[Boma]

Has anyone ever had their P3AT accidentally shoot while cocked and being carried, without pulling the trigger?

What safety prevents the gun from shooting if, hypothetically speaking, the hammer drops? (assuming the trigger isn't pulled)

I'm just getting an overall consensus. I'm getting used to carrying my P3AT cocked in a pocket holster, while I'm walking around the mall, etc.

 

[Stevil]

There ain't no such thing as an accidental discharge, just a negligent discharge... the safety is yer' finger n' yer' noggin. ;D

 

[Guest]

boma, it is not cocked, it is half cocked and until you pull the trigger it is never fully cocked. It will produce lite strikes but nothing else on half cock. Just shoot it like u stole it and don't worry about it. Its as safe as a grenade with the pin still in it...

 

[raybsc]

I have to agree with jocko.
Besides haven't you always heard "Don't go off half cocked."
Just the same don't worry.
Somewhere on this forum there is a drop test.
It will give you some idea of the safety issue.
I don't remember where it is but someone will know.

 

[rjhauser]

agreed, it is a ND not AD.

and half cocked, all you get is light strikes.

try it, go to the range and do not let the trigger fully reset.

 

[alamo]

rcmodel had a good explanation yesterday:

Just for your own reassurance, you can check it yourself with your gun.

Look in the open slot at the rear of the slide and you can see the hammer at rest on the hammer block.
Now, making doubly sure the gun is un-loaded, slowly pull the trigger.

You can see the hammer being brought back to full-cock and released. Without that full range of hammer movement, there is not enough energy available to fire a round, even if the hammer-block safety did somehow fail. (although it is very hard to imagine it failing)

Now that the hammer has been released, it now rests inside the slide, against the firing pin recess in the slide.
Slowly open the slide, and you can see it press the hammer back all they way to where it would be at full-cock if it could stay there. (But it can't, because there is no internal sear to hold it there.)

Now slowly ease the slide forward and you can see the hammer follow the slide until it is once again un-cocked and resting against the hammer-block safety.

Only by pulling the trigger is it possible for the hammer to come to full cock and be released with enough energy to fire a round in the chamber.

rcmodel

 

[Packer]

  P3AT drop test result from 8 feet high:

http://www.ktog.org/cgi-bin/yabb/YaBB.cgi?board=101;action=display;num=1157994707

  It's towards the end of post #2.

Packer.

 

[Boma]

rcmodel had a good explanation yesterday:

Thank you for all the comments. This description really convinced me it is safe. I will continue to carry it confidently! =)

OH yeah I dropped it on the ground (carpet) from about 4 feet unloaded and half cocked, to see if I could get it to fire and it wouldn't. I didn't mess up my gun in anyway right?

 

[z71bill]

Boma

One cause of AD or ND is when a gun is dropped - and the person does what comes instinctively - tries to catch it (grab it) before it hits the ground -

The gun is caught - BY THE TRIGGER - BANG!

The best thing to do if you drop a gun is to let it hit the ground - hard to do - harder to watch - but from what I have read - its the safe thing to do.

 

[bigdaddyv10]

This is a Topic in itself but applies here. http://richmonddemocrat.blogspot.com/2006/01/is-delegate-jack-reid-telling-truth.html Someone else posted this over at the Urban Survival Range  http://usrange.org/smf/index.php  US Range for short, The US Range is a new General Firearms board with some other areas of interest, that is well worth checking out.

 

[mpholic]

 Just shoot it like u stole it and don't worry about it.

Jocko, is this your new catch phrase. I am seeing it a lot here and don't ever remember seeing it on the PF9 board?

;D

 

[Guest]

Jocko, is this your new catch phrase.  I am seeing it a lot here and don't ever remember seeing it on the PF9 board?

;D

I don't own a pf9, own 2 p380 and I shoot um like I stole um allthe time..

 

[mpholic]

I don't own a pf9,  

I pretty much knew that.

 

[Tokamak]

I was originally worried about carrying with one in the chamber until someone pointed out that I carry my revolver that way all the time.

 

[steelhorses]

I can testify that droping a loaded P3-AT  onto pavement from waist high (3.5 ft?) doesn't cause it to fire  :

Happened to me yesterday when I was taking it out of my pocket and putting it in the car.

Edited to add: Just thought about the pics of the dimpled primer and went downstairs to check mine. Whew! glad to find out I wasn't carrying a round in the chamber with a firing pin dimple ;D

 

[Tokamak]

OH yeah I dropped it on the ground (carpet) from about 4 feet unloaded and half cocked,  

I am not being a smart alex, but how do you 1/2 cock the PAT? Do you mean slide racked?

 

[alamo]

I am not being a smart alex, but how do you 1/2 cock the PAT?  Do you mean slide racked?

Your P-3AT is normally at half cock when you have a round in the chamber or rack the slide.   I believe half cock is the right terminology.  I would call it uncocked when you dry fire it and don't rack the slide.

rcmodel's explanation about hammer blocks and drop fire saftey makes it clearer:

Just for your own reassurance, you can check it yourself with your gun.

Look in the open slot at the rear of the slide and you can see the hammer at rest on the hammer block.
Now, making doubly sure the gun is un-loaded, slowly pull the trigger.

You can see the hammer being brought back to full-cock and released. Without that full range of hammer movement, there is not enough energy available to fire a round, even if the hammer-block safety did somehow fail. (although it is very hard to imagine it failing)

Now that the hammer has been released, it now rests inside the slide, against the firing pin recess in the slide.
Slowly open the slide, and you can see it press the hammer back all they way to where it would be at full-cock if it could stay there. (But it can't, because there is no internal sear to hold it there.)

Now slowly ease the slide forward and you can see the hammer follow the slide until it is once again un-cocked and resting against the hammer-block safety.

Only by pulling the trigger is it possible for the hammer to come to full cock and be released with enough energy to fire a round in the chamber.


rcmodel