Carrying with-out one in the chamber.

7540 Views 39 Replies 26 Participants Last post by FoxMulder, Dec 6, 2007

Mags

Discussion Starter · Aug 18, 2007

Somebody mentioned in here that they carried thier 40c with out one in the chamber but with a loaded mag. I tried that today and it didnt work. I loaded up the magazine. Had the slide in the forward ready postion. (not open or locked).Inserted the mag, But the magazine wont lock in. The slide needs to be open and locked for the mag to catch and stay in place, so it seems. Is there a way around this? I'm new to the gun.

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tsix

· #2 · Aug 18, 2007

Mags said:
Somebody mentioned in here that they carried thier 40c with out one in the chamber but with a loaded mag. I tried that today and it didnt work. I loaded up the magazine. Had the slide in the forward ready postion. (not open or locked).Inserted the mag, But the magazine wont lock in. The slide needs to be open and locked for the mag to catch and stay in place, so it seems. Is there a way around this? I'm new to the gun.

What gun is it? On the .45 the mags are VERY tight when they have all ten rounds. I have been loading mine up and letting them sit, hoping to losen em up. So far one has responded well, I can load all ten and load the mag with the slide closed no problem. The other I can barely get ten in the mag, using a Uplula, but no way to get it in the gun unless the slide is locked back.

If you want to carry with out a round in the chamber, maybe try it with nine rounds in the mag? If the gun is something other than the 45, maybe just try one round less than full capacity.

Hope you get it figured out, good luck!

t6

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Mags

Discussion Starter · #3 · Aug 18, 2007

Its a 40c. I believe a have 9 rounds in the mag. The mag wont lock into place with slide closed. There is something interfering with the mag with the slide closed. I dont think it matters how many rounds are in the mag. I think its designed this way from the factory.

ken851

· #4 · Aug 18, 2007

40c

Works for me. Slide forward/closed and 10 in the mag. I have to push hard or slam the mag in.

I can rack the slide at this point to chamber a round and drop the mag to top off for 10+1.

If you cannot load to full capacity, then there is something wrong as the S&W tech specs indicate 10+1 capacity.

Mags

Discussion Starter · #5 · Aug 18, 2007

Re: 40c

ken851 said:
Works for me. Slide forward/closed and 10 in the mag. I have to push hard or slam the mag in.

I can rack the slide at this point to chamber a round and drop the mag to top off for 10+1.

If you cannot load to full capacity, then there is something wrong as the S&W tech specs indicate 10+1 capacity.

I'll try it again. I tried to gently push the mag in, and felt resistance. I didnt want to break anything. Maybe I need to give it a good whack!

ken851

· #6 · Aug 18, 2007

Look at the gap between the slide release and slide. Insert the mag and you can see the cartridge made contact with the center of the slide. Push hard and you will see the mag come up. The final resistance is the mag spring because the cartridges are getting pushed furter into the mag.

rondo

· #7 · Aug 18, 2007

Re: 40c

ken851 said:
Works for me. Slide forward/closed and 10 in the mag. I have to push hard or slam the mag in.

I can rack the slide at this point to chamber a round and drop the mag to top off for 10+1.

If you cannot load to full capacity, then there is something wrong as the S&W tech specs indicate 10+1 capacity.

Same here. Needs a good push and locks in with a strong click.

Srigs

· #8 · Aug 19, 2007

What is the point carrying without one in the chamber. If you can't use two hands it is a short club or an expensive rock.

Get a good holster that covers the trigger and holds the gun.

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Onuma

· #9 · Aug 19, 2007

Just give the magazine a stiff palm-heel to make it connect. It should sit nicely in there and snap into place with an audible *CLICK* - just like an M16 with the bolt forward

I'm not a fan of the amber carry method (mag in the weapon, on safe [if applicable], no round chambered). M&Ps, especially, are not conducive to racking the slide one-handed, given the lo-mount sloped rear sight. On my SIG P220 I can rack the slide by hooking my heel (or other hard objects) on the front of the rear sight and pushing hard. It's nice to be able to do this. The M&P in its stock form, you'd either have to get it modified, or learn how to do this trick with the front sight (no easy task, given the angles and tolerances).

