1911 carry Cocked, and not locked?

[ECS686]

Well whatever you carry don't be this guy (and who the hell wears flip flops to the range)

 

[Drail]

Browning carried his personal semi auto weapons with the hammer at half cock - no safeties. His 1911 had no thumb safety. He did this because people had been carrying revolvers that way for many years and nobody thought it was "dangerous". People cocked the revolver as it was drawn. But the Officers at the Ordnance Board were HORRIFIED to think that Officers would stand in front of troops with loaded and cocked magazine fed weapons with no safeties. If the Officers had their way the soldiers would have never been issued anything but single shot weapons.

 

[nathantwilson]

I was wondering why the thumb safety needs to be on to carry a 1911?.

There is a grip safety that will not allow the hammer to fall while in the holster. So why carry it with the thumb safety on?

Most firearms have nothing but a trigger safety now days, and with proper finger placement drawning the 1911 and firing it should be no different.

So why use the thumb safety at all?

Now remember I'm a 1911 noob so educate me.

Additional layer of safety that doesn't slow down target acquisition even slightly (thumb releases safety while you're drawing from holster). Makes perfect sense to me...

 

[Drail]

The grip safety prevents you from pulling the trigger - that's all it does. It does not in any way block the hammer OR the sear. The 1911 was NOT designed to be carried cocked and locked. Browning did not carry ANY of his semi auto pistols that way. He carried them on half cock and completed cocking the hammer as the gun was drawn. Look it up.