1911 Conditions Of Readiness

[Jefpainthorse]

You kinda have to know a little about the Army mindset circa 1910 or so.

Horse Cav was the "SOG" of the time. What the Cavalry wanted they usually got.

Trying to manage a pistol with one hand, on a horse thats gone ballistic in a fire fight can be a real situation. The Cav folks on the board felt Brownings original scheme was inadequate for mounted service- changes were made so troopers could safely reholster the gun at a gallop. Laynard rings were standard on magazines... you could drop a mag and let it dangle until things died down so you could secure it later. Obviously- times have changed.

If you ever get a chance study up on the original "manual of arms" for the 1911 Government Pistol. Seveal of my ancestors were Troopers going back to the post Civil War period... one of my great uncles was around in the 30's and made the tconversion from mounted to mechanized.

I have heard several WW2 vets relate that they prefered to carry their 1911's chambered, with the hammer on the half cock notch. Why? the notion was it was a lot quieter and simpler to ease the hammer back. Of course... this is in a military full flap holster... and that practice was not in any offical Ordinance manual.

 

[inactive]

Splain to me how it's gonna go off with two physical safeties (grip and trigger guard cover), in addition to a trained brain? Heck, if it's safer and better with 3 physical safety apparatuses rather than 2, then why stop there? Surely it's even better with 4 or 5 or 6 physical safeties, right? Condition 15 is the only way to go. Anyone who answers other than condition 15 needs to switch to another platform - this involves adding 14 additional physical safeties to the gun after you get it from the factory.

John Moses didn't have a manual safety on the original design:

http://forums.officer.com/forums/showthread.php?144283-Original-1911-Without-Thumb-Safety!

But of course, tradition and inertia trump truth, logic, and common sense every time, so carry on with your bad selves.

Nothing at all wrong with condition 1 - if you're trained on it, but also nothing at all wrong with condition zero - again, if you're trained on it. It's all about the training. In fact, I'll give $1,000 to anyone on this forum or anyone in the world for that matter who can take a 1911, secured snugly in a good holster, with manual disengaged (with maintained/ working grip safety spring), who can make it go off by dropping it or throwing it as hard as you want at any ground, wall or object you want, at any angle you want - who wants to take me up on this and prove me wrong? C'mon, show me how unsafe it is, and how cuuuuuuh--RAAAZZZY it is to say that carrying condition zero is just ya know, cuh-raaazzzy! Instead of just ad hominum, surely somebody can back up this claim I hear all the time with ya know, actual facts? Too bad Browning himself isn't alive, so we can tell him how stupid and crazy HE is, too!

Wait, I'll save ya some typing: "Well, no, you're just an idgit, that's all there is to it. Cocked N Locked, Cooper is God, Semper Fi, yada yada - don't need no stinkin facts!". You're welcome.

I see your valid points. Case in point: is condition 0 really any different than an XD?

Single action, grip safety, no manual safety? I don't really think so.

 

[Soulman]

Condition 1 for me.

 

[Bierhunter]

I do Condition-1 for carry and Condition-3 for storage.

Condition-2 I'd never try. I'm not going to manually lower a hammer onto a live round. That's how I did a ND 20+ years ago with a 357. Scared the *#%^%$& out of me. Fortunately, the only casualty was my motorcycle's gas tank and not any people.

 

[Coltcombat]

I have a question. Say a 1911 was carried on condition 2 holstered.
Could it possibly fire if the hammer was hit hard enough with the hammer already resting on the plate? Or is the worry just about the initial drop of the hammer to prepare carry for condition 2???

 

[inactive]

I have a question. Say a 1911 was carried on condition 2 holstered.
Could it possibly fire if the hammer was hit hard enough with the hammer already resting on the plate? Or is the worry just about the initial drop of the hammer to prepare carry for condition 2???

In theory it can, unless it is a "Series 80" or other variant with a firing pin (Swartz) safety. It is very, very likely however.

 

[Coltcombat]

F$*k it... Condition 1 or condition none.

(condition 0 is fine, but isn't for me)

 

[grwd]

Sometimes you never know what works for ya til you ask someone else!