Dropping the slide on an empty chamber

[Cowboybebop]

I recently watched a show on Discovery Channel called "How do they do it?" and they had a feature about Beretta 92FS manufacturing in Italy.

During the show, they display a machine that pushes back the slide on the pistol 700 times while the pistol is empty with the safety OFF. In other words, they are dropping the slide on an empty chamber 700 times on each pistol coming out of the factory. The trigger is clearly visible in the video and is NOT being held back.

I found this interesting and can only assume that this machine's function is to wear in the slide and frame fitment, and also maybe to test whether or not the hammer follows.

I was always taught never to drop the slide on an empty chamber of any semiauto pistol, especially one with the hammer in single action where the sear is engaged and can fall down to halfcock due to shock and vibration. Obviously Beretta doesn't seem to worry too much about it.

Thoughts?

 

[Blue Brick]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-2boJ_0sdnw

 

[jmr40]

It is my understanding that dropping the slide on an empty chamber MIGHT cause problems on 1911's that have been tuned for better trigger pulls. Not a problem on most others.

 

[The Lone Haranguer]

I'm skeptical that they take every gun and slam its slide 700 times. It seems more likely they take a sample at random or every X number of guns.

Having said that, this business of "oh noes, you'll hurt the gun doing that" is way overblown. Any decent quality handgun ought to be able to take it. How can it be any worse than firing a 35,000 psi cartridge and having the slide slam backward and forward faster than your eye can even see it? Even if this did cause damage, how many hundreds or even thousands of times would it take for any damage to happen? I think you'll grow bored with it long before that. Done in a reasonable manner it is a legitimate function test for hammer follow. There is also a question of etiquette. You should not take someone else's gun and slam its slide without their permission.

 

[MikeJackmin]

I agree it's probably not harmful to most guns, but it has the same effect on me that fingernails on blackboards have.

 

[9mmepiphany]

I was always taught never to drop the slide on an empty chamber of any semiauto pistol, especially one with the hammer in single action where the sear is engaged and can fall down to halfcock due to shock and vibration.

While it is commonly done, applying legends developed from using the 1911 to other auto pistols is fraught with peril

 

[Zach S]

1911Tuner did an experiment about this a while back. his findings: don't.

It takes its toll a lot sooner than you think. I passed up a semmingly great deal on a colt that had a peened bbl hood, round locking lugs, and obround slide stop hole. All things tuner mentioned when he posted about that experiment, or at other times since. I'm glad he let me field strip it...

Something about the sound of the slde slamming reminds me of two hammers hitting each other. Like mentioned above, its like nails on a chalkboard.

 

[Sam1911]

An issue with well-tuned 1911s.

Not an issue with MOST 1911s, or any other auto that I know of. Certainly perfectly harmless to a M9/92 Beretta.

 

[ny32182]

If it "damages your gun", get a better gun... you should have the same amount of concern for it that Beretta or any other mfg has.

 

[Drail]

It batters the locking lugs on any semi auto. Dropping on empty and firing live ammo have nothing to do with each other. You can do it all you want to your gun. If you do it to one of mine, you won't like what happens next. It's like slamming a door as hard as you can every time you close it. It'll hold up for a while but not as long as the same door that is closed normally. Plus there is no good reason to do it that I can think of.

 

[gamestalker]

If I had to be concerned about accelerated wear or damage by doing that, I would be concerned that the firearm is even durable enough to be fired a few thousand times with full SAAMI spec. pressure cartridges.

Now some firearms may not be specifically designed for such due to after market trigger, or other up grades for a specific or competitive purpose. But an every day decent AL should have no problem, IMO.

GS

 

[typhun]

Kimber Manual

instructions from page 26 for unloading an ultra carry

http://www.kimberamerica.com/media/wysiwyg/manual-download/Compact.pdf

4. Release slide forward onto the empty chamber
by pulling slide fully rearward and releasing or
by manually rotating the slide stop downward
past the slide stop notch. Repeatedly allowing
the slide to slam closed on an empty
chamber will cause premature wear and
loosening on a match grade 1911 such as the
Kimber. Ease the slide closed.

5. Pull the trigger allowing the hammer to fall
forward on the empty chamber. Do not
“ease” the hammer down by holding or
blocking it. Doing so may mar the sear tip
which will result in a substandard trigger pull.

