Is this a correct or safe way?

[Till]

A while back, I had a friend show me his new Glock 33. He carries it hot, so before he handed it to me, he cleared it (removed the full mag and round in the chamber). I looked at it, we talked a while, and I hand it back to him.

This is where my question lies... when I handed it back to him, he takes a round, manually puts it in the chamber, lets the slide slam forward, and then reinserts the mag. He then holsters it.

It just caught my attention because it was different from what I'm used to doing when I charge my weapon after I get done cleaning it, etc.

[zeplin]

Don't know if it is the correct way or not. It is the way I do it. Otherwise I be slapping the mag in place, jack a rd in the chamber, remove the mag, add one rd, reinsert mag. Two steps VS five to accomplish the same thing. I may be wrong, but I don't see it as being any more or less safe either way.

[jwise]

It is arguable that this process wears the extractor prematurely, as the extractor is forcing itself over the rim instead of grabbing the rim as it strips the new round and chambers it.

[AgentFox]

My training is to make the weapon (Beretta 92FS) safe, decock Open slide. Insert mag. Slide release, close. Extract mag. Replenish one round into mag.


Manually putting a round in the chamber seems sketchy to me with trying to feed it through the ejection port. A shotgun you can emergency load reasonably easy, but I would personally not load a handgun that way.

[David Hineline]

That would be a typical way. The safest way would be to load from magazine, remove magazine and insert full magazine holster make the firearm safe then reload the spare megazine to capacity.

[WC145]

I've been taught to always load from a mag due to the possiblity of damaging the extractor. Also, at least one of the many owner's manuals I have lying around says not to load one directly into the chamber and let the slide slam forward onto it.

[pulicords]

I've been taught to always load from a mag due to the possiblity of damaging the extractor. Also, at least one of the many owner's manuals I have lying around says not to load one directly into the chamber and let the slide slam forward onto it.

+1! Load from the magazine, remove the magazine, top it off and reinsert it into the magazine well.

[Blackdog F4i]

Loading chambering from the magazine causes less wear on the weapon and is the accepted way for most platforms.

Some weapons can be damaged from the extractor riding OVER the rim of the cartridge. Will it happen the first time? Probably not. But do you want to take the chance with a carry gun?

[Sharpe103]

You put the bullet in the mag and load the weapon. Same amount of steps/time. There's no additional danger of the gun going off when he racked it, though, if that's what you were asking.

[GGG]

Glock says NOT to do it that way as it runs a risk of breaking the extractor.

[zeplin]

I learned something today.:D I'll be loading from the mag from now on. Thanks Till for the original post!... and thanks to the rest of y'all for another dose of education.:)

[Blackdog F4i]

Just to clarify...here is the "correct" way to load as taught to our rookies:

1. Load ONE round into an empty magazine.
2. With an UNLOADED weapon, insert the magazine.
3. With the weapon pointed in a safe direction (one that will stop a bullet) pull the slide to the rear and release.
4. Remove the magazine then holster the weapon.
5. Inspect the magazine to ensure that he round has been stripped and loaded.
6. Load the magazine to capacity.
7. Insert the magazine in the weapon then PULL to make sure it has latched.

Now, how "I" do it because I don't always have an empty magazine and don't like unloading them just to load them again:

1. With an unloaded weapon insert a magazine loaded to capacity.
2. With the weapon pointed in a safe direction (one that will stop a bullet) pull the slide to the rear and release.
3. Do a "chamber check" by pulling the slide to the rear 2-3mm so that you can visually verify that a round is in the chamber.
4. Remove the magazine and holster the weapon.
5. Top off the magazine with one round.
6. Insert the magazine in the weapon then PULL to make sure it has latched.

[Sharpe103]

I agree with BD's second method. That was the way I was instructed in a Mobile Training Unit for MFT, and also in the academy, which was in a differnt MTU district altogether.

The reason I would never load one into the chamber is because it isn't easier or quicker either one. And, if you drop it, you look like a dumb ***.

The only difference I see between non LEO's loading Glocks and the average Joe on the street is that LEO's lock the slide back first, load, thn rack instead of just inserting the loaded mag, then racking the slide.

[Surf]

I load from the mag and perform a press check. Top off.

[Till]

I learned something today.:D I'll be loading from the mag from now on. Thanks Till for the original post!... and thanks to the rest of y'all for another dose of education.:)

Thanks to you all for the information. I've always loaded from the magazine, but was just wondering.

[Monkeybomb]

It is arguable that this process wears the extractor prematurely, as the extractor is forcing itself over the rim instead of grabbing the rim as it strips the new round and chambers it.
X2

[lesnper]

I'm a GLOCK Armorer and if this is done consistanly YOU WILL break/crack or chip the extractor. The GLOCK extractor was not designed to do this. It was designed to be loaded from the mag. By stuffing the first round it forces the extractor over the rim of the round snapping it over the rim. I have replaced a ton of these over the years and when the same officers keep bringing them in (for the same crap) I have to give some verbal adjustment to stop stuffing the first round. Best of luck.

[Hoss 48]

Personal preference. I would listen to the armorer lesnper, he probably knows what he's talking about.

[Mstangfk]

I load from the mag and perform a press check. Top off.

werd.

