1911 Half-Cock Position

1911 design allowed the hammer to sit on the back of the firing pin and a drop on the hammer would allow it to fire. The half cock feature was sort of a semi safety thing but really wasn't that safe if dropped. The series 80 system which was brought about in the 1980s and was more of a safety feature as the hammer was blocked from sitting on the firing pin by a firing pin block. This was pretty much safe no matter what but was not popular like most changes are. Many companies are going back to the old series 70 design for various reasons. While better than nothing my recommendation is not to depend upon the half cock as a safety feature.