Loading the 1911

Never load the chamber of your 1911 by dropping a round through the ejection port and into the chamber, then closing the slide. This forces the extractor to snap over the rim of the cartridge, which could cause later problems. John Browning designed the gun to have cartridges slide up the breech face and under the hook of the extractor.


You can get away with this for a while, but eventually it will cause the delicate tip of the extractor to chip or even break clear through. Baby that extractor—the advanced pistolsmiths will tell you that the extractor is the most critical part in the gun.


The correct way to fully load the 1911 pistol is to insert a full magazine in an empty pistol, rack the slide to chamber the top round, put the safety in the up position and holster the gun.


If you must have it fully loaded, then remove the magazine, load a single round to replace the topmost one and slide the magazine back into the gun.


However, make sure you hear and feel it click into place. If you don't, the next gunfight may be a one-shot affair.


Clapp on Handguns


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5 Responses to Loading the 1911

operator wrote:
March 15, 2012

robb, yes, you are missing the 1911's grip safety and the biggest safety factor between your ears. don't be dumb like policemen and then you don't need dumbed down guns like them. the 1911 is perfectly safe.

Veedubklown wrote:
March 12, 2012

There are a select few semi pistols, and open bolt machine guns, who latch the extractor by "barrel dropping". Most, you will destroy your most critical, and precisely tuned extractor in short order. XD's are no different. Or glocks. If you must load without a magazine, lower the slide onto the round oh so gently, but still your extractor is sprung to grab, not to release. I've done this for testing purposes. Just a few shots.

robb wrote:
January 12, 2012

I didn't realize a 1911 needed to be carried with the hammer cocked, and safety on, in order to be ready. All the police I speak with see this a a dangerous requirement. Their firearms are loaded with the hammer down, and do a full cycle when the trigger is pulled. This seems safer to me. I suppose I bought without doing my homework, however, I figured if the US Army used the thing, it couldn't be that bad....am I missing something?

Larry Mallory wrote:
November 24, 2009

Great advice, thanks for the warning as well.

Dwayne wrote:
November 24, 2009

Is this true of all Autos, or just the 1911? I am in the habit of loading this way with my xd40.