jumpinjoe
Hellcat
Anni, my not being an especially knowledgeable 1911 guy, and maybe having only shot two different guns about a dozen times total, what is the peculiarity about them to limit dropping the slide over any other manufacturer? Thanks.
Time for a Good Argument. Ready?
- Thread starter PaulieDC
- Start date
Annihilator
Emissary
Annihilator
Emissary
Can I Drop a 1911 Slide on an Empty Chamber?
Should you drop the slide on your 1911 if you're rocking an empty chamber? We tackle this controversial topic and tell you what we think.
www.pewpewtactical.com
I was always instructed not to drop the slide on a empty chamber, here is a short article, my Sig and Kimber both state not to do it, my Colt’s don’t say, it’s supposed to play with the hammer/sear engagement, meaning hammer could fall to half cock when you do drop it a lot on empty chamber.
Keystone19250
SAINT
I won’t drop the slide on an empty chamber on any of my guns as well as dry fire. I won’t drop the bolt on my M1A even to load unless I’m at the range because of the known (slam fire) concern. Let’s face it a standard M1A with a 22 inch barrel is not good for apartment CQC anyway. A magazine is loaded and in the gun just in case.Can I Drop a 1911 Slide on an Empty Chamber?
Should you drop the slide on your 1911 if you're rocking an empty chamber? We tackle this controversial topic and tell you what we think.
I was always instructed not to drop the slide on a empty chamber, here is a short article, my Sig and Kimber both state not to do it, my Colt’s don’t say, it’s supposed to play with the hammer/sear engagement, meaning hammer could fall to half cock when you do drop it a lot on empty chamber.
javbike
Professional
Thus is exactly what I read in the 1911 owners manual
PaulieDC
Elite
Oh man, you can say that again!It's just so hard to tell in these woke times..but just for the record, which pronoun do you prefer?
What PRONOUN?? There's only one: BACHAGALOUP!
This will explain it:
Texas Buzzard
Elite
Wilson Combat has a video on dry firing, they too do not support dry firing a 1911. Always use dummies.
Texas you beat me to it. Just because you can doesnt mean you should. I tend to believe Bill Wilson Who is someone who builds some of the finest 1911s to know about what goes on when dropping the slide and or dry firing without a snap cap. And as for the above youtube video above when he says its ok because thats how the military does it I couldnt watch anymore. No disrespect to our military or veterans but there are other reasons why they inspect their firearms that way. Its not because its the best way to care for a 1911. And after all its not their gun. So the question was asked can you do it. Yes. Should you do it is the real question.
Bassbob
Emissary
The military also has ( or had ) their armors disassemble them and drop them in a barrel of solvent with about 30 other disassembled 1911s. Then pull them out, wipe them down and reassemble them in whatever order they grabbed the parts. So I don’t think they gave a crap what was the best thing for the pistol. As long as it fired.
KillerFord1977
SAINT
Lot of dummies in this world that would not be happy of me shooting at them
It’d be good for the soul though
jfmorris
Master Class
My first gun was .22LR, and I was taught never to dry fire any 22, as it can screw up the firing pin and potentially the face of the chamber without a round in there to take the impact. I occasionally dry fire center fire pistols or revolvers, but would not do extensive dry fire "training" without a snap cap or empty casing in the pistol's chamber.
Gunblue490 has some excellent content on his channel, I love his perspective on a variety of topics. I remember many sources I heard/watched tell me what the military used to do. Those were with milspec 1911's in 1945...not Wilson Combats or Blackhawks of 2022. JMB designed the firearm to handle dry-firing and empty slide drops, but Ed Brown may not have....(or fill-in-the-blank for any 1911 over $2k)...there's no need do either, so do it or not...it's a free country.
BTW, I do not call a slide stop a "slide-release", and never do it on any semi-auto without a round in the mag being loaded.
BTW, I do not call a slide stop a "slide-release", and never do it on any semi-auto without a round in the mag being loaded.
If you spend $3k on a pistol and the manufacturer says don’t, don’t. I’ve been dropping the slide since the very first time I picked up a pistol and I’ve yet to screw one up.
What you shouldn’t do is drop the slide on a loaded chamber. Extractor isn’t really built for frontal impact. That can break it. It’s designed for the rim to slip under it when the round is stripped. I’ve done it and haven’t broken an extractor yet but it’s not a normal thing. Can also cause the slide to remain out of battery, which I have experienced.
As for dry fire, the hammer is repeatedly slamming into the firing pin. Occasional dry firing a center fire is pretty harmless. Doing it hundreds of times a day for training probably isn’t something id do.
As for Mr. Wilson, I’ve seen his video on dropping the slide. In fact, I’ve shared it before. I have no doubt his guns are probably fragile enough that, as he put it, “have hammer follow by the end of a show” from people dropping the slide. Personally, I’d rather not own a gun that fragile. I can’t handle more than a few minutes of watching him myself.
What you shouldn’t do is drop the slide on a loaded chamber. Extractor isn’t really built for frontal impact. That can break it. It’s designed for the rim to slip under it when the round is stripped. I’ve done it and haven’t broken an extractor yet but it’s not a normal thing. Can also cause the slide to remain out of battery, which I have experienced.
As for dry fire, the hammer is repeatedly slamming into the firing pin. Occasional dry firing a center fire is pretty harmless. Doing it hundreds of times a day for training probably isn’t something id do.
As for Mr. Wilson, I’ve seen his video on dropping the slide. In fact, I’ve shared it before. I have no doubt his guns are probably fragile enough that, as he put it, “have hammer follow by the end of a show” from people dropping the slide. Personally, I’d rather not own a gun that fragile. I can’t handle more than a few minutes of watching him myself.
I've not run across the chance to drop a slide on a loaded chamber in any firearm, although anything is possible. I've just not been in that scenario. Can't imagine doing that on purpose....being an M1A owner, that concept seems like a NEVER DO IT to me...(slam fires and all...)
I can't deny I've dropped the slide on every semi-auto I own (with an empty or absent mag) and haven't broke nuthin yet...but I'm not recommending it, as others have said.
HansGruber
Ronin
You can drop the slide on the loaded chamber on some pistols—the Beretta 92 being an example—but with most, it’s not a good idea. Controlled round feed, not push feed.
And, if you’d actually have any experience with a Wilson Combat pistol….you’d know they are anything but ”fragile”.
That came directly from Wilson’s mouth, not an opinion of mine.