Opinions on pistol triggers for a lady w/carpel tunnel who wants to get a CCW?

'LEM' = Law Enforcement Modification. It's H&K's term for a very smooth, short-throw double-action type trigger.

'DAK' = Double-Action, Kellerman. This is SIG's term for the same thing. It comes in two different styles: standard (long) throw, and (usually) special order short-throw. Personally, I prefer the short-throw SIG.

No, I do not feel comfortable carrying a sidearm without a user-applied safety. All this internet crap about, 'Your safety is between your ears.' If that were true we'd, all, be infallible. The omission of a manually-applied safety removes that all-important conscious second step that is, or should be, necessary in order to fire a pistol.

(If you don't believe me, forget about what the internet cowboys have to say and ask the Pentagon exactly, 'Why' the United States Military (All of it!) only uses sidearms with user-applied safeties.)

I carry in C-3; and I'm very well able to draw and fire a handgun in the same way, too. For most people (99%) a sudden close quarter, 'ambush event' is either a nonexistent or a once-in-a-lifetime experience. Why constantly endanger yourself and everyone else around you simply because you want to be an instantaneous badass with a gun?

If you know how to pistol gunfight then you know how to pistol gunfight. If most of what you know about guns comes from either the internet or some of these gun school, 'experts' then either you shouldn't be carrying a gun or else, if it ever happens, you're going to go down fast - Period.

Frankly, I've never understood, 'Why' there's so much internet hoopla about a Mossad draw? A practiced Pistolero will add only .25 second to his draw. The disadvantage is that he's (probably) going to have to use both hands in order to fire the pistol.

Compare this to 365 days, each year, of moving about in a civilized environment with a <ocked and/or locked piece. In fact I suspect I'm alive today, in part, because I use C-3 carry. Like I said: You either know how (and practice) or you don't.

$50.00 for a set of night sights! Naaa, something has to be wrong. High quality night sights sell for almost twice that. I just had a set of Meprolight, 'night sights' (a misnomer!) installed on a new pistol. $90.00 complete.

Can, 'night sights' be a disadvantage? Yes, the darker it is the less useful, 'night sights' become. I'm reminded that I once momentarily lost a moving target when it disappeared behind the large glowing orb of my front sight blade. If I would have fired at that exact moment I would have missed with the first 3 shots.

Let me tell you what doesn't work well: A black front sight on, either, a black bullseye or a black silhouette target. Anybody can use any sight if the firing pace is slow enough. It's when the rate-of-fire picks up that the right sight CAN make a significant difference.

Safeties in general.... keep you booker hook off the bang switch until you are ready to shoot and it's all good.

If your into a DA/SA that safety is there as a de-cocker also. I have carried DA/SA pistols in the past and leave the lever in the "fire" mode while holstered. Mechanically- no different than a revolver as far as safety if you follow the lead statement.

CCW nitesites? Night sights have never been an issue for me... but I run with a flashlight all the time.

If you can see the target... you can usually see the sights. In a real gunfight--- you are probably going to "index" the whole gun over the target anyway (get some real training to go with your CCW)... I shoot IDPA once a month... and probably don't "see" my sights on targets under 20 feet.

Last month we shot a stage with reduced lighting... a string of LED Christmas lights lit the entire range bay over the targets ... 40 folks shot that stage and 90% of the shots were "A and B" zone hits... without lights, night sights or lasers.

You ask a lot of very good questions... and all of them will be cleared up with training. Your investing in some high dollar iron... spend a couple of hundred this year and learn how to use them.

for the Glock Doc....how do you think all us old guys survived the Revolver era...? No extra safetys on a Colt or SW or Ruger revolverr. OK... the French ordered a few SW J's with a mechanical safety and one aftermarket company offered a re fit that I am aware of...

That "extra lever" (safety decocker) was on my first SA duty gun (SW 39-2) and the confusion the decockers caused eventually tilted the boat to the "safe action" schemes we see from Glock, SA, etc.

BTW...The M9 has a decocker safety... on any DA/SA gun you need a safe way to lower the hammer... the CG has some Sigs... and the 1911 is a 1911. But how do you explain the SW and Colt revolvers still in the DOD inventory?.... sounds like the gunshow commando needs a makeover to me..........

Wow, lots of questions. Let's see what I can do for you.

DAO stands for Double Action Only where the hammer is already c ocked at all times. The trigger pull releases the hammer and the action of the bullet leaving the barrel automatically c ocks the hammer for the next cycle. Thus, the trigger pull remains constant through the first round to the last round fired. As an example, did you notice with the first shot fired as a Single Action the trigger was heavier? That was because the firearm went though the motion to cock an un-c ocked hammer.

DAO is a very good choice if you have carpel tunnel due to the fact that the trigger pull will remain constant. Generally, the trigger pull is fairly light as opposed to a Single Action pull.

Your firearm does have a safety, it is just not "external." The safety is disabled by pulling the trigger. I tend to prefer Glocks and they have a similar safety. For all intents and purposes, the firing pin is blocked so you can put your firearm in a dryer and tumble it and the firing pin is mechanically prevented from moving forward to strike the primer in the round. If you practice firearm safety (Keep your finger off the trigger until you are ready to put a shot into your target) then you are fine.

