Do you keep your hammer on a live chamber still?

[Deanimator]

ive never checked on a 1911 actually, but most semi autos i know have a form of transfer bar. heres how id check

Not a "transfer bar", but a firing pin interlock of some sort, which prevent the firing pin from reaching the primer without the trigger or (if present) the grip safety from being activated. Usually, the trigger or safety, when activated, push up on the bottom of a pin or similar part which when at rest, rests in a slot in the side of the firing pin. With this part at its default position, the firing pin cannot move forward. When the trigger of grip safety is activated, corresponding notches are aligned, allowing the firing pin to move forward.

I have several M1911s, none of which have a firing pin safety. My Glocks have them.

 

[rbernie]

At the risk of continuing the in-progress thread veer from the OP, I have to respond to two posts.

Maybe a stupid question but is it safe to keep the hammer down on a 1911 with a loaded chamber?

Absolutely, so long as the hammer is all the way down and not resting on the 'half-cock' interceptor notch (which is really not supposed to be used). If the hammer is all the way down, it cannot possibly cause the firing pin to strike the primer because the firing pin has been pushed into the slide and the hammer is literally resting on the firing pin stop and cannot move forward. Since the firing pin is shorter than its recess in the slide body and relies upon the force of the hammer striking it to drive it forward thru the firing pin hole in the breechface, once the hammer is down there is no way for the gun to inadvertently fire due to hammer strike.

The "consensus" is that there is not a safe way to de-cock the hammer onto the loaded chamber.

Poppycock. Perhaps to those that feel that a mechanical block not under their control is somehow better than the direct control of the hammer via their own fingers, but not to me. The original wide spur hammer has notches in it that make it virtually impossible to drop the hammer unexpectedly unless you literally let go of the hammer, and the in-vogue skeletonized rowel hammers provide the same function via their hollows. And that's just on a traditional 1911 without a firing pin block. Throw in the firing pin block common to many 1911s these days, and so long as you release the trigger the instant the sear slips off the hammer notch it is mechanically impossible for the gun to inadvertently fire even if the hammer slips from your grasp.

I dunno why decocking a loaded firearm is such a terrifying notion to some, but I can only presume that it's because they just haven't done it much. It just takes a wee bit of familiarity (best gained by practicing with an unloaded gun).

 

[CoRoMo]

Poppycock.

I thought my exaggerated quotation marks said that.

 

[MachIVshooter]

Poppycock. Perhaps to those that feel that a mechanical block not under their control is somehow better than the direct control of the hammer via their own fingers, but not to me. The original wide spur hammer has notches in it that make it virtually impossible to drop the hammer unexpectedly unless you literally let go of the hammer, and the in-vogue skeletonized rowel hammers provide the same function via their hollows. And that's just on a traditional 1911 without a firing pin block. Throw in the firing pin block common to many 1911s these days, and so long as you release the trigger the instant the sear slips off the hammer notch it is mechanically impossible for the gun to inadvertently fire even if the hammer slips from your grasp.

I dunno why decocking a loaded firearm is such a terrifying notion to some, but I can only presume that it's because they just haven't done it much. It just takes a wee bit of familiarity (best gained by practicing with an unloaded gun).

Exactly.

This applies to other guns lacking a decocker as well. I carry a Witness Compact 10mm, which is double action but has no decock function. I chamber a round, then grasp the pistol in both hands for full control. I then depress the trigger with my right index while controlling the hammer with my right AND left thumb (left over right). As soon as the hammer clears the sear, I release the trigger and lower the hammer the rest of the way. I decock other guns, revolvers and autos alike, in the same fashion.

To the point of the original thread, yeah-it's foolish to keep a loaded chamber under the hammer of a gun that isn't drop safe. It's like driving a car with a failing brake master cylinder; sooner or later, there'll be an accident.

 

[owlhoot]

There are a great many old Ruger Single Six revolvers out there. They are great guns but like all older single actions, the hammer must rest on an empty chamber. A lot of shooters and owners of these revolvers don't know that.

Case in point, a very close friend of mine bought one of these revolvers used several years ago. He took his girl friend to the woods for a little plinking. He had the revolver in a low cut buscadero holster. They were crossing some rough terrain, the gun fell out of the holster, evidently the hammer struck a rock and the gun discharged. The girl was shot in the leg.

My friend felt so bad about it that he married the girl. She spent the next ten years making life miserable for my friend. He died of a heart attact at the tender age of 37. He was probably glad to go.

But my point is that he simply didn't know that his revolver needed to be carried with the hammer on an empty chamber. He had several guns, but he had no experience with the older SA's.

And I often run into fellows at the range with reproduction SA's and, of course, they usually haven't read the literature that came with the guns telling them to load five. I count their shots. If they shoot six times, I'll go over and chat with them and show them how to load their revolver (load one, skip one, load four, cock and let the hammer down). They invariably appreciate the information and the safety cautions.

So sure, if the fellow's gun fell out of his car or if he dropped it, it could have very easily discharged with a round under the hammer. And chances are that he had no idea that he had done anything unsafe...until his wife died.

 

[Mr. Bojangles]

Nonetheless, it is a really sad story.

 

[9mm+]

They invariably appreciate the information and the safety cautions.

As they should, Owlhoot. It's great that you're providing education to other shooters regarding these older SA's, so please keep it up. I know several shooters who have a mind-you-own-business approach, but these issues are too important to ignore.

 

[Deanimator]

Maybe a stupid question but is it safe to keep the hammer down on a 1911 with a loaded chamber?

Yes, as long as it really IS a 1911.

As I recall, the Star BKM type guns had a firing pin which would protrude past the breach face when the hammer was down. I remember reading ('80s?) about somebody shortening the firing pin to prevent this.