SA loaded chamber indicator?

[mljdeckard]

My dad finally bought a serious defensive handgun, out of many choices, with no small amount of prodding from me, he bought a SA GI 1911. One of his conditions (despite no small amount of pushing from me,) was a loaded chamber indicator.

So, we're looking in the manual, and it does say there is a indicator, but all we say when we load it is a straight, traditional, 1911 barrel. Is there some distinction SA makes, like, they only send the models with LCIs to the states that require it, are we just too dumb to know how it works, and maybe, should I have my dad call SA to ask them if they made a mistake?

 

[ArmedBear]

It has a slot in the top of the barrel at the chamber face so you can look from the top and see a bit of brass when it's loaded.

http://stevespages.com/pdf/springfield_1911.pdf

See page 6.

 

[mljdeckard]

Yeah, we looked in the manual, looked at the chamber, with bright shiny hydra-shok loaded, and I couldn't discern any notch, slot, gap, anything that showed a glimpse of brass. Is it possible this was an incorrect barrel? (Or more correct, depending on your take on LCIs in the first place?) Or is it really tiny, still possibly blocked by preservative from the factory?

 

[ArmedBear]

Is the gun new?

 

[mljdeckard]

Brand new. From Cabela's in Utah, bought about 3 weeks ago.

 

[The Lone Haranguer]

The barrel hood, as it is known, is not a lockup surface. A small notch could be put in it with a die grinder, or even a small gap made between the hood and slide, to show a glimpse of cartridge case and function as a LCI. I have a couple of guns (one a S&W with a hole in the barrel hood, the other a CZ with a little pin sticking up) with LCIs. They are convenient to ensure that you remembered to load the chamber, but should not be used as a verification that you unloaded it.

 

[mljdeckard]

I told my dad, I wouldn't ever want one because they're a concession to anti-gunners. Every gun is always loaded.

 

[Eric F]

It works like this, pick up the gun point in safe direction take safety off and pull slide back slightly, look at the ejection port if you see brass its loaded if you dont then its not. If you want a real loaded chamber indicator the 1911 is not the right choice.

 

[mljdeckard]

Um....thanks for the help eric f. (?!)

 

[foghornl]

Hmmmm.......

I'll look at mine tonight and see what I see.

IIRC, the "Champion" DOES have that very small notch where you can see the cartridge case, but the "GI-45" does NOT.

Copy-n-paste from the Springfield manual on 1911-A1 pistols:

Springfield pistols sold after January, 2001 have a
loaded chamber indicator. (See Figure 12.) The barrel
slot allows you to observe whether a shell is in the
chamber. When a shell is in the chamber the brass
case can be seen clearly. GI .45s do not have this
feature.
LOADED CHAMBER INDICATOR
SPRINGFIELD

I can't seem to copy-n-paste the illustration, though....

 

[Hawk]

"GI .45s do not have this feature."

Sure enough. The 1911 manual on Springfield's site is changed from the one archived on Steve's pages. The current version excludes the GI.

Surprised me.

 

[Jim Watson]

The notch in the hood of my SA UC is too narrow to see anything.
The countersunk notch on my S&W Plastic M&P is actually usable.

I am not sure such notches meet the Schwartzenneger Reich requirements for a loaded chamber indicator. Glad I don't live there where I would have to find out for sure.

 

[XDKingslayer]

I told my dad, I wouldn't ever want one because they're a concession to anti-gunners. Every gun is always loaded.

Until the gun sits in the bed-side safe for 2 months and when someone breaks into your house you either hesitate because you can't remember if you have one in the chamber or you need to pull the trigger and hear "CLICK".

That's also why "every gun is always loaded" is complete equine excrement. I will never, ever support that statement. "Treat every gun as if it's loaded" is fine.

 

[MICHAEL T]

My pistol is loaded period unless I am shooting or cleaning . From holster to nightstand back to holster. Its loaded.
All pistols in my safe loaded I loaded and I have the only combination . You ain't even going to think about that little slit which can't see in dark any way. It up to you to know if loaded or not and to maintain security of your weapons.

 

[HB]

My pistol is loaded period unless I am shooting

How do you shoot with an unloaded gun

Just do the check that Eric F suggests and not worry about it.

HB

 

[Walkalong]

SA makes a small cut in the back of the barrel hood, so if you still have good eyes, you can see the brass case head shining through, if you have good eyes, but it's not really a loaded chamber indicator like say, the XD has.

 

[dispatch]

You know it's unloaded when the slide locks back on the empty magazine. Any other time consider it loaded.

 

[Quoheleth]

SA makes a small cut in the back of the barrel hood, so if you still have good eyes, you can see the brass case head shining through

But not in the GI, and that was the issue.

I have a March '08 manuractured GI and it, too, has no LCI, countersunk hole (a la the Smith M&P), or other means of checking the weapon w/out manipulating the slide. But that's what it is supposed to be - a "nod" to the old, WWII/Korea/Vietnam workhorse 1911.

If it's a real issue, send it back to S'fld; I'm sure they could do it for you. By having them do it, you do not void your warranty.

Q

 

[Eric F]

Um....thanks for the help eric f. (?!)
__________________

Hey look I have seen these before you get the smallest amount of pocket lint or dirt buildup or even low light situation you are going to miss it. Pulling the slide back slightly is the best way to check and be sure.

this notch is not even a real loaded chamber indicator. Its more like a view port to see if there is brass in the chamber. To me a indicator would be some sort of pin or stud like on the S&W99

 

[Walkalong]

this notch is not even a real loaded chamber indicator.

Yep, mostly worthless, mostly.

 

[foghornl]

Took a look at my "Champion" & "GI-45" last night...sorry, no pix...battery tray latch on my digi-cam broke.

Champion model has that tiny notch for a Loaded Chamber Indicator, the GI-45 does not.

 

[1911 guy]

My carry gun is a customized SA GI, it has no cutout in the hood, as other have said. Other SA models do.

 

[mljdeckard]

No, I stand by the "every gun is always loaded" statement and practice. To say "Treat" every gun "as if" it were loaded engenders the complacent attitude I see every time I watch my soldiers issued weapons in the army. To treat it "as if it were loaded" means there might be a time and place you WOULDN'T have a loaded gun in your posession and treat it differently. Even when you clear it, it's still loaded. Forever, period.

The only exception to this is a weapon that is disassembled. THEN it's ok to inspect the bore visually and test the trigger.