syoung%pecanpi.UUCP@mathcs.emory.edu (06/07/91)
In article <35246@mimsy.umd.edu> snitor!petert@uunet.UU.NET (Peter Toth) writes:
# [...]
#
#Apropos: for the longest time i've been puzzled by magazine safeties.
#Can anyone explain what are they good for besides rendering the gun less
#than useless while reloading ?
#
#Thanx
#
#Peter Toth
Peter, the "noble intention" of a magazine disconnector is, of course, to
keep the gun from firing when folks take out the magazine. Not a bad idea
on a target gun -- but a terrible idea for a protection gun.
The magazine is the single part of a semi-automatic pistol that is most
likely to malfunction. Better a single-shot than a club...
A lot of manufacturers prefer to include the magazine disconnector for
product liability reasons. If some idiot on a range doesn't clear his
weapon, and shoots someone else, a lawyer goes after the folks with the
money - the manufacturer of the gun. So they try to minimize that
exposure.
S&W, for example, builds magazine disconnectors into their guns. If you
try to order one without the magazine disconnector, the standard response
is to say no (unless you are ordering on police department letterhead).
On the other hand, I have a Model 3953 on order that will NOT have the
magazine disconnector. It took a couple of letters, a few phone calls,
and a helpful local dealer, but they finally agreed to build it the way
I want it.
(BTW, ordering one this way takes patience! I put in the order in late
March; the delivery estimates from the factory range from August through
November. They DID offer me a loaner...which I turned down. The loaner
would have had - you guessed it - a magazine disconnector :-(. )
So if you want a particular gun without the magazine disconnector, contact
the factory. You might be able to convince them to do it your way.
--
Stan Young {emory, slammer}!pecanpi!syoung
jamaass@iuvax.cs.indiana.edu (Jeffrey A. Maass) (06/07/91)
syoung%pecanpi.UUCP@mathcs.emory.edu writes:
#
# In article <35246@mimsy.umd.edu> snitor!petert@uunet.UU.NET (Peter Toth) writ
# # [...]
# #
# #Apropos: for the longest time i've been puzzled by magazine safeties.
# #Can anyone explain what are they good for besides rendering the gun less
# #than useless while reloading ?
# #
# #Thanx
# #
# #Peter Toth
#
# Peter, the "noble intention" of a magazine disconnector is, of course, to
# keep the gun from firing when folks take out the magazine. Not a bad idea
# on a target gun -- but a terrible idea for a protection gun.
#
This assumes, of course, that the magazine safety doesn't cause
the trigger to be less than wonderful. I just (_today_!) received
my Browning Hi-Power back from a pistolsmith who removed the
"safety" (after I wrote a note explicitly requesting him to do
so) along with the full "tune-up". The difference in the trigger
is amazing!
I have often read that removing _ANY_ factory safety device will
count against you should you ever have cause to use the gun in
self-defense, so be alert to that. I shoot only paper with mine,
so the trigger is of primary importance.
This is from
jamaass@bluemoon.uucp
jamaass%bluemoon@nstar.rn.com
who doesn't have their own obnoxious signature yetbobd@magnus.acs.ohio-state.edu (Bob DeBula) (06/07/91)
In article <35325@mimsy.umd.edu> syoung%pecanpi.UUCP@mathcs.emory.edu writes:
#
#S&W, for example, builds magazine disconnectors into their guns. If you
#try to order one without the magazine disconnector, the standard response
#is to say no (unless you are ordering on police department letterhead).
#
#On the other hand, I have a Model 3953 on order that will NOT have the
#magazine disconnector. It took a couple of letters, a few phone calls,
#and a helpful local dealer, but they finally agreed to build it the way
#I want it.
#
On at least the older S&W model 39-2 that I have experience with,
I was able to very simply remove the magazine safety by removing the
rear site from the slide and turning the pistol upside down and allowing the
spring loaded detent that engages the magazine safety to fall out.
Presto! no magazine safety anymore..... (It's been about ten years since
I did this, so I may be forgeting some detail or the other, but
recollection is that this was essentially what I did and that it
was very easy to do). Of course, you also want to verify that the
magazine is not in the pistol and the chamber is empty *before* you
disassemble the pistol :-}
Note that for the usual disclaimerish reasons I am not advocating
that you modify any pistol by removing the magazine safety.
--
==========================================================================
Bob DeBula | Disclaimer: These are my views, not the U's