Hey there,
I was at the local gun shop/indoor range. I was looking at a few Sig's and Beretta's. The first Sig I looked at He pulled the slide back and and handed it to me. I asked if I could release the slide forward and he said " just let it down slow" Now I have had handguns all different models for years now but have never heard of this before. Does it harm the gun to let the slide down with the catch unloaded? or does this dude not know what he's talking about?

Think of it this way; you're handling a firearm that hasn't been sold, [i]yet[/i].  Most likely, he just wants to keep the gun in mint condition for the guy that actually wants to buy it.

It won't hurt if done infrequently, but most people prefer having the slide "ridden" down onto an empty chamber when other people are handling the gun (or it hasn't been sold yet.)  When it's a privatley owned firearm, cahances are the owner will let the slide down easily onto an empty hole as well.

There is a certain amount of bashing that goes on when the slide is dropped onto an empty hold, so letting it down is a little less stress on a firearm - even a well-made one! - and is also polite to the owner.

Another little factoid - when you drop the slide to load a round, it is good form to have the muzzle upwards.  Most pistols do not have springs IN FRONT OF the firing pin (a "floating" firing pin") and having the muzzle upwards will help prevent impact on the primer.  This is especially true of sidearms originally designed for military use (1911/1991, BHP, Meretta 92, Glock series, etc.)  These firearms are designed to be used with a thicker primer cup, as used in GI ammo.  Civilian ammo uses a thinner layer of metal for the primer cup, which can lead to the well-known "slamfire" - close to a true AD (still preventable commonly, tho.)

Anyhow, unless you are told otherwise, when handling someone else's sidearm it is polite and usually appreciated to let the slide down easy.  Consider this in the same league as passing it back locked open, and if you want to feel the slide drop freely, be sure to ask first.  Ditto when wanting to try a dry fire - either they will provide a snap cap or allow ONE trial.

FFZ

I'm not so sure about that.
I know that the Beretta 92 has a firing pin  block (Glocks, HKs and series 80 1911s do too) and the pin will only be unlocked by the final movement of the trigger.  

it all sounds fishy to me

i would chalk it up to the guy being a [clown]

Its just slide etiquette

You would never want to slam home a slide on an empty chamber.  The gov model guys with special trigger jobs know this.  It also applies to snapping certain revolvers w/o a snap cap also.

Springfield 1911 manual says not to do it.



Agreed.

True - but "Muzzle Up" is still good form (I had forgotten for the moment about all the firing pin blocks!)

However, it is an old habit, and therefore hard to break.  Not that I want to, of course...

FFZ

So, if you point it upwards and it does happen to slam fire it goes *somewhere* or through the roof of the stall or through the ceiling (indoor range)?

I'll keep pointing mine downward thanks...

The slingshot method is the most recommended for reloads, and riding the slide is done to minimize stress on the gun when not necessary.

This is mostly just one of those things people that think they know a lot about guns (ie; guys behind the counters at the gun stores), emphasize and freak out over because they believe it lends them an air of credibility - However...

That super-sweet $185 trigger job on you're hi-precision match 1911 won't last long if you allow the slide to slam home on it's own UNLESS you are holding the trigger back and thus keeping the sear from getting bashed about internally.

On the range with the pistols I own, just out of habit, after unloading and double checking they're clear, I usually reach under the frame and pinch the slide between my off hand thumb and first two fingers while hitting the slide release.  The slide closes at about half speed.

When I'm cleaning or working on them though, I think nothing of allowing the slide to close on it's own empty chamber at full speed.

When I'm looking at somone else's pistol though, I treat it with the respect I think they'd appreciate and ALWAYS ride the slide down gently.  So I guess that means I'm a hypocrite.

I too, must disagree.

Striker fired pistols such as Glocks, Kahr’s, Lugers, etc. either partially or fully cock the striker when the slide is cycled, so there is no way the firing pin part of the striker can touch the primer during feeding.

Hammer fired pistols such as 1911’s, Browning HP’s, Beretta 92’s, etc. have inertial firing pins with rebound springs.  

The inertial firing pin is shorter than the tunnel it’s in, so that if the hammer is lowered on it, it cannot move all the way forward and rest against the primer.  The rebound spring is needed to keep the firing pin to the rear where the hammer can hit it.

Further, most pistols are controlled feed designs.  A projecting firing pin tip during feeding could cause a jam; the rebound spring prevents this.  (This is not an issue with push feed designs such as AR’s.)

Granted, there probably are some older pistol designs with free-floating firing pins.  What you’re saying may have been true in the past.

Anytime a round is chambered in a pistol, the pistol should be pointed in the safest possible direction (except maybe in a blazing gunfight).  That direction, for me at least, is generally downward.

Original topic:  Letting a slide slam forward without feeding a round can bang things up a bit.  Generally, I doubt it’s a great problem, but, as P806 says, it’s a well-established way to ruin a custom trigger job on a 1911.

M4_ Aiming_at_U:  Don’t know if you noticed, but I posted some OV-10 photos in the other thread.

Heh, this is funny.

I had this situation the other day at my home.

A friend came over the other day.

I give him my USP, it has an empty mag of course, so when he racks slide back it locks.

The drops slide catch and slide comes racking forward.

I tell him to not do that again.

He tells me he's own guns before and it's OK.

I tell him I realize the weapons OK being a HK and all[8D], but it's more of a "manner" to me then anything.

He rolls his eyes but after a few minutes of arguing, he finally see's my point.

In your case, to me it's Manners and the fact that it's an unpurchased weapon so the dealer wants to be as easy on the weapon as possible.

Hey, I respect the dealers choice.

I guess I see your points. I was just concerned on harming the gun for the most part.

199: Thanks for the pics,I'll have to check them out tomorrow at work,this 56k modem at home just cant hack loading 8 pages of graphics =o(