slide dropping when mag inserted

J

jhisaac

New member
I've been wondering about this for a little bit. I was talking to a guy at work about a 1911 I looked at with an extended slide release. He said that I shouldn't need it because the slide will drop when I put the magazine in. I hadn't heard of this before but didn't make a fuss.

So, a week or so later I'm shooting an IPSC club match (with my S&W 410) and darned if my slide didn't drop when I popped a mag in during a COF. It caught me by surprise, I went "whoa" and went on with the COF. Afterwords the RO told me that sometimes that happens since he caught my surprise during the run.

Am I the only one who didn't know that the slide will (sometimes) drop when you put in a mag with enough force? How often does it happen to you guys? Should I be expecting it to happen? Should I be concerned that it happened. Does it mean my slide lock is wearing? The gun only has 1000-1500 rounds through it.

What are your thoughts?

Jason
jhisaac
 
Jason: I have been having the same issue with my Makarov. A few times at the range last week I noticed the slide would drop after a mag was seated. Not every time, only about one in eight times maybe.

I called Makarov.com and asked them about it. The guy there told me that the slide stop is probably getting worn and it would be a very easy piece to replace myself.

The thing I wanted to mention however, was that last week during competitive shooting, I seated a mag for a reload and the slide dropped automatically. Being under clock pressure, I automatically racked the slide because that is how I always do it. (I try to do EXACTLY the same things every time I shoot) Well, needless to say, once the slide had dropped on its own and I racked it, I ejected a live round and didn't have enough to shoot the rest of that stage with. Pissed me off good.

I would prefer that it not do it on its own, so I will be replacing the slide stop sooner than later probably.

Shoeless
 
You can get just about any autoloader to do it if you slam the mag in hard enough. There's a lot of debate about whether it is a "good thing" or a "bad thing". Certainly some pistols do it more easily than others, and having a worn slide-stop will make it more prone to releasing.

Just be aware that it can happen, and practice those firearms safety rules.
 
My Taurus PT-140 has been doing this since I bought it. The Berettas at my unit also do it. I did some informal research to find out why pistols with many thousands of rounds through them and a brand new weapon would exhibit the same problem and this is what I found out:

If your weapon is old(er) it is likely that the slide stop is worn. This is even MORE likely if you drop your slide by hitting the slide stop instead of tugging the slide back a fraction of an inch and letting it go. Puching the slid stop down wear both on the slide and and your slide, and can round either (or both) off, which means you'll also start having the pistol not lock back on a dry mag.

As to why the new weapon was doing it, it turned out to be an issue of the interaction between the mag spring, the slide stop spring, and the recoil spring. If the recoil spring doesn't push the slide hard enough against the slide stop, it can drop on a forceful reload.

Of course, it can be a combination of any of these factors. YMMV.

My armorer said it wasn't mechnically unsafe, but it can surprise you at a bad moment if you're not expecting it...

-Teuf
 
My glock 26 does it sometimes, the 17 doesn't. If I want to make sure it doesn't happen I raise the muzzle slightly while inserting the magazine, which seems to provide just enough resistance so it the slide doesn't go forward.
 
It has never happened to me.

As far as I know, no gun is designed to do that, so if it happens, it should be considered a mechanical problem.

If you like it, I guess its ok, but it isnt the way it is supposed to be.
 
i hadn't really noticed it until it was brought up recently on the beretta-l. had to try it out when i got home. lo and behold...yup, the only auto loader i can't get to go is my hk p7.

looks like a matter of the mag slamming home and jarring the gun enough to jump off the slide release (rather than jarring the slide stop!!)

i normally don't bang my mags in at the beginning of a string of fire (i sorta baby my pistols) and usually reload before running dry during training.

however, if the string of fire (during qualifications) happens to run the gun dry (they try to do this every now and then to gauge reactions)

1. i bang the mag in with the heel of my off hand
2. reaquire my shooting grip
3. hit the slide release with the off thumb

sometimes the slide falls (before release) and sometimes it doesn't, so i always train to hit the release...avoids popping out a live round ;)
 
This would happen with a range rental USP 9mm. When I slammed the magazine in and hit it more towards the rear of the grip, the slide would drop. When I inserted the mag with pressure towards the front of the grip, the slide would stay put.
Since several folks have mentioned slide release wear, I suppose this was the cause considering the abuse range guns get.
 
Full size USP9 and USP40 pistols do this. The manual speaks to this, and I love it. USP45 full size does not, nor do the compact models.

I've seen quite a few Glocks and SIGs do it, too.
 
I have a Bersa Thunder .380 that did it about 1 in 5 magazines...it REALLY bothered me at first...enough to go back to the gun store that I bought it from and was told by the genius behind the counter that it was made that way! I called the distributor and told them about the situation and they informed me that it WAS NOT made to do this...they sent me the wrong slide stop to fix it...anyway...i'm aware of the problem so now I just nudge the mag in and problem solved.
Tony.
 
I believe the H & K USP series manuals say that slide drop may occur if the magazine is inserted with enough force. I don't think it's due to the polymer frame, as I haven't heared this happening with Glocks.
 
My old beat up, (but reliable and accurate!), Firestar .40 does the same thing. Personally, since I know the gun is going to do it, I find it rather handy. One less step in the reloading process.:)
 
Johnwill:

"The Mauser 1910, 1914, 1934, and the HSc all do that by design."

Not familiar, at all, with any of the above, but thanks for the info.

What in the heck is HSc?
 
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