racking the slide 101

[03hemi]

Well, I hate to differ with Rastoff, as a Certified Gunsmith, Extractor 101 defines that the extractor has two functions 1. The extractor has to hold the case so the ejector can get at it. 2. The extractor has to snap over a chambered round virtually over most firearms with the exception of some machine guns and very few pistols which most gunsmiths would not encounter them. Now, I can go into further detail, but most firearm problems are related to the extractor or the magazine. Ask any competent gunsmith and they will concur with that statement.

Nick

I see well known gunsmiths and well known competitive shooters use the slide lock/stop (both are correct terms) to release/drop the slide to chamber a round all the time? If there was a discernable difference or any harm to occur, I'm sure they wouldn't do this, especially on camera.
Just NEVER do it without chambering a round, that'll trash a nice trigger job for sure after a while.
I'm sure being a gunsmith, you'd concur?

 

[hobby-gunsmith]

If you learn extractors, as a true gunsmith course, there are a lot of disbelievers when it comes to extraction. One last known fact, some guns have an extractor and do not extract or have extractors that do not have to extract. For example, blow back guns relied on the mass of the bolt to extract. I can go on and on with extractors and facts to support a known fact but there will still be disbelievers without going into full detail.

Nick

 

[GerSan69]

Interesting discussion.
I've been shooting for many years and received a lot of training with semi-autos during my police career. I've been schooled on the "proper" ways to rack the slide and used the techniques even after retirement. But like many of the members here, a combination of arthritis, old injuries and a reverse-shoulder replacement have made racking properly nearly impossible with several of my semis. (Not trying to whine - I had a lot of fun getting in such bad shape.)
So what I've taken to doing is placing an empty mag in the firearm, getting the slide back and locking it, usually by pressing against the edge of a table, and then loading. The difficulty is then kind of "spread out" between that lock back and then releasing the slide onto a full magazine. I think I'm more safe that way since the most difficult portion is done with an empty gun. It doesn't solve the problem 100%, but at least I can continue to enjoy shooting sports and not be a hazard. Any thoughts?

 

[Rastoff]

The extractor has to snap over a chambered round virtually over most firearms with the exception of some machine guns and very few pistols which most gunsmiths would not encounter them. Now, I can go into further detail,...
Nick

You may differ with me all you want, but the extractor does not snap over every round. It is designed to snap over a case rim if a round is already chambered, but that should be rare.

CB3 has it right...

I always understood that the rim of the case coming up from the mag slips in behind the extractor, and that helps guide it, although minimally, toward the chamber. Extractors do not snap over the rim of every chambered cartridge.

I am not a gunsmith.

...I'm not a gunsmith either, but this is how it works. There really is no argument about this. You can easily see it in action if you slowly close the slide on a loaded magazine, you can see the cartridge rim slide up under the extractor. This action is why most recommend not closing a gun like a 1911 on an already chambered round.