Loading a single round through the ejection port!

I insert the loaded magazine, chamber a round, remove the magazine, add a round to the magazine, then put the magazine back in.

In general when feeding from a magazine the rim of the cartridge slides up underneath the extractor. Dropping a round in the barrel and dropping the slide causes the extractor to have to snap up and over the rim to grab onto the cartridge. Some people feel that the gun was not designed for the extractor to do that and that it damages the extractor. I know it was an issue with older gun designs, particularly the 1911. Im not sure what effect it has on modern designs.
 
It is not only about a pivoting extractor (external) versus a fixed one(internal), the shape of the extractor also comes into play. An extractor that is rounded in front will slide over a rim easier than a flat one. Many firearms, the 1911 is one of them, are designed to function as controlled feed mechanisms, with the cartridge fed from the magazine and sliding under the extractor. Extractors will need to be hard in order not to wear too fast and that makes them easier to break or chip.

Glock extractors will eventually chip at the low corner and 1911 extractors simply break when the slide is closed on a chambered round repeatedly and forcefully. This I know from experience.
 
If you have a 15 round mag and cant hit them with that what make you think 16 will help. I do it all the time , Most hand guns are not control feed so snapping the extractor over the round is safe.Some rifles are control feed .Ive been a gunsmith for 30 years and never seen a problem from this.
 
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HiBC correctly identified that a 1911 is controlled feed. Honestly, almost all centerfire handguns today are controlled feed. Many, however, have a pivoting extractor that allows the action to be used as push feed without damage. Push feed firearms are essentially designed to pop the extractor over the case rim through brute force, while controlled feed usually has no lip on the bottom of the bolt/breach face. This allows the rear of the round to slide up the bolt face, already underneath the extractor, as it feeds. Because the base of the round slips underneath the hook of the extractor as it feeds, it does not require the extractor to flex out far enough to snap over the widest part of the rim. AR15s are push feed. Most semi-auto pistols are controlled feed. Bolt actions rifles deploy both feed types, depending on make and chambering. Savage employs (or used to, I've not worked on a savage in forever) push feed for most of its chambering, but belted magnums get controlled feed actions.

Some controlled feed actions are just fine to close with a round in the chamber. Some can tolerate it on occasion, but it exceeds design parameters for normal use and can cause damage if you do this repeatedly (1911s come to mind). Some controlled feed actions simply will not close with a round in the chamber without breaking something. Many Mausers are like this.
 
broke

As a younger, less aware fellow, I broke an extractor on a 1911 doing that very tbing. As stated by others, auto's with an extractor are typically designed to feed from the mag, with the ctg rim sliding up behind the extractor claw in the process. Forcing the extractor to jump the case rim can be really hard on some desiigns. Just because it can be done, does not mean that is the correct way to do it.

Chamber a round from the magazine, then top off the mag, or replace same with a full one. Typically, I carry my spare mag one round down anyhow. That allows me to clear the pistol and place the previously chambered round in said mag and store the works conveniently withouit a loose round rolling about the locale.
 
I've seen one badly mangled HK P2000 extractor caused by dropping the slide on a loaded chamber. This is a pivoting extractor, of course.

During a qualification, a guy had a click on the very first shot, did the tap and rack, and continued on. Always curious why a duty round didn't go off, I picked it for examination. It looked like someone went after the rim with some channel locks!

After the qual, I examined the pistol and most of the extractor claw was missing. Keeping an eye on the agent, he loaded up by dropping a round into the chamber, then sending the slide forward.

The agency discourages loading like he did and this is the only P2000 (out of thousands used/examined), with a chipped extractor.

Take it for what it's worth.
 
The agency discourages loading like he did and this is the only P2000 (out of thousands used/examined), with a chipped extractor.

Take it for what it's worth.
Click to expand...

I take it to mean the agency doesn't think its a good practice, and also that its highly likely the users of those thousands of other pistols don't do it.

The fact that you found one gun damaged is proof positive that it can happen, because it did happen. This establishes that the risk is real.

Just out of curiosity, does HK say (in their manual or other information) that loading the chamber and dropping the slide on it is an acceptable practice???

Or is not mentioned??
 
The agent keeps a handful of loose rounds in his pocket to keep up with his loading habit on the firing line? A chipped extractor will cause trouble ejecting. No sign of that? The first round didn't go because the extractor couldn't cam over the rim so that the action was out of battery? There wouldn't be a click, and tap rack boom wouldn't get the round out.

It isn't a big deal doing this occasionally. There is no benefit keep doing it either.

-TL

Sent from my SM-N960U using Tapatalk
 
The HK manual mentions loading and topping off the magazine, but does not mention how not to do it.
The agent keeps a handful of loose rounds in his pocket to keep up with his loading habit on the firing line? A chipped extractor will cause trouble ejecting. No sign of that? The first round didn't go because the extractor couldn't cam over the rim so that the action was out of battery? There wouldn't be a click, and tap rack boom wouldn't get the round out.
Click to expand...
This was a cold qual: run what you got as were in the field. I believe the agent had loaded this same round, in this manner, many many times (judging by the marks on the case rim) and somehow damaged the primer. Even as mangled as the extractor was, it functioned as normal throughout the 72-round qual.
 
Destructo6 said:
The HK manual mentions loading and topping off the magazine, but does not mention how not to do it.

This was a cold qual: run what you got as were in the field. I believe the agent had loaded this same round, in this manner, many many times (judging by the marks on the case rim) and somehow damaged the primer. Even as mangled as the extractor was, it functioned as normal throughout the 72-round qual.
Click to expand...


What was your opinion of the P2000 in terms of durability and reliability based on what you saw?
 
Run what they carry in the field. I suppose the standard kit are all loaded mags and no loose rounds. This particular agent kept this round, which had failed to fire multiple times, and he always loads it first in the chamber when push comes to shove. Perhaps he needs to be talked to about this mind set. He has issue bigger than loading through the ejection port.

-TL

Sent from my SM-N960U using Tapatalk
 
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