1911 question...

[G-Mac]

I've read that allowing the slide to slam forward on an empty chamber is a bad practice. Specifically, that it will destroy the hammer and sear engagement on the trigger pull and create a dangerous situation.

How bad is it to let the slide slam forward on a 1911 with empty chamber...say by releasing the slide lock?

Are we talking one time and damage is done, or it's bad if done repeatedly?

Just curious.

 

[Texas Star]

I've read this, but saw it happen all the time in the military, and nothing bad seemed to happen. Most troops don't seem to have ever been briefed on that.

Chances are, any used 1911 you buy will have been subected to it.


T-Star

 

[m657]

I have one now 3 decades old, which shows no sign of adverse results from this occurring many times over the years. Not that I do it intentionally....sometimes it just happens.

 

[Amici]

Military 1911's weren't equipped with match sears and triggers, unless issued to marksmanship units. The military also has a large supply of spare parts and armorers to fit them.

Chances are good you differ in at least one, if not both, of those facts.

The slide going forward on an empty chamber slams the barrel, which imparts that impact to the lugs and slide stop pin, as well as the afore-mentioned hammer/sear interface. If that's your idea of A Good Thing, knock yourself - and your gun - out. Do it to mine, and you'll never touch a gun of mine again.

 

[Farmer17]

When handling any empty semi-auto handgun I would not let the slide slam forward, but I really doubt if it accellerates wear much more than rapid firing hot loads. When the gun is fired and rounds are stripped from the magazine that process provides a little resistance to the slide but not much.

 

[Amici]

When handling any empty semi-auto handgun I would not let the slide slam forward, but I really doubt if it accellerates wear much more than rapid firing hot loads. When the gun is fired and rounds are stripped from the magazine that process provides a little resistance to the slide but not much.

I beg to differ.

First, recoil has nothing to do with the slide RETURNING to battery; they are motion in OPPOSITE directions under wholly different forces.

Second, stripping a round out of the mag involves overcoming two forces; the spring pressure holding the cartridge against the feed lips of the mag and the inertia of the cartridge itself.

There is the third decelerating factor; seating the cartridge into the chamber. That is a function of how tight the chamber is and may be utterly insignificant or of some effect. In extreme cases, the result is a failure to go into battery; usually the result of a poorly-sized or seated bullet.

Listen to a slide feeding a cartridge in and compare it to the slamming of a slide on an empty chamber - there is a significant difference.

 

[Joe Kent]

In the 1911 world ,slamming the slide home is exactly like flipping the cyclinder closed wlth your wrist action. Like others above, do it once in my gunroom and it will be the last time you will be invited in.

 

[rewster]

I just purchased a Springfield GI .45 Mil-spec and was at the range with the chief range officer who was in the Coast Guard for many years. He was in charge of the 1911 side arms. He was taught and instructed others not to use the slide release at all. You closed the action by pulling back on the slide and releasing. I'll follow his lead

 

[PALADIN85020]

Letting the slide slam forward on an empty chamber is a no-no, particularly with guns that have had trigger work. It also batters the barrel lugs. Better to retract the slide slightly and then ease it forward, or hold the slide while releasing it with the slide lock. When an actual round is chambered, that acts like a shock-absorber, and the stress on the components is much less. An old-time target shooter once told me that it's best to pull the trigger and hold it back while releasing the slide, thus activating the disconnector and saving wear on the hammer-sear interface. I suppose that would work, but wouldn't be a safe thing if you got your order of manipulation mixed up!

 

[Dragonfly]

In the info sheet that came with my Nighthawk they mention (in bold text) "Don't let the slide fall on an empty chamber" as it will cause the hammer to start following the slide down and knock the sear out of alignment. I'm not going to question them on it (although I had done it for years with my other pistols).

 

[Firehouse]

There you go. You learn something new everyday. I just ordered my first 1911 styled pistol in a Kimber. I have not yet received it, and knowing this fact about releasing the slide on an empty chamber sounds like pretty important information. I will most certainly keep it in mind. Thanks gentleman.

 

[NFrameFred]

While at a state I.P.S.C. match one year, I was behind a guy in line for the inspection table and watched a not-so-bright 'volunteer' check his new high dollar custom 1911 comp gun and then proceed to thumb the slide release and drop the slide on an empty chamber before handing it back.

Only the intervening table saved the 'volunteer' from a minor strangling but his ears no doubt burned for several hours from the blue tongue lashing he received from the rightfully ticked off owner.

A properly stoned precision match grade trigger job on a 1911 will hold up quite a while under normal cycling, but will not last long with that kind of abuse.

Someone opined it was "no worse than shooting hot loads" and I beg to disagree. A properly tuned and maintained match gun is set up spring/buffer-wise to keep from excessively battering the gun and as someone else explained, there are a lot of forces slowing and buffering the slide going into battery while it is chambering a round.

A lot of self-appointed 'experts' who have 'done it that way for years with no problem' give lots of bad advice. Like telling others it's OK to drop a round into the chamber with the slide locked back and then thumbing the slide release - good way to break a 1911 extractor, but I've seen them continue to do it that way after being told and insisting it is 'alright' to do so. You just can't instruct someone who already knows it all . . . .

 

[ImprovedModel56Fan]

Well, everyone else is throwing in his opinion, so I'll guess I'll toss mine in, too. First off, I wouldn't drop the slide on an empty 1911 because a) I don't need to and b) the allegedly traumatic operation would not have the alleviating effect of the feeding and chambering of a cartridge. I am careful about such things because I like mechanical things and I don't want to hurt their feelings. You might regard me as sort of a blued-steel version of a tree-hugger. I also like cats, dogs, and some other small animals, especially rug-rats.

HOWEVER, I try to temper my own "anal retentiveness" with some common sense. As far as dropping the slide to chamber a round, hell, yes! That slide isn't coming from any farther back than it does during normal operation. As for pulling the trigger while dropping the slide, while I recognize its theoretical correctness (I did it for many years as James Clark recommended for the Long-Slide he made for me), I know that PALADIN85020 correctly predicted some possibilities. I don't do it any more. The fact is that since IPSC, there has been a much higher standard for trigger jobs than in, say, the 50's and 60's. Hammers that follow just aren't acceptable any more, and really never should have been.

I don't recommend dropping the slide on an empty chamber, but I wouldn't lose any sleep over it. I wouldn't carry a gun I couldn't trust the hammer on.

 

[Farmer17]

I always lowered the slide or bolt forward slowly on any semi-auto, but I never new letting it slam home empty would screw up the sear and trigger pull. Is this just on 1911s or on all semi-autos?