I keep getting the feeling that all this discussion about "ready to fire, without much muss or fuss" is primarily for those who presume that ANY encounter they "get into" will be predicated on a "quick draw" scenario. Well and fine. (Reason why I "carry" a revolver.)
Quick draw is nice to have in your battery of defensive manouvers..... yet, I just can't see where a fast pull and shoot is going to be that much faster than a fast pull, safety click off and shoot. (Semi autos available in both "types") Maybe half second difference (only if slow)?
We could look at the scenarios where it MIGHT make a difference.
1) You and BG draw simultaniously. (... and your task in the courtroom will be to prove that he wasn't "drawing" to defend himself against you?) Remember, "clear and present danger" to you is criteria for deadly force defense. (But Mr. D.A., I didn't know he was going for his "tunes" player!)
2) Bad Guy has you "cold" but wavers in his attention to you and you can get the "drop" on him. (OK, I'll buy into that one. But you better be fast! ..... and NOT startle the BG too much!)
3) Bad Guy has the drop on you, "cold" and does NOT waver in his attention. (Trying to quick draw in that circumstance.... high liklihood of getting yourself dead. However, may be only way to go if certain death awaits you. Slim chance being marginally better than no chance.)
4) Bad Guy just shoots you, before you even know you are in danger. End of any potential encounter strategies.
Most other scenarios..... your situational awareness should allow you a bit more than split second reactions. So, in consideration of the above... I'm afraid I will vote for a gun with a little safety to it, even if it costs me a split second.
You have to play the probabilites, i.e. likelihood that I will EVER have to use a carry gun to defend myself, multiplied by the likelihood that it will be a split second encounter difference. (Right about here I start thinking I have a better chance of getting hit by lightening... at least in my living circumstances.)
Finally, you can only plan, and train and hope so much..... but you can NEVER forsee how an incident will go down. In short, you can never consider yourself completely insulated from potential "down sides" of life.
Having said that, I can say that hammerless autos without manuel safeties "bother my concern for safety" at a viceral level. OK, I will admit that I have no experience with them, but I read some of the horror stories about their "safety"..... and I get a little twitchy. But, that's just me.
If that "decision" on the matter should someday make the difference between my continued existance or no...... well, I'll just consider it a bizarre quirk of fate. (Besides, I already know that I am going to meet my demise at the hands of a soccer mom, an octagenarian or a drunken college student behind the wheel of a vehicle..... at least the probabilities are MUCH higher!) (Considering the two/three "serious attempts" that lot tries on me every month. LOL!)
GG
