Posted on 11/10/2017 8:25:47 AM PST by TNoldman
I am now a supporter of a Round in the Chamber on my carry 1911 ACP. (I always carry a Hand Gun away from home).
Here is my story from just a couple of days ago. "My Wife and I were taking our 7 yo Granddaughter to a Roller Skating place. I realized we would be near a not-so-good part of town so I decided to carry my 1911 ACP."
To be better prepared I decided to rack the slide to load a round! What happened next was chilling.
The round didn't quite load - it jammed. Now I had a round part way into the chamber but not gripped by the ejector. I had a SS $700. brick.
If I can carelessly rack the slide in the comfort of my home what might happen in a stressed situation?
A lesson well learned for me.
I had the same thing happen to me in 1968 in Vietnam. I jumped out of the back of a helicopter (LOH) into a rice paddy to pick up a VC prisoner my the 1911 jammed when I racked it.’Very stressful situation!
I used to carry a Airweight Bodyguard (the shrouded, but exposed hammer variety). One day, I took it out of the holster at the range and went to shoot it and I couldn’t double-action fire it because pocket lint had accumulated inside the shroud and was blocking the hammer from coming all the way back to the break point.
It is chilling when you realize that something you take for granted (the ability to rack the slide flawlessly or the assumption that revolvers NEVER fail) turns out to be a bad assumption.
I’ve carried a Glock ever since.
the ONLy way to carry a 1911 is cocked and locked. Period.
One old man to another.
There are procedures for misfeeds.
Check the function of the ejector and other parts.
Just saying.
Good luck.
(Where was your 1911 made and make? Oldie or recently made?)
Regards
IMHO
I have had some 1911's with all the 'bells and whistles' that were not reliable (on ejection, not feeding).
When chambering a round in an 1911, I always lock the slide open, insert loaded magazine and use the slide release to load the chamber.
Went to unload my carry G26 one day. Popped mag. Slide wouldn’t move - literally rusted shut (IWB, Southern summer, often carried, rarely used). Couldn’t move slide by hand. Chambered round would at least have ensured one shot, and likely would have broken slide free to at least manually cycle.
Similar note:
One moonlit night, drew same G26 to check visibility of sights. Result: sent slide out next morning for Trijicon night sight installation.
This is the reason a lot of “old timers” carry revolvers. Wheel guns don’t “jam”.
Was the round deformed in any way?
Was it a reload?
Was it a hollow point?
A little more info would be instructive.
I learned 1911 handling from an Army six striper. He insisted that you always pull the slide back to the stop and release it. This type of jam was probably why. I follow that rule.
I know I am going to get slammed for this, but if I wanted to carry a pistol with only 7 rounds (which I have to in NYC, where I have a rare carry permit), I’ll stick to my SW 7 shot .357 revolver.
It’s never not gone “bang” when I pull the trigger.
No reason not to carry with one in the pipe if you’re using a quality holster.
“I always lock the slide open, insert loaded magazine and use the slide release to load the chamber. “
Full force and momentum assure proper loading and seating.
NEVER ease the slide down on a round.
(Where was your 1911 made and make? Oldie or recently made?)
5 year old Ruger made in USA. This has never happened before.
See post 3. Revolvers *can* jam.
If it has the integrated Hillarylock, you may want to rethink that.
>>Went to unload my carry G26 one day. Popped mag. Slide wouldn’t move - literally rusted shut (IWB, Southern summer, often carried, rarely used). Couldn’t move slide by hand. Chambered round would at least have ensured one shot, and likely would have broken slide free to at least manually cycle.
That story should at least have the obligatory “This is a no-shitter...” at the beginning. ;-)
This is the reason a lot of “old timers” carry revolvers. Wheel guns don’t “jam”.
I did carry my 357 wheel gun that night.
Question.
I’ve fired a 1911 (Colt Combat Commander) once back in 1989. I was nowhere near the, “Gun guy,” that I am now, and don’t remember the answer to this.
My first hammer-fired pistol was a used Beretta 92SF that I bought in 1996. If the hammer is down and I pull the trigger, it’s a heavy trigger pull to draw the hammer back for that first round. After that round goes off, the slide re-cocks the hammer for the next. AKA: single-double action.
Is this pretty much the same for the 1911? And, how heavy is that first trigger pull?
Sadly, I don’t own a 1911.
...yet
None of my revolvers have that 'feature'.
While you’re thinking about the Failure To Feed, think about the other things carrying with an empty chamber in an automatic means:
1. You are measurably slower to bring the weapon to action - and that time may be costly.
2. You *need* both hands to ready the weapon. What if you’re being pinned by an assailant and can only get one hand free? What if you’re wounded? What if you’re simply carrying something in your hand that you can’t drop? You have a particularly poor club, not a pistol.
3. You have deprived yourself of one precious round of ammunition that you might need. Not even Carlos Hathcock or Jerry Miculek could or can *guarantee* a single shot will incapacitate an attacker, so you may have to fire multiple rounds per assailant. You may find yourself really wishing you’d had that extra round.
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