Chambering round: cycle, or release?

citizenguardian

New member
I brought a first-timer friend to the range today. My friend had to fill out a form which asked whether he wanted some instruction in shooting and safety. He did, and the range owner spoke to him for a few minutes about loading, sighting, handling, etc.

I was looking at some targets, etc., when one thing the owner said got my attention. He told my friend that one should "never chamber a round from the magazine by racking a closed action. You should always do it from an open action, by pushing the slide release".

Now, I've heard people say something like this before, but I've always wondered what they were talking about.

Actually, with my G27, sometimes when I insert and lock a full magazine the jarring alone releases the slide lock, without my having to push the release lever. That bugs me, so I'll often just close the slide after it hangs open on an empty magazine, then cycle it fully when I'm chambering the first round from a new mag.

There's nothing in my owner's guide about this, and I've never heard any important reason not to chamber the way I prefer. I'm skeptical there is any significant difference between the two methods when it comes to function or safety, but I'd be interested to hear any thoughts on the subject. I'm particularly interested when it comes to Glocks.

For what it's worth, the owner's an older man, and not a Glock devotee. Maybe the rule he espouses makes some sense for certain other makes/models of semi-auto's?
 
I had never heard that advice before, I've loaded the chambers of a lot of semi autos by racking a slide that was in battery, releasing the slide that was locked back (feeding the round from the magazine) and by dropping a round in the chamber and then dropping the slide - - yeah, yeah, I know that it can hurt the extractor - - and all the rounds so loaded did what they were supposed to do.

What would the difference be? The pistol reloads itself from the slide forward position, not the slide lock back position. The only reason I could think that the range owner wanted it done that way would be a possible safety check.

Perhaps, some of the others at this site will have a better reason for loading from the open slide position.

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Ne Conjuge Nobiscum
"If there be treachery, let there be jehad!"
 
<BLOCKQUOTE><font size="1" face="Verdana, Arial">quote:</font><HR>Originally posted by Jim V:

What would the difference be? The pistol reloads itself from the slide forward position, not the slide lock back position.
[/quote]

Yeah, exactly. Just about every round you'll ever load into a chamber gets loaded from a closed position and a full cycle.

Maybe the worry is that beginners who manually rack the slide will pull on the slide too much as it returns to battery, and mess up the seating of the round? I dunno.

Again, I'm interested in what others might think...
 
I think what is the case here is that the range owner has a higher degree of liability when he is the one giving the "official" safety instructions. He has an obligation to instruct the "safest" way of doing things, even if more than one method is safe.

ND/AD's often occur in auto pistols when chambering the first round, particularly with inexperienced shooters. This can be due to a genuine malfunction of the weapon or a careless finger on the trigger. When racking a slide with your left hand, there is always a chance of losing said left hand if the gun were to fire. Inexperienced shooters also have a tendency to "slingshot" the gun when racking the slide. This can make the muzzle swing dangerously down range... something else the range owner doesn't want.

I personally don't have any problem with cycling the slide and I do it all the time. But, if I were the range owner, I too would give the simplest, safest instruction I could. The life I save may be my checkbook :).
 
<BLOCKQUOTE><font size="1" face="Verdana, Arial">quote:</font><HR>Originally posted by citizenguardian:
I was looking at some targets, etc., when one thing the owner said got my attention. He told my friend that one should "never chamber a round from the magazine by racking a closed action. You should always do it from an open action, by pushing the slide release".

Now, I've heard people say something like this before, but I've always wondered what they were talking about.
[/quote]


Citizenguard,

I'm sure something I was told by my gunsmith sounds even stranger. I had just had him do an "action job" on my HiPower. When I went by to pick it up, he handed me the pistol and told me to dry fire it to check the trigger pull. Since the slide was locked back (on an empty magazine) when he handed it to me, I was about to drop the slide. The way I drop a slide on an empty magazine is to hit the slide release and ride the slide down with my left hand, thereby avoiding that hard slam.

As he saw me doing just that, he said that that was the best way to drop the slide on an empty magazine. He also told me something else about how to drop a slide on a charged magazine. He said to hold the trigger back and (while it's held back), hit the slide release and let the slide slam.

I questioned him strongly, very strongly, about this. He says that's the proper way 'cause it saves wear and tear on the sear and the linkage. He says to not do it will degrade the action job he had just done. Well, I've tried doing it, but it sure as hell feels weird. It brings a new emphasis to "and point in a safe direction." Talk about the strange looks I get at the range...

I have never read or heard any thing like this before. I know there are a lot of things that I've never heard of, and this has got to be one of them.... The man's been smithing 30 plus years and is a competition shooter.

Joe
 
I've always held the trigger back on my 1911's IF I dropped the slide on an empty chamber and didn't ride it down with my free hand, it does prevent damage to the sear. However I NEVER did it when chambering a round, even though the disconnecter would prevent it from firing, because I figured stripping a round off the mag and chambering it slowed down the slide enough to soften the blow. My most used 1911 has 3150rds through it, and probably 1/2 that much dry firing and mag change practice with dummy rounds as well, and the 4lb trigger only feels smoother with all that use.

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Cry "Havoc!" and let slip the dogs of war.
 
I was taught the same method as Rex and Numbers as well. I believe it is safer because it egages the same mechanizm that prevents your 1911 from going full auto when you hold the trigger back after a shot. (I wish I could remember the proper terms for the parts involved but I've some how forgotten them.)
 
Sorry but I have to add my 2cents here, learning through the years, at combat pistol matches, listening to the "old timers" about "holding" the trigger back, I used to preach it to my customers.It is WRONG, what he his trying to avoid is damage to the hammer and sear engagement angles that he cut, allways try to avoid slamming the slide on an empty chamber, and never hold the trigger back while reloading.SC <BLOCKQUOTE><font size="1" face="Verdana, Arial">quote:</font><HR>Originally posted by Numbers:

Citizenguard,

I'm sure something I was told by my gunsmith sounds even stranger. I had just had him do an "action job" on my HiPower. When I went by to pick it up, he handed me the pistol and told me to dry fire it to check the trigger pull. Since the slide was locked back (on an empty magazine) when he handed it to me, I was about to drop the slide. The way I drop a slide on an empty magazine is to hit the slide release and ride the slide down with my left hand, thereby avoiding that hard slam.

As he saw me doing just that, he said that that was the best way to drop the slide on an empty magazine. He also told me something else about how to drop a slide on a charged magazine. He said to hold the trigger back and (while it's held back), hit the slide release and let the slide slam.

I questioned him strongly, very strongly, about this. He says that's the proper way 'cause it saves wear and tear on the sear and the linkage. He says to not do it will degrade the action job he had just done. Well, I've tried doing it, but it sure as hell feels weird. It brings a new emphasis to "and point in a safe direction." Talk about the strange looks I get at the range...

I have never read or heard any thing like this before. I know there are a lot of things that I've never heard of, and this has got to be one of them.... The man's been smithing 30 plus years and is a competition shooter.

Joe
[/quote]
 
Simple. He's not showing the most efficient way. He's showing the safest way. When I rack the slide, my weak hand is on the front of the slide in front of the ejection port. Some people rack with their hand on the rear over the rear sight.

Imagine a newbie having an AD while racking the slide with his hand at the front of the pistol. Possible hole in hand. Now imagine an AD while hitting the slide release. Scared newbie and maybe a slice from the unexpected slide cycle, but probably no hole in any part of the body.

/Sciri/
 
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