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Mag Disconnect Feature Poll - yes, no, maybe

For your primary carry pistol, would you buy a model with a magazine disconnect?

  • Yes, I see the benefit

    Votes: 0 0.0%
  • Yes, but only on certain makes/models

    Votes: 0 0.0%
  • Maybe, I can see pros and cons

    Votes: 0 0.0%
  • No, the only magazine disconnects in my world are when news magazines publish Brady Campaign propaga

    Votes: 0 0.0%

  • Total voters
    0

deepdiver

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I don't remember seeing a poll on this before and the limited time frame for searching since the SQL corruption limits the ability to find one if there was. Sorry if this is old ground.

My vote would be no. My rationale is simple. During an administrative reload, or if you dropped your mag for some accidental reason, there is still one in the pipe that may save your life while you reload.

Also, I don't want to have to have an empty a mag, to decock, field strip or lock the slide back, depending on the pistol, for reasons of both convenience or a problem situation where I only have one mag with me (I only have experience with a few mag disconnect pistols and they all had these features, but I don't know that all do). Just seems like something else to go wrong on several levels for no advantages that wouldn't be mitigated by safe gun handling.
 

BobCav

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My Ruger P345 does have a mag disconnect and I have not"cleaned under the rear sight".

I do see both sides of the argument. Since this is my first pistol, I see the benefit in certain circumstances of having it there. When I drop the mag while getting ready to disassemble for cleaning, it can't fire that last round in the pipe (ND) before I eject it.Lots of fools ND while disassembling for cleaning andI'd rather not be one of those.

Idon't like that they've been used as a political tool though. I'd like to think I could drop the mag before or during a grapple for the weapon, but I think that's just wishful thinking. I wonder if there are any documented cases where a LEO or anyone was able to drop the mag in a grapple and the mag-disconnect did it's job?

Only need an empty mag in the P345 to dry fire. Also, if anyone is consideringbuying a used gun such as the P345 that has a mag-disconnetc, you just don'tknow how many times the previous owner may have dry fired it WITHOUT an empty mag inserted and that WILL damage the internals.
 

compmanio365

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BobCav wrote:
My Ruger P345 does have a mag disconnect and I have not"cleaned under the rear sight".

I do see both sides of the argument. Since this is my first pistol, I see the benefit in certain circumstances of having it there. When I drop the mag while getting ready to disassemble for cleaning, it can't fire that last round in the pipe (ND) before I eject it.Lots of fools ND while disassembling for cleaning andI'd rather not be one of those.

Idon't like that they've been used as a political tool though. I'd like to think I could drop the mag before or during a grapple for the weapon, but I think that's just wishful thinking. I wonder if there are any documented cases where a LEO or anyone was able to drop the mag in a grapple and the mag-disconnect did it's job?

Only need an empty mag in the P345 to dry fire. Also, if anyone is consideringbuying a used gun such as the P345 that has a mag-disconnetc, you just don'tknow how many times the previous owner may have dry fired it WITHOUT an empty mag inserted and that WILL damage the internals.

There was a documented case of a mag disconnect saving a LEOs life at one point, early on when they were first implemented.....don't remember what brand of firearm it was.....I'll see if I can find a link to post. Basically, the LEO dropped the mag as the BG got the gun away from him and the BG tried several times to fire the weapon with no success, giving the LEO time to pull a BUG.

As far as having one, I do have one on my Hi Point 45, but not one on my Kel Tec PF-9......which works, as my HP 45 is my obvious open carry weapon of choice, and my PF-9 serves the role of CCW carry.

I can lock my slide back and field strip the45 without a magazine, but since thepistol is striker fired, you can't "de-cock" it without pulling the trigger.....which means you have to have the mag inserted to disengage the magazine safety before pulling that trigger.

I definitely stand in the middle of the argument....I can see good reasons for having them, or not having them, depending on what you are doing with your pistol, and it should be an optional feature that can be easily removed without voiding the manufacturers warranty. I believe the Ruger SR9 that I was looking at recently had a mag disconnect, but it was simple to remove and Ruger even included instructions on how to do so.....doing so would not void their warranty, as long as you followed the instructions. That is a good idea to me.
 

eyesopened

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I don't see why a firearm should need it. It's like the loaded chamber indicator. Why do I need an indicator when I know it's loaded until I've verified otherwise? When did we start letting the lawyers design our firearms?
 

DreQo

State Researcher
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Definitely no. I don't want ANYTHING on my gun that keeps it from firing when I pull the trigger. My SW99 doesn't even have a manual safety, and I like it that way.

It's standard practice to reload with one in the chamber so you can shoot if someone comes around the corner. Now granted that practice is geared towards a combat situation, but thats what guns are made for after all.
 

FightingGlock19

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, Kentucky, USA
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DreQo wrote:
It's standard practice to reload with one in the chamber so you can shoot if someone comes around the corner. Now granted that practice is geared towards a combat situation
?? Are you talking Tactical Reload? In a high-stress situation, it's very unlikely one will even remember their own name, let alone how many rounds were fired/left.
 

BobCav

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I'll say this, my Ruger has never failed to fire, never had an issue at all with the disconnect and in a lot of ways it's not even there. Doesn't bother me either way.
 

ilbob

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I am not a huge fan of magazine safeties. I think it is something else thatcan fail, and it forces you to have a mag in the gun to dry fire, which I prefer not to do.

OTOH, in the real world, it is not that big of a deal one way or the other. It has some perceived benefits to some people, and not to others.

Its way down the list of things thatI really care one way or the other about.
 

