[TXBera]

Safety Bulletin
Warning: Improperly loading the 1911 by manually inserting a round in the chamber may cause accidental discharge. Always load the pistol using the magazine. When loading the pistol, always point the muzzle in a safe direction.

http://www.springfield-armory.com/safety.shtml

[BluesBear]

It can schmuck up your extractor as well.

[tok]

Geez, next thing you know someone will announce smoking is bad for ya! :D

[Zach S]

Sounds like someone dropped a round in the chamber, slamed it shut while having his/her finger on the trigger, shot a hole in the floor (or hopefully something inanimate and expensive to fix) and bitched at SA about "the gun just going off while I was loading it."

Geez, next thing you know someone will announce smoking is bad for ya!
Yeah, the surgen general's warning on the side of every pack of smokes isnt enough. Just like the loading procedure is probably in the owner's manual. Along with the four rules with about ten more in random order.

[tiberius]

Sounds like someone dropped a round in the chamber, slamed it shut while having his/her finger on the trigger..... Finger on trigger (though I consider it a bad idea) will not cause a 1911 to fire when a round is chambered. This is what the disconnector is for, otherwise it would be a "full-auto".

I think SA just got sick of replacing extractors under warranty so they are giving this much scarier warning.

[Zach S]

I know what the disconnector is. What I meant was maybe they slammed the slide shut, the gun jumped foward, once it went into battery, and fired then.

I just did it with my AMT (unloaded of course), the hammer fell.

After hitting "submit reply" the extractor issue came to mind though.

[tiberius]

Copy. Now I get what you’re saying – finger on trigger, but not depressed initially. I’m not sure why this phenomenon would be any different for loading directly into the chamber or from the magazine. I’m sticking with the theory that they are lying in order to reduce damaged extractors. :)

[BluesBear]

The 1911 pattern pistol is a controlled feed weapon it's not push fed.

If you manually plop a round into the chamber and then drop the slide, you are causing it to push feed, the extractor has to spring past the rim to engage the extractor groove. The 1911 pattern extractor was never designed to do it. It places an undue stress on it in the wrong direction and can cause damage.

Out of spec ammo or dirt in the wrong place could also lead to a slam fire. Controlled feeding, where the case rises up and slips onto the breech face, is a self cleaning movement. SLiding across the breechface won't fire a high primer. The breech face slamming into it from behind could.