Just purchased a Sig 1911 ultra compact for Personal carry purposes. Noticed that when a round is chambered, I cannot engage the safety unless the hammer is cocked.

Is there N E way to carry a chambered round where I can engage the safety, WITHOUT cocking the hammer....? Sounds like a stupid question but I'm just wondering....

I believe that is normal the same on my Ruger SR1911.

There is really no need to engage the safety when the hammer is not cocked.

You can carry in the half cocked position with a round in the chamber. Not recommended it is a lot like carrying a older single action revolver with a round under the hammer.

DO NOT carry with the hammer in the fully down position with a round in the chamber. A lot of 1911s do not have a firing pin block

IMHO there are two proper ways to carry a 1911.

No round in the chamber hammer down.

Or a round in the chamber hammer cocked safety on that is how I carry mine.

There are many modern pistol designs out there that allow you to carry with the hammer down safety on the 1911 style is not one of them.

You do not want to carry a 1911 with a round chambered and the hammer at 'half cock', bad things can happen if the pistol gets dropped. That notch is a safety to catch a hammer following a slide release. I can see no point to having a safety on with the hammer down. The only way to carry a 1911 if you are expecting to use it is cocked and locked. You can get a thumb break holster with a strap that sits between the slide and hammer as additional protection. If you carry with no round chambered then the safety becomes irrelevant.
C.G.B.

Both are very good points. I was just curious, b/c my makarov 380 allows the hammer to drop once the safety is engaged, after chambering a round.

I was just a little nervous carrying a 1911 cocked and locked. But, I assume with the double safety that is built into the pistol, you are in good hands. thanks again, both of you!!

quote:

b/c my makarov 380 allows the hammer to drop once the safety is engaged, after chambering a round.

Different operating systems.

I don't understand it..

People seem to have a problem or get nervous when they see a pistol with a cocked hammer. But this doesn't seem to bother them when someone is carrying a striker fired pistol, and they CAN'T see that the weapon is cocked.

If you don't like or can't get used to carrying with a cocked hammer, get a double action pistol designed to allow you to carry hammer down.

The 1911 pistols are designed to be carried cocked and locked. Impossible to fire unless the grip safety is engaged, unless something is broken in the pistol.