Out-of-Battery Safety
- Thread starter Caseless
- Start date
Can't answer on the Kahr and Kel-TEc.
But yes, it is a good idea to have one on the pistol. If your pistol were out of battery, due to limp-wristing, obstruction, or other cause, it could prevent a bunch of hot gasses on your face. The bullet only moves because when the primer is struck a bit of solid is very quickly converted to gasses - a small explosion. Thoses gasses want to exit somewhere, but there is no other viable exit, so it moves the bullet. I am comfortable with this on a working gun, but only a working gun.
If there is another, easier, way out, the gasses will take it. In this case, it is the open chamber caused by the slide being out of battery. So you may end up with a face full of gasses than in a sealed chamber are about 40000 psi for a 9 mm.
But yes, it is a good idea to have one on the pistol. If your pistol were out of battery, due to limp-wristing, obstruction, or other cause, it could prevent a bunch of hot gasses on your face. The bullet only moves because when the primer is struck a bit of solid is very quickly converted to gasses - a small explosion. Thoses gasses want to exit somewhere, but there is no other viable exit, so it moves the bullet. I am comfortable with this on a working gun, but only a working gun.
If there is another, easier, way out, the gasses will take it. In this case, it is the open chamber caused by the slide being out of battery. So you may end up with a face full of gasses than in a sealed chamber are about 40000 psi for a 9 mm.
Mike Irwin
Staff
I think pretty much every semi-auto made today has some sort of disconnecter, which really functions as a bar against firing out-of-battery.
If the slide's not far enough home, the disconnecter is, well, disconnected.
If the slide's not far enough home, the disconnecter is, well, disconnected.
Even blowback pistols have some sort of device to prevent out of battery firing but it is essential in a locked breech pistol where higher pressures are involved. An out of battery discharge with a 9mm, .40 or .45 will almost always wreck the pistol and often injure the shooter.
Due to the nature of pistol shooting, serious injury almost never results, but firing unlocked with some rifles could result in serious injury or death to the shooter.
FWIW, I have heard of out of battery firing with Glocks, so I spend several hours with three Glocks trying to create that condition, with no success. I can't say that some defect in an individual pistol could not allow a Glock (or any other pistol) to fire out of battery, but it does not seem to be a design problem.
Jim
Due to the nature of pistol shooting, serious injury almost never results, but firing unlocked with some rifles could result in serious injury or death to the shooter.
FWIW, I have heard of out of battery firing with Glocks, so I spend several hours with three Glocks trying to create that condition, with no success. I can't say that some defect in an individual pistol could not allow a Glock (or any other pistol) to fire out of battery, but it does not seem to be a design problem.
Jim