Just got my new SA 1911(loaded model) full size and i was wondering how much of releasing the slide on an empty chamber does it take before things start to break up? i'm just wondering since i have accidentally done so a few times.
thanks.

No problem, think about the punishment it can take from firing thousands of rounds of .45 ACP.

Just try not to drop the hammer on the frame with the slide removed.

It beats the crap out of the sear/hammer engagement surface, which on a 1911 with a good trigger can actually cause a problem.

So with your stock crappy SA trigger, you should be fine. Just don't make a habit of it.

The thousands of rounds fired by a 1911 without punishement are because the act of stripping a round from the magazine cushions the impact and is part of the original design concept. Letting the slide slam shut on an empty chamber is a bad thing.

It can always be fixed. So play with your new gun, get to know it, familiarize yourself with it and worry about little stuff like that later.

need to stop. Not good for sear, etc.

Would you trust a weapon that was routinely abused?

Like DavidC said it's not good for the sear/hammer engaugement surfaces and some believe it's not good for the frame, myself included.

A few times isn't going to break anything (I hope) but continueing the practice may very well do so.



Oh..........and........
CONGRATS ON THE NEW 1911 ! ! !

The thousands of rounds fired by a 1911 without punishement are because the act of stripping a round from the magazine cushions the impact and is part of the original design concept. Letting the slide slam shut on an empty chamber is a bad thing.

That's what i thought.Well hopefully i didn't ruin anything by doing so maybe 3 times since i got it,thanks guys.

Quoted: Letting the slide slam shut on an empty chamber is a bad thing.

What he said. My best buddy worked for Randall from day one until they closed. He wound up in the .45 pistol shop of my former employer. Ironically, the pistol shop is led by another victim of a failed .45 shop, Detonics. Anyway, he demonstrated this early on in our aquaintance by showing me, through a loupe, the damage caused.

Same thing goes for dropping the slide with a round in the chamber. The extractor wasn't designed to snap OVER the rim of the case. Add to that the lack of "cushioning" DavidC mentioned and you're adding a lot of wear and tear to the piece.

Sorry, but: "Uh--duh?" The OWNERS MANUAL that came with my 1911A1-which covers the full-size models, TRP Operator model, V-12, V-16 and Long Slide models, Micro Compact, Ultra Compact, V-10, Compact and Champion CLEARLY states on page 20 under "Unloading":
"NOTICE: The slide of a 1911-A1 pistol should never be relased on an empty chamber; especially one which has had an action job. Releasing the slide on an empty chamber causes damage to the breech face on the barrel and undue stress on all action parts, including the hammer and sear. This will ruin the action job performed on your pistol."
Reading the directions sometimes helps. I paid what I consider a lot of money for my "bottom of the line" SA. I'd pay even more attention to the directions if I paid more. "Accidently, a few times" might be alright, but you have a fine piece of machinery-treat it so. Good luck and enjoy!

If you want to practice without live rounds get some snap caps.They are dummy bullets made especialy for you to dry fire and operate your guns. They come in a bunch of calibers.Cabelas, sportsmansguide and some other places sell them.
Dont let the slide slam on an empty chamber.