de-cocking a 1911

[Red Creek]

For the first time in over 40 years I am again carrying a 1911. My wife and I got matching Kimber Tactical Custom II's. She's relatively unfamiliar with semi-autos and asked me the best way to lower the hammer on the Kimber. Since she's very familiar with single action revolvers I showed her how to pull the trigger and gently lower the hammer just like her single actions (gun empty, of course). She was uncomfortable doing it that way so I reached way back in the memory banks and recalled how we did it way back when. As I remember, when we handed off the duty sidearm at watch changes, we removed the magazine, opened the slide and locked it, checked the chamber for no rounds, then with the gun pointed straight up we closed the slide and pulled the trigger to drop the hammer. Is this still an accepted method of de-cocking an unloaded 1911? If not, what is the best way? Is it Ok to dry fire a 1911?

Red Creek

 

[1911Tuner]

Empty chamber. (Check twice.)

Ease the slide forward.

Point gun in safe direction. (Inside the house...straight down at a 2-foot thick stack of dry newspapers.)

Dry fire. (It won't hurt it.)

 

[Confederate]

I don't have a problem with that. If the magazine is out of the pistol and there's clearly no round up the snoot, it's an unloaded gun. The only change I'd make with your info above is that you should point it in a SAFE direction. (If you've got a floor above you, point the muzzle down; if you have a floor under you, point somewhere else. Overall, instructors are getting away from pointing the muzzle up. Small point, but you can't be too careful.)

 

[avan47]

My Kimber owner's manual says dry fire. They do not recommend any other method. "Dry" of course means on an empty chamber. Double check that.