Magazine Disconnect why would anyone want one??

[SwampWolf]

In a situation when you might want a "loaded" handgun relatively close to hand but, for various reasons, not "quite" loaded, I can envision scenarios where keeping a pistol having a magazine disconnect with a round chambered, safety "off"( if it has one) sans magazine in one hidden place and a loaded magazine hidden in another place but near each other. When trouble beckons, retrieve the magazine from its hidden locale and reunite it with the otherwise ready to go pistol by just inserting the mag and pulling the trigger.
Conditions of self-defense "readiness" are most the times constrained or compromised by real world realities (proximity to children, for instance) and different strategies for a relatively quick access to a weapon can be useful to entertain.

 

[Hangingrock]

I personally don't have a problem with the magazine disconnect. My examples of the S&W 4506 is so equipped along with MP9 &9c.

 

[jonb32248]

Is that possible with the EC9?

Don't know exactly but I have sr9c and it comes out in 1 min. Very easy and simple.I don't know why it's a big deal.

 

[Homerboy]

I love them and every semi auto I own would have one if it was an option. In 25 years of carrying and shooting a semi auto, I have never had the magazine drop unexpectedly. Unholstering and holstering thousands of times. I draw and shoot at the range as if it was a real encounter. Never a problem.

The whole “I want to be able to have that one shot if I’m doing a tactical reload” argument is a joke to me. Setting aside the very slim chance of any of us being in a real self defense shooting, the idea that you’re gonna not only have the presence of mind to drop a partially loaded magazine, but to have the skill to do it while under such extreme stress, is a fantasy. And even if you somehow manage it, handgun rounds aren’t man stoppers, do you fire that one shot, that more than likely won’t stop the threat even if you hit it. Now you have an empty gun with the slide not locked back, requiring you to use both hands to reload it

They have saved lives. I see no downside to them other than in gun games where you have to dry fire to show clear. Everything is a trade off. The aversion to them is mostly mall ninja nonsense, in my opinion.

 

[CajunBass]

They don't bother me. I don't even mind the one on my Browning Hi-Power, which has a really nice trigger, in spite of the mag disconnect. I do suspect that this particular gun has had about a "million" rounds through it, so that might help the trigger.

 

[Sovblocgunfan]

I took mine out of my FEG HP clone. Vast improvement.

 

[shenck]

Consider this scenario, you shoot your first mag to slide lock. You eject the mag, it falls and ends up under a car, or some other object. You go for your spare mag, and drop it onto a curb, or some other hard object, damaging the feed lips. If your firearm has a mag disconnect, you are out of the fight. If there is no disconnect, you could feed rounds one at a time. Now someone is going to say this is an unlikely scenario, but so is the chance of having to use your firearm in an actual self defense situation, but we carry, for that unlikely situation.

 

[Homerboy]

Consider this scenario, you shoot your first mag to slide lock. You eject the mag, it falls and ends up under a car, or some other object. You go for your spare mag, and drop it onto a curb, or some other hard object, damaging the feed lips. If your firearm has a mag disconnect, you are out of the fight. If there is no disconnect, you could feed rounds one at a time. Now someone is going to say this is an unlikely scenario, but so is the chance of having to use your firearm in an actual self defense situation, but we carry, for that unlikely situation.

I’m sorry, but that is the most ridiculous hypothetical I have ever heard. Mag disconnects have saved lives. There is no doubt. It is documented. The absence of one has taken lives, because somebody unfamiliar with a weapon got a hold of a gun.

Dropping an empty mag in a reload and then dropping your loaded mag, only to damage your feedlips, and then plucking rounds out of the loaded mag to feed them one at a time? While under fire? Absolutely ludicrous.

Might as well just say we shouldn’t carry during a thunderstorm because the weapon on our hip might attract lightning.

 

[shenck]

As ridiculous as that may or may not be, I want that option. If you want a mag disconnect on your firearm, that's great, I don't want one.

 

[Archie]

From my study of history of weapons, the first magazine disconnect was on the FN (John Browning/ Dieudonne Saive designed) High Power. The pistol was designed for military sales and the French Government (for one) require the device, as did some other nations. One suspects the scourge of the Armed Forces, the draftee (and the First Lieutenant), was not trusted to handle a pistol safely. The French Government went on to use pistols with magazine disconnects since (not sure what they have now).

I prefer my handguns without as a matter of principle. The device seems to be an idiot protection device and my soul revolts against such. One could say it's a personal hang up.

 

[RETG]

Since I always have and always will carry a handgun with a round in the chamber, I will always treat a handgun as being able to fire until I have cleared it and double checked that it is unloaded. Having or not having a mag disconnect is not and never has been my deciding feature on a handgun.

 

[bnolsen]

On my bersa thunder 380 removing the mag safety made all my aftermaket mags suddenly start working. The mag safety put a lot of downward pressure on the magazine. For maintenance and function checks It's a huge bother to keep an empty mag handy and available just to do anything. I'm not seeing any upsides from the mechanical perspective of a functioning pistol.

