Racking or slamming an empty 1911 slide

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dennishoddy

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Just watched a Dan Wesson commercial on the hunting channel. Danged if the guy that just built the pistol didn't slam the slide shut using the slide lock. Nah, they don't know anything there.
 

RickN

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Guys I think it comes down to this, if it is a prissy, target, only used at the range in good weather conditions and stored in a fussy gun rug 1911, ease the slide down.

If a combat, drop in the mud, piss on it to clean, fired in all weather conditions, manly 1911, let it fly.

If Glock gets around to making a 1911, give it a binkie and tuck it in.
 

EKing

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Don't do it. Also, would you mind sharing where this was the guy was doing this? I don't want to be shopping there either.

This is the language I was talking about. I don't know the person or what gun store the earlier post was about. The part that gets me fired up is when a person publicly advocates for the implied boycott of a business based off of a feeling that an employee is maybe doing something wrong.

I've politely and respectfully tried twice now to simply state my position. My position, based off of my training and experience, is that this practice is in no way detrimental to the safe functioning or to the lifespan of a properly made gun. The very high dollar 1911s have contact engagement surfaces that are measured in the 10 thousandths of an inch or smaller. These safe queens are also (usually) fitted with properly heat treated parts that will rub and bounce against each other many thousands of times without measurable wear. The problems arise when parts are filed and stoned too much in the race to produce that crisp 1-2lb pull, and in the process all of the hardened steel on the surface is removed. Or worse, the engagement surface's contact angle is changed. What's left is soft steel that will grind itself down to an unsafe or non-working state.

Let's get to the two links you provided.
In the first, his opinion is that letting the slide forward on an empty chamber can allow the hammer to follow. He goes right by the fact that if your hammer follows the slide, you have other issues going on that have nothing to do with sending the slide forward on an empty chamber.
In the second, his opinion is that the jarring effect of the slide going forward is "slowed considerably" and this reduced jarring reduces the chances of potential damage. No evidence is submitted, just a feeling that it might be bad.

Neither of these gentlemen have provided examples of guns that have failed and that this failure is directly a result of letting the slide go forward on an empty chamber.
I'm sure you could quickly find many more self proclaimed experts who would parrot this seemingly popular idea. The general consensus among these "experts" is that it might/maybe/possibly/could/we-can't-demonstrate-it-but-just-trust-us-it's-bad. Of course no "expert" opinion is complete without a preemptive insult to anyone who may dare to disagree; "It is the sign of an amateur 1911 handler." (first reference)
Like I said, do what you want with your own guns, I don't care. If you want to hold that opinion, that's your right. I will never get upset over opinions or even technical discussions. Everyone here can teach me something and I want to learn. It's when discussions get personal that irk me.

Now back to the guy in the gun shop in OKC.
When you wrote "I don't want to be shopping there either" you effectively endorsed a boycott. When you publicly endorse, even tacitly, the boycott of a business based on something as flimsy as a guy letting the slide go forward on an empty chamber, you are no longer merely discussing a topic. You are messing with someone's business, someone's job, someone's livelihood simply because your opinion has been challenged. That's where you crossed the line. The other gentleman at least had the decency to use PM; you tried to publicly out someone.
As a Moderator/Staff Member, you have a higher level of influence and an increased responsibility to get it right. Your influence is probably greater than you realize; people are reading what you write and taking it to heart.
 

druryj

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Man, you are reading way too much into this.
So, if you want to discuss; discuss. If you want to argue; I’m not interested.

I tend to listen to the “opinions” of well known people like Hilton Yam when it comes to the 1911. But hey, it’s all good. Slam that slide to your heart’s content. It probably won’t hurt your gun, granted. But it could. So why run the chance? I was always taught it was a bad practice; and that's all I have to say about that.

Have a nice day.


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druryj

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I need to say that I re-read Eking’s first post here as he seems pretty adamant that allowing the slide to slam home on an empty chamber won’t hurt a 1911. I disagreed and posted a link from Hilton Yam, a noted gunsmith and founder of 10-8 that says otherwise. But Eking in his intro told us he is also a gunsmith school grad. So he DOES have expertise in this subject and thus, here we have different opinions, both from gunsmiths. Mine, on the other hand, comes from being taught not to do it in my USMC training. Perhaps that is way out of date though as I have been retired from the Corps for many years. I’d like to know what is being taught in more recent years just for the sake of knowing.

I imagine we could search and find more ‘smiths on both sides of the discussion. Some say don’t do it; some say it is okay. Choices are always yours to make. It has been an interesting discussion.






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Aries

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FWIW, I watched the video with Ken Hackathorn and Bill Wilson a while back, and I kind of took it that they were talking about the Wilson and other tuned/customized 1911's in particular. I don't have a 1911, but I stopped doing it on all my semi-autos after watching it, just because I don't need to do it, and if there's potential harm I don't want to.
 

Snattlerake

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I need to say that I re-read Eking’s first post here as he seems pretty adamant that allowing the slide to slam home on an empty chamber won’t hurt a 1911. I disagreed and posted a link from Hilton Yam, a noted gunsmith and founder of 10-8 that says otherwise. But Eking in his intro told us he is also a gunsmith school grad. So he DOES have expertise in this subject and thus, here we have different opinions, both from gunsmiths. Mine, on the other hand, comes from being taught not to do it in my USMC training. Perhaps that is way out of date though as I have been retired from the Corps for many years. I’d like to know what is being taught in more recent years just for the sake of knowing.

I imagine we could search and find more ‘smiths on both sides of the discussion. Some say don’t do it; some say it is okay. Choices are always yours to make. It has been an interesting discussion.
I admire a man that will readdress an issue and is willing to explain himself further. I don't know when you were trained in USMC. I was Army trained in 76 through 79. Never once had they made me let the slide back easy on old slab sides. Of course while I was qualifying with a Singer manufactured 1911 the front sight fell off. By the way, they ALL had the idiot scratch, deep.
 

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