Dropping the Slide on the Empty Chamber of a 1911

After getting yet another reprimand for dropping my slide on the empty chamber of my 1911 I decided to get my facts straight. I emailed Wilson Combat and received this response:

"Yes, dropping the slide on an empty chamber will cause the sear to bounce against the hammer hooks and will eventually crack the sear nose and/or hammer hooks. Once either or both have a crack or brake the chances of you pistol going full auto rise quickly. Dropping the slide a few times will not hurt the gun, too many times will. IF you want to let the slide rest against the slide, do so by hand and bring the slide into battery slowly.

Thank you
Nick M."

So, there you have it.. From the horse's mouth (so to speak). If you see me do it again in my videos go ahead and yell at me!

Category:

Howto & Style

Tags:

• 1911
• dropping the slide
• empty chamber
• .45 acp
• limatunes
• limalife

[crayzmoe]

damn im going to try and get my sear nose to crack. i want my gun to shoot like an uzi

[limalife]

@crayzmoe Sure.. if you want a visit from the ATF, a hefty fine and some jail time.. go right ahead.

[aaronscrewme]

"the chances of you pistol going full auto rise quickly." What does that mean? I know it doesn't mean your pistol will turn into an Uzi and re-ventilate your room, but for the life of me I can't figure it out.

[limalife]

@aaronscrewme

@aaronscrewme

That's exactly what we're talking about, if the sear is damaged and the hammer begins to follow the slide it can go full auto.

[ladyfeind]

also thanks for the info :) wilson combat makes imo the finest 1911 next to mr. ed brown that money can buy.

they really are kind of special if thats what wc told you in response to your question i would feel completely confident in taking their advice above all others. thanks for the info and dispelling a myth that is apparently rather common among 1911 users.

[ladyfeind]

virtual slap sent :)

sorry i don't normally virtually batter women but, it stands to reason that your wc is a ton of money be easy with it lady.

i was once given an analogy by a friend of mine that seems to hold some truth.

he said to me if you compared handguns to watches a glock is like a g-shock they are cheap mostly plastic and can take a beating. also if you break it yes it sucks but, buying another won't kill you. a 1911 is like a rolex you wouldn't bang around a rolex would you :)

[HYBRIDCOMBATIVES]

Bullshit.

[G3TGh0sT]

hey a full auto 1911? since when is that a problem? haha I'm kidding I'm sure there is more problems with dropping the slide than that. WHat i don't understand is what kind of steel or metal are they using the build the sear and other critical parts? I thought it bad to drop the slide on an aluminum frame but a steel frame with steel parts? How many drops before the sear cracks? Steel on steel is an even trade. THe slide doenst fall that hard. how many times before it would crack? my guess 1000+

[bigdaddyitalia22]

@Hip48Xn3 some not all its a design thing any pistol with a single action sear design

[bigdaddyitalia22]

so now we should ask about dry fireiing

[XGCScrappy]

WTHey??? If a weapon comes from the factory without a cartridge in the chamber......

I say shenanigans.

The sear, firing pin, and hammer are separate components and actuating the slide will affect none once the sear is set, unless it is either poorly designed or manufactured.

I cannot believe the manufacturer told you it is not good to do dry drills.

[chrisbroxton98311]

Just so you guys know Nick M no longer works at Wilson Combat... I'll let you guess why. ;)

[Hip48Xn3]

is that for all autos or just 1911's?

[sbd45acp]

There is a way to do it and NOT damage the hammer sear engagement.. But you should never post on YouTube. Just keep your finger off trigger & let the slide & bbl move forward slowly into battery. Never pull the trigger unless you are prepared for the gun to fire