1911 Cover Trigger Or No ?

[MADMAX22]

I am gonna make a holster for my 1911 GI model and am wondering what the consensus is on weather or not to cover the trigger fully. I have scene many modern holsters that do it both ways and many adaptations of old west holsters for the 1911 that do it both ways. Just wondering if it is based on whether or not you carry with the hammer back or decocked.

Is it just a personally preference maybe.

Thanks for any input.

[Sixer]

I guess it depends on what style of holster your making...

That said, personally I would cover the trigger guard. If not, at least have a thumb break or some kind of safety loop or strap on the holster.

I know one thing... I wouldn't carry a 1911 cocked and locked with the trigger exposed.

[Shooter McGavin]

Exposed triggers dont bother me. On a 1911 I would certainly want a strap of leather between the hammer and the firing pin though.

[TexasJack]

Cover the trigger. It's always a good idea, but esp. so on a 1911 because it's single action and usually carried ready to rock-and-roll.

[TwinOaks]

Cover the trigger. It's always a good idea, but esp. so on a 1911 because it's single action and usually carried ready to rock-and-roll.

Actually, many people that choose to carry a 1911 don't carry it ready to 'rock and roll', they carry it 'cocked and locked', otherwise known as condition 1. The platform is safe to carry in this condition because there are a minimum of two safeties engaged at that point. The grip safety blocks the trigger bow from moving the disconnector. Being blocked, the disconnector can not move the sear to release the hammer. The frame safety physically blocks the sear from moving. And if it doesn't move, the hammer doesn't fall. On more recent models there is also a firing pin block using the Colt design or the Swartz design that prevents the firing pin from moving unless the other safeties are 'off'. All this presuming an intact and not damaged firearm.

All that aside, I personally prefer to build holsters with the trigger covered. I think it lends to a stronger and better looking holster. If you're building one for someone else, I recommend covering the trigger as liability issue (unless specifically asked to leave it open).

[MADMAX22]

Thanks a bunch guys. All interesting points. This is for my own firearm as I dont sell holsters. Well trade one or two for a thing here and there to buddies at work. I think for my own though Ill have to experiment a little but more then likely will be doing one with the trigger covered.

[particle]

For those that stumble into this thread wondering the same thing, I'll mention that I shipped a 5" 1911 holster to a customer and didn't realize my pattern didn't quite extend high enough up on the trigger guard. For most of my holsters, it was okay. But for this particular item I shipped out, I didn't get the gun seated far enough in the leather when I formed it, leaving too much of the trigger exposed. Top it off with the fact that he had a "Short" trigger, and the front face of it was visible when holstered. I didn't notice it when I built it because I have a "Long" trigger, and didn't pay enough attention to it. The customer contacted me shortly after receiving it, asking if I could make him another one - I was happy to, and thankful that he'd brought it to my attention.

All that being said, the most important thing that came out of our conversation was that IDPA would disqualify the competitor if the trigger is exposed. He's an IDPA competitor, so this holster wouldn't fly for him.

[Dwight]

I have had 1911's since 1966, and know for a fact that it would take several concurrent problems working together to make a 1911 unsafe in a holster just because it's trigger was not covered.

BUT, . . . I also know that there are many folks out there who jam all their guns into any holster they can find.

That can produce an unsafe condition, . . . especially if the customer is carrying a Glock or Springfield XD or another similar weapon that uses a striker firing mechanism and does not have a manual safety.

The 1911 is without a doubt the safest semi auto on the market, . . . but you have to allow for the others.

Glocks tout their "internal" trigger safety system, . . . but it has a well documented pattern of failure, . . . anything entering the trigger guard can easily snatch the trigger back, . . . and it is disasterville from there out.

Having said all that, . . . I wouldn't make any holster that leaves the trigger exposed, . . . unless it is for a revolver.

May God bless,

Dwight

[wizard of tragacanth]

Madmax,

I don't think you are talking about leaving the entire trigger exposed are you? I think that you are referring to many designs that I have seen where one can see the base of the trigger where it attaches to the gun but the "face" of the trigger is NOT exposed.

Personally, I would always cover the "face" of the trigger, for several reasons...

1. I can't think of a reason NOT to cover the trigger

2. I will take all of the passive safties that I can get

3. Not covering the trigger could foster early engagement of the trigger finger with the trigger... not a good thing (IMHO). Could lead to shooting oneself when drawing the gun.

OTOH, I do not see a problem with exposing the base of the trigger. I think the designs in which the base of the trigger is exposed, are done that way to keep the leather away from the grip so that one can get a full firing grip on the gun before it leaves the holster. The bottom line for me would be to cover at least the face of the trigger and the more that I can cover, the better it is, in my mind.

Nick

[Shooter McGavin]

Not my holsters, but heres a few 1911's in leather with the exposed trigger

[TwinOaks]

A Tom Threepersons style holster would also have an exposed trigger. See examples by Lobo.

[TexasJack]

I have had 1911's since 1966, and know for a fact that it would take several concurrent problems working together to make a 1911 unsafe in a holster just because it's trigger was not covered.

BUT, . . . I also know that there are many folks out there who jam all their guns into any holster they can find.

That can produce an unsafe condition, . . . especially if the customer is carrying a Glock or Springfield XD or another similar weapon that uses a striker firing mechanism and does not have a manual safety.

The 1911 is without a doubt the safest semi auto on the market, . . . but you have to allow for the others.

Glocks tout their "internal" trigger safety system, . . . but it has a well documented pattern of failure, . . . anything entering the trigger guard can easily snatch the trigger back, . . . and it is disasterville from there out.

Having said all that, . . . I wouldn't make any holster that leaves the trigger exposed, . . . unless it is for a revolver.

May God bless,

Dwight

This is almost exactly what I was going to reply to TwinOaks' comment, so I decided just to say I agree with Dwight.

[TwinOaks]

We are in agreement, then.

Even though the 1911 is safe to carry in condition 1, it's still a good idea to cover the trigger because you can't always account for other people's actions.

[Reaper]

Nobody has mentioned anything about the main reason I feel a trigger should be covered.

In a situation where someone makes a gun grab with a 1911 which is carried cocked and locked with an exposed trigger, they probability of the person being shot has jumped leaps and bounds.

Cover the trigger and even if they get a hand on the grip safety and happen to disengage the thumb safety they can not get a finger on the trigger....

just my opinion