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Never happened to me. Curious if it's happened to anyone here. The ATI I have and many others are made with this type of firing pin mechanism, sans trigger block. Was thinking about grabbing an RIA and watched a Paul Harrell video where he mentioned the possibility, and frankly, it hadn't even occurred to me prior.
 
A dropped M1911 can/could go off.

Though I've never seen it happen in REAL LIFE.

Aloha, Mark

PS....reminds me of that time......

A recruit dropped a cartridge on the black top at the range. Yup....it went off. Though again......I wasn't there to actually see it first hand.
 
I did know of that, and I should have been more specific. My query is more in regards to the potential of an AD happening while chambering a round in the Series 70 type pistols.
 
If.....the firing pin was stuck (beyond the slide's face or weak firing pin spring or considering an out of dimension long firing pin-protrusion).....I guess it could happen.

Just like how an "open bolt" sub gun's firing pin slams into a primer when a cartridge is chambered.

Aloha, Mark

PS....BTW, I drank water out of the garden hose when I was young. So then.....I still like my old Series '70 M1911s vs the ones with the "firing pin safety". I guess with my LUCK.....I'll survive a little longer.
 
Last Edited:
I have been shooting and carrying my Colt Series '70 for decades...and have never had a "slam fire".
This is not to say that it can't happen...Just that it hasn't happened to me.

I have read and heard much "gun forum talk" and "gun store talk" about how the Series '70 is prone to slam firing...but I have never met anyone that this has happened to.
Andy
Edit to add...
This Colt series '70 was my dad's pistol and he never had a slam fire with it either.....
 
There are several pistols that people have shown doing this. The one thing seldom mentioned is to get this to happen the people have to build special jigs to make it happen. Long ago on a large group someone mentioned this about the Kel-Tec P11. Just sure they were not drop safe. The guy who made a video to show it happening had to build a special jig to make it set off a primed case. In real life you can not get any of these pistols to do this unless someone has kitchen table smithed it to the point of being an accident waiting to happen. When I have run across someone who fell for this urban myth I just tell them try it at home. Empty the pistol they "heard" can do this. With a loaded mag try dropping it on something like a bed. You will never get it to fall strait onto the barrel. The people setting off a primed case have to make a jig allowing them to drive the pistol down onto the barrel very hard.
 
There are several pistols that people have shown doing this. The one thing seldom mentioned is to get this to happen the people have to build special jigs to make it happen. Long ago on a large group someone mentioned this about the Kel-Tec P11. Just sure they were not drop safe. The guy who made a video to show it happening had to build a special jig to make it set off a primed case. In real life you can not get any of these pistols to do this unless someone has kitchen table smithed it to the point of being an accident waiting to happen. When I have run across someone who fell for this urban myth I just tell them try it at home. Empty the pistol they "heard" can do this. With a loaded mag try dropping it on something like a bed. You will never get it to fall strait onto the barrel. The people setting off a primed case have to make a jig allowing them to drive the pistol down onto the barrel very hard.
I hadn't heard of or seen that. That's ridiculous.
But, while droppage can be an issue, my concern was more about a malfunction while chambering a round.
Like I had said in the OP, it's not something that had even occurred to me until it was mentioned by Mr. Harrell. Of course it's a possibility, as it is with any pistol, but the likelihood of a firearm discharge happening while chambering seems to be just about zero.
 
I haven't seen it. What I've heard it always sounded like the big danger was dropping the pistol business end first on the ground. My EDC is a 70 series but have not tried dropping it!
 
Never happened to me. Curious if it's happened to anyone here. The ATI I have and many others are made with this type of firing pin mechanism, sans trigger block. Was thinking about grabbing an RIA and watched a Paul Harrell video where he mentioned the possibility, and frankly, it hadn't even occurred to me prior.

Now I'm curious if anyone here specifically carries a Series 80 or similar firing pin type safety because of this risk?

To be honest, it's crossed my mind but I have left it to internet lore and tried to not miss any sleep over it.
 
Now I'm curious if anyone here specifically carries a Series 80 or similar firing pin type safety because of this risk?

Not "specifically",, but I do like the 80s for carry.
I know it's like 1 in a million, but their is only a few thousands of an inch of engagement between sear and hammer, and the failure of a worn/out of spec/brittle , tiny edge could let the hammer drop.
The thumb safety on a 1911 DOES NOT block the hammer, it only "tries" to keep the sear engaged with the hammer.
Has some "bubba" worked on the thumb safety,, or replaced some parts?
A "slam fire" is almost impossible while chambering a round unless the firing pin is somehow jammed forward in its tunnel, (usually do to a broken spring that binds it up).
A good idea when you get any used 1911 is to put some new Wolf springs in it,
If I was getting a new import 1911, I would also change the springs.
Main spring, recoil spring, firing pin spring.
 
