What pistols do this?

[NineseveN]

Every single semi-auto handgun I have ever owned or fired has done it save my 1911 Champ from Springfield...I think I slam my mags home harder than most folks, and that's what causes it.

 

[Plink]

The Bersa .380 will supposedly do it. I've heard that it's a design feature, but I'm more tempted to think of it as a design problem, myself.

 

[Father Knows Best]

Now, if we could just get a pistol to drop the magazine automatically when empty. Good enough for Herr Mannlicher and Mr Garand, ought to sell now.

I'll second that idea -- an en bloc fed autopistol would be awesome! I've always thought that the Garand's system was under-appreciated. It ejects an empty clip automatically and holds the bolt open to make insertion of a new clip an easy, one-handed operation. Better yet, inserting the new clip releases the bolt and chambers a round, so there's no need to hit a release catch or retract the slide (or bolt) after a reload. It's simple, fast and one-handed -- perfect for a combat handgun. About the only disadvantages are the practical capacity limits imposed by the clip design, but that's not a big deal in a defensive handgun (it was a VERY big deal when the Army was making the switch to full auto shoulder weapons post-WWII).

I know -- someone is going to point out that you can't quickly "top off" an en bloc. So what? You can always eject a partial clip and insert a full, fresh one. I think it makes perfect sense for a defensive sidearm, and I'd love to see one.

 

[mindwip]

ahh i like that, make a clip/mag fall out when its empty and the slide locks back and then when you put a new mag/clip in it slams forward for you nice.

Put me down for one.

 

[TimboKhan]

Well, I can't wrap my mind around the advantage of this really, but for fun, I took all my autos out and started slamming in mags to see what would happen. Here are my results:

P90 - 10 tries, slide never released.
Taurus PT99 #1 - 10 tries, slide never released
Taurus PT99 #2 - 10 tries, slide released once, but I had to slam it in hard enough that it hurt my hand.
Roommates Glocks - 10 tries with each, slide never released.

So, my conclusion, based on my guns, is that you really, really have to slam it in hard for it to maybe happen, and I can't see where that much force on a mag is good for the gun or the mag.

 

[Brian Williams]

Tis a bug not a feature although many feel that bugs tend to be a feature.

If your gun does this I would suggest you get it looked at.

 

[pablo45]

My fn p9 does that some times. It just depend's on how many rounds i load in the mag. Foe example if i put 15 round's in the 16 round mag it will not happen. If i fill it up it will. Don't know why but other then this i love it. No big deal cause it is not my primary and it is just a fun gun to shoot.

 

[mindwip]

I think that this would be great in a pistol to have mags eject when empty and load a new one, i could see were some this might not be great maybe target shooting, would hate to see you rmag fall on to the floor with a loud clank. But if you are in compition and combat i would think it would be great two less steps you have to think about, not to mention you could get rid of those two buttons for combat, use two less buttons you dont have to screw up. I think reloading would be done 1-3secs better depening on how fast you are now

 

[Father Knows Best]

But if you are in compition and combat i would think it would be great

Depends on the type of combat. If you want to retain your empty mags for any reason, then having them drop out spontaneously could be a real problem.

For non-wartime personal defense, however, magazine retention just isn't an issue for me. I know that IDPA requires it, and the tactics talking heads advise you to top off mags during a lull, but that ain't ever gonna happen to me. I don't carry a spare box of ammo to reload mags with, so if I empty a mag, it's worthless to me for the rest of that fight.

 

[mindwip]

lets say your fighting from a prone postion if your mag falls out its going to be right infront of you, but yeah if your running then you would have to pick them up. Personal if a had a choice i would let it fall get back to them later, worry about the BG now

 

[gbelleh]

The HK 4 and the Mauser HSc are the only pistols I know of that were designed to release the slide when a mag is inserted.

 

[the naked prophet]

My glock 19 does that, and it doesn't take too much of a tap to do it. I always slap the bottom of my pistol magazines (after they are inserted) to make sure they're seated, and that has always closed the slide. That doesn't happen on my Browning Hi-Power.

I think it's kinda neat, but then I have to check to see if the slide closed, and if not I need to grab the slide and slingshot it closed. Easy enough to check, but that's one more thing to worry about in a gunfight. If it seems to close the slide 100% reliably when you slap the bottom of the mag, do you want to rely on that in a gunfight? It'd have to be pretty reliable for me to do that.

 

[mindwip]

my bersa does it 100% of the time never messed up, with the 150 rds i have shot. I plan on shoting 100 more today

 

[ecureed]

my pt111 did it once at the range last weekend....didn't seem like i jammed in the mag much differently or harder, but it did do it that one time in about 2 hours of shooting

 

[leadcounsel]

Glocks. Not sure if it's a design feature of flaw, but all I've shot do it.

 

[JasonMD85]

X2 on the Bersa Thunder 380. I was told it was a design feature also. I have somewhere north of 900 rounds in my Bersa, and it has NEVER, EVER failed to load me a round and send the slide forward if you "slam" a mag home. Every single time I want it to do it, it does, and every time I do not, It does not.

FWI, If a mag is placed into the pistol normally, it will NOT slide home. The mag must be forcefully placed. We arent talking "hurting my hand" hard, just more than "normal" pressure most be applied in a swift movement into the pistol.

Also, I am not 100% sure if its the same way with other pistols, but for those of you "testing" this, the magazines have to actually be loaded for it to work. My bersa will NOT release the slide automatically if the magazine is empty no matter how hard I slam it in, but as I said before, it NEVER fails to load me a round and bring the slide forward for me with a loaded mag.


-Jason

 

[mindwip]

just shoot mine again today did it ever time. Love that bersa

 

[hnk45acp]

My HK compact 9mm does it all the time and my HK 45 expert does it about 70% of the time. I think it's great although the 45 sometimes stovepipes when it does that

 

[lycanthrope]

My Steyr M40 does this with every mag and never fails to chamber a round.

Perfect. Wish my 1911 did that.

 

[possum]

I don't what you guys are doing, i don't think i have ever had that happen, if it did i sure don't remember. ya''ll must get pretty rough with slammin' those mags in there!

 

[proctorman]

I just got a S&W M&P .40 cal and I decided to try this and it worked.
Without slamming the mag hard at all the slide pops forward and chambers a round.

 

[Big Gay Al]

Ok, tried all my pistols. Both Taurus PT's and my EAA Witness. Only the Bersa does it. But it takes a certain amount of force for it to happen. Not much, but a certain amount. Otherwise it won't happen.