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Surprised to find a Springfield 1911 wouldn't de-cock with only the hammer and trigger

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BryanPearson

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Perhaps I don't have experience with a range of 1911-style pistols enough to say whether this is common.
I am referring to using the firing hand to thumb back the hammer far enough that it engages the backstrap safety, at which point one can pull the trigger and slowly let the hammer down to de-cock the pistol.
Until I came across the Springfield at a local shop the other day, I had never seen a 1911 where pulling back the hammer would not reach the backstrap safety. I know there is some controversy as to whether one-handed de-cocking is safe, but I trust my right thumb a LOT more than my left thumb, so I definitely prefer the way my Colt, Rock Island, and Staccato work.
Are others doing this now, or just Springfield?
 
Dunno, but I decock my 1911s the same way, and I can do it right-handed or left-handed, standard 1911 or Commander hammer. I do it just to show off, and NEVER with a round in the chamber. (I taught myself the trick while spending long hours in front of the TV a couple decades ago.) I've never tried it with anything with a duck-butt grip safety, though, so don't know if that might be your problem. :confused:
 
Snake45 said:
Dunno, but I decock my 1911s the same way, and I can do it right-handed or left-handed, standard 1911 or Commander hammer. I do it just to show off, and NEVER with a round in the chamber. (I taught myself the trick while spending long hours in front of the TV a couple decades ago.) I've never tried it with anything with a duck-butt grip safety, though, so don't know if that might be your problem. :confused:
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I think you mean "duck-bill" but the Springfield seemed to have the normal angle but no matter how hard one presses back on the hammer, it would not meet the backstrap safety.
 
So you're using the hammer to engage the grip safety to decock the pistol?
If so I foresee a negligent discharge.... I'm hoping no one gets hurt.
🤦🏻‍♂️
 
HansGruber said:
By the bye—

The best way to control the drop of the hammer on a 1911 is to hold it in your firing hand; take the thumb of your off hand and place it between the hammer & firing pin. Press the trigger to drop the hammer, and then use your dominant thumb to lower the hammer.
Click to expand...
That sounds risky, if you can't control the backstrap safety with your firing hand. Most people can't hold back the hammer with the right hand AND squeeze the backstrap safety with their right hand, at the same time UNLESS the hammer meets the backstrap safety.
What I saw with the Springfield the other day is that you can't get a thumb in front of AND a thumb holding back the hammer AND pull the trigger because the backstrap safety requires separate manipulation. That is why it was so surprising and different.
 
Pitdogg2 said:
So you're using the hammer to engage the grip safety to decock the pistol?
If so I foresee a negligent discharge.... I'm hoping no one gets hurt.
🤦🏻‍♂️
Click to expand...
Yup. That's exactly why I NEVER do it with a loaded chamber, only as a "party trick." But it's nice to know that if I ever HAD to do it for some reason, I could. ;)
 
HansGruber said:
By the bye—

The best way to control the drop of the hammer on a 1911 is to hold it in your firing hand; take the thumb of your off hand and place it between the hammer & firing pin. Press the trigger to drop the hammer, and then use your dominant thumb to lower the hammer.
Click to expand...
Well, that's one way to do it. Whether or not it's the "best" way to do it is debatable. ;)
 
BryanPearson said:
That sounds risky, if you can't control the backstrap safety with your firing hand. Most people can't hold back the hammer with the right hand AND squeeze the backstrap safety with their right hand, at the same time UNLESS the hammer meets the backstrap safety.
What I saw with the Springfield the other day is that you can't get a thumb in front of AND a thumb holding back the hammer AND pull the trigger because the backstrap safety requires separate manipulation. That is why it was so surprising and different.
Click to expand...
What is this "backstrap safety" you keep referring to? None of my 1911s has such a thing. :confused:
 
He's talking about the grip safety. Yes, on most 1911s it is possible to thumb back a cocked hammer until it depresses the top of the grip safety enough to pull the trigger and drop the hammer. Thus you can decock the gun one handed. Its a useful little trick to know, but not an everyday skill. NEVER do it on a loaded chamber as its very easy for the hammer to slip.
Since the 1911 is carried cocked and locked, why would you decock a loaded pistol anyway?
As for the OP's question, I'm guessing the problem stems from the particular design of the hammer and safety involved. Maybe they just don't touch. Its certainly not a defect of any kind.

BTW: its not duck butt or duck bill. That wide type grip safety is referred to as a beaver tail.
 
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Grayfox said:
BTW: its not duck butt or duck bill. That wide type grip safety is referred to as a beaver tail.
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They started calling them "beavertails" when they were just wide and flat. I've had a couple of those. But most of them for a while now have curved up like the spoiler on a "fast" car. I've never seen a beaver with a tail like that, but it does remind of a duck's rear end--kinda like the old "DA" haircuts of the '50s. Since "DA" already had a solid meaning in Handgun World, I started calling them Duck Butt. Hey, I'm a professional Word Guy. Inventing new colorful terms is one of my many hobbies. ;)

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HansGruber said:
By the bye—

The best way to control the drop of the hammer on a 1911 is to hold it in your firing hand; take the thumb of your off hand and place it between the hammer & firing pin. Press the trigger to drop the hammer, and then use your dominant thumb to lower the hammer.
Click to expand...
I have found this to be the most efficient way to lower a hammer on a cocked pistol. Works well on lever guns and revolvers and pretty much any external hammer fired guns as well.
 
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