Left round in, others done this?

[TomH]

I can't even count through 10 rounds effectively. You'd think that would be easy, but almost every time I have no idea how many I put through after 2-3 rounds. I realized this at appleseed, because you have to switch targets after a certain number of rounds. It turned out to be a huge problem! Must be a defect in my brain.

 

[william_munny]

A couple things I do to make sure that everything's safe are 1) I never load a magazine into a gun that does not have the slide locked back - I always load the gun by inserting a magazine, and then pressing the slide-release lever to chamber the first round, and 2) before putting the gun away, I always clear it and put a snap cap in the chamber, then load an empty magazine. If anyone feels this practice is less-than-optimal, please let me know.

As a side question: can decocker's fail, ie: discharge a chambered round when you use the decocking lever? When I load my gun for carry, I always drop a round in the chamber, disengange the hammer with the decocking lever, and then load a full magazine. I always make sure that it's pointed in a safe direction, but I don't wanna freak my neighbors out either. Any input would be much appreciated.

 

[cekim]

As a side question: can decocker's fail, ie: discharge a chambered round when you use the decocking lever? When I load my gun for carry, I always drop a round in the chamber, disengange the hammer with the decocking lever, and then load a full magazine. I always make sure that it's pointed in a safe direction, but I don't wanna freak my neighbors out either. Any input would be much appreciated.

Depends on the gun, both design and condition as to how possible this might be...

From the guns that I have in front of me, the 92FS and P22 actually turn up a physical block between the hammer and pin. So, unless they are damaged/loose, there is no contact between the pin and hammer...

The Sig226 is a bit of a different story - it stops the hammer short further down. So, as I mentioned, if you pull the decocking lever down. Then (while holding it) depress the trigger - you will get a full-force hammer blow on the pin if you let the decocking lever go rapidly... With the trigger not pressed, the decocker stops the hammer short of the pin, but there isn't anything physically obstructing the hammer/pin interface...

With any gun, if the firing pin is damaged such that it is protruding, any good/rapid/hard whack to the gun could potentially push it hard enough into the primer...

So, yes and no... YMMV as always...

 

[jar]

A couple things I do to make sure that everything's safe are 1) I never load a magazine into a gun that does not have the slide locked back - I always load the gun by inserting a magazine, and then pressing the slide-release lever to chamber the first round, and 2) before putting the gun away, I always clear it and put a snap cap in the chamber, then load an empty magazine. If anyone feels this practice is less-than-optimal, please let me know.

I really don't like the idea of putting something in the chamber and a magazine in the well to make a gun 'empty'. Seems like a recipe for an accident to me.

 

[Ma$$hole]

Had a buddy of mine with me at the range with his firearm that didn't lock back when his magazine emptied. He thought he was out and was about to put the gun down on the bench in front of us when he shot a round down at a 45 degree angle that hit the ground about 10 ft from us. Luckily barrel was always pointed down range. Let's say it made the trip to the range a lil more interesting.

 

[John C.]

First a thought on the Sig failing to lock back after last round. I own a 226 in 9mm, have large hands. Sometimes my thumb rides the slide release and the gun doesn't lock back.

However, here's what I don't understand - even though I know my slide doesn't lock back, I always assume that its because there's another round in the chamber even if I think I've already loaded ten rounds and shot ten rounds. Therefore I treat the gun as loaded and simply take another shot at the target. Worst thing that happens is I get a dry fire, in which case I rack the slide back and lock it.

None of us our perfect, but it seems to me if you have a gun where the bolt ordinarily holds open after the last shot and you have a situation where the bolt doesn't hold open you have to assume that there's a round in the chamber You then treat the gun as still loaded and take another shot, or rack the slide back thereby either ejecting the round or confirming that you do indeed have an empty chamber.

 

[cekim]

First a thought on the Sig failing to lock back after last round. I own a 226 in 9mm, have large hands. Sometimes my thumb rides the slide release and the gun doesn't lock back.

