Holstering your semi-auto. . .

[6hold]

This tip was sent in by Mark Cortis. He is an NRA Certified Training Counselor from Michigan.

Reholstering A Semi-Auto:
Since many accidental discharges happen while reholstering a firearm, one tip I have to both maintain a good grip and keep the firearm in the proper position thus eliminating the risk of a slamfire is to always put your thumb on the rear of the slide as you reholster. This prevents it from getting hung up and pushed back when reholstering which could result in a slam fire where the unexpected and undesired rapid forward movement of the slide could through kinetic energy cause the firing pin to strike the chambered round resulting in an undesired discharge.

Mark,
That is a great tip and thanks for sending it in. It is also important to FOCUS on keeping your finger out of the trigger guard during re-holstering. Not doing this is a sure way to shoot yourself in the thigh or foot.

 

[Chris]

Note that the design of the 1911 locks the slide for this reason. Also, many modern arms incorporate a firing pin lock that prevents this from happening.

I'd rather see people stop pointing to their leg or worse when reholstering than moving their thumb into a location where they could lose it IF the gun actually did fire.

 

[Adam_MA]

I'd rather see people stop pointing to their leg or worse when reholstering than moving their thumb into a location where they could lose it IF the gun actually did fire.

+1

 

[Fsorrent]

I believe that if the rules of gun-safety are followed, with modern arms, AD wont happen. Finger off the trigger, gun pointed safetly, etc.

 

[Coyote33]

When I belonged to Worcester Pistol and Rifle, they always had a safety tip at every meeting. Maybe NES could do this with a new one each week or something. Back to your topic now.

 

[jhrosier]

This tip was sent in by Mark Cortis. He is an NRA Certified Training Counselor from Michigan.

Reholstering A Semi-Auto:
... eliminating the risk of a slamfire ... This prevents it from getting hung up and pushed back when reholstering which could result in a slam fire where the unexpected and undesired rapid forward movement of the slide could through kinetic energy cause the firing pin to strike the chambered round resulting in an undesired discharge....

What a load of crap!
Unless you are carrying a Sten gun, this is a non-existing problem that is not looking for a solution. The person who wrote this drivel has no idea how semi-auto firearms function.

First Safety Tip: Learn how your firearm functions, TIA.

 

[drgrant]

WTF?

Slamfire?? If you have a semiauto pistol that will slamfire from
the action of the slide moving back and forth, then your pistol is
defective and should be repaired or taken out of service.

IMO it's quite a bit easier than what this guy is talking about, I
can summarize it up in 4 words:

"Watch what you're doing!"

Will prevent AD/ND when reholstering. There really isn't any
rocket science to it... when you look at the accidents that occurred
on a reholster, they typically involved foreign objects entering the
trigger guard, fingers not being where they're supposed to be,
etc. The root cause often being, people not paying
attention to what they were doing at the time...

-Mike

 

[drgrant]

First Safety Tip: Learn how your firearm functions, TIA.

+1... IMO this is very important for newbs and others
alike. When you understand the basic functions of the thing it
gives you a lot more confidence in the operation of the gun, what it
will do and does not do, things that can go wrong, etc.

-Mike

 

[Optimistic Paranoid]

The slam fire thing is silly.

I was taught to always have my thumb over the back of the gun while reholstering because if something - not necessarily my trigger finger, holster straps and such have been known to occasionally get caught in the trigger - is causing the trigger to depress, you will feel the hammer coming back, and you will (hopefully) stop pushing down on the gun.

Obviously, this is only true if you have an external hammer. I still do it with my Glock from force of habit, and because I might someday be handling a different gun that DOES have an external hammer, and it's good practice to always do it the same way regardless of gun.

Regards
John

 

[IPSC_DRL]

The slam fire thing is silly.

Agree 100%

I was taught to always have my thumb over the back of the gun while reholstering because if something - not necessarily my trigger finger, holster straps and such have been known to occasionally get caught in the trigger - is causing the trigger to depress, you will feel the hammer coming back, and you will (hopefully) stop pushing down on the gun.
Regards
John

Not with a single action auto. See above about understanding your equipment.

 

[Optimistic Paranoid]

Not with a single action auto. See above about understanding your equipment.

Yup. I was refering to a DA auto (aka a "crunchenticker").

Note that it doesn't HURT anything to do it that way with a 1911 or a Glock. And good habits are good habits.