Not "specifically",, but I do like the 80s for carry.
I know it's like 1 in a million, but their is only a few thousands of an inch of engagement between sear and hammer, and the failure of a worn/out of spec/brittle , tiny edge could let the hammer drop.
The thumb safety on a 1911 DOES NOT block the hammer, it only "tries" to keep the sear engaged with the hammer.
Has some "bubba" worked on the thumb safety,, or replaced some parts?
A "slam fire" is almost impossible while chambering a round unless the firing pin is somehow jammed forward in its tunnel, (usually do to a broken spring that binds it up).
A good idea when you get any used 1911 is to put some new Wolf springs in it,
If I was getting a new import 1911, I would also change the springs.
Main spring, recoil spring, firing pin spring.

Thanks for sharing this knowledge. Big time seconded on replacing those 1911 springs — have a box full of Wolffs ready to feed the addiction at all times!
 
I hadn't heard of or seen that. That's ridiculous.
But, while droppage can be an issue, my concern was more about a malfunction while chambering a round.
Like I had said in the OP, it's not something that had even occurred to me until it was mentioned by Mr. Harrell. Of course it's a possibility, as it is with any pistol, but the likelihood of a firearm discharge happening while chambering seems to be just about zero.
This has happened many a time and of course to the one standing there red faced it was always the guns fault. Of course the truth is almost always someone, like the one with the red face, pulled the trigger after charging the pistol and of course does not want to admit it. Now I did see a video one time of guys doing this with a Glock. Standing there clambering rounds until it fired. Some of the sharper eyed Glock people here noticed right off that it was almost surely some after market pistol parts, not a factory set up. So this is again possible with any gun if someone has butchered it. Of course if they do and it fires when it should not they are never going to admit they screwed up the gun first.
 
I haven't seen it. What I've heard it always sounded like the big danger was dropping the pistol business end first on the ground. My EDC is a 70 series but have not tried dropping it!
To make it fire you have to really hammer it muzzle down. With enough force to throw the floating pin into the round. It will never happen from a drop, no one can "drop" one far enough and if you tried it off a high enough distance you can't get them to land squarely on the muzzle which is what you need. The people building jigs to make this happen are trying to "prove" something they heard and want to be true. So they set up a jig to make it happen and there is no telling them this is not how it happens in real life <shrug>
The time I saw this done with a P-11 the one guy got so over the top mad when called out on it the owner of the group had to tell him to drop it or he would be kicked off the group. He so badly wanted it to be true there was no reaching him with facts.
 
Now I'm curious if anyone here specifically carries a Series 80 or similar firing pin type safety because of this risk?

To be honest, it's crossed my mind but I have left it to internet lore and tried to not miss any sleep over it.

Several .gov contracts have used series 80 designs for drop-safety. The Marine Corps 1911 made by Colt is a Series 80.
 
If the sear is messed up or the sear spring is weak a Series 70 (or that style of 1911) can slam fire.

Even if the Series 80 style firing pin safety can eliminate this problem, the firing pin safety itself can cause the gun to not fire, or to not fire consistently.
I won't own a "Series 80 style" of pistol. Or, at least I would eliminate the FPS. The only problem I've ever had with a non modified 1911 was a firing pin safety.
 
If the sear is messed up or the sear spring is weak a Series 70 (or that style of 1911) can slam fire.

Even if the Series 80 style firing pin safety can eliminate this problem, the firing pin safety itself can cause the gun to not fire, or to not fire consistently.
I won't own a "Series 80 style" of pistol. Or, at least I would eliminate the FPS. The only problem I've ever had with a non modified 1911 was a firing pin safety.
I have to imagine that this is why the series 80 isn't the one that's duplicated.
 
Anyhow, since we have gotten past that, I am having trouble deciding whether or not to get this: ROCK Standard FS - 45ACP | Armscor International, Inc

Or this: GI Standard FS - 45ACP | Armscor International, Inc
Bimart near my house has the GI for 389, and even through COVID I've been able to be in and out for BGC. The standard is available new through Buds for 499, which is a better deal than the used one in the classifieds here, even if I bought an equal amount of mags.
I have the cash and the itch. May wait and try to sell something so I can get both. Or buy half a Colt.
 
Go with the FS. I had one like it. Worked like a top! Only issue I ever had with mine was when I ran out of 45 on the range that day.
 

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