Smith 952 - Magazine disconnect

[Peakbagr]

I started action pistol again and have begun using the 952.
At the conclusion of shooting stage, range officer commands clearing the gun, then dry firing before reholster. The gun has a magazine disconnect so it won't clear fire without a magazine. That involves taking out an empty mag, showing the range officer it has no ammo, inserting, and pulling trigger for a downrange 'click' to show the gun is safe. Are there good smiths who would be willing to remove the disconnect?

 

[Sevens]

Willing? Good question because it is willfully disabling a "safety device."

If you were to remove your rear sight and also remove the spring and plunger in the slide, you could defeat the magazine disconnect yourself.

I will go ahead and say it — the magazine disconnect safety that exists on the 52 and 952 pistols just plain SUCKS. Not the entire concept of a magazine disconnect safety, but on two particular models that do not have a manual decocker, it was simply a dumb idea.

Truly, when you consider that a feature intended to promote safety asks or even urges the handler to stick a magazine in to an otherwise unloaded handgun simply to lower the hammer.

While I am ranting please consider that all the other (absolutely phenomenal) single action only target pistols that S&W designed, built and marketed that do not have any manual decocker are in fact not saddled with the Ill-conceived magazine disconnect safety. Namely the 745, 845, 4006 Limited, 3566 Limited, PPC-9, all the 945's and the PC-1911's. No manual decocker but no silly magazine disconnect safety.

 

[Peakbagr]

I have been shooting and competing in Action Pistol and Bullseye for years. I know the purpose of the magazine disconnect. For use in Action Pistol, having to swap in an unloaded mag and fire to clear the gun could lead to an unsafe situation while under pressure to fish out an unloaded mag with a half dozen people standing behind you impatient to have you get our of their way. With a safe full of guns without the disconnector, I should probably be loading them up and taking them to a gunsmith to have a mag disconnector installed, right?

 

[Rick H.]

I am of the camp that says to leave the magazine disconnect alone. Yes there is a certain procedure that must be followed to show the pistol is safe, but why not just show the gun is safe to the safety officer. Does dropping the hammer on a supposedly empty chamber REALLY prove anything? What if the the chamber isn't empty? Do you get DQ'd if the pistol fires?

I am not and have never been a fan of closing the slide on an empty pistol and then dropping the hammer on it. It is just bad form. I would bet most shooters in these situations are probably using the slide release lever to close the slide and then pulling the trigger on an empty chamber. All of this accounts for unnecessary wear and tear on the pistol, especially on higher end pistols.

I just recently completed my annual HR-218 qualification and at the start of it we held a briefing on what the course of fire was and what was expected safety wise. At the end of the course of fire we made our pistols safe by removing the magazine and locking the slide to the rear. Most pistols already had slide lock back as the pistols were empty if they followed instructions. We held our pistols at a low ready position so the safety officer could inspect the pistol as he walked the line. This included an examination of magazines to show they were empty. If you followed the course of fire properly your magazines should have been empty, but they still checked. At that point you inserted your pistol into your holster with the slide locked back. No one had a pistol in a holster with the slide closed walking on or off the line. This makes it easy to tell if a pistol is safe or not as people are coming and going. From that point any manipulation of a pistol is done at a clearing barrel.

Knock on wood, I have never observed an unwanted discharge take place using this procedure. It's pretty hard for a pistol to go off if it's in a holster with the slide locked back and no magazine in the gun. So if your chosen pistol has a magazine disconnect its no impediment because you are not dropping the hammer on a hopefully empty chamber.

I know different disciplines have different rules, but closing a slide and then dropping the hammer on an empty chamber makes little sense to me. I have seen far too many unwanted discharges at local run and gun matches doing this and it's embarrassing to all concerned and has resulted in needless injuries. Nothing is worse than getting DQ'd making your sidearm safe when the course of fire is over. Just my opinion.

Rick H.

 

[Peakbagr]

Appreciate your comments. One observation - depending on the course of fire, I may be done shooting with rounds still in the mag when dropped and a bullet in the chamber. We pull the slide, jack the chambered round. With magazine safety I have to obtain an empty magazine, show it to the RO standing there, insert and fire. That step, me grabbing a mag with a round and the RO missing it very unlikely but removing the mag safety shortens and simplifies.