Learned a valuable CCW lesson this weekend.

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Icopy1

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Be sure to use a holster with the proper fit. No duh, right? Anyway, I've been carrying my 4043 in an IWB holster designed for my Glock 22 for several months. So far, so good. But the other day, while I drew the weapon from the holster to put it away, when the magazine dropped right out.

Upon close inspection, I noticed that the holster just barely touches the lower edge of the mag release. I must've bumped something that hit the holster in the right spot with just enough effort to disengage the magazine.

If this woud've been an actual event, I would've been screwed. No magazine and I couldn't even fire the round in the chamber due to the magazine safety.

It was a lesson that I won't soon forget.
 
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Yeah, I learned a long time ago a lesson about off duty paddle holsters. The lesson being, avoid them like the plague. It's funny that what seems to fit and work nicely in the calm of your bedroom getting ready to go out for the day does NOT work when your adrenaline goes full throttle and you have the delicate grip of a rabid gorilla moving at Warp Factor 9 to get a weapon out. Buttons get pushed, safteys get snicked and paddle holsters come out still on the gun.
 
Also a reason to always carry a loaded spare mag. There are too many things that happen to an Auto that a magazine is needed to cure.

You can carry a revolver without reloads, but an auto? No way.

/c
 
True. Outside of the old 'speed strips' there really isn't an easy way to carry revolver reloads. A couple of speedloaders in your pocket make it look like your carrying a couple of oranges around, and they aren't exactly lightning fast. Guess that's why some old gunfighters carried several guns; quicker than trying a reload!
 
Yep, that can happen even with a holster designed for a specific weapon. I discovered the mag for my HK P7M10 laying on the seat of my patrol car as I was clearing a traffic stop. Luckily I didn't need it that time, but at least with the P7 I would have been able to fire the round in the chamber, that's why I never carried a pistol with a magazine disconnect. After that incident I quickly trained myself to check the mag every time upon exiting my patrol car.
 
When I went on my 10MM binge years ago, I sought after a nice DA/SA semi-auto. I settled on the S&W 1076, a great weapon. But it took me awhile because I only wanted an FBI model. Not because the FBI knows a damn thing about firearms, but rather because they did have the smarts to eliminate that stupid mag disconnect from their contract with Smith - I agree with you on that useless option. And I sure miss those 10's.

As far as checking your mag, years and years ago a smart FI taught me a habit that I still use to this day: any time you stand up, sit down, get in a car or get out of a car or holster for any reason, pinch the grip of your weapon between your index finger and middle finger, then push firmly with your thumb on the mag bottom.

If you start the habit, even when just standing around shooting the bull, you'll see that every once in a while you'll get a click, meaning your mag wasn't seated. I guess it comes from all the junk we wear on our belts, the twisting of getting out and in cars or whatever, but that mag release button seems to love to push against things. That little habit has reseated my mags many, many times.
 
It was the ONLY argument that I could find for the Euro-style mag release. I carried a Mak (still do sometimes) as my only "Mexican" carry gun. Hard to argue with that style mag catch for IWB no-holster carry.
 
Back at ya'...I carried a Sig P230 for a long time and never had to face any problems with mags, safties or other encumberances. In fact, I had no problems with it at all...

Except that it was a .380.
 
So you think leaving the mag behind is an interesting story? I can top that one! Once, and only once, as a young rookie in 1975 I walked a beat in a small Northeast city. I had to use the toilet one day and went to the Men's clothing store on my beat. Used the toilet, washed my hands, and promptly exited the store. Of course, you other old guys know what a chore it was to pull up the britches with a six inch revolver attached to the belt which many of us wore through the belt loops rather than wearing two belts. I was about 100 yards down the street when I stopped to talk or lounge or whatever, when I reached down to rest my hand on my grips, WHICH WERE NOT THERE! The shop owner had reason to go back to the toilet area and almost had a BM himself when he saw my service revolver sitting on the back of the toilet. Needless to say, from then on, it sat neatly in my underwear while in the sitting mode. Any forgetfulness was greeted with cold steel in an unforgiving spot after that. I'm just lucky a scumbag patron didn't come in and need to use the room. That would have taken some splainin.
 
Glad to hear that I'm not the only one. Great tip about checking to see if the mag is seating at every opportunity. I'll have to start doing that.
 
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