and you're relying on a safety - EXACTLY like the 1911. (Except that the 1911 has a second safety as well.... the grip safety)

 

[Guest]

I don't think anyone mentioned "their shorts were in a bunch". It's just like anything else when it comes to purchases..tastes and preferences are a factor. It was a simple question..Do they make a 1911 with decocker? I understand the mechanics of the hammer and firing pin. I actually own a Marlin 336 .35 lever action that allows you to de-cock by releasing the hammer downward. However, I don't shoot multiple rounds with my deer rifle like I do with my Sig P230. While shooting it, I like the fact that with one little push, I can pause shooting and have the hammer safely lowered and not engaged. Since I don't have a lot of experience with 1911's, I was just wondering if they made one. I don't mind "cocked and locked" because I don't carry a weapon as a CCW. I do have a permit, but 99% of the time they stay in their case near my bedside for plinking around around on the farm or range.

 

[john1911]

https://shop.cylinder-slide.com/ccp51/c ... str=HOME:1

This is about as close as you will come to a "decocker".

As others have said, the 1911 is designed to be carried "cocked & locked". Trying to lower the hammer on a live round is an accident waiting to happen.

Not to be a smart-a**, but if you are not comfortable "cocked & locked", a 1911 is not a good choice for you. There are several models out there that that aren't designed to carry "c&L".

 

[killerb]

I looked up the Cylinder and Slide SFS system earlier when I was going to reply to this question, but I lost momentum part way through. I was trying to find a more detailed description of how it works. This is all I found: https://shop.cylinder-slide.com/sfs.shtml Not all that helpful. If my lousy memory serves me correctly, when the hammer is cocked on a loaded chamber, you can push the hammer back forward and all the safeties are engaged with the hammer down. When you disengage the thumb safety, the hammer pops back to the cocked position and you are ready to go. Nothing I found backed up my fuzzy recollection, but then I didn't look that hard.

Fellas, when someone asks a question, lets at least try to answer it before telling the guy what a dumb question it is. I mean, I agree that cocked and locked is no big deal, hunters do it all the time. Something about seeing that hammer hanging out there cocked instead of being hidden inside a receiver gets people nervous. The 1911 is one of the most safety laden pistol designs ever, and one of the best. But the guy asked a question and the response was sort of like, "Why the hell would you want that?" Lets try, "no, and here's why," or "yes, but here's why I would advise against it." Not everybody is a seasoned pistolero. Sorry for the unsolicited pseudo-moderator B.S., but some responses read a little more harsh than I am sure the authors intended.

 

[killerb]

Oh yeah, and the Para-Ordnance LDA series of pistols don't have a de-cocker really, but they have a weird two piece hammer system that lets the visible part of the hammer back down after each shot with a light, consistent pull to cock (sort of) and fire it. Because of the two piece hammer, when you pull the trigger, you aren't fighting the mainspring, only the upper portion of the hammer that strikes the firing pin is cocked. The lower part that engages the sear against mainspring pressure is cocked by the slide's rearward movement in the normal manner. Similar to HK's LEM trigger. Just another 1911 option for you to look at. Although, you can't call it a 1911 if it isn't single action. The original is still the best. :lol:

 

[Bunnyman]

Cocked & Locked sounds frakking scary...until you try it for a while and get used to it. No really, give it a spin...you might like it.

 

[wwb]

I had no intention of offending the original poster. It was merely a comment related to the operation of the 1911 and the number of supposedly knowledgable shooters I've met who do truly "get their shorts in a bunch" when they see a cocked and locked 1911.

Once you point out to them that their 870 Wingmaster or their Model 70 rifle are carried cocked and locked, some of them feel better about it. One of the guys I discussed this with was adamant that he wanted the hammer down, like on his M94..... only, when he demonstrated it, he let the hammer ALL THE WAY DOWN!!! The jackass didn't even know what the half-cock notch was for.

 

[TMats]

I like 1911s myself, but if you're really interested in a model with a decocker, test drive a Sig P220. That's the model they developed for the (now defunct) .45 cal. military trials. Lots of models to choose from and a reputation second-to-none.