[Monty Ealerman]

Agree with loading from the mag, then removing the mag and putting a last round in it, then replacing the mag. I like Blackdog's second method. I use a Sig-Sauer rather than a Glock. I've never had an instructor suggest manual loading into the chamber. I don't know of an autoloader handgun that's designed for that.

[Jere]

This is a bad idea. I have seen people do this at the range. A guy did this with a .22 and it jammed, crimping the rim. He was very lucky it didn't go off. Although in a Glock, crimping the rim isn't going to set it off but with firearms safety is #1. Firearms are not designed to be loaded this way, so they shouldn't be. There is a risk of damaging the bullet and then the barrel, the casing could also be damaged if not seated properly when the slide slams foreward; especially with cheap ammo.

[blackhorse]

On the other hand, some guns are designed to be loaded just this way if you want to shoot a single round without loading the magazine. Read the instructions manual for the Ruger LCP. With the slide locked to the rear, manually insert one round into the chamber. Pull back on the slide and let it go. You are now ready to fire. (YEP, right there in black and white).

[Monty Ealerman]

Yeah, the manual says you can you can load and fire without the magazine. Everyone already knows that can be done. The question is whether that method might ever harm something compared to letting the mechanical loader do the loading.

The manual doesn't say anything about the possible consequences to the mechanisms, and I'm sure they don't mind selling you replacement parts if you screw yours up.

http://www.ruger-firearms.com/Firearms/PDF/InstructionManuals/65.pdf

The same manual says you should use the "decocking lever" when unloading, even though the LCP doesn't have one other than the trigger. Perhaps they copied from their P-Series documentation.

I don't see how manually placing the round at the chamber instead of letting the loading mechanism do it is likely to be just as good for all of the gun parts.

That manual also says the LCP can go off if it's dropped with a round in the chamber, and brazenly asserts that the same is true of any gun. Yeah, maybe a loose bullet can go off if you drop it, too.

The manual says to keep the gun unloaded (i.e. without a round in the chamber) until you're ready to fire. I don't think an unloaded gun is as good for defense as a loaded one is.

I'm not altogether very favorably impressed with the content of that manual.

I still don't know of an autoloader that's actually designed to be just as well able to handle manual breech loading as from-magazine loading.

[blackhorse]

Monty Ealerman - Sorry to offend, obviously I hit a touchy issue. However, single loading any old Colt 1911 model .45 is perfectly acceptable also. Most Army training for newly commissioned officers begin with single loading the chamber. This was common practice in the late 60's and all through the 70's. Newbies on the Army Marksmanship Team learn by single firing the .45 also. Or did when I was with the team. The internal extractor will not be damaged any more by singly loading a 1911 than by charging from the magazine. There is no harm in those old slab sided solid steel pistols, except the amount of rounds they fire between depot rebuilds.

I know a lot of people have their reasons for not loading through the ejection port, but to say it will damage all guns is absolutely wrong. Maybe the new polymer pistols, maybe some new 1911's with external extractors but not those old military guns. And certainly not my 1911 Springfield, or my 1911 Wilson Combat.

You know good and well the reason Ruger put that part of keeping the chamber clear until ready to fire. With sue happy idiots today, it's prudent for them to do so. They know it doesn't make sense to market a CCW gun and say "oh -- don't load it until your ready to fire", but if they didn't some stupid idiot would shoot their pecker off playing with the gun in their pocket and then sue Ruger because they didn't warn them.

[lesnper]

To clearify I was only speaking about GLOCKS. This is the only pistol I'm an armorer of and cannot speak for the others. I load from the mags on all my pistols from 1911s to H&K p7s. (My personal prefernce)

[Monty Ealerman]

Yes, I was the one who generalized. I said that autoloaders were not designed for manual loading, and that's true. That doesn't mean that it's not the case that some of them are designed in a manner that makes them better able to handle it than others.

[Trempel]

I always load from a mag. No need to tear up the cartridge rim or the extractor.

The only exception I can think of is one of the Beretta pocket pistols and similar copies that have pop-up barrels and no extractor.

[familymanbball]

+1 on load from the magazine. Manually is hard on the extractor.

[Nightshift va]

There is a chance you may damage the extractor loading it this way and just the fact that the chance exist I do it the way I was trained. Charge it fully. Then administrative load or top off the mag. The only pistol I have that is different that I load in that fashion is a Beretta "flip top" 21A and they make a 25acp and a 380acp that is loaded with the "flip top" feature also, the idea being that it's easier for people with weaker hands or that are handicapped and have issue's with racking the slide.

[basspro]

Good info. I have been guilty of being lazy several times and manually loading one into the chamber. But from now on I will take the extra time and save the wear on the extractor.

[ruraldeputy17]

I agree with loading from the mag., besides if you accidently bumped the slide release it could be very painful and then you get to explain what left the mark on your finger.

[Sgt. Slaughter]

AHA! It's not a "slide release" it's a slide LOCK!

That's a whole 'nuther thread! :D

[Surf]

Most commonly referred to as a slide stop or slide catch. ;)

[SWATCybercop]

I always load from a mag. No need to tear up the cartridge rim or the extractor.

The only exception I can think of is one of the Beretta pocket pistols and similar copies that have pop-up barrels and no extractor.

Agree.