Press Checks (Moved from French Army Selects G17 thread)

[Bret]

These posts were broken out of the french army G17 thread.

Why does the shooter need to pull the slide back to peek in the chamber when the pistol has a loaded chamber indicator?

[Mysteryman]

Why does the shooter need to pull the slide back to peek in the chamber when the pistol has a loaded chamber indicator?

Good question. I suspect it may be a habit from previous pistol use.

[call_me_ski]

Why does the shooter need to pull the slide back to peek in the chamber when the pistol has a loaded chamber indicator?

Mechanical devices fail. An extractor or an LCI can break or get stuck leading someone to believe a unloaded pistol is loaded or vise versa. Best practice is to physically and visually check the chamber when possible.

[ST911]

Why does the shooter need to pull the slide back to peek in the chamber when the pistol has a loaded chamber indicator?

Good question. I suspect it may be a habit from previous pistol use.

Mechanical devices fail. An extractor or an LCI can break or get stuck leading someone to believe a unloaded pistol is loaded or vise versa. Best practice is to physically and visually check the chamber when possible.

Yup. The LCI's visual and tactile difference between loaded and unloaded is minimal, and will vary by rim dimensions and tolerances. It's indistinct enough that many users who carry the gun because they have to won't recognize the difference. The LCI is almost useless, mostly just checking boxes to meet requirements. A press check is a much more definitive "always" method, and can provide tactile feedback when dark or light discipline is required.

When first released, I remember owners swapping out the LCI extractors for the older.

[Bret]

The odds are greater that a slide slowly ridden forward will not fully rechamber the cartridge than the pistol failing to feed the cartridge. If the loaded chamber indicator isn't enough to convince someone that there's a cartridge in there, then a drop of the magazine to see how many cartridges are left is an easy secondary confirmation.

[MountainRaven]

The odds are greater that a slide slowly ridden forward will not fully rechamber the cartridge than the pistol failing to feed the cartridge. If the loaded chamber indicator isn't enough to convince someone that there's a cartridge in there, then a drop of the magazine to see how many cartridges are left is an easy secondary confirmation.

So in near or total darkness, how can you tell how many rounds remain in the magazine?

[Bret]

In near or total darkness you also can't see in the chamber when retracting the slide to peek, so how would that be better than looking at the holes in the magazine? I think that if you're skill set or your confidence in your pistol is such that you don't trust you've loaded it and you don't trust the tactile loaded chamber indicator, then you really shouldn't handle a pistol in the dark.

[MountainRaven]

In near or total darkness you also can't see in the chamber when retracting the slide to peek, so how would that be better than looking at the holes in the magazine? I think that if you're skill set or your confidence in your pistol is such that you don't trust you've loaded it and you don't trust the tactile loaded chamber indicator, then you really shouldn't handle a pistol in the dark.

Chamber check at night:

Step 1: Partially retract slide.
Step 2: Insert finger into where there is supposed to be a cartridge.
Step 2a: If you feel the breach of the barrel, your pistol is not loaded.
Step 2b: If you feel a cartridge case, your pistol is loaded.
Step 3: Return slide to battery.

[Mysteryman]

Chamber check at night:

Step 1: Partially retract slide.
Step 2: Insert finger into where there is supposed to be a cartridge.
Step 2a: If you feel the breach of the barrel, your pistol is not loaded.
Step 2b: If you feel a cartridge case, your pistol is loaded.
Step 3: Return slide to battery.

Why are you loading in the dark? I can't foresee that being a common situation. In addition, if a press check is so crucial, why does no one practice a press check after a reload? It would stand to reason that ensuring your pistol is loaded might be most important during use, and yet no one press checks after a reload, or between each shot for that matter. So if you trust your gun to load, fire, extract, eject, from first round to last during use, why wouldn't you trust it during an admin load??

[MountainRaven]

Why are you loading in the dark?

Because it's dark for (on average) half the day, everywhere.

I can't foresee that being a common situation.

Yeah, 50% of the time is pretty uncommon. I can't remember the last time it got dark out.

In addition, if a press check is so crucial, why does no one practice a press check after a reload? It would stand to reason that ensuring your pistol is loaded might be most important during use, and yet no one press checks after a reload,

You need to get out more. I see people perform presschecks all the time after performing drills, including during reloads. It's like a "tactical" reload: You do it when time and opportunity presents itself.

So if you trust your gun to load, fire, extract, eject, from first round to last during use,

If you trust your gun to never fail from first round to last round over thousands or tens of thousands of rounds, you need to shoot more.

why wouldn't you trust it during an admin load??

It's an admin load and you obviously don't spend much time dealing with real people in the real world where people fail to seat magazines all the damned time, yank their charging handle or rack their slide, and chamber empty air.

People ride slide locks, followers and columns of ammunition get stuck, springs break, magazines fail, ammunition manufacturers dump less powder in some cartridges, and shit just happens.

The two loudest noises in the world are a bang when you expect a click and a click when you expect a bang and a two-second chamber check can prevent you from experiencing either.