Thumb Safety on any brand handgun

[NorCalBusa]

Oddly, we don't have a "Handgun" forum (or did I miss it?)

My question is; do all semiauto handguns, that have a separate lever you thumb to Safe/Unsafe the weapon, always thumb UP for Safe/DOWN for Fire? Is it an industry standard of some kind?

 

[Deleted member 16735]

as far as I know, yes, and I think it comes from 1911s because with a 1911 you ride the safety with your thumb while shooting. Also if you are gripping the gun with the safety on, your grip can't accidentally turn the safety off, if it was the other way around you could accidentally turn the safety off.

 

[rfgCA]

Just about all of them are UP=SAFE, DOWN=FIRE.

But there is a big name that is an outlier: BERETTA, particularly the M9 or 92F that is the opposite (also present on other models like the 8000 series Cougar.)

It is also a slide mounted safety, which (for most people) requires one to break grip to operate it.

These 2 reasons are why this is the most hated manual safety ever invented*

* Most people didn't know there is a way to engage FIRE with a downward sweep and without having to break grip by the way of thumb position, but it is still not the same as a 1911-style manual safety.

 

[bonesurf]

I think the USP9 for the German army was reverse as well. some of those are floating around

 

[NorCALSpeed]

Just about all of them are UP=SAFE, DOWN=FIRE.

But there is a big name that is an outlier: BERETTA, particularly the M9 or 92F that is the opposite (also present on other models like the 8000 series Cougar.)

It is also a slide mounted safety, which (for most people) requires one to break grip to operate it.

These 2 reasons are why this is the most hated manual safety ever invented*

* Most people didn't know there is a way to engage FIRE with a downward sweep and without having to break grip by the way of thumb position, but it is still not the same as a 1911-style manual safety.

The Ruger SR-22 switch is also UP to FIRE, DOWN for SAFE. I hate it. It's the opposite of my other guns.

 

[NorCalBusa]

Thanks everyone. Seems extraordinarily stupid to not all be the same, the risk is far greater than whatever benefit an opposite would have.

 

[vplaza96]

Just about all of them are UP=SAFE, DOWN=FIRE.

But there is a big name that is an outlier: BERETTA, particularly the M9 or 92F that is the opposite (also present on other models like the 8000 series Cougar.)

It is also a slide mounted safety, which (for most people) requires one to break grip to operate it.

These 2 reasons are why this is the most hated manual safety ever invented*

* Most people didn't know there is a way to engage FIRE with a downward sweep and without having to break grip by the way of thumb position, but it is still not the same as a 1911-style manual safety.

John McClane and Martin Riggs beg to differ. I know, I know, fictional characters.

 

[NedSled]

Thanks everyone. Seems extraordinarily stupid to not all be the same, the risk is far greater than whatever benefit an opposite would have.

The Berretta is a double action pistol, so the slide mounted lever also acts as a hammer de-cocker. I'd wager that a lot of people who carry one de- the hammer (lever down) then put the lever back up and carry without the safety engaged. They are relying on the harder initial double action trigger pull to be "the safety", same as carrying a DA revolver, which generally don't have a safety of any kind.

So... they are kind of not the same thing at the end of the day.

 

[vplaza96]

Also, the older generation of S&W pistols (5906, 1006, 4506, and prior gens) had slide mounted safeties/decockers. Operated similar to Barrettas.

 

[mindwreck]

top of my head. The P08 Luger is down for gesichert or secured.. The big desert eagle is also down for safe. So is the old slide safety baby eagle Jericho. All push up for fire. For high or slide mounted safeties like those, its better that up is fire cause i just push up with the tip of my thumb.

Funny thing is the American Eagle Lugers made for American market was more typical "down" to allow you to depress the grip safety, which than made the gun "fire"

 

[cali_jazz]

The Ruger SR-22 switch is also DOWN to FIRE, UP for SAFE. I hate it. It's the opposite of my other guns.

I think you meant to say UP to FIRE, DOWN for SAFE? Otherwise it's the same as the "standard" manual safeties.

 

[Hit Factor]

I had a Ruger P89 that was down for safety and decocking, and up to fire. But the thumb safety/decocker was on the slide, not the frame.

 

[DB>)>]

Ruger notably has the SR22 operating "opposite" - up to fire, down for safe, along with the P series (slide mounted de-cocker/safety). Currently the LCP2/.22 safety is forward to fire, back for safe... I want to say the Bersa .380s also have the "backwards" decocker/safety as well, and the Phoenix Arms had several safeties operating different ways!

And yep, it is confusing for those of us that prefer to have that manual safety when switching between the various ways it has been implemented! My preference is for the "traditional" up for safe, down for fire, as it's easiest to just flick the thumb down and fire. Muscle memory gets a little weird, which could be a problem for competition or CCW/DGU scenarios...