Re: Lock and Load (fwd)

I don't know of any pistols .... except that in the case of the
ubiquitous military .45 (1911A1) while one can easily insert a magazine
with the gun on safe, it isn't truly loaded til a round is chambered 
which involves coming out of safe to rack the slide .... as far as I am 
concerned the only 'safe' safety on a .45 is the half-cock position. I 
have seen a number of malfunctions of the thumb safety and the grip 
safety as well as the barrel disconnect safety.

 In another message someone commented on not dropping a .45 with the 
hammer back ... I have a friend in NJ who commanded another platoon in my 
recon company in Nam. He jumped down off a parapet and his .45 bounced 
out of his flak jacket pocket and went off putting a large hole in his 
foot (for which he earned the nickname "Quick Draw"). It had been in 
'condition 1' (full magazine inserted, round chambered, hammer at full 
cock, thumb safety on), but went off anyway. The armorer later said none 
of the parts seemed damaged or particularly worn, it just went off ... I 
am sure there's dozens more stories of loaded 45's going off when dropped.


Brian B. Riley --> http://members.macconnect.com/~brianbr
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  "Civilization is the progress toward a society of privacy. The
   savage's whole existence is public, ruled by the laws of his tribe.
Civilization is the process of setting man free from men."
    -- Ayn Rand - The Fountainhead (1943)