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I have two recent version Millennium Pros: a PT111 9mm and a PT145 45ACP. Both are favorite guns of mine and top choices for concealed carry. However, I think the design of the manual thumb safety is flawed.
The manual states clearly that the trigger must be fully forward when activating the safety. The way the safety works is that an inner tongue portion of the thumb safety flips up as the safety is activated. This tongue moves behind the back of the trigger bar and blocks movement of the trigger and firing mechanism. However, if the trigger is pulled back slightly as the safety is being activated, the trigger bar can slip behind the tongue and not be blocked. The thumb safety will look and feel as if it is "on" yet the gun WILL FIRE with a simple pull of the trigger! Since the thumb safety also "locks" the slide to the frame, if the guns fires in this condition, serious damage could occur to the safety, slide, metal frame insert, and small parts as the recoil energy is transmitted to the thumb safety. Parts could fly off and injure the shooter or bystanders.
I have recently heard of a case of this inner tongue piece breaking off, rendering the safety inoperative, yet with a normal feel and outward appearance.
Any mechanism can fail. However, a gun safety should be as fool proof as possible. This thumb safety design is flawed and definitely not fool proof. This makes it very hard for me to recommend this otherwise excellent pistol to friends and family.
If it were up to me, I would correct the problem as follows: remove the manual thumb safety from future versions (it is listed as "optional" in the parts diagram), fill in the frame recess where the safety once was, increase the trigger return spring to give the shooter a better sense of first pull initial take up (it is too light and too smooth in my opinion), leave the SA/DA system otherwise the same. Despite teaching, your finger will likely be on the trigger in a stressful self-defense scenario. Your fine motor control will be impaired. Chucking the saftey and adding a little more resistance to inital trigger take up would make the gun better in my opinion.
The manual states clearly that the trigger must be fully forward when activating the safety. The way the safety works is that an inner tongue portion of the thumb safety flips up as the safety is activated. This tongue moves behind the back of the trigger bar and blocks movement of the trigger and firing mechanism. However, if the trigger is pulled back slightly as the safety is being activated, the trigger bar can slip behind the tongue and not be blocked. The thumb safety will look and feel as if it is "on" yet the gun WILL FIRE with a simple pull of the trigger! Since the thumb safety also "locks" the slide to the frame, if the guns fires in this condition, serious damage could occur to the safety, slide, metal frame insert, and small parts as the recoil energy is transmitted to the thumb safety. Parts could fly off and injure the shooter or bystanders.
I have recently heard of a case of this inner tongue piece breaking off, rendering the safety inoperative, yet with a normal feel and outward appearance.
Any mechanism can fail. However, a gun safety should be as fool proof as possible. This thumb safety design is flawed and definitely not fool proof. This makes it very hard for me to recommend this otherwise excellent pistol to friends and family.
If it were up to me, I would correct the problem as follows: remove the manual thumb safety from future versions (it is listed as "optional" in the parts diagram), fill in the frame recess where the safety once was, increase the trigger return spring to give the shooter a better sense of first pull initial take up (it is too light and too smooth in my opinion), leave the SA/DA system otherwise the same. Despite teaching, your finger will likely be on the trigger in a stressful self-defense scenario. Your fine motor control will be impaired. Chucking the saftey and adding a little more resistance to inital trigger take up would make the gun better in my opinion.