DON'T Do This To Your Guns

Wilson wrote in his first book that a person who dropped the slide on a gun in his shop was immediately Persona Non Grata. Here we just say it is the mark of an uncorrected beginner. After corrected if seen doing it again he is then and will forever be "one hard headed asshole".
 
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From dropping the slide on an empty chamber to flipping your revolver cylinder shut, these are some things you never want to do to a handgun.


If I can’t flip the cylinder shut on my revolvers, what’s the point of having them? :(
 
Will admit, I didn’t know that. Thanks for posting. Never did the revolver thing though.
 
Dropping a Glock slide on an empty chamber has zero ill effect on them, the only thing I’ve ever been told by a Glock factory armorer is to not drop a round into the chamber and then drop the slide onto the round because it isn’t good for the extractor.

I don’t do it to other people’s firearms simply because it is imo bad form.
 
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Please. I drop my slides all the time. Empty, loaded, I don't care. If it breaks it's because it was a bad design. You can't hurt the extractor on a glock doing it either. It's designed to spring out and ramp over the rim. That's the purpose of the extractor shape. Now you gents with your antiquated single stacks may have concerns but not me.
 
Now you gents OLD MEN with your antiquated single stacks OLD MEN's GUNS (henceforth referred to as "JMB's gift to mankind") may have concerns but not me.

Might as well call it what it is.

I carry a Block, but put WAY more rounds through JMB's wonderful creations.
 
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From dropping the slide on an empty chamber to flipping your revolver cylinder shut, these are some things you never want to do to a handgun.



Your subject should be "don't do this to a 1911 and a revolver". Anyone who dry fires a striker gun does this thousands of times. I try to dry fire every night with whatever i'm shooting the most, currently the P365. If your gun breaks because you use it you probably need a new gun.
 
Your subject should be "don't do this to a 1911 and a revolver". Anyone who dry fires a striker gun does this thousands of times. I try to dry fire every night with whatever i'm shooting the most, currently the P365. If your gun breaks because you use it you probably need a new gun.
Why would you drop a slide on an empty chamber in dry fire?

Serious question.
 
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Reset the trigger?


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I dry fire striker fire guns (well...sometimes). I pull the slide back just far enough to reset, which is not far at all on a Block.
 
I have never cleaned the last pistol I bought. I'm guessing 8-1000 rds so far. If it starts having issues I will clean it. I don't thumb release slides of empty guns though.
 
Good video, it just reiterates many things ive heard before. I think tuner said releasing the slide while empty was a nono. It makes sense to me. That was something I was guilty of for a while.
 
DON'T Do This To Your Guns....


And I thought the answer simply was "Don't give them up!" Who knew?
 
I remember people doing the “dropping the slide” thing when I worked the shop. They were asked to not do that again and yes it makes you look like someone who has never seen a gun before.
 
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Plenty of people with long thumbs drop their slide on an empty chamber every single time they empty a magazine. Because their thumb rests on the slide-release and they never get slide-lock on an empty mag. I’ve been doing it for decades.

Poor grip.
Pretty easy to correct.
 
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Possibly true. Doesn’t change my position that dropping the wiled on an empty-chamber 1911 with the trigger pulled is completely harmless.
If Bill Wilson, Ken Hackathorn, Amp Mangum, and somebody upthread said John Travis also says it's no bueno, you might give it a listen.

There is no functional reason that I can imagine when properly loading, shooting, reloading, unloading, cleaning, dry firing, etc. to need to drop the slide on an empty chamber.

Although, it's your gun.

Edit: on a 1911 empty chamber
 
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Keeping the trigger pulled back to protect the sear is what lead to my one and only negligent/accidental discharge. At the time some even recomended to hold the trigger back when chambering a round. This prevented a delicate tuned sear engagement from getting battered. Tried it once and almost lost an elbow when the round discharged. My weak hand was burned in the middle of the palm from ejection port gases and bleeding from the front sight blade raking across it, leaving a well defined 1/8th inch groove. Did Immention it hurt like hell?

Letting the slide drop on an empty chamber is likely to batter the slide stop/barrel lug engagement on a finely tuned 1911. This is an accuracy modification area.
 
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Why would you drop a slide on an empty chamber in dry fire?

Serious question.
I did it when I was practicing reloads.
Eventually got some snap caps just cause.
And that was a sub for the dummy rounds I wanted for the weight.
But I have sent that slide home hundreds if not thousands of times on an empty chamber. Didn't think it was a issue. Fingers crossed.
 
Practicing mag changes
I run dummy rounds for that, so in full disclosure I don't think I'd even tried that.
It didn't even occur to me that I could drop the slide on an empty mag.
Always learning. Old dog and all that. lol
I still won't on my 1911's.
 
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Good video, it just reiterates many things ive heard before. I think tuner said releasing the slide while empty was a nono. It makes sense to me. That was something I was guilty of for a while.

Speaking of 1911Tuner... is he still alive and well?
 
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I dry fire striker fire guns (well...sometimes). I pull the slide back just far enough to reset, which is not far at all on a Block.

Well you can practice how you want, but people tend to do what they train to do when put under stress. My advice would be to use dry fire practice as practice for what you really need to do. So depending on the drill, it is a multi step process. The practice you describe is for a proper trigger reset and press. While i think this can be taught with lots of practice, when shooting fast for defensive situations you are not going to feel the nice slow response of a reset. What you can do is train the brain to only release the finger so far for faster shots. To get this good under stress with that particular trigger you will need to move from dry firing"...sometimes" to hundreds/thousands per week. Most people don't do that. But remember your reps should be good reps and they should mimic what you do for real. It sounds like you may be like me and shoot different guns. If that is the case i would come up with drills that are the same regardless of the pistol you pick up. My two cents on it.
 
Speaking of 1911Tuner... is he still alive and well?

He is, I see him post on Facebook at times. He just doesn't frequent forums much. Too many people who desire argument over discussion. Ive been on both sides of it with him, so I don't blame him.
 
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