I’ve told people for years that slamming an auto pistol’s slide closed on an empty chamber is abusive to the gun, and particularly so with the popular 1911 pistol. Over on the Wilson Combat channel, Bill Wilson and Ken Hackathorn have said the same. Ain’t too many folks know more about 1911s than those two experts. Some of their gunsmith staff have concurred. Yet I still see idiots on the internet not only slamming slides closed on empty chambers, but endorsing the practice. I guess they think it looks dramatic.
Nelson Ford has been a gunsmith for 45 years. He has an excellent series of tutorial videos on YouTube.
He agrees with us too, as you’ll see in a discussion that begins just before the four minute mark, here:
Lots of other good insights in the rest of that particular video, too.
Very detailed explanation from an expert, not just internet clickbait. Didn’t know that about Springfield 1911s.
I think it’s akin to dry-firing a compound bow (or any type of bow, really), which is why I definitely don’t do it.
I’m always up for being taught useful stuff by experts in any trade, so thanks for the link! 🙂
This was my thought exactly.
You don’t dry fire bows — particularly compound bows, but it applies to straight-limb bows, too — because the bow’s release needs the resistance of the arrow’s mass in order to be done safely. The mass of the arrow absorbs a significant amount of the kinetic energy and slightly slows the release. Without that resistance, the full force of the bow’s release must be absorbed by the string and the limbs, which also “snaps” back much faster (read: with even more force) than it would with an arrow.
On any bow, but especially “fast” bows with high draw weights, a dry fire could snap a limb or the string. Neither is good news to the person holding the bow or anyone standing nearby.
Off topic, but I stumbled over something I thought would interest readers here. (Slap me if I’m out of line.)
This miscellany column from TexasMonthly August 1973 includes an interview with “THE MAN WHO KILLED BONNIE AND CLYDE”. The last surviving one, anyway, Ted Hinton by name. (Scroll down past the piece about the purported UFO crash site.)
That was a good read. Thanks for sharing.
Hmmmmmmm. I never did hear a direct answer other than maybe not? What about the modern 9MM DAO that everyone sells (Glock)? Secondly, the spring theory was a little flawed. He did a GO, NO-GO test, where 10 worked, but 8 didn’t. Did 9 1/2 work? VERY knowledgeable but couldn’t really give direct answers.
I’m glad you posted this. I guess I’m getting old and grumpy, but when I saw the reaction videos to your original video, it just really hacked me off. I grew up in an era that saw people who were rude, ugly, mocking and disrespectful get called out to their face, or maybe even occasionally get popped in the mouth. But in this “enlightened” era, people feel free to be as nasty as they want, with zero consequences. Probably one of the worst consequences of the Internet age
There is a certain amount of drama to racking/handling firearms with rapid force. Slamming the slide on an empty-chambered semi-automatic pistol, flicking the cylinder of a revolver closed like some detective in an old “B-Grade” noir movie, slamming the bolt home on automatic weapons, etc., all look “cool” on film.
Like so much of what Hollywood shows on the silver-screen, doing such things in the real world is abusive. Just as it is foolish to try to emulate the “stunts” performed on a movie set, it is equally fooling to take your firearms training from what you see in a movie.
Unfortunately, some people cannot really differentiate between the movie fantasy World and the real world. One should keep in mind that what one sees on the TV screen, whether in a movie, or wrestling, or (for that matter) the nightly news, is too often pure spin and fantasy.
If you want to know how to handle firearms, in the “real” World, then invest in “real” training. You won’t learn anything of value from Hollywood!
Sure Mas, now you tell after i’d done it about half a million times. Should i just take that Officers model Colt and bury it in the back yard? Wonder what other stupid stuff I’ve done?
I recall being chastised by a couple of IDPA ROs (consider the source) for NOT letting my slide slam home after showing clear. One asked me why I didn’t and was quite interested in why I didn’t. Rule Nazis who don’t actually know the rules are a major pain.
Once upon a time a test was done on a 1911 .45. The G load on the slide in full recoil position with ball was 800 Gs. The G load going into battery while stripping a round was 850 Gs. Referring to the tech in the video, if half the spring (standard 16 lb) tension is required to strip and feed the round, the affect of not stripping a round is looking truly large.
That was VERY interesting information on Springfield barrels. I’ll take my barrels one piece, thank you very much. Back in the early days of comp guns, I discovered a certain brand of aftermarket barrel was also sleeved. The comp I designed was apparently effective enough to start pulling the barrel tube out of the chamber sleeve. No, the manufacturer didn’t stand behind it. I ate that barrel and my machine work & fitting.
I’m also reminded of my days in USAF Security Forces (aka Security Police) whereupon we were taught to slam the bolt forward on the empty chamber of the M16A2 at the clearing barrel. WTF seriously?!?!