What is /k's opinion on thumbing down the slide lock on a 1911 with an empty chamber?
I have heard conflicting testimonies. Some people say it damages internal components. Some swear it is nothing more than a myth.
I hate to think that our lord and savior john browning would have designed a pistol that magically damages itself from the spring tension gently moving the slide forward about a Inch. That would be some shit that I wouldn't trust to contain hundreds of consecutive explosions in front of my face hahaha
>>28044584
Not on an empty chamber- there is a very slight chance of damage to the extractor if a cartridge is in the chamber.
I don't like to do it just because I'm used to a left hand rack. But if your gun is going to get damaged through basic operation you shouldn't have that gun.
>>28045557
this, I've heard the same.
you're not supposed to let it close over a round already seated
>>28045580
>But if your gun is going to get damaged through basic operation you shouldn't trust your life with that gun.
Fixed. I'll keep my shitty but curious collection summarizing the inventions of decades past, thank you very much.
>>28044584
Complete fudd lore.
That said, I still don't do it with my gun and I sure as hell wouldn't do it to someone else's gun. It's just bad manners.
An absolute, and I repeat absolute, load of fucking bullshit.
>>28045607
If there's a round already seated in the chamber, you're doing something wrong.
>>28045656
>It's just bad manners.
Good to know.
>>28044584
is that your 1911? If it is, you should contact Colt Archives.
pic related. My 1911
It IS hard on the gun- in two ways:
1) The fore-aft surge of the gun causes the trigger to bounce, and once the slide has slammed closed the pressure on the seat is 8amost* causing the sear to move out from under the hammer. This will eventually round off the nose of your sear and the full cock notch of the hammer = replace hammer and sear. How do I know? "Cause when i had my first 1911 I dropped the slide a couple of hundred times until it happened. Don't do that.
And 2): The gun is designed to have the slide strip a round out of the magazine during the feed cycle, which slows the slide down considerably. Dropping the slide without stripping a round from the magazine puts a ton of stress on the lower lugs of the barrel, causes the frame to crack through the slide stop pin hole, and causes the dust cover to crack right where it transitions from thin to thick. Don't do that.
Here's how to do it:
LOAD: point the gun in a safe direction and insert a loaded mag. Cycle the slide under control- i.e.- don't pull it back and let it fly- manually cycle it. Apply the safety. Remove the partially-full magazine. Put it at the rear of your mag pouches facing toe-to-the-rear. This tells you by touch that magazine is either empty or partially empty.
Now, grab the full mag at the next-rearmost mag carrier, and insert it in your 1911 hard. Safety still on? Slowly holster with your index finger away from the trigger.
To empty your 1911: Drop the mag- don't try to catch it. Point the gun in a safe direction, and pull the slide to the rear. Did the live round fall out? Check the chamber and mag well. Point the gun downrange and lower the hammer. Holster.
In USPSA we would have the competitor dry fire in case we missed a live round, but most of us don't carry around a backstop with us.
Get in a habit of constantly checking every gun you encounter for live rounds. You'll find them.
