One in the chamber

[BAM-BAM]

What he said. Loading from the magazine protects the extractor from excess wear.

To add a footnote to this and Seven' posts...... IIRC hand loading a round into the chamber and then dropping the slide ... has often been blamed for the extractor braking in the early S&W pre-39s with the short extractor.

Always load from the magazine.

 

[gwpercle]

Triggers don't have detectors built into them .
When a round is fired the gun automatically loads another round from the magazine... hence the name auto-loading or automatic pistol ... it's done by recoil ... no electronic sensor's are involved .
Be sure and load the magazine with ammo and things should go just fine.
Gary

 

[upcountrygirl]

As a follow-up—

If you are new to firearms or perhaps simply new to defensive use of them or carry of them AND your brain is a sponge and you care to read, point your browser to:

Cornered Cat | If you have to fight, fight like a cornered cat.

Phenomenal resource that you might really enjoy.

Thanks, I'll check it out. I'm not new to firearms, but I am new to semi-auto. Smith & Wesson .38 special was my first carry gun in 1995. I also have a .357 mag, .44 mag and 3 different single action guns along with a 10/22 Ruger. I trained and qualified with my shield 9 along with a Beretta 3032 Tomcat. I'm used to just point and shoot. I learned about loading the chamber with one round in the mag, rack, release empty bag and insert fully loaded mag and your ready to go. Since the Tomcat has a flip up barrel that you manually load your first round, I was curious about applying that technique with my shield. I'm learning lots from this forum and very much appreciate your input. Thanks again!

 

[upcountrygirl]

Welcome to the S&W Forums.
It sounds to me like you may be very new to semi-automatic pistols and perhaps new to firearms in general. As others have stated, it is highly recommended that you take a firearms safety/training course to learn how to maintain and safely use that pistol.

Thanks for your input. I'm not new to firearms, but new to semi-autos. I own and have carried a S&W .38 special for 25 yrs. I've had my firearm safety traing with my shield recently and did learn how to load one in the chamber with a mag, rack, release and insert fully loaded mag. I understand this is the safest way to get an extra round in the chamber, was just wondering if the other method would work as well. Thanks again. I'm getting lots of feedback and input from many. Life's all about learning. Thanks again!

 

[Flip18]

Mostly just a spectator on this forum, but posts like this is why I check it out on a frequent basis. Awesome, civil and intelligent people populate this place.

 

[dsf]

Isn't dropping the slide on a chambered round hard on the extractor?

Not if it's a Beretta Tomcat.

 

[jeffrefrig]

When it comes to firearms, ask every question you need to. No silly or stupid questions. Err on the side of caution.