Semi-Auto Safety

by
posted on June 3, 2014
** When you buy products through the links on our site, we may earn a commission that supports NRA's mission to protect, preserve and defend the Second Amendment. **
qanda2015_fs.jpg

Q. I prefer to carry a semi-auto pistol in the woods. I would like to know what pistols I can carry in a holster with a round in the chamber ready to shoot without a safety on.

A. The gist of your question is open to interpretation. I will assume that you seek a semi-automatic pistol that can be safely carried with a round in the chamber without the safety being engaged or lacking a safety altogether. Actually, there are many pistols available today that fit that description. Practically all modern double-action autoloaders are safe to carry without the safety being engaged.

On many of these guns, the safety is also a decocking device, meaning that engaging it will lower the hammer, while rendering the trigger inoperable at the same time. The only safe way to carry this style of pistol is with the hammer down. To fire the gun, it is only necessary to pull the trigger. Because it is a double-action pistol, pulling the trigger moves the hammer rearward to a point where it is released, firing a round (similar in operation to firing a double-action revolver).

Unless the particular pistol fires only in the double-action-only mode, subsequent firing requires a single-action pull. This style is offered by Beretta, CZ, Heckler & Koch, Ruger, Sig, Smith & Wesson, Taurus and others.

Another autoloader design typified by the Glock pistols may lack an external safety. Pulling the trigger loads a striker against a spring until a point is reached where the striker is released, firing the cartridge. Like double actions, the first and all subsequent shots have the same trigger pull. Pistols of this design are also made by FN, Kahr, Smith & Wesson, Springfield Armory, Walther and others.

-John W. Treakle

Originally published December, 2006

Latest

Stuart 45 Pistol Pre War Manuevers Web Main
Stuart 45 Pistol Pre War Manuevers Web Main

Guns Of The U.S. Tankers In World War II

Since the end of World War II, debates have raged about the effectiveness of American armored fighting vehicles in that conflict. Despite all the Monday morning armored quarterbacking, American AFVs were war-winners, driven to victory by some the finest fighting men our nation has ever produced.

MidwayUSA Foundation Awards Over $14 Million In Cash Grants In 2025

In honor of National Shooting Sports Month—held annually in August—along with the growing popularity of the sport with new participants, MidwayUSA Foundation announced it has distributed more than $14.2 million in cash grants to support youth shooting sports in 2025.

Making The KelTec PR57 In Wyoming

To make its PR57 handgun, KelTec invested in an entirely new manufacturing facility located in Rock Springs, Wyo. "American Rifleman Television" headed out for an inside look at the company's efficient production process.

Taurus 66 Combat: A New "Fighting Revolver"

First introduced in the 1970s, the Taurus 66 Combat is a medium-frame revolver that has seen several evolutions in its lifetime, and the latest update creates what the company considers "the final word in fighting revolvers."

Review: Taurus GX2

From cars to cellphones, as a product gets more sophisticated, it usually also gets more expensive. And, as modern handguns get more modular and optic-ready, their prices tend to go up.

Rifleman Q&A: A Garand Puzzlement

"We are a father-and-son NRA member tandem in search of an answer regarding the branding of an M1 Garand rifle. We own an M1 rifle that has markings indicating it was a “lend lease to England,” and it also has a .308 barrel/sleeve."

Interests



Get the best of American Rifleman delivered to your inbox.