Well there are different designs of the 1911 style pistol. Are you talking a newer generation or an original colt 1911? I believe some of the newer versions have a firing pin block which would make it much safer to carry with the hammer down, or cocked for that matter since the firing pin would be blocked until either the grip safety or trigger safety were activated.

I will be honest though I was not considering 1911 only type pistols when I said that. I was just thinking single action semi auto pistols in general. Most of which are based on the 1911 design.

Paul