External safeties are one of those hot topics that tend to be a “love them or hate them” argument. Many savvy gun owners who have carried for years will tell you that you don’t need one. But many new concealed carriers feel more comfortable knowing an external safety is just one more step between their trigger finger and a negligent discharge. Regardless, quite a few long-time and new gun owners choose pistols with manual safeties because it came with the gun when they bought it or it is just what they prefer.
Whether they use that feature or not is a very personal decision. Still, there are some great reasons for having a gun with an external safety. There’s also more than one type of external safety, and they tend to vary from manufacturer to manufacturer. The two most common types are manual and grip safeties.
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Manual Safety: Manual safeties are the most common type of external safeties. It’s a switch/lever that can be flipped to “safe” it prevents the trigger from firing the pistol. Designs vary, but the two most common types are a latch or block that keeps the trigger/firing mechanism from moving or a device that disconnects the trigger from the firing mechanism. Both are generally activated by the strong-side hand’s thumb.
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Grip Safety: Widely used on 1911s, a grip safety is a device normally located on the backstrap of the grip, which is depressed by the strong-side hand as you grip the gun. The grip safety is activated automatically when you release your grip on the gun. Several manufacturers now utilize a grip safety on pistols that aren’t 1911s.
I’ve put together a list of 10 great pistols with external safeties in alphabetical order. They vary from full-size to micro-compact carry pistols, so you can decide which pistol with an external safety is perfect for your needs.