To lock back or not, that's the question?

[igolfat8]

I am used to shooting pistols until they are empty and the slide locks back on the last shot. I got a new 2011 and it doesn't lock back, by design, on the last shot. What is the reasoning behind that? It has MBX mags and I can get followers that will lock it back if I choose but I wanted to understand why 2011s aren't meant to lock back. Please enlighten me, oh wise ones...

[niroth81]

I had long wondered the same thing. Then i slammed a magazine in with the slow open and snapped my ejector off. I haven't changed anything, it still locks back, but I am a little less "gorilla" and putting a mag in on an open slide.

[Sarge]

Search is your friend. Gets brought up about once a month.

[Scott Steele]

Search is your friend. Gets brought up about once a month.

+1 oh wise one.


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[BeerBaron]

There's a couple of reasons:

 

the biggest one is reliability. To get reliable lock back you need a large nub on the inside of the slide stop. With long loaded 40 (and to a lesser extent 9 and 38 too) often a bullet will contact that nub causing premature lock back. You don't want that. 

 

The other is the potential ejector damage as pointed out by niroth81 that can happen when you enthusiastically seat a mag with slide open. 

 

The final reason is that that you don't need it. With 20 rounds in limited and up to 30 in open you should not be running the gun dry ever. There's always a place to reload before running the gun dry. 

 

In an open gun it's basically as fast to cycle the slide with a weak hand side racker as it is to hit the slide lock. 

 

 

[igolfat8]

How is it less damaging slamming a mag into a closed slide? Is the ejector supported when the slide is closed? Not trying to be a wisenheimer just trying to visualize this.

[JWBaldree]

When the slide is closed, the top round in the magazine being seated will make contact with the bottom of the slide before the magazine has a chance to push through and hit the ejector. Also the ammunition stack in the magazine plus the magazine spring will provide a cushion as the magazine gets fully seated, once it all hits the bottom of the slide that is.

[niroth81]

Yep exactly. If you think about the pressure needed to get the last round in, that amount of pressure is basically decreasing the mags acceleration as you slam it into the gun.

[Matt1]

With long loaded 40 (and to a lesser extent 9 and 38 too) often a bullet will contact that nub causing premature lock back. You don't want that. 

Nobody wants premature lockback [emoji23]

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Oops, wrong forum



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[theWacoKid]

You should never run the gun empty in the first place. Over-insertion of a mag on the clock with a locked back slide is a sure fire receipt for a locked up gun and stage zero. 

 

Nevermind the frustration of a slide locking back randomly in the middle of a stage. 

[niroth81]

These kinda comments make me laugh to be honest. I know some of the best shooters grind off their slide stop. But at the end of the day, if the gun is jamming up when you insert a mag on an open slide, that would suggest the gun and/or mags haven't been made/built.tuned properly. I've never had a slide lock open randomly ever.

 

 

[M1A4ME]

I don't own one of those but it sounds like a design issue, either the pistol or the magazines.  I've never heard of someone damaging a 1911 or a CZ (or even a Glock) by running it empty before inserting the next magazine.

[theWacoKid]

I've learned from the mistakes of others. It happens on over-insertion of a mag. Normally on the clock with a lot of adrenaline fueled effort on mag insertion. It's nearly a guarantee that when someone shows up to a match with a new 2011 locking back you can predict they will crash an ejector and be stuck with a non-running gun. 

 

There are some small things I'm willing to risk that may cost me on a stage, this is not one of them.  The only thing to stop a long mag on a slide lock reload is the mag catch. This is just inherent in 2011 design, not a tuning thing. 

 

My grip covers the slide stop and can push it up on occasion. A strong detent keeps that from happening. 

[zzt]

I use MBX mags.  I have race followers that don't lock the slide back, and a set of followers and springs that do.  I change them as needed for the club I'm shooting at.  My slide stop is unmodified.  My mag catch is of the variety that does not permit over insertion of the mag.

 

Some games and clubs require going to slide lock.  The price I pay is one round less capacity.  Big deal.  20 vs 19 capacity isn't going to make or break a stage.  The real reason I sometimes use lock back followers is the game/match has a 10-round maximum rule.  I'm used to Limited and Open, so locking back on empty is actually a big help in those games.  It is quicker than click, oh crap, reload, rack the slide.

[IHAVEGAS]

I did it (ground off the slide stop) for USPSA limited just because it was a pain in the butt to try to get maximum capacity and avoid having the slide lock back with one round in the mag intermittently. 

 

Else, slide lock reloads are the rule in IDPA & shooting an STI Eagle with 100% of reloads at slide stop never caused any issue.