The Firing Line Forums - View Single Post

Seaman · April 2, 2013, 09:00 AM

"I was responding to the ppl hammering the Beretta slide mounted safety and the direction the thumb has to go to manipulate it." [EIGHTYDEUCE]

Ahoy EIGHTYDEUCE,

Apologies for tardy rejoinder, was busy.

Well I would agree too. As explained in post #2, the natural movement of the thumb is down, i.e. make a fist, thumb goes down. On the Beretta 92 (except for the first 5,000 manufactured), the safety goes up to bring it out of safe, and also up after de-cocking.

I think that all active safetys should operate down - not up. Thats the way the thumb works for homo sapiens, is the 1911 way, the CZ way, ditto HK, ditto Makarov PM, etc.

Taurus decided to stay with the original design (some say improved it), but Beretta changed... (?) some advise when carrying a thumb-up to fire gun to simply leave the safety lever in the up position.... but that can be trouble too, what if, in a shtf situation, under stress, I flip the safety down on a Beretta... not good, (muscle memory and ergonomics 101 are against me).

Was brought up riding British motorcycles: BSA, Norton, Triumph... to operate them you must manipulate the controls (brakes, clutch, transmission) in a cross-body manner. However the Japanese used same-side body controls. And because I ride both British and Japanese bikes, I sometimes (in a stressful moment like when a big truck is about to hit me) use(d) the wrong controls and wound up in a ditch.

Since the auto analogy has been used... if Taurus is a Yugo, with a standard stick shift, on the drivers side floor is a gas pedal on the right, a brake pedal in the middle and a clutch pedal on the left. Then the Beretta car would have a clutch pedal on the right, a gas pedal in the middle and a brake pedal on the left. The Beretta may be a higher quality, but I wouldn't want to drive it.

April 2, 2013, 09:00 AM	#49
Seaman Senior Member Join Date: February 20, 2011 Posts: 654	"I was responding to the ppl hammering the Beretta slide mounted safety and the direction the thumb has to go to manipulate it." [EIGHTYDEUCE] Ahoy EIGHTYDEUCE, Apologies for tardy rejoinder, was busy. Well I would agree too. As explained in post #2, the natural movement of the thumb is down, i.e. make a fist, thumb goes down. On the Beretta 92 (except for the first 5,000 manufactured), the safety goes up to bring it out of safe, and also up after de-cocking. I think that all active safetys should operate down - not up. Thats the way the thumb works for homo sapiens, is the 1911 way, the CZ way, ditto HK, ditto Makarov PM, etc. Taurus decided to stay with the original design (some say improved it), but Beretta changed... (?) some advise when carrying a thumb-up to fire gun to simply leave the safety lever in the up position.... but that can be trouble too, what if, in a shtf situation, under stress, I flip the safety down on a Beretta... not good, (muscle memory and ergonomics 101 are against me). Was brought up riding British motorcycles: BSA, Norton, Triumph... to operate them you must manipulate the controls (brakes, clutch, transmission) in a cross-body manner. However the Japanese used same-side body controls. And because I ride both British and Japanese bikes, I sometimes (in a stressful moment like when a big truck is about to hit me) use(d) the wrong controls and wound up in a ditch. Since the auto analogy has been used... if Taurus is a Yugo, with a standard stick shift, on the drivers side floor is a gas pedal on the right, a brake pedal in the middle and a clutch pedal on the left. Then the Beretta car would have a clutch pedal on the right, a gas pedal in the middle and a brake pedal on the left. The Beretta may be a higher quality, but I wouldn't want to drive it. __________________ For 20 years the sea was my home, always recall the sun going down, and my trusty friend, a 1911 pistol, strapped to my side. Last edited by Seaman; April 5, 2013 at 03:00 PM.