However, here's what I don't understand - even though I know my slide doesn't lock back, I always assume that its because there's another round in the chamber even if I think I've already loaded ten rounds and shot ten rounds. Therefore I treat the gun as loaded and simply take another shot at the target. Worst thing that happens is I get a dry fire, in which case I rack the slide back and lock it.

Yeah, same here, same gun, same issue, I will happily toss a new mag in with the slide forward... Since the gun is pointed in a safe direction and presumed to be loaded, no issue that I can see?

Worst case, I pull the slide back and pop out a perfectly good round...

 

[KMaurer]

Some of the younger, "everything has a rational explanation" types might disagree, but they'll learn eventually. The real problem here is the ammunition fairies. They're sort of like the tooth fairy, except that they don't take teeth of anything else, and leave live rounds rather than money. Any time a gun leaves your hand, even if only for a second, there's a chance that one of them will leave a live round in the chamber. It doesn't matter who's watching, how many times you checked it before setting it down, or how many other might have checked it. If it left your hand, they might have left you a little present. Be grateful for the little gift, but don't trip over it and make a fool of yourself. That's just the way the world works, so get used to it.

Ken

 

[Lynne]

Sorry Lynne. gotta watch the shop mouth.

Forgiven....this time.

 

[pramos03]

Well after duck hunting one morning, we all locked up our guns, put them in the truck and headed home. I take all three guns and put them in my safe before we go downtown to pick up food for our usual breakfast. While putting the guns in my safe, I do a safety inspection every time. The actions of both my brothers and mine were open, I still checked just incase. When I opened the case of my friend’s gun, I realize the action was still closed, safety on, trigger lock on. Well here I find a round still in the action! I was so mad, I yelled at him throughout all of breakfast. It basically ruined my day. I now demand he shows me his action whenever we lock up. I realize this isnt exactly what you meant in your post, but it still stresses Rule #1 every gun is loaded...

 

[terraformer]

Stop counting rounds! Unless you have positively identified the gun as empty, it is loaded. This whole count your round thing the fudds push is BS.

 

[william_munny]

I really don't like the idea of putting something in the chamber and a magazine in the well to make a gun 'empty'. Seems like a recipe for an accident to me.

Yeah, I can see what you're saying. I trust myself never to mistake a live round for a snap cap, but at the same time, I am leaving myself open to make this mistake. You just convinced me to change my process.

From the guns that I have in front of me, the 92FS and P22 actually turn up a physical block between the hammer and pin. So, unless they are damaged/loose, there is no contact between the pin and hammer.

I have a H&K USP 40, and I'm not sure exactly how the decocker functions. Mine was previously owned, and it didn't come with a manual. I'll do some searching online to see if I can find out exactly how it works. It would be easy to assume that because H&K is a quality manufacturer, they'd have the physical block, but then again, one would probably assume the same thing for Sig... I, for one, don't want to assume anything. Maybe I should just decock it the old fashioned way for now by putting my finger between the hammer and the pin and slowly guiding it down.


Thanks for your input guys!

 

[drgrant]

I have a H&K USP 40, and I'm not sure exactly how the decocker functions. Mine was previously owned, and it didn't come with a manual. I'll do some searching online to see if I can find out exactly how it works. It would be easy to assume that because H&K is a quality manufacturer, they'd have the physical block, but then again, one would probably assume the same thing for Sig... I, for one, don't want to assume anything. Maybe I should just decock it the old fashioned way for now by putting my finger between the hammer and the pin and slowly guiding it down.

NOOOOOOO! The decockers on these guns are 100 times SAFER than doing that is. (I'm guessing you're referring to pulling the trigger and thumbing the hammer down... )

Sigs and HKs are almost set up the same way- the deal is this-

You press the decocker and the hammer is dropped onto this thing called a
safety intercept notch- this is what blocks the hammer from moving forward far enough to
hit the firing pin. The sig decock is slightly more elegant than the HKs is, because the Sig
decocker kinda unloads the spring gracefully, but they're more or less the same. The
firing pin safety is also in effect during this time, so even if the notch didn't catch and
it hit the pin, the gun would not go off.

