Is it safe to carry a single action pistol with the hammer down?

Question

Is it safe to carry a single action semi automatic pistol chambered with the hammer down.

I have read that the only reason that most call it unsafe is because you have to pull the slide back to chamber a round and then squeeze the trigger while having the thumb pressed hard against the hammer and let it down very easy so it won't fire. Their concern is that your thumb might slip resulting in a round being fired.

If you can do it safely, once the hammer is down is there any danger in the chambered round going off without pulling the hammer back?

Thank you.

Answer 1

There are too many factor to consider here. However, the reason it is unsafe is not because you have to rack the slide first. If you already have a shell in the chamber, why on earth do you want to rack the slide? The problem is if your single action pistol doesn't have a hammer block mechanism then if you drop it on the hammer with a shell in the chamber it will probably go off. Also, if you manually draw the hammer back and it slips your pistol could go off. Those two reason make that practice unsafe. The partially ****** hammer is one solution if your pistol has this feature. Like I said, too many factors to completely answer your question.

Consider instead a Glock. So long as you keep your finger out of the trigger guard the Glock will not discharge. However it must be stored in a holster that covers the trigger if you are going to store it or carry it with a shell in the chamber.

Best.

H

Answer 2

The most popular SA pistol is the Colt 1911 and it's variants.
It is safe to carry it with the hammer down on a loaded round. The firing pin is the inertia type and must be struck very hard by the hammer to come through the face of the breech. It is also fitted with a recoil spring on the firing pin that will prevent the firing pin from coming through in case you drop it.
There is also a so-called halfcock safety, that locks the hammer back a fraction of an inch. This is also safe.
There are scattered stories of 1911s discharging when dropped, but this has not been demonstrated 2 times in a row with a weapon that is in good mechanical condition.
If you plan on using a single action auto, the best way is ****** and locked. Then if needed in a hurry, the safety can be released at time of drawing, and the only thing left is to pull the trigger.
If you cannot properly handle an SA auto, you would be best served by hiring a professional bodyguard.

Answer 3

If it has a decocker, yes it is safe.

But in the case of something like a 1911, it isn't designed to be carried like that, the hammer will be resting against the firing pin and the pressure can cause a discharge. If you do this on say a Browning Hi-power and then hit the hammer with something, it will fire the round.

Some SA pistols like the 1911 and Hi-power have a half ****** positiong. You notice when you cock the hammer that it first clicks once, then a second time. If you really want to carry with the hammer down, it is safe to have it in the half ****** position. Let it down just a little ways until the half ****** position engages. In this position it is not connected to the trigger and will not drop until you cock it back and then pull the trigger.

But in general, I don't think any large number of people would advocate carrying a SA pistol this way. There simply isn't any reason to do so. A 1911 has a grip safety and manual safety. With both of these engaged, you aren't running any real risk of an accidental discharge. Drawing a pistol and cocking the hammer in one fluid motion isn't something that can be done with perfect speed and reliability.

Many newer semi-automatic pistols have modern designs which encorporate different non-manual safeties to ensure that accidental discharges do not occur. There isn't a good reason to carry a pistol with a manual safety. There are so many examples and instances of people who carry a pistol like this and in a situation of fear they forget to deactivate the safety due to panic. With a good holster, there's no more risk of an AD with a Glock than there is with any pistol with a manual safety.

Answer 4

Depends on the gun. Some SAO (Single Action Only) pistols have a blocking mechanism that will not allow the hammer to strike the firing pin unless the trigger is pulled.

Pistols that do not have this safety device can accidental discharge if sufficient force is applied to the a hammer. Most common is when such a gun is chambered and then dropped.

If in doubt, then do not chamber a round.

PS - Some pistols come with a de-cocking lever so you can safely drop the hammer without risking accidental discharge.

Answer 5

If you have an external hammer then you can take it outside and manually try to "trip" the hammer without using the trigger. If you can pull it back and let it go without the gun firing, then its safe. Testing is the only real way to tell for sure!

Answer 6

It is perfectly safe to carry a handgun with hammer down, IF and only IF, you accidentally drop your gun down on a solid surface resulting a direct hit to your firring pin.
Matter of fact, most of the professionals carry their gun with a bullet in the chamber and hammer down. #1 advantage is the response time and #2, an extra shot. I have a Ruger P95 DC, this is an ideal gun to decock with a bullet in the chamber.

Answer 7

Relatively safe I think!