When?

I think most accidental discharges involving the 1911, was A. LACK OF TRAINING or B. BLATANT STUPIDITY. I've carried my 1911 cocked and locked for better than ten years now and never ever had an issue with that! my father carried a 1911 cocked and locked since I can remember! never had a unintended discharge! I do know of a case in a large police dept. west of me had one officer shoot another in the leg when they used the decocking lever on their beretta 92. I know the police dept for the city that I work for has gone to the 1911 and pretty much abandoned all other pistols except for a few glocks! yes, they carry the 1911 cocked and locked! I know that on my 1911 that unless you release the slide safety, fully depress the grip safety and pull the trigger fully to the rear it will Not fire!

That is the exact reason for the firing pin block. Any 1911 WILL discharge if dropped on the muzzle without the block. That being said, mine don't have them as I always know where my gun is relative to my holster and hand. In some instances, IDIOTS will have the grip safety pinned to make it inoperable. They are all, without exception, casualties waiting to happen. If the thumb safety, and the grip safety are in good operating condition, the gun is safe to be carried cocked and locked, in a good holster, and in competitant hands. This means, in three words, TRAINING!!! TRAINING!!! TRAINING!!! No one has any business carrying a pistol if he doesn't shoot it as much and as often as possible. 200 rounds a year is NOT what I'm talking about either. Practice makes perfect. Good practice that is, not just aimless blasting awaY.

Now for the decocking lever stories. ANY auto pistol with a decocking lever has the potential to fire when decocked. What causes it is, when the shooter is decocking a loaded pistol, his trigger finger has the slack in the trigger pulled out and decocks with his non firing hand. When the slack is out of the trigger, the firing pin block has been moved out of the way, allowing the inertia of the falling hammer to discharge the pistol. I have been an "expert witness" concerning this on several shooting inquiries. Thankfully, just walls and furniture were the victims, but the shooters ALL had to be retrained on the operation of their pistols by a very unforgiving and most insulting ME.................................Kingpin

Edited by Kingpin

Which one do you have in mind Mule? I shoot at several schools per year. I usually attend Mid-South Institute in Walls Mississippi 2 or 3 times a year, additionally, I recieve some training here where I work, and have been to Bill Rogers school in Ellijay Ga. several times. I have to , as the job requires that I have to maintain a degree of competency.................................Kingpin

That was a real spine tingler of an article. The tech was one stupid person who needs their creds revoked. Two weeks ago, I had an MRI. The day before I had to have my eyes X-Rayed to make sure that there wasn't any metal in my eyes. On the day of the procedure, I was taken into a locker room and had to remove everything in my pockets before she opened the door to the MRI. Wrist watch, wallet, pocket knife, keys, change, rings, revolver, and ANYTHING looking remotely magnetic. Yep, THAT tech needs to scoop up dogshit in a park and stay away from patients. A few years ago, a boy was killed in an MRI when an unsecured oxygen bottle got sucked into the MRI with him. Anyone who thinks that doctors, nurses, and hospital workers, shit in little zip-lock bags, really ought to check into how many people each year are killed through incompetance and malpractice. That gun firing with a firing pin block with no idiot attached, was the first time I ever heard of such a thing. I printed the article to show as many people that are interested. In fact, I plan to take a copy to the place where I had my MRI....................Kingpin