Posted: 7/21/2006 10:11:26 AM EDT
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Hi, I'm new to guns and I just bought a Bersa Thunder .380. I was told it used to be owned by Sean Connery but then I found out it was actually owned by Timothy Dalton. (My first gun joke!) Anyways, my question is this. When I put a magazine in and smack the bottom of it the slide snaps into place and chambers a bullet even though I didn't touch the slide release. Is it supposed to do this? When the magazine is empty and I try this it will not snap into place automatically no matter how hard it smack it in. Are pistols supposed to do this? Thanks. |
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I am not familiar with the Bersa, so I cannot comment on that gun. However, I have yet to find a semi auto pistol that would behave as you described that was not malfunctioning. From your description I would suspect that the slide release is worn or was not made properly to begin with. ETA: A bullet is a component of a cartridge. A bullet is the portion of a cartridge that is projected from the gun when it is fired. There are 4 components of a metalic ammunition cartridge. Bullet, Powder, Prime, and case. Refering to a cartridge, also called a round, as a bullet is like refering to your car as a motor. |
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Banging the magazine in is NOT good. On most guns, this can damage the magazine, either the feed lips or the magazine base. On some guns, this can damage the gun itself. All you need to do is push the magazine in briskly, but not hammer it home. Many pistols can release the slide if the magazine is rammed home. What's happening is, the force is causing the slide stop to "jar off" and allow the slide to close. Then too, as above, a worn slide stop can allow this to happen. There were a few guns that were designed to close the slide when a magazine is inserted. The Mauser HSc has a slide stop design that does. The Bersa should remain locked back until you release it, UNLESS the stop is worn, or the force is jarring it off. The "fix" is: Stop hammering the magazine in. |