Of course, if you ABSOLUTELY, POSITIVELY, Cross-Your-Heart-and-Hope-to-Die, are sure you will never, ever, under any circumstances be carrying anything other than a 1911 . . .

Me, I prefer to cultivate good habits.

Regards
John

 

[IPSC_DRL]

Yup. I was refering to a DA auto (aka a "crunchenticker").
(snip)

Me, I prefer to cultivate good habits.

Regards
John

Sounds like you're cultivating something pretty strong.

 

[Big Daddy 45acp]

I was actually taught this over 20 years ago.
Not to prevent a slam fire, but to make sure a semi auto stays in battery.

A lot of semi's can have their slide pushed slightly out of battery when reinserted into a tight holster. Couple this with a dirty gun (lack of maintenance, during a match, etc) and the recoil spring may not have enough energy to bring the gun back into battery on the draw.
End result is draw, aim and CLICK!

I have seen this happen to many LEO's on the qualification range. Especially with people who would try to "game" their quals by not snapping in. A good holster will not let you snap in if the gun is out of battery.

And, if you consider the OP's logic for doing this, if your gun is going to slamfire while being holstered, there is a lot more wrong with the gun than your holstering technique! The gun would be going full auto every time you fired it!

Presently, many people carry concealed with holsters that do not have a retention strap. Many top trainers advocate this type of holster for concealed carry. These holsters are usually made to fit the gun very tightly. They can cause an out of battery condition when holstered.

If it bothers you to keep your thumb on the rear of the slide when holstering, don't do it. If you carry in an open top holster (either leather or kydex) it won't hurt to run your thumb over the rear of the slide to make sure the gun is in battery after holstering.

 

[TonyD]

I was taught to always have my thumb over the back of the gun while reholstering because if something - not necessarily my trigger finger, holster straps and such have been known to occasionally get caught in the trigger - is causing the trigger to depress, you will feel the hammer coming back, and you will (hopefully) stop pushing down on the gun.

Obviously, this is only true if you have an external hammer. I still do it with my Glock from force of habit, and because I might someday be handling a different gun that DOES have an external hammer, and it's good practice to always do it the same way regardless of gun.

Regards
John

I was actually taught this over 20 years ago.
Not to prevent a slam fire, but to make sure a semi auto stays in battery.

BINGO! These are two very real issues that I remember cropping up when we transitioned from wheel guns to DA semi's.

Frankly, I was a little surprised by the opinions of some the posters whom I thought would have replied differently.

 

[JimConway]

Reholstering discharges

I am aware of a number of a number of discharges thatt occurred while reholstering. For the most part, they were caused by the following:
Reholstering with the trigger finger on the trigger
A wide competition trigger shoe ( too big for the holster) that caused the gun to discharge
A foreign object (most often a part of a shirt) getting into the holster.

We teach that the safety must be engaged or the gun decocked prior to holstering.
We emphasize that if you feel anything different or the slightest amount of resistance, STOP and LOOK and that a firearm should be reholstered gently.

 

[fubar]

1983 Ft mcClellan Ala , US Army MP Academy taught big caution to avoid catching the slide and chambering a round on 1911's. Nasty flap holsters , and a policy to not carry cocked & locked.

 

[szaino]

Besides keeping your finger off the trigger here is a safety procedure that everyone should follow but very few do.

How many of you would point a loaded gun at a part of your body? Well, when reholstering you will notice that the gun is pointing at your right foot (if you are right handed). Some people (not many) know to turn or move your right foot in to the left while reholstering.

This moves it to a safe position away from the aim of the barrell.

 

[Adam_MA]

I don't appendix carry, and my right foot does not turn naturally to the right, so you are wrong, I NEVER point the gun at my foot.

 

[Big Daddy 45acp]

1983 Ft mcClellan Ala , US Army MP Academy taught big caution to avoid catching the slide and chambering a round on 1911's. Nasty flap holsters , and a policy to not carry cocked & locked.

Not to hijack, but which company?

C-12 2nd Plt. here. AKA Chargin' Charlie or Cocaine Charlie depending on when you were there. Conveniently located directly downhill from the Pistol Palace and within easy crawling distance of the same.

BTW, we were taught to do the same, but we could not insert a mag until the flap was closed. I got really good at using that holster to chamber a round quickly.

 

[M.Nastek]

Big Daddy got it right and hit it dead center.

USAMPS Delta 10 1977 Ft. McClellan, Al