What are the big no-no's with 1911 ?

eltorro

eltorro

CGN frequent flyer
Rating - 100%
142   0   0
Location
Out West
I like dryfiring. Some say this is not a good thing with the 1911. I'll wait for your expertise before proceeding.

slamming the slide home without a round stripped from the mag is another big no?

I don't indend to treat this pistol like my issued one :cool:
Please advize a noob about what not to do with his little toy.
 
1. Dry fire away...nothing to be afraid of. If you break the firing pin then buy another, cheap enough.

2. Don't do this. This will ruin any trigger job.
 
As a 1911 tinkerer I can advise not to slam the slide home. I am tempted sometimes as it is cool to slam it home.:D I used to watch Magnum of "Magmun PI" pound in his mag then slam the slide home evey week as a kid! :D
 
Most recent centerfire handguns have controlled feed extractors - the rim of the cartridge will slip up and fit inside while it is being stripped off the magazine.

If you drop a round in the chamber the extractor will have a very hard time getting over it if it is even possible (i.e. Glocks for example).

Now, for AR-15's and shotguns this is ok :)
 
Slamming the slide is better with a round to lend resistance, but when you do this you slowly are rounding the corner of your slide catch. After enough times, it might not engage - hopefully you'll then need just a new slide catch and not to have the slide itself repaired due to a rounded notch.

This is the only real danger - the rest of the mechanism gets MUCH worse treatment when the gun is fired ;)

Occasional dry-firing is OK, but I wouldn't get carried away. un-necessary wear to the components.

the biggest no-no is being ham-fisted when taking out the slide catch and ending up with what I like to call "the idiot scratch" on your frame in front of the left grip.

Those idiots out there who have done this know exactly what I'm talking about, though I doubt any of those people will step up and admit how stupid they are ;)
 
Claven2 said:
the biggest no-no is being ham-fisted when taking out the slide catch and ending up with what I like to call "the idiot scratch" on your frame in front of the left grip.

Those idiots out there who have done this know exactly what I'm talking about, though I doubt any of those people will step up and admit how stupid they are ;)
Click to expand...

You underestimate me.:D Both of my 1911's have worn the idiot scratch. I think it adds charachter.:redface:
 
Dry firing is NOT a good idea without something to cushion the blow. This from personal experience. Extensive dry firing can raise a burr on the firing pin hole at the face of the reciever. I once owned a M1911 that had this condition. Load the mag, point down range, retract the slide and release, BANG. After that it would function normaly, untill the next magazine. finaly sold the gun to a friend who was made aware of the problem. since he was a gunsmith, I assume he took care of it.
AND NO, my finger was NOWHERE NEAR the trigger. In fact I duplicated the malfunction making sure that ALL fingers were wrapped around the grip.
 
Last edited:
one of the big IPSC/IDPA/racegun? guys in the states figured he'd dry fired his various 1911 something like a million times with no related issues (10,000 times a night or something like that)....
 
Have owned more than a few 1911's with 'idiot scratches' from improper assembly/disassembly of the slide release.... never yet been responsible for putting one on a 1911 frame myself, though.

My peeve are the a$$clowns that release the slide on an empty chamber on a 1911 and let it bang forward. I always warn anyone who picks of one of my own 1911's to NEVER do it before it gets to that. When I'm in a gun shop & I see some a$$clown do it I just want to slap them upside the head. But I just point out to them [in a polite manner] the foly of that. I always feel sorry, though, when the 1911 in the store happens to be a "consignment" gun. I'd be right pissed-off if it was my gun & it was being done right in front of me... :mad:

Same thing goes for the a$$hats that whip the crane of a wheelgun shut...
 
how are they (we) supposed to know that?
My knowledge about pistols is not so extensive and I learn something new every day...

Thanks for the info, guys. Any other no-no's with the 1911?
I mean other than storing next to a glock....
 
So, what is the TRUE VERIFIABLE damage that can occur from slamming the slide home without a mag and round in it?