DreQo

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FightingGlock19 wrote:
DreQo wrote:
It's standard practice to reload with one in the chamber so you can shoot if someone comes around the corner. Now granted that practice is geared towards a combat situation
?? Are you talking Tactical Reload? In a high-stress situation, it's very unlikely one will even remember their own name, let alone how many rounds were fired/left.
I agree that if you don't practice it a whole lot, you probably wont do it when the stress hits. That is what we practiced while I was a Marine, though, and we practiced it enough to be second nature. The point really isn'tto reload at round 29. The pointis to reload when you can, and always keep one in the chamber. You don't want to be caught with half a mag or an empty gun.

I also forgot to mention that I, too, don't like needing to insert an empty magazine just to de-cock it. My g/f has a Walther P22. It's a fun gun to shoot, but it is DRIPPING with safety features, which drives me crazy.
 

Legba

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I like the magazine safety in principle, although you need to handle a gun as if it doesn't have one anyway (my pieces are about half with, half without). I just have a dread of some gun-ignorant person (my gf fits the bill) getting at a gun and thinking it wouldn't fire because the mag is out, and then...

-ljp
 

BobCav

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Legba, that's probably the biggest concern with mag disconnects. The potential for disaster whenpeople become reliant on the gun's built insafety devices instead of thebuilt in safetydevice between our ears. Well, most of ours anyway.

Loaded is loaded is loaded. I don't care how many safety devices it has.
 

G20-IWB24/7

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As a private citizen, I have never owned (nor will ever own) an auto pistol with a magazine disconnect, because I don't see the benefit.

If I were a(n) uniformed police officer, I could see the benefit, as in the case that Compmanio discussed, which I believe has happened on more than that one single instance.

The only other possible benefit, and where I have suggested someone buy a handgun with one, is where someone may be concerned w/unauthorized use of a home defense handgun, and doesn't trust their method of securing the gun (i.e. can't afford a safe, etc...) so they just hold onto the mag(s) throughout the day and this renders the pistol useless, even if there's still a round chambered. Third Generation (Four-Digit model number) Smith & Wesson autos, some M&P Autos, Browning Hi-Power, Ruger P345 & SR9, and a few others offer this feature.
 

Custodian

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The M&P I just bought has a mag disconnect. As of the moment, I don't see it as a problem. Seems like the only safety on the this particular tool. No thumb safety, no grip safety, just a trigger (kinda heavy).
 

mercutio545

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BobCav wrote:
My Ruger P345 does have a mag disconnect and I have not"cleaned under the rear sight".

I do see both sides of the argument. Since this is my first pistol, I see the benefit in certain circumstances of having it there. When I drop the mag while getting ready to disassemble for cleaning, it can't fire that last round in the pipe (ND) before I eject it.Lots of fools ND while disassembling for cleaning andI'd rather not be one of those.

Idon't like that they've been used as a political tool though. I'd like to think I could drop the mag before or during a grapple for the weapon, but I think that's just wishful thinking. I wonder if there are any documented cases where a LEO or anyone was able to drop the mag in a grapple and the mag-disconnect did it's job?

Only need an empty mag in the P345 to dry fire. Also, if anyone is consideringbuying a used gun such as the P345 that has a mag-disconnetc, you just don'tknow how many times the previous owner may have dry fired it WITHOUT an empty mag inserted and that WILL damage the internals.
Hey Bob, I have a P345 as well. I've always wondered why you only need an empty mag to dry fire. What is the mechanism behind this? Something to do with the mag disconnect?


On the subject of whether a mag disconnect is needed or not, I don't really care either ways. I got the 345 because I was getting a great deal on it, not because it has all the "safety features" (mag disconnect, internal lock, etc).
 

BobCav

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Exactly. Believe me, since Rugers have the disconnect, there is a LOT of talk and debate overon RugerForums.com. Rugers use a Firing Pin Block system. There is a one firing pin block (pieces 8, 9& 10in the diagram) that's only lifted at the end of normal trigger travel (as many guns now have) but on Rugers and other guns with mag disconnects, there's a second block, the magazine disconnect (pieces 6 and 7)that isenabled only when the mag is out and disabled when it's inserted.

If you look beneath your slide, that round stainless piece near the rear with a small bevel is the bottom of piece 6, the mag disconnect. When the magazine is inserted, it pushes up on that pin, releasing that block off of the little flange around the firing pin, allowing the pin to move forward, if the trigger block is lifted also. The bevel aids in lifting the mag disconnect off the firing pin each time the slide moves forward into battery during normal operation.

If you pull the triggerwithout a mag, the firing pin will hit that block preventing the gun from firing. However, if this is done repeatedly as when "dry firing" it causes that piece to peen overcausing it to fail. Worse is it maybreak off completely, fouling the entire blocking system making the gun inoperable and resulting in a "click-no bang" situation (disconnect block permanently ON)

If you've owned it since new and have never dry fired without a mag, you're fine. But if you bought it used and have no real idea if the previous owner did or didn't, it would be a godo idea to have the block checked by a gunsmith, or if you're capable disassemble your rear sight and examine it yourself for peening and or cracks.

There was a post on the Ruger Forum with a pic of that pin broken off completely. Mayby they used a different mag, but if that pin fails...click-no bang.

If you happened to remove your rear sight for cleaning and FORGOT to reinstall pieces #6 and #7 as shown in the attached picture and as described on the link below, your magazine disconnect wouldn't work anymore.


http://www.rugerforum.com/phpBB/viewtopic.php?t=2285

EDIT:post for information only! Remove safety devices at your own risk!
 

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