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Guns which can fire without the mag

PostPosted: Wed Feb 27, 2008 7:27 pm
by Flip
Hi All,

Just wondering if there's a list of guns which can fire without the mag inserted. It doesn't usually show on the specs of most guns I've seen but it'd be nice to know of a list, if it's available somewhere, for folks who are looking for a defense gun that can fire without the mag. If someone just knows off the top of their head, they could list them in this post too.

Thanks,

Flip

Re: Guns which can fire without the mag

PostPosted: Wed Feb 27, 2008 7:40 pm
by cobb
I might be easier and a shorter list to make a list of guns that will not fire without a magazine inserted.

Most S&W won't, but the M&P will, at least the new 45 acp.

Re: Guns which can fire without the mag

PostPosted: Wed Feb 27, 2008 7:42 pm
by Aceq2jot
cobb wrote:I might be easier and a shorter list to make a list of guns that will not fire without a magazine inserted.

Most S&W won't, but the M&P will, at least the new 45 acp.


The whole range of M&P's all offer the mag safety as an option and can be ordered with or with out it.

Re: Guns which can fire without the mag

PostPosted: Wed Feb 27, 2008 8:00 pm
by Molasses
might be easier and a shorter list to make a list of guns that will not fire without a magazine inserted.


:lol: That's for certain. And then there's the possibility that the mag safety has been disabled/removed on any given example of models that originally had them out of the box. Lots of folks with High Powers have removed theirs because of the generally negative effect the mag safety has on the trigger's weight and crispness. I even recall one handgun writer advising a person in one of those "ask the expert" columns to get the mag safety removed from his HP and have it made into a tie tack. Disclaimer: I am not advocating removing or disabling any safety device. Just pointing out something that some people do/have done that one might run across.

One more for the list of S&W autos; the model 745 didn't have a mag safety, either.

Re: Guns which can fire without the mag

PostPosted: Wed Feb 27, 2008 8:04 pm
by rucker
All XD models as far as I know will do that. At least my 45 Compact does...

Re: Guns which can fire without the mag

PostPosted: Wed Feb 27, 2008 8:32 pm
by jac714
Any traditional pattern 1911 will fire sans magazine.

Re: Guns which can fire without the mag

PostPosted: Wed Feb 27, 2008 10:32 pm
by 1911fan
I know one gun writer maven suggests that the magazine disconnect has saved many lives of officers by allowing them to punch out the mag if in a fight over control of the weapon.

I do not think this applies to most of us however.

The only guns I am aware of which have the mag disconnect are the S&W auto's and the Hi powers. There may be a few other models scattered about, but these are the ones which are most likely to be encountered.

Re: Guns which can fire without the mag

PostPosted: Wed Feb 27, 2008 10:42 pm
by David
I suppose it's possible that someone's life could be saved by hitting the mag release in a fight over the gun, but I'd say it's more likely you'll have to use that one chambered round unexpectedly while in the middle of a mag change, or if your mag accidentally releases. I have no empirical basis for saying that, though.

To the original poster: Some manuals or product literature will specify that the gun has a "magazine safety" or "magazine disconnect" in them. That's the phrase you're looking for, if you didn't know it already. I've never seen a brochure explain what it does; just list the feature that way.

Re: Guns which can fire without the mag

PostPosted: Wed Feb 27, 2008 11:02 pm
by 1911fan
Mas Ayoob is the one who advocates them for police duty weapons, I was just explaining his reasoning.

Re: Guns which can fire without the mag

PostPosted: Wed Feb 27, 2008 11:09 pm
by David
Oh, sure, I understood it wasn't coming from you, and I wasn't necessarily disagreeing. Just pointing out another way to look at it. Mr. Ayoob knows almost as much about guns as he does about adult beverages! I listen to him about both.

Re: Guns which can fire without the mag

PostPosted: Wed Feb 27, 2008 11:59 pm
by 1911fan
I will have to listen closer to his discussions of the later, I read his stuff about the former most often. He visits a board I am a member of, and its fun getting to actually talk to some of them.