How do I carry the BHP?

[maineiac]

So, I have an older, wonderful BHP with ring hammer, that is accurate that I enjoy. Unfortunately, it's the only pistol/handgun that I have with the "1911 type safety." All of my other handguns, with which I am more familiar, have either a physical safety (button or the like), or are DAO without any safety. I am uncomfortable carrying the BHP with the hammer back, only held there by that (to me) little bitty notch. Can/should I carry it with the hammer down, with a chambered round? Which is really safer? I called the Browning people and they tell me it's safe to carry with the hammer down. I've used Marlins and Winchesters so dropping a hammer carefully doesn't scare me. Thanks folks!

[Jäger]

In my opinion, if you are going to carry it for defense, you should carry it with one up the spout, safety on. The reliability of the safety has no relationship with it's size.

Yes, you can carry it hammer down with a chambered round. The hammer will not be contacting (or should not be contacting) the primer of the chambered round. Of course, if you don't trust the safety mechanism, why would you prefer to trust the hammer mechanism?

The safest way, IMO, is loaded, cocked, safety on.

[jaypee]

.....and adding a bit to what Jager just said, if you are uncomfortable with carrying the pistol cocked and locked, holsters are made in which the safety strap passes solidly between the hammer and firing pin, preventing the gun from firing.

[CXM]

This topic is usually good for extended discussion and sometimes we even see some fur fly...

While not a new topic it is still good 'food for thought.' There is a lot of truth in the old saw 'you will fight as you train.' The story about the CHP officer in the Newhall battle putting empty brass in their pocket as we all used to do on the range stays in my mind...

Anyway I am glad this topic came up... food for thought... and something to keep us mindful that we live in a dangerous world.

FWIW, I carry cocked and locked. That is the way JMB designed the 1911 to be carried and I'm sure that was the intent with the HP as well...

V/r

Chuck

[gt40doc]

I agree that if you are carrying any SA handgun(1911, BHP, etc.) for self defense purposes, then cocked and locked is the preferred method. It is quite safe, and quick to be put into service, if needed. If you are just totally uncomfortable using this method, perhaps another pistol platform would be a better choice for you....i.e. a revolver, or DA only model.

[maineiac]

Thanks folks, lots of good thoughts here. I need to spend more time with the BHP with it in the cocked and locked position. You are right when you say it was designed to be used that way, and between the 1911 and the BHP probably millions were carried like that, safely. I hesitate to utilize a holster with a strap between the hammer as I think drawing would be hampered. I just need to get off my butt and do it, after all most of my DAO guns have no safety at all.......... Again, thanks!

[CXM]

Someone or another has suggest people who are uncomfortable carrying C&L try this.

Take your HP (Or anything else) empty it and insert the magazine. Put your holster on and carry the unloaded gun around for a week or so... see how many times the hammer drops unintentionally.

If the answer is zero, you should be confident carrying loaded...

I don't know if this will work for everyone, but it probably helps some people...

FWIW

CHuck

[maineiac]

CXM, that's a really good suggestion, and I will indeed do that!

[tomb]

Andrews Leather makes a really nice strapped holster for the bhp, a close friend has one and I can say the strap is not an issue at all when deploying the pistol. Worth a look and the short wait for it.

MacDaniel II
www.andrewsleather.com/traditional.htm

[Jäger]

Jun 28, 2017 15:44:13 GMT -5 maineiac said:

I hesitate to utilize a holster with a strap between the hammer as I think drawing would be hampered. I just need to get off my butt and do it, after all most of my DAO guns have no safety at all.......... Again, thanks!

My concealed carry holsters don't even have a thumb break, just friction fit retention and leather high enough to cover the trigger.  Have somehow or managed to avoid negligent discharges/shooting myself for over 40 years, carrying cocked and locked.

For OTB carry of both revolvers and High Powers, all of that has been with thumb break holsters which are particularly useful for strenuous activities to ensure handgun retention.  And still my choice for open belt carry now.  Add to that about a few million cops over a about four decades who carried in thumb break holsters.  I have yet to experience either strap on the thumb break impeding the draw, and I have never heard of it happening.  I am sure that somewhere, sometime, to somebody, it has happened, but I haven't heard of it.  If it was a problem, thumb break holsters wouldn't have lasted with police for the half century plus or so that they did.  And many still carry thumb break holsters today, although there is a strong movement to level 3 retention holsters.

If you aren't worried about carrying your DAO pistols cocked and locked, why would you worry about your HP cocked and locked - with the additional feature of a safety.  Unless your HP has an extremely light trigger for range only, just how much difference is there in trigger pull weight between your pistols and what makes that dangerous?

I think it would be a safe bet to suggest that more people have accidentally shot themselves with Glocks than have shot themselves with HPs.  You should do what is comfortable for you, and you should put in some regular practice until you are comfortable and familiar with your choice, but I think you're finding unusual dangers with cocked and locked pistols and thumb break holsters that don't exist. 

I'd be more concerned about picking a holster with a reinforced mouth so that you aren't shoving and poking with the barrel pointed towards your body while trying to get the muzzle started back into the holster while reholstering.  Which is why a good number of us who teach/shoot a lot at the range have something like a Safariland 568


Yeah, I know that's not a Hi Power in Safariland's online catalogue.  But the holster is very inexpensive (which is great if you decide it just doesn't work for you), can be worn as a paddle or on the belt, cant and whatnot can be adjusted, and friction retention can be adjusted to releases at the merest tug, all the way to having to yank your pants belt nearly to your neck before the pistol grudgingly releases.  Reholstering is about like lining up the muzzle with the mouth of a bucket, and you can reholster without ever pointing the muzzle inward towards your leg, without even looking.

We make all students show they can safely reholster without fiddling with their holster or pointing the muzzle at themselves, BTW.

If you find the inexpensive Safariland (or something like it) for range use works for you, Safariland has pretty much the same holster available, with the addition of Level I, II, or III security - for concealed carry.  Little too bulky for my tastes, and I don't share your concerns, but there are a wide number of options available to you for various uses in cocked and locked carry.  Bianchi, for example, offers a minimalist belt slide holster with thumb snap retention.


Again, I know that's not a HP they're using to illustrate the holster, but it gives you an idea.  I really like this style of holster and I had an ultra skinny one custom made that really hugged the body.  Had... I let my inner moron out one night and left my pants on the floor with the holster on the belt and a new Griffon puppy in the house.  The puppy, of course, turned it into an expensive chew toy...  Anyways, no reinforcement at the top to keep the holster mouth open, but when carrying I don't worry about reholstering - that's the least of my worries if I have to uncase the thunder.  I should contact Wes about his ideas on building me another one similar to this one.

Anyways, there's quite a bunch of options available out there, which is why so many of us have very expensive collections of a couple of dozen unused holsters... maybe we should form some sort of holster library, where you can borrow one, try it out, return it, etc...