Cast&Blast

You guys who carry something with, say, 7 rounds in the magazine, do you feed one into the chamber, then take the mag out and top it off with another round?

tx gun runner

YES .... 99% of the bottom feeders should be done that way . You always pull the slide all the way back and release slide and let it strip 1 from mag . Never hold on to slide and follow the round into chamber and never release a slide if it is not chambering a round .

deputy125

depending on the pistol........

I will top off the mag for say a 1911 7 rounder.........

but i will not for my sig 226 40 cal.... with the slide closed, trying to insert a fully topped off mag requires extra force to make sure it gets seated. one less round in the 226 mag makes seating the mag much easier.

is it a big deal? probably not, but i don't like that much pressure on the magazine latch/release button. One round less at least seems to "feel" like there's less tension.

XLCH

Yes I do with the P97s

gunman42782

Thats how I do my 1911s.

sheepdog

...I do it both ways....jack one in from the mag and top it off, or drop a round into the barrel and let the slide slingshot home on it...I never ease the slide back and forth for any reason....is there any problem with dropping the slide under full spring tension onto a live round from the extractor's point of view??? Never thought it could cause a problem, but I'm here to learn....

kim

I do with my 1911 and my magazines are 8 rounders. Yeah, Sheep, it is hard on the extractor, at least a 1911.


Molon Labe

Kim

sheepdog

...well, I just won't do it no more, then...I'll jack one in and top off the mag...don't want my baby sick!!! Thanks for the instruction!!!

Machinist

When you chamber a round from the magazine the rim slides in under the hook. When you drop the slide on a chambered round the extractor has to snap over the rim, not a natural or intended stress.

As for topping the magazine, I would follow Deputy's always sound wisdom. If the full magazine seats readily, fine. If it has to be slammed then maybe not, especially with a double stack where you are unlikely to miss one round. I top up my single stacks after chambering a round. I might not if I was in a setting where I had to frequently clear and reload the gun, just so I would not have the loose round to deal with. It could be loaded in the magazine for storage. I don't think that would apply here.

44s Rock

I top of my 1911s but never thought is necessary with my Glocks since one doesn't make a big difference when your are working with 14 or 17.

tx gun runner

It is very hard on a gun to let a slide go forward without stripping a round from the mag . The round from mag slows slide speed down and help to cut slide slam and vibration down also .

sheepdog

...slide slam and vibration???? and then we're gonna fire it and get what???

Machinist

Sheepdog, A hard metal to metal slam is more likely to start cracks. The stresses from firing and cycling are more cushioned. When the gun fires the inertia of the slide slows and damps the shock. When the slide slams home on an empty chamber that inertia works against you causing cracks and peening.

Machinist

This is why dry firing can fatigue and crack a firing pin, though it can take a lifetime of hitting primers without harm.

sheepdog

...ok, that makes sense...never considered it before...so what you're saying is that recoil-spring-driven closing of the slide after a shot doesn't let the slide slam home as hard as just slingshotting it home???? seems like it would be the same force altogether...

Machinist

It would be if it slammed home empty. Stripping the cartridge out of the magazine and feeding it into the chamber absorbs energy and dampens the shock. When the magazine is empty, most slides lock back. As with dry firing a certain amount does no harm but a steady diet will loosen things and encourage cracks at stress points.

Machinist

Machinist porn warning!

Any time metal hits metal an energy pulse moves through the metal. This will cause stress cracks at weak points like internal pockets with sharp corners or hard points. This is why steel screws threaded into aluminum will come loose under vibration. As the shock waves move through the aluminum the steel springs back but the aluminum, which is less elastic, does not spring back quite as much, leaving a looser grip. Enough vibration pulses and the screw is no longer torqued and can vibrate out. Re torquing or helicoils are needed to keep things tight.

Any sharp impact will will cause the steel parts to move away from each other a bit, loosening the fit or starting a crack. These pulses can even change the grain structure over time, causing metal fatigue and failure. This is why the skin and structural members of airframes have limited life spans, they fatigue under vibration and stress.

Machinist

This is also why you never hammer a forging except when it is glowing hot. Hammering it cold will weaken and crack it.

sheepdog

...i'm learnin'...thanks...

Machinist

The same thing happens if the recoil spring is too weak for your loads. The slide slams back too hard against the stop and you get shorter life.