Comparing XD's and Glock's trigger safeties

[dontshakepandas]

Originally Posted by jblakk

But isnt that what the Striker block is for?

The striker keeps the gun from firing when the trigger isn't pulled. In a special (highly unlikely) case, the trigger would actually be pulled. You drop the gun, gravitational force acts on every individual piece of the firearm, pulling them down. If the gun is positioned correctly (like I said, highly unlikely) the handle would hit the ground, but the trigger would keep going (picture a car wreck where everything in the car keeps moving). If the amount of kinetic energy the trigger has gained is enough to overcome the pull weight of the trigger, the gun will fire. The trigger safety will insure that this does not happen, because the device will block the trigger movement unless something is touching the trigger.

Sorry if the explanation is unclear, its a bit late.

[Oremus]

Originally Posted by bountyhunter

The trigger safety in both the Glock and XD are the same. Both useless, IMHO, because anything pressing on the trigger defeats the safety.

The grip safety is just as worthless as the trigger safety if you're talking about a shirt tail or something unknowingly snagging the trigger. If holstered with a depressed trigger the gun will go off when you unholster by grabbing the grip.

Just use caution when holstering for the day, IMHO.

[zulu45]

Both the triggers work the same, however the XD is single action while the Glock is safe action. This enables the Glock to be legal in IDPA SSP while the XD is not legal in that division. The Glock is safe to be carried with one in the pipe, however a good holster that covers the trigger is a MUST. The XD's grip safety is a nice feature and is a feature that I wish the Glock would have. That being said, the XD would be MUCH nicer with the Glock's safe action trigger.

[FunkyD]

Originally Posted by cid_ayrbourne

The grip safety is the primary reason I chose the XD over other similar guns that I was looking at.

+1 on that! Especially for us southpaws for whom thumb safeties are useless.

[FunkyD]

Originally Posted by bountyhunter

The trigger safety in both the Glock and XD are the same. Both useless, IMHO, because anything pressing on the trigger defeats the safety.

Maybe not. Something that snags on the trigger can follow the trigger's curve until it hit's the top of the trigger (where is disappears into the frame). From there, it is not possible to actuate the trigger since the trigger safety is actuated from the bottom of the trigger.

Admittedly not foolproof, but I can see it having some utility. However I think it is insufficient by itself (see above).

[FALAZ]

Originally Posted by dontshakepandas

The striker keeps the gun from firing when the trigger isn't pulled. In a special (highly unlikely) case, the trigger would actually be pulled. You drop the gun, gravitational force acts on every individual piece of the firearm, pulling them down. If the gun is positioned correctly (like I said, highly unlikely) the handle would hit the ground, but the trigger would keep going (picture a car wreck where everything in the car keeps moving). If the amount of kinetic energy the trigger has gained is enough to overcome the pull weight of the trigger, the gun will fire. The trigger safety will insure that this does not happen, because the device will block the trigger movement unless something is touching the trigger.

Sorry if the explanation is unclear, its a bit late.

In Gaston Glock's first design, he didn't have the trigger safety. He found during drop testing that the gun could fire because of inertia on the trigger, so he added the trigger safety. 25 years later Ruger learned the same lesson on the SR9 after production started

[D_Fence]

The trigger safety would stop anything snagging on the side or top of the trigger from pulling the trigger.

The possibility of the trigger safety also acting as a drop safety is interesting. The grip safety would also have to be disengaged as a result of the drop an instant before the forces caused the trigger to pull (if there wasn't a trigger safety). That is assuming the same forces could cause both to happen. If the trigger really does serve this purpose, then the XD essentially has three ways to protect against (different) drops: trigger safey, grip safety, striker block safety.

[mongoose33]

Originally Posted by mpak87

As far as I know, both systems operate in the same way. Depressing the trigger safety lever rotates a tab out of the way that blocks the rearward progress of the trigger. The differentiating factor is that the XD has a grip safety in addition to the trigger safety. I would feel perfectly comfortable using a Glock, but I am happy to have the additional safety. However, you negate that advantage if you hold down the grip safety while reholstering. The trick that I use to do that is placing my thumb on top of the striker indicator while reholstering, which ensures that the grip safety is not depressed.

I like that idea of the thumb on top of the striker indicator. I've been trying to develop the habit of holstering my XD with my fingers holding the grip rather than with the gun seated back in my hand, which works too, but I like the idea of the striker indicator because it takes the web between thumb and forefinger out of the grip safety area.

A couple months ago, I lost the spring to my grip safety when it boinged into parts unknown while doing reassembly during a detail strip. The gun still worked, of course, but what happened is it became a Glock, at least in terms of overt safeties.

I didn't like that. Fortunately, I got a replacement spring from Daniel at Powder River quickly, which turned the gun back into an XD.

[Joeywhat]

Why does everyone worry so much about snagging the trigger on a Glock or XD? Do you guys never touch revolvers? NO safeties on those, you know...

[DMWyatt]

Originally Posted by zulu45

That being said, the XD would be MUCH nicer with the Glock's safe action trigger.

The safe action trigger is one of the things i don't like about Glock, and the single action trigger was one of the things that first pulled me toward the XD. I wouldn't change the action on the XD for anything in the world. If I wanted a Glock, I would have kept my Glock.