 

[Vern Humphrey]

In my opinion, they serve as insurance against the most incompetent of us who find the simple task of following the steps of clearing a firearm in the proper order too challenging.

Exactly right. I have seen NDs by Military Police unloading their handguns. The proper sequence for unloading is to drop the magazine, rack the slide and drop the hammer. If you rack the slide BEFORE dropping the magazine, BANG!

Don't laugh -- I saw it happen once next to a shower point. The bullet hit a guy in the butt. There was a doctor amongst the group showering. A driver was also showering. The driver got his jeep, he and the doctor draped the wounded man across the hood, and off they went to the aid station. I can close my eyes and see it now -- a naked man driving a jeep, a naked man standing n the passenger seat holding down the wounded man with his bloody butt mooning everyone they passed, the doctor's unmentionables flapping the breeze, and the looks on the faces of people they passed.

 

[Fine Figure of a Man]

Exactly right. I have seen NDs by Military Police unloading their handguns. The proper sequence for unloading is to drop the magazine, rack the slide and drop the hammer. If you rack the slide BEFORE dropping the magazine, BANG!

Don't laugh -- I saw it happen once next to a shower point. The bullet hit a guy in the butt. There was a doctor amongst the group showering. A driver was also showering. The driver got his jeep, he and the doctor draped the wounded man across the hood, and off they went to the aid station. I can close my eyes and see it now -- a naked man driving a jeep, a naked man standing n the passenger seat holding down the wounded man with his bloody butt mooning everyone they passed, the doctor's unmentionables flapping the breeze, and the looks on the faces of people they passed.

I know it isn't funny but I'm still laughing. The jeep needed a trailing "don't ask don't tell" banner.

 

[Hangingrock]

Consider this scenario, you shoot your first mag to slide lock. You eject the mag, it falls and ends up under a car, or some other object. You go for your spare mag, and drop it onto a curb, or some other hard object, damaging the feed lips. If your firearm has a mag disconnect, you are out of the fight. If there is no disconnect, you could feed rounds one at a time. Now someone is going to say this is an unlikely scenario, but so is the chance of having to use your firearm in an actual self defense situation, but we carry, for that unlikely situation.

If you were such a klutz as described then you most likely would not have the ability to feed one round at a time.

 

[shenck]

You're probably right.

 

[Slamfire]

They have caused accidental discharges in Bullseye matches. You get a three minute prep period and the S&W M41 has a magazine disconnect.



So, to dry fire, you have to insert a magazine. Guess what happens on occasion? Bang!

I am not going to sell my MK II 22lr. No magazine disconnect, no loaded chamber indicator

 

[SwampWolf]

So, to dry fire, you have to insert a magazine. Guess what happens on occasion? Bang!

That's not an "accident"; that's blatant negligence, no matter who's doing it.

 

[Vern Humphrey]

That's not an "accident"; that's blatant negligence, no matter who's doing it.

I have to agree. How could anyone mistake a loaded magazine for an empty magazine?

 

[Slamfire]

Let he who is without sin throw the first stone....

Requiring that a magazine be inserted to dry fire any weapon will result in the occasional insertion of a loaded magazine. And how could it happen?, well some one did not notice the magazine was loaded, that's how.

The ideal match is a calm, soothing affair that progresses smoothly without interruptions or distractions. Sort of like the ideal morning commute. Sometimes, the morning commute is not so ideal. Shooters will have loaded magazines on and around their shooting box, because shooters don't have time to load a magazine between timed fire and rapid fire sequences. So shooters will have some loaded magazines next to an unloaded magazine, and you know, sometimes, people grab the wrong thing. Or maybe, they had an alibi and did not clear all the rounds out of the alibi magazine. Or maybe, there was an unexpected distraction. Whatever, requiring a shooter to insert a magazine to dry fire his/her weapon will result in the occasional accidental discharge. Which is another reason I don't like magazine disconnects.

 

[Homerboy]

Inserting a loaded mag might happen, but you would have to chamber a round to fire it. Why would you rack the slide to show empty?

 

[SwampWolf]

Whatever, requiring a shooter to insert a magazine to dry fire his/her weapon will result in the occasional accidental discharge.

No, said requirement will never cause an accidental discharge. If someone is careless or stupid enough to insert a loaded magazine, rack the slide (as Homerboy pointed out) and fire the pistol without intending to, such behavior is at the very least negligent. Stone coming your way...

 

[cfullgraf]

In general, magazine disconnects do not matter to me. It's kind of like having to push the clutch in to start a modern straight drive automobile.

But, competition guns are different. Automatically engaged safeties can and do cause problems, from just embarrassing to down right dangerous.

 

[texgunner]

I don't care for them. I have few Browning Hi-Powers and the first thing I did was to remove the magazine disconnect.

 

[muzzleblast...]

...The whole “I want to be able to have that one shot if I’m doing a tactical reload” argument is a joke to me...

Agreed.

Personally, I can take them or leave them. Rally don't bother me one way or the other.