Armed Defence wrote:xl_target wrote:Very nice. The RAMI is a sweet little handgun.
I prefer decockers on my semi-auto's too.
@xl_target, Thanks for liking the gun. By the way, don't you think manual safety is better for concealed carrying on person, especially when in the pocket or tucked in the pants without a holster. When I went to buy this gun with my father, I didn't even know what the hell a decocker was and the shopkeeper also didn't tell us. If I had known it, I would have perhaps gone for manual safety
In a DA/SA decocker type of pistol like your RAMI, the decocker lets the hammer down all the way and decocks the mechanism. If you want to fire it, you have a long heavier double action pull which cocks the pistol and then drops the hammer. When the gun fires, the recoiling slide cocks the hammer again, now giving you a lighter singe action pull. RAMI's also have a built in firing pin safety that locks the firing pin till the trigger is pulled all the way back. Once the pistol is decocked, you have about a 12 lb. pull and when you pull the trigger all the way back, it pushes the firing pin safety out of the way and then the pistol fires. Subsequesnt shots are a much lighter 4 lb. pull. Modern CZ75 style pistols that have a manual safety are meant to be carried cocked and locked; hammer back and safety on. You now have just a light trigger pull to fire the pistol, once you take the safety off.
I own both types of pistols and with the DA/SA decocker pistols, you just pull the pistol out of the holster and pull the trigger when lined up on the target. With a cocked and locked pistol (manual safety), you unholster the pistol and take the safety off and then pull the trigger. There have been a few times when I have pulled out a DA/SA pistol with a manual safety and tried to pull the trigger only to realize that the safety is still on. Keep in mind that CZ75 style pistols with a manual safety can also be fired in double action mode, once the safety is off. However, manually dropping the hammer on a loaded DA/SA pistol is a technique, while it can be done safely, that is fraught with danger.
Which is better? That depends on how you train. You can train to be proficient with either kind of pistol. Your grip should vary slightly for each type. With a manual safety, you should rest your thumb on the safety, pushing the safety off as you line up to the target. You are supposed to keep your thumb on the safety while shooting. I have been unseated in a match where I was shooting a manual safety pistol and I forgot to put my thumb on the safety. The recoil of the gun or my thumb brushing the safety engaged it partially during the shooting string and in the few seconds that it took me to realize what had happened, I had lost the match. Obvioulsy that is a training failure on my part since I primarily use a decocker pistol for my shooting. For a carry gun one is usually advised to train with one system or the other. For a range gun, it doesn't really matter.
When carrying a pistol for self defense, I prefer a pistol with a decocker. All you have to do is present the pistol to the target and pull the trigger. The long heavy double action pull is your safety. The few times that I have forgotten to take the safety off on a DA/SA pistol would have been disastrous if I was trying to defend myself or my family with it. That is why, for a carry gun, I much prefer a DA/SA type of pistol that has a decocker rather than a manual safety.
Other words of wisdom, NEVER carry any loaded pistol in your pocket without a holster, especially if you plan on having children
. NEVER tuck your pistol into your waistband without a holster either, that is just asking for trouble. In either of the above two situations, if you must carry so, you are better served
without a manual safety as they can be pushed off when not in a holster. Then you are are left with nothing but a very light trigger pull between you and the family jewels. Don't do either.
