Releasing the slide on an empty chamber?

[ATM]

Just another reason I don't own a Ferrari...

I like to slam the doors on my Toyota every chance I get.

 

[TopDog]

To those who have claimed that dropping the slide imposes the same forces on the gun as when it is fired - when the gun is fired your finger is holding the trigger to the rear when it cycles. You are holding the sear off of the hammer hooks - until you release the trigger and the disconnector resets and reconnects the trigger to the sear. You cannot compare these two operations. Dropping a slide on empty WILL batter the locking lugs in a way that does not happen when the slide is picking up a fresh round from the mag. If the gun has had trigger work that reduces the hammer hook depth and uses much lighter spring forces on the sear and disconnector these surfaces can batter each other as well. This not a personal opinion or an internet theory - it is a fact. If the gun is fired and the slide does not lock open - you are still holding the trigger back when the slide goes forrward - you cannot remove your finger before the slide cycles, I don't care how fast you may think you are. Dropping on empty with a GI 1911 will probably do little damage (although it still batters the locking lugs) but to do it on a "tuned" 1911 - it is abusive. If you wish to treat YOUR gun that way - it's your gun. Do it to someone else's gun while claiming it is the same as when it fires is NOT true and is just like slamming the door on a new Ferrari as hard as you can and not understanding why the owner is upset. Learn how the gun operates before claiming "it won't hurt it". It is a finely tuned mechanism. Abuse it all you want but don't tell people who know better that "its the same thing as firing it". It ain't the same thing.

Just as I said in an earlier post in this thread.

Of course that was with cheap military grade 1911's a $3,000.00 Kimber or other custom 1911 might not be able to handle that kind of abuse.

 

[goinggreyfast]

Never really understood this. I understand the sentiment, but in reality if I am always to believe there is a round in the chamber, then how am I ever going to clean my XD? You have to pull the trigger to remove the slide.

Which is interesting because I am in the process of replacing the roll pin in my XD because of what they (Springfield Armory) calls "excessive dry firing"

I would also like to add, and this might not be within the parameters of this discussion, that when I release the slide using the thumb lever, I should pull the slide back slightly to reduce the wear on the bar that holds the slide open. While I have never read anything to back up that claim, it certainly does make sense. Thoughts?

 

[Patriot3]

The gun is incredibly strong as is, but if you want to prolong the condition of the gun then you can ease the slide. Me personally i dont think it hurts it, so i just let it slide back on its own.

 

[ATM]

...when I release the slide using the thumb lever, I should pull the slide back slightly to reduce the wear on the bar that holds the slide open. While I have never read anything to back up that claim, it certainly does make sense. Thoughts?

Most folks agree that the friction caused by using the slide stop lever as a slide release will wear it down. It works, but wasn't designed for that purpose.

I avoid using it as a release unless I need to for some reason.

 

[Drail]

OK, if it wasn't designed for that purpose then what do suppose its purpose is?

 

[Jake46184]

I think you and your friend got "chamber" confused with "magazine." The latter is definitely something you don't want to do.

 

[ATM]

OK, if it wasn't designed for that purpose then what do suppose its purpose is?

The slide stop? It's purpose is to lock the slide open. The tiny spring will release it when you remove the friction of the slide pressing upon it by pulling the slide slightly rearward.

Or you could lever the stop out of the way, releasing the slide from the stop under full tension and causing extra wear.

 

[KG1]

Never hdarthat was bad fir the gun

lol