Agencies dropping Stacatto?

[Bucky]

John Lawson when gunsmithing columnist for American Handgunner wrote that he was in the habit of carrying a striker fired auto in his motorcycle jacket pocket. Until one night he heard a shot from the closet. The striker has slipped all by itself. He bought a PPK the next day.

Parts break, even on the highest of quality items. There is something to be said about a pistol storing enough energy to fire while in its carry ready state (full SA, hammer or striker), likely enough energy (partially cocked, Glock and others), and no energy (DA, and true DAO).

[Jim Watson]

Every modern striker fired handgun I’m familiar with has a firing pin safety that would have stopped the striker from hitting the primer had the striker slipped off the sear (or equivalent) without the trigger being pulled. I’m quite curious what pistol this happened with and how much he had modified it from its factory configuration.

What's "modern"? This was reported about 50 years ago, who knows when it actually happened. He did not say what gun, maybe he was in gun writer mode and did not want to criticize something by name.

I learned this just yesterday. Colt 1903s and 1908s had a half-cock notch added to the hammer and a more robust sear beginning in ~1922.

I only learned it recently. The half cock would catch the hammer if knocked off the sear - Colt still puts a non-captive notch as a "safety stop" on Series 80s - but there would still be risk of a firing pin inertia fire if the gun were dropped on its muzzle.

I ran my own drop tests with a USGI 1911, let fall from head height in various orientations and conditions with a primed case in the chamber. I managed to get it to land muzzle down after several tries hit at angles. The floor was linoleum over board, which may be why I had no discharge, unlike the Internet Experts dropping on concrete. The hammer did not bounce off of full cock when dropped cocked and I only got a tiny mark on the primer, sort of like what you see when you extract a round from an AR with its floating firing pin.

[Wayne Dobbs]

What's "modern"? This was reported about 50 years ago, who knows when it actually happened. He did not say what gun, maybe he was in gun writer mode and did not want to criticize something by name.



I only learned it recently. The half cock would catch the hammer if knocked off the sear - Colt still puts a non-captive notch as a "safety stop" on Series 80s - but there would still be risk of a firing pin inertia fire if the gun were dropped on its muzzle.

I ran my own drop tests with a USGI 1911, let fall from head height in various orientations and conditions with a primed case in the chamber. I managed to get it to land muzzle down after several tries hit at angles. The floor was linoleum over board, which may be why I had no discharge, unlike the Internet Experts dropping on concrete. The hammer did not bounce off of full cock when dropped cocked and I only got a tiny mark on the primer, sort of like what you see when you extract a round from an AR with its floating firing pin.

I had an on duty drop fire from a 70 Series Combat Commander in 1980. I was running down a tile over concrete hallway with an unsnapped pistol (doom on me). Another officer to my rear said my pistol came out of the holster and came head high on me (6'3") and rotated down, landing square on the muzzle, firing a Speer 200 grain duty load. The frag pattern took out a set of electric glass doors in front of me and I got a day on the beach.

[SW CQB 45]

I had an on duty drop fire from a 70 Series Combat Commander in 1980. I was running down a tile over concrete hallway with an unsnapped pistol (doom on me). Another officer to my rear said my pistol came out of the holster and came head high on me (6'3") and rotated down, landing square on the muzzle, firing a Speer 200 grain duty load. The frag pattern took out a set of electric glass doors in front of me and I got a day on the beach.

Flyin Ashtray?

If so, those guys had some umppppphhh!

[jnc36rcpd]

I had an on duty drop fire from a 70 Series Combat Commander in 1980. I was running down a tile over concrete hallway with an unsnapped pistol (doom on me). Another officer to my rear said my pistol came out of the holster and came head high on me (6'3") and rotated down, landing square on the muzzle, firing a Speer 200 grain duty load. The frag pattern took out a set of electric glass doors in front of me and I got a day on the beach.

Wow, Wayne, if I'd known you'd had an accidental discharge, I wouldn't have voted for you being the coolest guy in our officer survival instructor course. On the other hand you were carrying a 1911 when I was first issued a five-inch barrel S&W revolver so I won't ask for a revote.

[Wayne Dobbs]

Wow, Wayne, if I'd known you'd had an accidental discharge, I wouldn't have voted for you being the coolest guy in our officer survival instructor course. On the other hand you were carrying a 1911 when I was first issued a five-inch barrel S&W revolver so I won't ask for a revote.

I loudly complained that everybody else got written reprimands for their NDs that occurred when they were jacking around with pistols, but I got a day off and I wasn't even touching mine when it lit off. It was probably related to that Civil Service trial board two months before where my counsel just absolutely destroyed the Chief, an internal affairs investigator and my Sergeant over a citizen complaint that they intentionally mishandled.

[HCM]

I had an on duty drop fire from a 70 Series Combat Commander in 1980. I was running down a tile over concrete hallway with an unsnapped pistol (doom on me). Another officer to my rear said my pistol came out of the holster and came head high on me (6'3") and rotated down, landing square on the muzzle, firing a Speer 200 grain duty load. The frag pattern took out a set of electric glass doors in front of me and I got a day on the beach.

Did this dissuade you (or your agency) from carrying a series 70 type 1911?

[Wayne Dobbs]

Did this dissuade you (or your agency) from carrying a series 70 type 1911?

No, it didn't. I had a tired firing pin spring in the gun, which likely made this drop firing possible (something I've always paid attention to since). A later gun grab of a 1911 that didn't work for the suspect made the gun very solid with the department.

[Clusterfrack]

...A later gun grab of a 1911 that didn't work for the suspect made the gun very solid with the department.

Did the 1911 not work for the suspect, or in general? (Kidding...)

[BillSWPA]

I had an on duty drop fire from a 70 Series Combat Commander in 1980. I was running down a tile over concrete hallway with an unsnapped pistol (doom on me). Another officer to my rear said my pistol came out of the holster and came head high on me (6'3") and rotated down, landing square on the muzzle, firing a Speer 200 grain duty load. The frag pattern took out a set of electric glass doors in front of me and I got a day on the beach.

When I lived near NRA national headquarters, the lead firearms instructor at their shooting range (IDPA master and USPSA grand master) told a class that there were two types of shooters: those who had an accidental discharge, and those who would have an accidental discharge. Glad yours happened with no injuries and a lesson learned for all of us.