Thank you so much for making this. I've been struggling to make mechanical sense of why 1911s are so touchy compared to other guns for dry fire. It makes much more sense that the humans with super strong opinions on this topic are the touchy ones.
Old school military, 1911-A1 .45ACP ( pre-Baretta 9mm ): We'd drop the mag, rack and lock the slide, visually check the magazine, mag well and chamber, hold pistol in one hand w/mag between fingers untill handing it over to the armorer. He'd take mag and pistol, check mag, mag well and chamber for a cartridge, drop slide, pull trigger, insert magazine and call out ser # to log back in. The life of an old school military pistol . . . ☆
A G.I. 1911 has none of the tricked out parts and work done to barely hang on a ledge to give you the best trigger pull possible. It is harder to damage what isn't as fragile and already in use for decades. You might have a watch for work and one for going out. The one where this 'not dropping the slide on' was mentioned is the former. It isn't said that it will break the pistol, just that it quickly degrades the fine job one did on it.
You basically have to drop the slide on an empty chamber when you're tuning the trigger. I learned this when I was tweaking the sear spring. I'd been told to drop it on an empty chamber to check for hammer follow, but I didn't think it would matter much if I dropped it with a dummy round, and it seemed fine. Yes after a couple of mags at the range, it went full auto, lol. Now, when I tune triggers I always do several empty chamber drops, and I haven't had a problem since. I was never really concerned about dry fire though . I do 100% agree that you never do either to someone elses gun without asking first. Good content, thanks.
@michaell397 I did end up adjusting the over travel some and had no problem after I put the factory spring back in. But then later I started trying to get a lighter pull again with a different spring. And several times while testing, I would get the hammer follow. Trust me, if you get that spring bent wrong or try to go much under 2# pull you can get hammer follow, sometimes it will catch on the second notch and sometimes it won't.
@@roberttaylor6030 Yes Sir, this is true. It is brought on by hammer bounce on the sear. The bounce when dry dropping the slide is much stronger than with a dummy or live round. Other things contribute to this such as trigger weight. Most have no idea the reason we no longer use steel trigger shoes or even alu. in some cases and why alu. triggers became popular with lightening holes in them and today poly trigger shoes are becoming so popular with people. The popular complaint today about poly (plastic) trigger shoes is that the company is cheapening out using a cheap material. That is not the reason at all. It is the weight of the trigger shoe and the advantages a lighter unit brings to the Gun. This has been learned thru many years of competition with the1911 platform and the gradual perfection of this ancient design. It has become an icon with a legacy like no other. The heavier trigger shoes weight is detrimental to a very light trigger pull as the weight thru kinetic energy transferred by the slides stop in battery to cause the trigger bar to hit the sear disconnector in such a way as to release the hammer. So trigger follow is not always the light sear spring. It is a combination of factors. to blame it all on simply too light of a sear spring is misinformed and frankly, a little lazy by smiths that should know better. KnifeMaker
slingshot the slide on an empty chamber is even better test. it will drop the hammer to half cock on marginal spring tension where dropping it from slide stop might not.
I hear that live firing a gun also causes wear and tear on the firearm AND the magazine. So, dropping the slide on an empty chamber isnt as damaging overall, as live firing . So, in order to keep your firearms in the absolute BEST SHAPE POSSIBLE, please place them in a vault or safe …. This way, you ensure there is no wear and tear stressors put onto your firearm … 😊😊😊
This is the first video I’ve seen from these guys since I am a new subscriber after watching a 1911 Syndicate vid on their Cobra, and already I really like the this company because of his attitude and relatable personality compared to some other builders. That pistol is an incredible firearm and am now working on purchasing one in the future. Looking forward to watching more videos and learning more from them!
It doesn't hurt a dang thing to drop the slide or dry fire it. When you fire it the shock is way worse than you dropping the slide or dry firing it empty..
It wasn’t very long ago that I watched a Bill Wilson video (with old man Ken), where Bill opined about dropping the slide on a Wilson Combat pistol. He wasn’t a fan. And, he said that Wilson Combat had set up a booth at Shot Show and person after person picked up his display 1911s and dropped the slide on an empty gun. His contention was that doing so harmed the sear/hammer engagement. Me? I have Wilsons, Nighthawks, TRPs, and SVI Infinities and I never drop the slide on these 1911/2011s. I just have no need, and frankly my 70 year old thumb isn’t strong enough the send the slide. I do dry fire however. Best Regards sir
If it’s your gun, do whatever you want. I don’t do it for the same reason I don’t slam the door to my house and vehicles. Also, if they do it in the movies, it’s probably for the range theatrical types, yes you press check rubes.
Unless I'm trying someone else's pistol bc I'm buying it, I avoid playing with other people's guns. Just reduces constant buying on a whim. Sharply contrast pistol wear concerns with long range precision rifle barrel burn out. Say your $1200 barrel plus install labor has a 2000rd competitive life in it. Not a hobby for extremely ocd people or the yearly costs drive them nuts. Stuff is going to wear, some people are more ok with the concept than others.
Forget about custom guns, etiquette is dont repetitiously open and close your friends new car door for no apparent reason other than being fidgety. Even if you do that 10 times in 1 mins, you're not gonna damage the car, but common courtesy you don't do that.
I would suggest you take a deep dive into metallurgy. Yes, 1911's are steel. However the Rockwell Hardness is rather soft. Very soft by my standards. It apx. the same hardness of high end knife steel when it is delivered dead soft for machining before heat treat. A nail is steel. A hammer is steel. Ever notice what a hammer does to a nail head? Yep, it batters it visibly! The steel in the slide, frame, bbl. is in the range of 43 46 Rockwell C Scale. This is to keep it from cracking from pressures and battering. It does not prevent movement of the metal with impact however. I have see fine trigger jobs effected in as little as one one slide drop. Quality hammer hooks and sears are in the 49 to 53 range depending on manufacturer. Mim is harder on the surface but soft under the surface. Again depending on the manufacturer. It is very easily damaged and progresses to greatly worn quickly. The Military requires the slide to be dropped on an empty chamber when leaving the range and inspected by the SGT. Even notice how loose the gun's are. Even guns with a very low shot count are rattle traps. Yes, loser tolerances, but abused each and every time they are taken out. It does matter. Take it from a Metallurgist, the damage in elevatable. Worse case's are in gun stores where the guns slices are dropped many-many times. I will not buy such a gun regardless of how finely made. Period! KnifeMaker/Retired after over 47+ years in the Craft
@AlphaMindset-zq5qv If by saying they functioned fine is that they would fire fine. That is not function properly. Were they still accurate? NO! Were they still dependable No. There is more than being able to fire to be considered functional. A 1911 is far more than merely a functional gun. It can be a master piece or an inaccurate, worn out rattle trap. I live by Ft. Hood, the largest military base in the free world. I have seen and shot hundreds of vantage 1911's. Most were pure garbage. Only still in service due to the heroic efforts of armorers who did their best, but fully admitted that they were dog's. The very fact that 1911's can be tuned like a Swiss Watch is unheard of in the world of modern Pistols. it is the only platform made even in todays modern cnc mass produced world, the only platform that can lay claim to this level of refinement. No wonder1911's are the true Hand Gunners gun of choice. KnifeMaker
