I always teach students to “safety” during movement. Something that was taught to me early in Special Forces. As I started getting more into competition, my desire to engage the safety became less desirable so that I could become faster. Later, I discovered that it didn’t add more time. Here’s an example:
[video=youtube_share;3hT5Wmx7Mss]https://youtu.be/3hT5Wmx7Mss?t=2m22s[/video]
Any thoughts or feedback on engaging the safety?
If you do not have a sight picture, your weapon is on safe. It does not add any time to manipulate a safety selector.
Outside my lane, but you’re obviously well aware that competition is not life and death and no amount of safety use will ever replace trigger control.
Watched middle of video with no sound, so excuse me if I didn’t understand the drill or hear any disclaimers.
Seemed to me the shooter was merely shooting rounds, engaging safety, moving laterally, repeat. Very fluid choreography, and I’m sure the shooter demoing would be able to do the process in competition and under stress.
When he was done firing he gave the obligatory throw head left and right recovery. I think most folks do this because, well, operator. When most folks do the movements at that pace they are looking without seeing. Look with the intent of seeing something, search with the intent of finding something, not just for form.
That was somewhat off-topic.
There are many views on safety manipulation.
For example, in his book, Green Eyes and Black Rifles, Kyle Lamb writes ‘It is very important to remember that the safety comes off once you have acquired a target. By acquired I mean you have the target in your sights.’
Here is my idea on it:
[i]Our goal is to make the officer constantly aware of the safety and to ensure safe handling of the weapon at all times.
Throughout this course, officers will be required to activate the selector, putting the weapon on safe, whenever:
Returning to the ready after scanning for additional threats;
Whenever the rifle stock is out of the shooter’s shoulder;
Whenever the rifle will be supported by the sling - i.e. during weapon transitions;
Before any movement from one position to another. This does not necessarily include movement from standing to kneeling, etc. Think of the hard rule as being ‘engage the safety if taking steps to another position.’
Officers will be encouraged to engage the safety:
During weapon manipulations such as immediate and remedial action. (Note: the AR cannot be placed on ‘safe’ if the hammer is forward – as in a malfunction)
Consider engaging the safety whenever reloading. As noted above the safety on an AR cannot be engaged if the hammer is forward, so this is an additional check to make sure the weapon is functional and needs to be reloaded rather than a stoppage remediated.
THE SAFETY SHOULD BE DISENGAGED AS THE OFFICER BRINGS THE WEAPON INTO FIRING POSITION AND THE SIGHTS ARE ACQUIRED. [/i]
This seems consistent across the board when taken in the context of universal safety rules, and current instruction on manipulating pistol safeties on LE pistols so equipped.
I read the YouTube comment that likely sparked this thread. I read the comment before seeing the video and thought the shooter was engaging multiple threats at once and was engaging the safety between each. I thought yeah that seems dumb. But then I watched the whole thing and saw the shooter engaging a threat and moving to a new position and thought “that comment is dumb.” He’s working the appropriately.
I personally take safe off while bringing rifle to eyes, and off when I lower it. If I feel I need a sight picture, the safety is off. I’m no pro- just what I’ve come to believe is a good mix for what I do.
Short answer, safety on…
Never found the safety to be the speed inhibitor, some folks think it is… Target discrimination, acquiring sights; those are the actions that will determine “speed”… My .02
I see that well trained shooters seem to think alike 
This is contrary to some of the "interesting’ comments on the youtube channel.
If manipulating a safety is such a demanding task, then those people damn sure aren’t at the level to be maneuvering with a loaded weapon.
They should spend more time working on the mechanics of manipulating their weapon and less time theorizing on grossly negligent and unsafe firearm handling because they’re too lazy to do it properly.
And that’s pretty much that.
Easy thread.
Abso****inglutely.
Whether you’re tripping over an obstacle, your own feet, slipping,etc… stuff happens.
you have a responsibility to not accidentally flag or shoot teammates/innocents during movement or when friendlies cross into your line of fire (hopefully muzzle is down as well)
one way to make that happen is to use the manual safety. with training as people notice it becomes subconscious and doesn’t require any conscious thought over time.
If its not being fired, it is on safe.
Thats Week 1, Day 1 stuff
Being left handed its natural for me to sweep the safety on as the gun comes down. This has come from years of doing it this way. It wss mentioned this is day one stuff, if you have been doing it this way since day one I would think it would feel odd not putting it on safe before moving. Military had a bad habit of teaching useless movements , this is probably not one of them.
With an AR, maybe a no brainer to put on safe upon on movement. So long as the mechanics of putting on safe doesn’t take away from one’s situational awareness, control of the weapon and muzzle discipline. ASSuming a high level of shooter situational awareness, etc. Some times it may be better to leave off safe.
Differences in opinion, on a modern ambi safety equipped AR, will happen on say a reload. I have heard reasonable instructors want to see people attempt to put on safe. This is a reasonable starting point. Personally, I can sense last round recoil, know bolt is to the rear and will not waste time…
Agreed. My safety goes on if I’m breaking my master firing grip. Other than that, it’s off. I know the AR safety is super quick and easy… no time sacrifice.
Safe On, Safe Off (Wax On, Wax Off). Repeat until it is as natural as walking.
In my department I always taught safety on and finger off trigger whenever sights came off target. This burns that “flick safety off” into their minds so they’ll never be caught trying to fire with the safety on. Every now and then we’d go down the line and make sure all safeties were on and then we’d know right away who was cheating because - even though they just saw us put their gun on safe - they’d still forget to disengage it. Deactivating the safety has to become part of that ingrained firing ritual.
Safety on for…
-moving
-lowering the weapon to scan
-generally any time I’m not shooting
Safety NOT on for…
-remedial action: the gun is already not firing, wasting the attempt (not necessarily the time) to place the weapon on safe when the trigger is already dead serves no purpose.
-pistol transitions: see above
-reloading: same justification, the gun is already empty and if I’m reloading, its because I’m already in the act of shooting and anticipate doing it ASAP when the supply of ammo is restored. Manipulating the safety adds another needless step in the name of averting a safety issue that doesn’t exist if you’re manipulating the gun properly.
Now, for times when I’d still use the safety despite the two situations above occurring:
-remedial action turns into a hard malfunction and the hammer becomes cocked at some point enabling the opportunity to engage the safety. This hurts nothing and its value added in the safety department when your tap rack bang turns into a “WTF IS THIS? OMG GET THE GERBER”
-reloading while moving, or a reload during some sort of period in which I’m not anticipating putting rounds on target as soon as I get ammo in the gun. This covers everything from reloading on the move, to ‘tac reloads’ to admin reloads, whatever you wanna call it.