[Dr. J.]

I'm thinking of buying a Glock so this is probably the best place for advice.

There are so many good things about Glocks, but the trigger safety puts me off a bit though. It seems that safetys have two functions:

1) If you drop or some how bump your weapon, you don't want it to go off. I think the Glock safety and other aspects of the weapon make this no problem.

but..

2) if the trigger somehow gets pulled when you don't want it to be pulled you would like to have another switch making the gun safe. I know the trigger shouldn't get pulled by accident, but "shit happens". You are walking in brush with the gun at ready and slip, I can imagine a situation in which a branch or even your finger could hit the trigger. Suppose you think you are putting your weapon back in its holster, and by some stupid mistake you put it into your pocket and something in the pocket pushes the trigger.

Am I just worrying about more or less impossible or totaly improbable situations?

--Dr. J.

 

[VolGrad]

I think your concern is similar to many new to firearms or new to GLOCKs in particular.

Honestly, the main thing to remember is keep your finger off the trigger and well out of the trigger guard area until you are ready to actually fire the weapon ... as in "sights on target" and ready to fire. I understand there is a small chance you would "fall and a stick get in the trigger guard and push both the trigger safety and the trigger" but it is highly unlikely. Besides, if you were carrying a 1911 or other weapon which has a manual safety "at the ready" as you outlined in your scenario ... would you actually have the safety engaged?

It really does take more than "hitting the trigger" to cause the weapon to discharge. A std GLOCK trigger pull is approx 5.5#. A 1911 is generally a full pound or more lighter with ZERO take-up. Honestly, a GLOCK is about as safe as they come ... so long as you do your part.

 

[EdF702]

I'll have a go.... I'm pretty new to handguns, but not to guns. I've always shot rifle and shotgun for hunting and when looking into buying a handgun, I had similar concerns to yours. There is a fundamental mind-set difference, for me anyway, between how i looked at gun safety with "long guns" and how one must look at pistols. In a "LG" (hunting etc) speed and pressure is not that important... in many handgun circumstances, speed is VERY important and Glock's design places speed as more important than "mechanical safety devises".... In handguns, the shooter / operator MUST be more vigilant than with a deer rifle or shotgun. The handgun safety mechanicals are more for drops, than unintended trigger pull, that is operator error!

As for "unintended discharges", the stick scenario is possible, but the operator in your scenario would have already made a major mistake.... ie, carrying a loaded handgun without securing the trigger. Most holsters completely protect the trigger from intrusion of a foreign object, but if you couldn't carry the weapon in a fashion that would protect the trigger, the don't chamber a round. Simply carry the weapon with a loaded magazine in, but just don't have a round in the chamber.

You are thinking the right thoughts... just keep at it. Welcome to the forum... we'll help as we can.

Safety is everyone's responsibility, but one of my brother's has a saying that fits well here... "There's not always a systematic solution to a HUMAN problem". By that I mean, be a responsible operator, learn good technique, buy the right equipment and arm yourself with knowledge... and then the Glock's safeties are fine.

But, there are plenty of other manufacturers that do have a mechanical trigger safety, but if my life was under threat, I wouldn't want to be thinking about "did I take it off safety?"

My wife was frightened to death by all of my guns, and especially my handgun. So, when picking one out for her, we went with a Sig Sauer P226, partly because ther were "more" safety measures, but still no "on off" trigger safety.

 

[VolGrad]

Glock's design places speed as more important than "mechanical safety devises"

I know where you are going with this statement but I don't think GLOCK has placed safety as a back seat to speed. I never really fully understood the safety features fully until I attended the Armorer's Course. I am 100% confident as long as I don't do anything unsafe the gun's safety features will work as intended to prevent a negligent discharge.

 

[EdF702]

Yes, I know what I was trying to get across, but perhaps I failed.... I wasn't attempting to fault the Glock's design, more trying to frame a thought regarding the conceptual difference, as I see it, between a "on/off" safety or operator in control thinking. To me, there is a fundamental difference in handgun vs most long gun design regarding safety selectors.... based on perhaps "most likely intended uses".... What the hell, "I" know what i mean....

