Red "safety dot" on handguns.

[Joe Maisto]

What is the general opinion of where the "red dot" should be on handguns ? In the firing position... or safety position ?...
My S&W EASY 9.. should have had one installed, ( as some other handguns have,) but does not. For my daughter, I find that to be somewhat troublesome. To my way of thinking... When the red dot, ( or FIRING POSITION) is EXPOSED... would be a better choice . This firearm does not have any. A dot of nail polish would solve that . Your say ?

 

[rijndael]

If you see red, it's ready to fire.

 

[Joe Maisto]

That's kind of what I think too ! Thank you...

 

[TIMO]

Just my thoughts, my 1911 does not display a color.
A color does not make a firearm safe or ready to fire.
Just my .02
Tim

 

[Richard Jones]

Just my thoughts, my 1911 does not display a color.
A color does not make a firearm safe or ready to fire.
Just my .02
Tim

My thoughts as well. Don't depend on a color to tell you what to do. Learn the gun.

 

[Joe Maisto]

My thoughts as well. Don't depend on a color to tell you what to do. Learn the gun.

Thank you gentlemen. This is regards to my daughter being new to handgun shooting. I feel it best that as a beginner, she should feel better knowing the red VISIBLE dot means ...ready to fire... as on the safety on my old 870 Rem shotgun when it is pushed off safe,

 

[danny]

My thoughts as well. Don't depend on a color to tell you what to do. Learn the gun.

Some people seem to believe that all safeties must function in the same direction so that they can keep themselves safe. Boys and girls, can you say "that's a walking hazard waiting for somewhere to happen"? Another one for "learn the gun".

Danny

 

[JMayo]

SEE RED = YOU'RE DEAD
is what I was taught in my young days.

 

[Dusty Stevens]

This is why i prefer NO safety on a personal defense gun for a beginner or an infrequent user

 

[SEM]

Some people seem to believe that all safeties must function in the same direction so that they can keep themselves safe. Boys and girls, can you say "that's a walking hazard waiting for somewhere to happen"? Another one for "learn the gun".

Danny

If you don't know the gun well enough you cant teach someone else how to use it safely, "You need to learn the gun" to many different guns and type of guns have been made over the last hundred years to ever believe you are safe with any gun, With out first knowing its own unique character and functions, I have made that mistake teaching my own kids how to handle and shoot safely, More than once I was wrong, But dad you said that's how they work

I know that's not what the OP asked, just something I have learned sometimes not so safely either, A safety does not make the gun safe

 

[kelbro]

Red means ready.

 

[Willie]

Mine have no safety, they are ready to fire. If we know the firearm, we don't need no stinking dot.

 

[shoobe01]

Aside from the human factors principles of multi-encoding, when you get a new, unfamiliar gun, how do you know how it works? The manual isn't engraved on the side of the gun, so you have to use your general firearms and mechanical knowledge to figure it out.

Dots are not great compared to other symbols (colorblindness and similar effects in low-light, etc esp if you have both white and red dots) but are common, especially on sporting arms, so red dot = ready-to-fire helps you confirm that's a safety and which way it operates, and confirm where it's set visually. Sure, eventually you can figure out what it feels like as well.

 

[Joe Maisto]

Aside from the human factors principles of multi-encoding, when you get a new, unfamiliar gun, how do you know how it works? The manual isn't engraved on the side of the gun, so you have to use your general firearms and mechanical knowledge to figure it out.

Dots are not great compared to other symbols (colorblindness and similar effects in low-light, etc esp if you have both white and red dots) but are common, especially on sporting arms, so red dot = ready-to-fire helps you confirm that's a safety and which way it operates, and confirm where it's set visually. Sure, eventually you can figure out what it feels like as well.

Thank you. That was primarily what I was referring to , and where to start with a 40 yr. old daughter that needs to start learning SOME thing about handguns. I sold a S&W .double stack 40 with no safety and would fire with mag removed. Probably what some of you have, and most cops. No thanks. A dot somewhere ...for her...is a starting point. Enough......

 

[Bill K]

If you depend on a red dot, then you are not using proper safety measures. Finger off the trigger until you are on target, safety off, if there is one, as you put it on target, then finger on trigger and fire.
Know the features of your weapon and always use good safety handling and never point it at anything you don't intend to shoot.,

 

[lb-ft]

I think the red dot idea is a good one. I taught my daughter to drive stickshift. She was struggling to remember where the gears were. It felt pretty silly but I showed her the “map” on top of the shifter. Didn’t take long before she learned to do it all by feel and subconscious muscle memory.

I don’t think it will take this gentleman’s daughter long to learn safety position and gun handling by feel and subconscious muscle memory. But why not have a visual aid to help with the training?

I say go for it.

 

[M W R]

Some safeties are up for safe, some safeties are down for safe. Some have a red dot, some don't. Would be nice to go back to the beginning of time and make a world wide law but, it's too late for that now. The real and only safety is that nut behind the trigger.

 

[shoobe01]

I think the red dot idea is a good one. I taught my daughter to drive stickshift. She was struggling to remember where the gears were. It felt pretty silly but I showed her the “map” on top of the shifter. Didn’t take long before she learned to do it all by feel and subconscious muscle memory.

I don’t think it will take this gentleman’s daughter long to learn safety position and gun handling by feel and subconscious muscle memory. But why not have a visual aid to help with the training?

I say go for it.

Oh, good example! I might have to use that professionally sometime. Though soon. Too few drive stick anymore!

 

[divingin]

On a pistol, looking for the red dot may cause more problems than it solves.

New shooter, trying to see whether there's a dot showing or not: Where does the gun end up pointing? Generally to the left of the shooter as it's turned to expose the side of the gun to the shooters eye, looking for the dot.

 

[rjtfroggy]

While I agree that muscle memory should be what determines the actions with a handgun, there is nothing wrong with having the safety color coded.
So why not take some red paint or nail polish put a dot on it and go from there?