If you dangled a semi-auto by a string, and fired it...

[Lone_Gunman]

Would it be able to cycle the slide, or would it jam?

I would think that unless there was some force applied to the frame, recoil from the gun would just push the whole gun back, rather than just the slide, and a jam would result. Wouldn't this be the ultimate limp-wrist?

The reason I ask is that in another thread, someone said that limp wristing is only a problem with guns that are defective,but I believe any semi auto can be limp wristed.

 

[Firehand]

From what I've read, most semi-auto pistols either won't cycle completely or will jam. With something like a .22 that has enough weight to let the slide/bolt cycle it might work, but more powerful pistols? I'd doubt it.

Damn, I need to hit the range...

 

[Amish_Bill]

One way to find out*... take a pistol to the range, put one dummy then one live round in the mag, set it on the table pointing at the target and pull the string. If the dummy chambers, then you know.

What's most likely to happen though, is that as the slide overcomes the pressure of the hammer and recoil springs, it will momentarily move back on the frame, then the recoil spring will help the frame catch up to the slide in it's rearward journey. Depending on the comparative mass** of the slide vs frame, the empty brass will probably not even get ejected.

* a bulletproof vest, empty range, and lots of chutzpah recommended
** a heavy frame, like a full size steel 1911, will take longer to be accelerated by the recoil & hammer springs, so the slide will get further out of battery in reference to the frame position than, say, a glock or other pistol with a lightweight polymer frame. The recoil spring will have a much easier time keeping the lighter polymer frame in sync with the slide.

 

[Guzzizzit]

In the senario, most likley the pistol would Jam. Altho i've INTENTIONALY limp wristed the hell out of my glock 22 to try and get it to jam but it wont.

 

[DoubleTapDrew]

A lightweight pistol would probably jam. With something like a Glock with a full mag, the weight of the frame/mag would probably weigh about the same as the slide, the slide moves back some, the frame moves forward some but it would probably smokestack while ejecting the case.
Something with more weight, like a semi auto rifle would probably cycle as the bolt weighs very little compared to the weight of the rest of the gun.

 

[Neo-Luddite]

Or would it, if the planets alligned just right, keep firing until the mag was emtpy?

Anything but a VERY light weight weapon would probably work just fine.
Remember, it's a system operating on newtonian principals. If you could do the same thing in outer space in 0g (relative) with nicely air-tight mil spec ammo, it would probably still work.

.22 would probably be the most troublesome in practice. Anything gas-operated and not simple blowback would probably be OK.

Or maybe I'm full of Sh*t tonight--where is a physics professor when you need one.

 

[Marshall]

I don't think you would see the gun fire and eject 1 out of 100 times. OK, maybe 1.

 

[Amish_Bill]

no - would not keep firing forever... Given a semi-automatic in good repair, as the string tightened and pulled the trigger, the action would cycle. It might-maybe-could sucessfully eject the brass and load a new cartridge, but the string would have to be released so the trigger could reset before the string was tightened again, pulling the trigger again and firing another round.

 

[M2 Carbine]

I don't know about hangling from a string but I saw a Makarov fire three times before it hit the ground.

 

[1 old 0311]

What color string?

 

[Popov]

Color

"Tactical" black, duh!