Striker Fired question

[GunsAreGood]

Just wanted to know some opinions from people that own striker fired pistols. My question is in between range visits or after cleaning do you leave your pistol engaged or do you dry fire it to release the spring. Any input would be appreciated.

 

[possum]

i have a glock 23 and a sa xd. the xd is my primary carry gun, so when i am done cleanning the gun, i preform a functions check and then i load a magazine and round in the chamber. so i do not release the spring. if for example i wasn't gonna carry that gun for whatever reason, and or not load it, i dry fire the gun, why? there is really no reason why that is just what i do. either way you would be ok, and you are not gonna wear it out if that is what you are worried about.

 

[lilidiot]

Glocks are only fully tensioned when the trigger is pulled. Springfield XD's are like ring of fire guns, Raven , Jennings and Loracin and fully tensioned at all times when loaded with one in the pipe.

This is one of the many positive features of the Glock, no fully tensioned striker to get knocked loose. Kahr is also only tensioned at trigger pull.

 

[christcorp]

I don't care what gun you have; after cleaning it, (Especially if you've field stripped it), you need to do a complete function test. And shy of shooting ammo, that means dry firing it. If it has an external hammer and you are paranoid, you can slowly lower the hammer. But if it's striker fired, then there is no way other than dry firing it. And if you want to field strip and clean a gun, put it all back together, AND HOPE THAT IT WILL FIRE: then that's up to you. Then again, I know that dry firing guns, except those that specifically say not to, is perfectly fine and won't hurt the weapon. And I definitely am not going to hope that the gun works. I have 3 striker fire guns, and I dry fire all of them. Especially after cleaning and/or field stripping. And FWIW, I had one of the guns apart this weekend cleaning it. When I put the grips back on, I forgot to put back on one of the springs for the trigger assembly. And I didn't even notice it until I racked the slide and tried to pull the trigger; and it didn't budge. I would never have know that if I wasn't going to dry fire it. Don't let people scare you with the dry firing topic. If your owner's manual doesn't reference dry firing directly, and you're still worried, then call the manufacturer.

 

[cskny]

After functional testing I leave it engaged/chambered in the safe.

 

[GunsAreGood]

thank you everybody for the input. cskny short and to the point. I like it. I always function test after any takedown by the way.

 

[lwknight]

I never even thought about it till I read this thread but, everytime a re-assemble any gun (barring putting a bolt back into a rifle) it gets a function test. Then a magazine and one in the pipe.

 

[Guillermo]

it gets a function test. Then a magazine and one in the pipe.

ditto

 

[christcorp]

And to be clear for some people; function test DOES mean a dry-fire.

 

[Just One Shot]

They are built with the idea of carrying locked and loaded in mind. You are not going to hurt it by having it in condition 1 or by storing it with the striker spring compressed.

They are designed to run thousands upon thousands of rounds through them. It's the same as storing your mags fully loaded. The spring wears out from cycling not constant compression.

Here's an explaination in case you aren't familiar with the conditions.

Condition One: Ready To Rock

In Condition One, the pistol has a cartridge in the chamber and a fall magazine inserted into the magazine well. This state of readiness occurs just prior to firing the gun.

In Condition One, a Glock handgun is brought into action simply by being brought on target. When placed on the trigger, the shooter's finger disengages the safety lever located in the middle of the trigger.

In Condition One, 1911 pistols are in a mechanical state commonly called "cocked and locked." In this mode, the hammer is back and the thumb safety is up and in a locked or "safe" no-fire position. The magazine is full and in place.

To bring into action, the 1911 is brought on target, the thumb safety depressed into fire mode and the trigger is accessed. The 1911 also requires that the grip safety located at the back of the frame be depressed in order to fire the pistol.

In Condition One, a firearm is in its fullest state of readiness. The operator is simply required to draw or present the pistol to the threat and apply the mechanics necessary to make the pistol fire. Condition One would be a correct choice when it is necessary to carry the pistol in a state of readiness for potential imminent use.

The rest of the conditions can be found here:

http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m0BQY/is_8_46/ai_63772593/