i'm at the range yesterday with the hi power and i'm practicing picking up the gun off the bench, cocking, firing double taps and decocking with a round in the chamber, my muzzle was ALWAYS pointed downrangeThese are good things you were doing: practice and being safe.
now to decock is a little tricky because you have to pull the hammer back and then pull the trigger, the you lower the hammer to a half cock position (THAT IS NOT A SAFETY, INCIDENTLY) and then repeat the procedure to put the hammer in the decocked position.For years, it's been stated that the half-cock notch is only there to catch the hammer should it slip while being cocked. Normally, it will not catch the hammer if being decocked as the trigger's usually still pressed when the hammer slips. If the trigger's pressed until the sear disengages the hammer's half-cock notch and then released, it will catch the hammer should it slip. With the later Mk II and most of the Mk III pistols, it won't fired if the trigger's not in the rearward position as the sear lever doubles as an internal firing pin safety.
the gun is relatively new, so that hammer is toughThey are that and they tend to stay that way. I believe the standard factory m/s rating is 32-lbs.
anyhow, near the end of this exercise of 100 rounds i had what we call around here a brain fart
i forgot to pull the hammer back before pulling the trigger
to which the gun responded with its obligatory loud bang
scared the living doo doo outta me!!
the round went safely downrange
ND/AD,,,you make the call...
i was excessively mad at me BTW so i don't need anymore grief than i already gave myselfIt was not a negligent discharge nor accidental as you MEANT for the pistol to fire. You simply neglected to have the pistol cocked and the hammer slipped the half-cock notch, which could have been for a couple of reasons, but I don't know which. 1. The hammer/sear engagement surfaces might not be "right" and allowed the sear to move out of the notch with the trigger's being pulled. I checked this just now on 4 HPs and they don't do it. 2. Somehow the sear didn't fully seat itself into the half-cock notch and was partially out when the trigger was pressed. I've seen this with some Colt 1911 pistols.
As has been mentioned by others, I suggest carrying the Hi Power or any single-action, externally hammered automatic with the hammer back and safety on, if it's being toted for protection. If the gun's in proper mechanical condition, which cannot be assessed from a far, this has proven to be safe over the decades.
Augment that safety by using a holster that fits the pistol snugly and covers the trigger guard and thus, the trigger; most do these days.
The Browning manual is written to give them "wiggle room" in the event of a perceived accidental shooting ("The gun just went off and killed so-and-so and it was the gun's fault and not mine. Then come the lawyers and negligent death suits so Browning tried to recommend things they thought would limit their exposure. I think trying to lower the hammer over a live round just increases the chances for the gun going off when it's not wanted.
I'd leave the hammer back and the thumb safety engaged whenever a round is chambered and forward ... or back when it's empty. It doesn't hurt the spring according to Wolff's Gunsprings to be compressed as it's not being compressed beyond that for which it was designed. As with magazine springs, "wearing them out" is related to how much they're used, i.e., compressed and then decompressed. I can tell you from personal experience that you will not weaken the standard factory mainspring in a lifetime of shooting nor a constant state of "Condition One."
Some will disagree to leaving the hammer back when the pistol's not loaded and there is merit in their concerns that usually center around one mistakenly assuming it is and then carrying an empty or partially loaded pistol that they think is ready to go. I suggest that we all try and adhere to the following; it's paid big dividends for me in the past although it has offended a very few folks over the years; The only "unloaded" gun is one I've NOT set down and one I've checked. If I "lose control" of it even for a second, I check it. It doesn't matter if someone hands it to me and says, "It's empty." I check it. This has upset a couple of folks, but the risks are too great and you only have to be wrong once.
Chambering a round just before use does not put you in Condition One from Condition Three; it puts you in Condition Zero, hammer cocked and safety off. I disagree with this mode of carry as it assumes you'll have both hands free when the "ball begins." Such may not be the case. Likewise, cocking while possibly in a physical confrontation might result in the pistol being dropped.
I suggest taking an empty gun and at the range, letting the hammer go to the half-cock and seeing if the situation will repeat. If it does, I'd have a 'smith look the pistol over as there's a problem with the hammer half-cock notch and the sear.
Finally, thanks for your post. Not everyone will mention an incident such as this and I think everyone has benefited from your experience and relating it.
Best.
