David E
Member
- Joined
- Aug 3, 2008
- Messages
- 7,459
Some instructors, John Farnam among them, teach racking the slide after every reload, even if the slide is fully forward.
The theory is, in the heat of battle, you just don't know with 100% certainty that the slide closed on a loaded chamber. Did you inadvertantly hold down the slide stop? Did the slide stop otherwise fail to catch?
Smartly racking the slide even if fully forward removes those doubts. At worst, you lose a round that was in the chamber, but that loss is alleviated by the fact that you now know for certain a live round is chambered.
The downside is, you may induce a malfunction trying to eject a cartridge that is longer than spent brass. And, any subsequent shooting may require the previously chambered round that's now rolling on the floor.
But it's a good technique to know, as you may find a particular circumstance where it would be extremely wise to do it.
The theory is, in the heat of battle, you just don't know with 100% certainty that the slide closed on a loaded chamber. Did you inadvertantly hold down the slide stop? Did the slide stop otherwise fail to catch?
Smartly racking the slide even if fully forward removes those doubts. At worst, you lose a round that was in the chamber, but that loss is alleviated by the fact that you now know for certain a live round is chambered.
The downside is, you may induce a malfunction trying to eject a cartridge that is longer than spent brass. And, any subsequent shooting may require the previously chambered round that's now rolling on the floor.
But it's a good technique to know, as you may find a particular circumstance where it would be extremely wise to do it.