Yes, I understand that you may be more comfortable with an external safety that locks the trigger. That is fine, however that is one more action to take if you need to use it and your fingers may not be long enough to disengage the safety in a time of stress. (Also I could make an argument about this aggravating your symptoms but you know your body better than I do.) Yes, it took me a while to get comfortable carrying a Glock which does not have an external safety. I will admit that I carried it without a round in the chamber for a good while until I was comfortable. However racking the slide is a larger action than disabling an external safety. I don't recommend carrying without a round in the chamber.

I like the tritium night sights. To each their own. Honestly, if you can't see the sights you probably can't see the target. However, it does give you a better view of the sights when it is dark. Again, I am partial to Glocks. Glocks come with a horrible "U" rear sight that, after decades of using them, I will still align them improperly in a high stress situation. The tritium sights are your standard "three dot" style which are very natural for me and I can acquire the target with them very quickly. FYI, I compete in various shooting matches: IDPA, IPSC, and three gun. (And SASS, but you don't use Glocks for cowboy action shooting, ha ha!) Using my personal firearms, I shoot very well at these matches. My duty weapon is also a Glock and we have to use the issued "U" sights and I rarely qualify over 85% which is not good for someone of my firearms experience.

I think you have made a good purchase. Try to take the time to practice with your firearm at least once a month. Always be sure of your target and what is beyond it. =o)

I hope that this helps.

Good luck!

357 Sig is very punishing on the hands and wrists. That's what I shoot, and I do not recommend it, simply because you won't be able to practice enough to become proficient; although you can swap the barrel for .40 for this purpose. A P250 doesn't have a manual safety because it's a tactical firearm; military personnel are trained to handle firearms safely at all times. Because it's a double-action-only (DAO) pistol, it is not likely to go off as a result of being handled, so it's safer than it sounds.

For 50 bucks I'd get the tritium sights, because they add to the resale value of the gun and they do make it easier to aim in dim light. They typically cost about $100 if you had to add them.

I tend to like the DAO or striker fired guns where you have one consistent trigger pull.

Having said that, I strongly believe that I would rather have a very well trained person with a single action revolver than an untrained person with the latest super pistol if I were required to engage in a gunfight.

Training is the key.

If you're trained then the trigger type is less significant.

Like the song says "love the one you're with".

Train with your pistol and you'll become a better shot.

As far as night sights. I like them and have them on all my defensive pistols.

As far as caliber of choice. You did well choosing the 9mm.

Please don't listen to the people that tell you that you need the hottest caliber in the world in order to protect yourself.

The 9mm with quality hollow point ammo is plenty effective.

Q: "Opinions on pistol triggers for a lady w/carpel tunnel who wants to get a CCW?"

A: It's your opinion that matters. What do you prefer?

For what it's worth, my Concealed Carry semi-automatic pistols are either DA/SA (Taurus PT-111, H&K USP) or SA-only (Colt "Government Model" .380).

For some handguns, there aren't a lot of choices available for trigger groups either as a factory option or an aftermarket part installed by a gunsmith.

For other handguns, a wide variety of parts are available to customize a person's handgun.

Something to keep in mind, having a gun equipped with a "hair trigger" may make it more difficult for your lawyer to defend you and your actions in a court of law after you've defended your life.

Q: "How about manual safety's. For CCW's do you feel comfortable carrying without a safety?"

A: My concealed carry semi-automatic pistols are equipped with a manual safety. I prefer that all my semi-automatic pistols be equipped with a manual safety.

Let's just say that I feel a lot more comfortable with a manual safety than I would feel without one.

For example, I won't buy Glocks because they lack a manual safety.

Edited to add:

It takes less time, and only one hand, to move a safety to the "fire" position.

It takes more time and two hands to chamber a cartridge.

"Muggers get to pick the time and place. You get seconds to respond."

http://www.olegvolk.net/gallery/technology/arms/se...

Q: "For CCW are tritium nightsights worth the upgrade?..."

A: Tritium night-sights have their uses, but aren't strictly necessary.

It is the responsibility of each person to identify their target as a threat before they shoot it.

In a low-light scenario, a good flashlight will enable a person to illuminate and identify a target.

In daylight situations, tritium night-sights aren't any better than non-tritium iron sights.

Also, tritium night-sights don't last forever. Their ability to glow in the dark will weaken and fade away in five to ten years. It's probably a good idea to "try before you buy" to decide if they are something you prefer to have.

There are alternatives to tritium sights, such as "fire sights" or "glow sights" which use the fiber-optic equivalent of stained glass tubes to gather available light and use it to illuminate the sights in a variety of lighting conditions (from daylight to almost total darkness).

http://www.williamsgunsight.com/gunsights/pistol.h...

http://www.truglosights.com/

Kudos to you for signing-up for instruction. :-)

If you have Carpel Tunnel, regardless of what hand gun you shoot very often, will aggravate the injury

regardless of what accessories you have on the gun or how it is configured

Saturday Night Special.

get the sig in 357,,,,,