Can I Drop a 1911 Slide on an Empty Chamber?

[iklwa]

Just for clarity when you say
“drop a round into the chamber” I’m sure you don’t mean chamber a round by hand as I don’t believe there is manufacturer that says it is ok for any semi automatic firearm.
Correct me if I’m wrong please.

Yes, I was referring to someone placing a live round into the chamber and then pressing the slide release and allowing the slide to fly home under its own power. Then inserting a loaded magazine.

It has been my experience that just because something sounds stupid, implausible, or may be possibly destructive, it doesn't rule out that it could happen. I figured I would bring it up while we were on the subject of correct firearms handling, safety, and prolonging systems' life.

 

[iklwa]

Yea, definitely a no no, there was a deputy at my sheriffs dept when I worked there that had to keep replacing his extractor on his 1911, I asked why so many till I found him dropping a round in chamber and letting the slide slam closed, told him, there’s your problem, here’s your sign….,

Told ya so!
If it is possible to do, someone will do it!

I was kinda thinking about going into the sign printing business at one time. They would have all said the same thing, just in different formats and different length poles.

 

[Bassbob]

It’s “never drop the slide on an empty chamber”…and as far as dropping it on a live round, I believe that was in direct reference to dropping it on a round that had been manually chambered, not stripped out of the mag (dropping the slide on an already chambered round is a great way to bust an extractor on a 1911–or an XD with an internal extractor, for that matter).

The proper way to load 99%+ of autos is to lock the slide to the rear, insert a loaded mag, and drop the slide, either by the slide stop release or by retracting the slide and fully releasing it.

And, considering that the top 1911 gunsmiths are all in agreement in this…I’ll put money they know a little bit more on the subject than most folks—myself included. Which is why I take their advice.

I ain't disagreeing, but it's worth noting that there are a lot of people who say that it only matters on well tuned 1911s, with nice trigger jobs. Like the guns that all those top 1911 gunsmiths work on.

I am a guy that doesn't generally do unnecessary wear or damage to my guns. So I don't usually drop on an empty chamber the same as I don't generally dry fire my striker guns even though many manufacturers say it hurts nothing.

 

[JeffS]

I was taught not to drop the slide on an empty chamber also. Honestly, I forget by who, but I was told that it would beat up the barrel link and lugs. Frankly,its just as easy not to when handling a pistol. When I was a lad,though, I was told to always slam the actions of shotguns. That that's what they were made for. Am I to believe the actions and components of semi automatic pistols are inferior to semi automatic shotguns? I don't believe that for a minute