However, all bets are OFF if you touch the trigger while decocking, as this disables the FP safety and probably causes issues with the decocker. (touching a trigger whenever you don't want the gun to fire is bad juju with most modern autos anyways)

Point in a safe direction, and then actuate the decocker. Done. No need
to make it more dramatic than it has to be.

-Mike

 

[william_munny]

NOOOOOOO! The decockers on these guns are 100 times SAFER than doing that is.

Sigs and HKs are almost set up the same way- the deal is this-

You press the decocker and the hammer is dropped onto this thing called a
safety intercept notch- this is what blocks the hammer from moving forward far enough to
hit the firing pin. The sig decock is slightly more elegant than the HKs is, because the Sig
decocker kinda unloads the spring gracefully, but they're more or less the same. The
firing pin safety is also in effect during this time, so even if the notch didn't catch and
it hit the pin, the gun would not go off.

However, all bets are OFF if you touch the trigger while decocking, as this disables the FP safety and probably causes issues with the decocker. (touching a trigger whenever you don't want the gun to fire is bad juju with most modern autos anyways)

Point in a safe direction, and then actuate the decocker. Done. No need
to make it more dramatic than it has to be.

-Mike

Thank you, Mike! Much appreciated!

 

[cekim]

Point in a safe direction, and then actuate the decocker. Done. No need
to make it more dramatic than it has to be.

Didn't mean to malign my much loved Sig....

As Mike says - trying to outsmart the decocker is a bad idea, they work just fine...

I was answering the question from the perspective of failure modes...

In my day job, I spend a lot of time trying to think of ways things might break "if" (whatever "if" might be, even if "it" is unthinkable). That includes the unthinkable possibility of a Sig malfunctioning...

I will now go clean my Sig as penance for my wrong thinking...

 

[matt]

Stop counting rounds! Unless you have positively identified the gun as empty, it is loaded. This whole count your round thing the fudds push is BS.

+10000!

and after you put it down and pick it up again, it is loaded until you positively identified the gun as empty. Every time you pick up a gun. Period.

You'll never be sorry about doing that. I promise.

Welcome to the forum.

 

[RI_John]

+10000!

and after you put it down and pick it up again, it is loaded until you positively identified the gun as empty. Every time you pick up a gun. Period.

That IS the easiest rule. No exceptions. I will field strip a pistol, clean it, reassemble, set it down, pick up next one to clean, repeat until all are cleaned. Then I put them all away in the safe. Before I put each one in, I still handle them as if they're loaded and check them again for being empty before I put them in, even though I KNOW they are unloaded, I was just holding the disassembled parts in my hands minutes before. But I still do it. Ingrained habit.

 

[Blitz1]

Stop counting rounds! Unless you have positively identified the gun as empty, it is loaded. This whole count your round thing the fudds push is BS.

Really

NOOOOOOO! The decockers on these guns are 100 times SAFER than doing that is. (I'm guessing you're referring to pulling the trigger and thumbing the hammer down... )

Sigs and HKs are almost set up the same way- the deal is this-

You press the decocker and the hammer is dropped onto this thing called a
safety intercept notch- this is what blocks the hammer from moving forward far enough to
hit the firing pin. The sig decock is slightly more elegant than the HKs is, because the Sig
decocker kinda unloads the spring gracefully, but they're more or less the same. The
firing pin safety is also in effect during this time, so even if the notch didn't catch and
it hit the pin, the gun would not go off.

However, all bets are OFF if you touch the trigger while decocking, as this disables the FP safety and probably causes issues with the decocker. (touching a trigger whenever you don't want the gun to fire is bad juju with most modern autos anyways)

Point in a safe direction, and then actuate the decocker. Done. No need
to make it more dramatic than it has to be.

-Mike

Well said as always Mike.

IOW keep your booger hook of the bang switch.

The OP of this thread is an example of what not to do...