 

[UncleFudd]

Why is it necessary to decock a 1911? Everything that needs to be done with one of these great pistols can be done safely from the cocked position.
It never needs to be decocked on a live round, period.
I just wondered? :?:

UF

 

[TMats]

It doesn't UF, and by definition, if it has a decocker--then it ain't a 1911. n'est pa?

 

[UncleFudd]

[quote: It doesn't UF, and by definition, if it has a decocker--then it ain't a 1911. n'est pa?]

Yep, "what he said"
The safest, fiinest, fastest andmost accurate fighting handgun ever made. IMHO. (But it also happens to be true.

However I know I have commited sacrilege in that I had my gunsmith build from scratch a commander in 9mm with every piece on my 45 comander exactly the same. I don't have to retrain myself. It just depends on which cal I want to carry for the day.
I have been carrying the 9m for almost 4 yrs now as my shoulders and hands are not what they were when I was younger and the recoil has begun to bother me when we have classes that require 800 to 1000 rounds in a day.
The ( doesn't seem to bother and the choice of ammor for them now is all one needs for self defense if I can manage to hit what I shoot at.

I own several other handguns including glocks adn springfields. The only one I carry on occasion is my P7M8 in 9m.
That one is just plain fun to carry and to shoot and I am getting to be pretty good with it.

BTW for those who say the lightweight commanders will not last, I just replaced the first barrel at 90,000 rounds. I also had to put in a ramped barrel as the feed ramp had gone south during that time.
FYI they last.

UF[/quote]

 

[jack62]

What i do is when i get home, or should i say, when i want to drop the hammer on my 1911s, (I do carry cocked and locked). Not to get into that discusion, First i release the magazine from the gun, then i make sure my finger is not in or near the trigger guard. put loaded mag down, or in pocket. then i drop the thumb safety, and slide back the slide, letting rd fall to ground, or on bed or table(what ever). Never lower a hammer on a live rd, i dont care how careful you think you are. there is always the chance of your finger sliping and gun going off. Also when you eject the live rd, make a visual as to being sure that the pistol is clear. Another hint i would like to share. when carrying my loaded pistols in thier respected holsters, i put them in the holster and leave them alone. The only time they come out is when i am ready to shoot the gun. I dont play around taking them in and out. If i want to practice drawing, and reholstering my autos i make sure i dont have one in the pipe, before doing so. Really just good common sense techniques that should and can become a habit. I do the same if someone is polite enough to show me his or her gun. No matter what they tell me. I have worked behind the counter in gun shops, and i dont even want to remember some of the things i saw people do. Always safety first, no matter what, everything else can wait. :wink: Jack.

 

[Asylum Keeper]

The 1911 was designed to be carried in condition 1 , why does this freak out so many people?

 

[jack62]

I think because a lot of people in the service was taught, not to carry cocked and locked. I heard that from a lot of veterans. Maybe for liability reasons also. And the police departments were never issued these guns. Only recently the N.Y state troopers started carrying the .45s but these are Glocks. So the combination of these and other liabilty issues, i think helped in making this "cocked and locked" method of carry Taboo. There is the grip safety always there as well that seems to get over looked.
I also notice that the people who mostly, not all, warn against this method of carry, do not own or ever shot a 1911.
Go easy, Johnny

 

[Asylum Keeper]

ignorance breeds fear

 

[trippyl]

I hear that manually decocking the 1911 can be bad for the sear in some pistols, such as my kimber. I have heard that in the military, they would decock 1911's by removing the mag, racking the slide to remove the chambered round, visually inspecting, and then pointing the gun at a 55 gallon drum filled with sand and pulling the trigger - no decocking.

 

[wwb]

When you were in a non-combat situation, the standard military practice was to carry it at half-cock on an empty chamber. In the jungles of Vietnam, however, they were carried cocked & locked with one in the pipe.

 

[TMats]

In the jungles of Vietnam, however, they were carried cocked & locked with one in the pipe.

I suppose I'm a smart a$$ for saying so, wwb, but..."cocked and locked" by definition means "one in the pipe."