I might get lynched for this but I’ll ask anyway…
If I’m wearing pants, I’m wearing a gun and the vast majority of the time it’s either a DA/SA HKP2000sk or an M&P with the full Apex trigger upgrade (both in comp-tac minotaurs if that makes any difference). If I remember correctly, the kind gentleman who sold and installed the Apex goodies said the trigger pull was around 4lbs, 10 oz, give or take. I love it so I’ve never bothered to put a gauge on it.
Is there any difference, safety-wise in carrying an Apex-equipped M&P with a crisper, lighter trigger with no safety and if I decided to carry the HK with the hammer back on SA? Neither has a thumb or grip safety. Both have trigger pulls in the 4.5 - 5lb range. The SK has a bit more overall travel than the M&P. With good trigger-finger discipline, is there truly any more danger in carrying the SK with the hammer back as there is in carrying an Apex equipped M&P?
-'b
No, there isn’t much difference, and there is a distinct shift of people getting away from carring in that manner.
Are they shifting more toward using thumb safeties or what? I tried playing with a safety-equipped M&P and it just didn’t feel right. I personally much prefer carrying a DA/SA but after years of carrying had to admit that I’m just going to be more accurate more quickly with a trigger that’s easier to manage.
-'b
Many are gravitating toward DA/DA only/LEM type triggers with an exposed hammer or some kind of tactile discharge prevention. Those that employ stock Glocks and M&P pistols are generally doing so with some kind acceptance of risk for platform preference (I happen to fall in that camp). The issue is more a factor of avoiding shooting yourself while holstering, as proficiency with the platform makes a bigger difference in performance than a light trigger.
When it comes to first round hits from the draw/presentation the biggest difference in precison is training/practice level, not how light one’s trigger is. I am certainly not saying that a 10lb trigger is as easy to shoot precisely as a 2lb trigger, but rather that there are other issues at play, and that slightly heavier trigger is not as much of a detriment as many believe (if you are a proficient pistol shooter). If you are not a proficient pistol shooter it doesn’t make much of a difference anyway. If your draw involves yanking the blaster out of leather, throwing it to full extension as you try to establish your grip, trying to figure out where your sights are, sticking them on the target, and then yanking the hell out of the trigger, the lighter/shorter trigger will keep the bullet holes somewhat closer to the POA than a longer/heavier trigger.
What it boiled down to for me is at the last Hackathorn class from concealment I was able to do the drills and get acceptable center mass hits with the DA/SA HK. Groups tightened by maybe 50% if I ran with the hammer back or swiped it back with the palm of my support hand during the presentation (it actually adds negligible additional time to my draw) but I still felt more comfortable shooting CM. With the M&P, I was consistently able to run drills the 2nd day and confidently shoot head shots.
I fight constantly with a flinch. I do ball and dummy and dry fire incessantly but it’s my demon. The short travel of the M&P is what I think allows me to be more accurate; the bullet’s gone before I have time to introduce sideways motion to the gun.
I recognize the major danger in the M&P and similar weapons is to one’s holster-side leg. Whatever other weaknesses I may have, I honestly feel that I’m to the point where trigger finger discipline is above the level necessary to carry such a gun, so long as I stick with the consistent holster setup I have which eliminates thumb drives, hoods, buttons, snaps, straps and the like. I think if people used identical holsters across the board, we’d have fewer NDs.
-'b