From this thread, you could surmise:
- ruins the trigger job
- rounding the slide catch
- causes slamfires

...and to be honest, I'm not sure I believe any one of these! I'm sure it's not great for the gun, but is it REALLY any worse than when the pistol reloads after each shot? Sure, chambering a round slows the slide a BIT, but is the difference between damage and normal use that close?

Again, I'm not saying you guys are wrong, as I'm sure you have YEARS more experience with semi-autos than me, but I'd like to see some backup of the damage claims... flame suit on....
 
The crane is what the cylinder is attached to...

Guys who hold my 686 always try to spin the cylinder and then flip the gun so the cylinder locks in place... and I always kick them in the nutz.
 
Claven2 said:
=the biggest no-no is being ham-fisted when taking out the slide catch and ending up with what I like to call "the idiot scratch" on your frame in front of the left grip.

Those idiots out there who have done this know exactly what I'm talking about, though I doubt any of those people will step up and admit how stupid they are ;)
Click to expand...

I proudly 'sport' my idiot scratch...I did it to my dad's combat commander and he was so pissed at me...Keeping in mind I was about 12.
 
i have seen MANY guns that have over 50-60k fired shots and over a few hundred dry fired shots without any problems. My personal experience with 1911s are similar...not as many shots but over 10k for sure. Dry fire away. The most you can do is damage the firing pin.


John Sukey said:
Dry firing is NOT a good idea without something to cushion the blow. This from personal experience. Extensive dry firing can raise a burr on the firing pin hole at the face of the reciever. I once owned a M1911 that had this condition. Load the mag, point down range, retract the slide and release, BANG. After that it would function normaly, untill the next magazine. finaly sold the gun to a friend who was made aware of the problem. since he was a gunsmith, I assume he took care of it.
AND NO, my finger was NOWHERE NEAR the trigger. In fact I duplicated the malfunction making sure that ALL fingers were wrapped around the grip.
Click to expand...
 
eltorro said:
I like dryfiring. Some say this is not a good thing with the 1911. I'll wait for your expertise before proceeding.

slamming the slide home without a round stripped from the mag is another big no?

I don't indend to treat this pistol like my issued one :cool:
Please advize a noob about what not to do with his little toy.
Click to expand...
Dry firing is okay. Slamming the slide home on an empty chamber every once in a while won't destroy anything but if you do it a lot, it will accelerate wear as there is no round to cushion the impact when the slide slams against the barrel hood. Dropping the slide on a live round/snap cap is also not a very good idea because doing so wears out the slide catch and the slide catch notch. I prefer the slingshot technique.
 
Guys who hold my 686 always try to spin the cylinder and then flip the gun so the cylinder locks in place... and I always kick them in the nutz.
Click to expand...

Well said. Too many people learn how to handle firearms by watching TV.

Teach the noobs to do things right when you see them doing something wrong. It's the only way that they can learn and it's probably how most of us learned the do's & don'ts.
 
canucklehead said:
So, what is the TRUE VERIFIABLE damage that can occur from slamming the slide home without a mag and round in it?

From this thread, you could surmise:
- ruins the trigger job
- rounding the slide catch
- causes slamfires

...and to be honest, I'm not sure I believe any one of these! I'm sure it's not great for the gun, but is it REALLY any worse than when the pistol reloads after each shot? Sure, chambering a round slows the slide a BIT, but is the difference between damage and normal use that close?

Again, I'm not saying you guys are wrong, as I'm sure you have YEARS more experience with semi-autos than me, but I'd like to see some backup of the damage claims... flame suit on....
Click to expand...

Maybe Gunnar [aka 7x61] from Armco will jump on this one since he's a 1911 guru...

And to go further, a friend of mine purchased a nice custom Colt 1911 in 10mm from Armco and was cautioned above all not to drop the slide on an empty chamber for it would undoubtedly destroy the trigger job... ;)
 
Last edited:
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top Bottom