Originally Posted by
RobertSubnet
My thinking is that it is better to become educated and proficeint with the 1911 rather than leaving it at home out of fear and ignorance.
My coach used to tell us to "focus on the threat." Everything you do from the point the decision is made to draw to the firing pin striking the primer has to flow smoothly and confidently. Every action deliberately executed and at speed.
He didn't recommend the slide safety at all, particularly on handguns with redundant safety features like the 1911. One more action that must be performed before the weapon will fire. That didn't sit well with most of us, but I absolutely understood his point once we started drawing and firing at speed. There isn't time to think about the thumb break that seemed to make so much sense at the store, whether there's one up the pipe, whether the safety's on or not, where the hammer is, where that target went, ....
Study what makes your 1911 tick, or NOT tick in this case. Try to make the hammer fall without pulling the trigger or depressing the grip safety. I'll bet you can't. If your finger is in a position to pull the trigger and the web of your hand in a position to disengage the grip safety, I'll bet you'll find that you're pretty much in control of that 1911 and where it's pointed. Get up close and personal with that weapon.