 

[Field Tester]

instructions from page 26 for unloading an ultra carry

http://www.kimberamerica.com/media/wysiwyg/manual-download/Compact.pdf

4. Release slide forward onto the empty chamber
by pulling slide fully rearward and releasing or
by manually rotating the slide stop downward
past the slide stop notch. Repeatedly allowing
the slide to slam closed on an empty
chamber will cause premature wear and
loosening on a match grade 1911 such as the
Kimber. Ease the slide closed.

5. Pull the trigger allowing the hammer to fall
forward on the empty chamber. Do not
“ease” the hammer down by holding or
blocking it. Doing so may mar the sear tip
which will result in a substandard trigger pull.

Interesting, I did not know about number 5.

 

[HOOfan_1]

1911Tuner did an experiment about this a while back. his findings: don't.
.

Which guns did he test?

 

[ny32182]

This is the kind of thing people with safe queens worry about. People who shoot their guns don't.

 

[Sam1911]

Awww, come on now, that's not quite true. Bullseye shooters shoot their guns lots and they care deeply about a finely tuned trigger. So that's at least 37 shooters we shouldn't overlook!

neener

 

[Zaydok Allen]

If it "damages your gun", get a better gun...

If I had to be concerned about accelerated wear or damage by doing that, I would be concerned that the firearm is even durable enough to be fired a few thousand times with full SAAMI spec. pressure cartridges.

I agree with the two above comments. I hear a number of folks (just recently actually) saying that a round being stripped off of a magazine and being chambered slows the slide cycle speed down just enough to avoid premature damage and wear to semi autos. I find this hard to believe given how quickly a slide cycles when being fired.

There were some legitimate references given in that conversation that I accept, but they were all about 1911's. Also, despite a lot of comments from, I assume, experienced shooters I still have never seen any actual data reflecting a difference in slide cycle speeds between chambering a round, and droping the slide on an empty chamber. Such data likely doesn't exist.

I think the truth of it lies here as gamestalker points out.....

Now some firearms may not be specifically designed for such due to after market trigger, or other up grades for a specific or competitive purpose. But an every day decent AL should have no problem, IMO.

On some guns like match or tunned guns, and maybe 1911's in general, it is perhaps a bad idea. The guns were, after all, designed to chamber a round when cycled.

It's like slamming a door as hard as you can every time you close it. It'll hold up for a while but not as long as the same door that is closed normally. Plus there is no good reason to do it that I can think of.

I don't think anyone is suggesting that dropping a slide on an empty chamber every single time you lock the slide back is a good idea. But you are right Drail, there is no real good reason to do it in the first place as easing a slide down is perfectly simple.

 

[Outlaw Man]

My P226 slammed closed on an empty chamber every time the magazine went dry because my thumb always rested on the slide stop.

It's not something I would do intentionally on anything resembling a regular basis (I always ride the slide closed when clearing a gun, though I'm not dainty about it), but I wouldn't worry about it happening, either, except on those finely tuned 1911s.

 

[TennJed]

It batters the locking lugs on any semi auto. Dropping on empty and firing live ammo have nothing to do with each other. You can do it all you want to your gun. If you do it to one of mine, you won't like what happens next. It's like slamming a door as hard as you can every time you close it. It'll hold up for a while but not as long as the same door that is closed normally. Plus there is no good reason to do it that I can think of.

It doesn't hurt most guns at all

 

[X-Rap]

I bet it will crater a Glock

 

[Robert101]

I agree with Drail on this issue. Will my 1911's hold up to periodic empty chamber slide releases? Sure. But, I choose not to do this hundreds of times as it does, in some minor ways, batter certain components of the gun.

 

[marv]

If dropping the slide on empty damages or peens anything then the gun is too soft to begin with.

 

[ShooterMcGavin]

...There is also a question of etiquette. You should not take someone else's gun and slam its slide without their permission.

I totally agree. That is one reason that I don't hand over any of my guns (cleared and checked already), with the slide locked back. If my gun is being shown in a group, I usually request that nobody drop the slide lock. If someone does that after I make my request, I usually will ask for the gun back.

 

[Jim K]

Doesn't everyone know that dropping the slide on an empty chamber will totally smash the gun into a blob of steel and cause earthquakes that will wipe out all life in a 500 mile radius? Or at least that is what the internet experts tell us.

Jim

 

[Arkansas Paul]

I'm sure it's not as bad as some make it out to be, but I will continue to let er down easy. Like has been said, there's just not much reason not to.