Just my $.02

I hope this made sense, I've driven 20 hours in the last 36 hours, and I need sleep.

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FLJohn

· #10 · Aug 19, 2007

I dont like to carry without one in the chamber. Bad guys won't wait for you to chamber a round before they try to shoot you! just my opinion!

Arizona Smithshooter

· #11 · Aug 19, 2007

Personally I think carrying a self defense weapon unloaded is foolish and only gives an untrained operator a false sense of security. If you are under an immediate threat and can not chamber a round due to injury or body position, then your weapon is totally useless and you should have left it home.

I always carry with a full mag, plus 1 in the chamber...a total of 18 rounds in my M&P9. If you can not insert a full mag, either you are not inserting it with enough force or there is a problem with your gun.

pistolpacker

· #12 · Aug 20, 2007

I have the 9mm compact and it works fine for me. What I notice on my gun, however, is that I need to press on the front part of the mag. This will put pressure on the portion of the cartridge (the bullet) that is sticking out the farthest, pushing it into the mag so that it can be locked in place.

If this does not work for you gun, I suggest calling S&W service about this issue. Something is not right.

Regards

pistolpacker

· #13 · Aug 20, 2007

You can also remove the magazine then lock the slide and load a round into the chamber. Release the slide and load a full magazine. Ready to go.

Regards

Srigs

· #14 · Aug 20, 2007

pistolpacker said:
You can also remove the magazine then lock the slide and load a round into the chamber. Release the slide and load a full magazine. Ready to go.

Regards

This is a good way to break the ejector tip IMHO. I only load the gun from the mag.

pistolpacker

· #15 · Aug 20, 2007

Srigs said:
This is a good way to break the ejector tip IMHO. I only load the gun from the mag.

From the mag is the way I load also but I don't believe this harmful to the gun. The barrel and slide are tempered to a Rockwell hardness of 68 HRc. The ejector looks to be the same type of steel and since it's such an important part and attached to the slide, I'll guess that it's tempered to the same level. This is incredibly hard. Much harder than tool steel or and knife steel. A soft brass cartridge would have no affect on steel tempered to this level. However, it's probably not good for the cartridge if one is reloading them.

Regards

Arizona Smithshooter

· #16 · Aug 20, 2007

Srigs is correct....and that applies to any semi-auto weapon, not just the S&W. I believe it is covered in your owners manual. If you handload a round into the chamber and the ejector does not engage the round, then you have a jam....not good in a gun fight!

BonoVox

· #17 · Aug 20, 2007

Srigs said:
[quote name='pistolpacker']You can also remove the magazine then lock the slide and load a round into the chamber. Release the slide and load a full magazine. Ready to go.

Regards

This is a good way to break the ejector tip IMHO. I only load the gun from the mag.[/quote]

Exactly!

As far as a full mag inserted with slide closed. With gun pointed in a safe direction put two fingers on bottom of mad and thumb on top of slide and squeeze. Use a little elbow grease!

Onuma

· #18 · Aug 20, 2007

I just give it a firm slap with my palm-heel. Never failed me before!

Nutshell

· #19 · Aug 21, 2007

If I carry, there is one in the chamber...every time. I feel if the time ever arose to unholster my weapon, having to chamber a round is one extra step in a situation that may be over in seconds.

FieroCDSP

· #20 · Aug 21, 2007

This was mentioned in a post somewhere, I can't remember where. If carrying chambered bugs you in the back of your mind, try working your way into it. Carry chambered around the house for a few weeks before going outside, and check your draw to make sure you won't engage the trigger until you clear and are on-target (without the ammo, of course). I'm even a bit nervous carrying chambered around the house, but I'm getting used to it slowly. Like shooting itself, carrying loaded requires time and experience to feel comfortable and sure of yourself.

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