 

[sfguard]

I think your concern is similar to many new to firearms or new to GLOCKs in particular.

Honestly, the main thing to remember is keep your finger off the trigger and well out of the trigger guard area until you are ready to actually fire the weapon ... as in "sights on target" and ready to fire. I understand there is a small chance you would "fall and a stick get in the trigger guard and push both the trigger safety and the trigger" but it is highly unlikely. Besides, if you were carrying a 1911 or other weapon which has a manual safety "at the ready" as you outlined in your scenario ... would you actually have the safety engaged?

It really does take more than "hitting the trigger" to cause the weapon to discharge. A std GLOCK trigger pull is approx 5.5#. A 1911 is generally a full pound or more lighter with ZERO take-up. Honestly, a GLOCK is about as safe as they come ... so long as you do your part.

This. Plus the fact that the trigger safety can only be dis-engaged when the trigger is pulled straight back. Thus eliminating a lot of the potential things you described. Not saying something couldn't happen but this makes it even more unlikely. Also, how many safety features do you think need to be on the gun? The more manual safeties the greater the chance of not hitting one during the adrenaline rush when you need it.

But if it bothers someone that bad there are aftermarket items that can be bought for the pistol. Manual safeties can be installed. Or, at a MUCH cheaper price there are small blocks that are sold that fit behind the trigger of the GLOCK. These must be flipped out by putting pressure on it the with your finger before the trigger can be pulled.

 

[coop]

I want to address "shit happens" and I agree it does. But what is to say that you have a gun with a safety and as you fall, your hand knocks off the safety and the trigger still get pulled, hey shit happens. I really think the safety is there for some lawyer, because the only really safety is the person holding the gun.

 

[emore]

Think back to the millions of 38 revolvers that our nation's law enforcement used for decades. Did any of them have "safeties" or was it up to the operator to keep from pulling the trigger when they didn't mean to? Same idea. I look at the safety on my Sig P238 as the part most likely to get me killed. Like another poster mentioned, if you don't train and train and train some more to knock that safety off as part of your draw, you WILL NOT remember to do so in the adrenaline-charged heat of the moment when the gun is actually needed. Most people aren't willing or able to put in that kind of training time. fwiw...

 

[Texcowboy]

I use the Safe-T-Block on all my Glocks, it is a triangular piece of plastic that fits behind the trigger on the left side of the weapon (if you are right handed) a stub sticks out the right hand side. When you are ready to fire push in on the stub and the block pops out the left side. I have used these for years, they are $12 - $15 dollars and can be found at gun shops, on line and E Bay.
They give me the extra piece of mind of not snagging the trigger on something.
Just stating what makes me comfortable, I am not expecting everyone to like this product or agree with me.

 

[TheLaw]

Good post Dr. J.

I think the guys have you mostly covered however I really want to drive home the holster statement. A proper holster will completely cover the trigger guard area as a whole, not allowing anything foreign to get into that area and potentially discharge the weapon. A good holster should easily be able to do this without hindering your draw or firing grip. Also, a holster should not interfere with the mag release. I prefer a holster that allows me to drop a mag while the firearm is fully seated in the holster.

As with the GLOCK not having any extra manual safeties that I have to drop or turn off, I don't want any extra releases or catches on my holsters. I am not in law enforcement and I do not need a level II or level III holster retention. On my kydex holsters, a simple dimple around the trigger guard area is enough to give a positive "click" when holstering the weapon and provides plenty of retention. On an IWB the holster, leather or kydex, the bend of the waist line and the cinch of the proper gun belt will provide more than enough retention, again, keeping that trigger guard area secure from a foreign object getting in there to negligently discharge the weapon. I generally wear my firearm all day long, doing all sorts of activities ranging from playing basketball, baseball/football with my kids, mowing the grass, taking naps (my favorite) etc and the gun stays right where it is supposed to be.

Grab your self a quality holster and belt, of you don't have one already (Volgrad has an excellent post on holsters and a few reviews as well) and enjoy the awesome GLOCK weapon(s) you have.