This morning involved a mistake on my part that made my heart skip a beat, maybe two. I suppose it ended well enough, considering what might have been. The worst of it is that I damaged my Kimber Pro TLE II in the process and it is non-functional now until I order some relacement parts and make the repairs.
I thought there were a couple of valuable lessons learned here, so I figured that makes it worth sharing with the community, even if I get some well deserved criticism out of it. I accept that and figure its more important to share the experience so others can learn from my mistake.
Part of my morning "leave-the-house-for-work" routine includes the short walk from the back door to the garage. I typically carry my holstered Kimber to the truck, where I transfer it to a holster mounted under the steering wheel. This morning there was a little patch of ice that had formed in front of the overhead door on the garage. I lost my footing for just a moment and dropped my Kimber, which I always carry in Mode 1 - cocked and locked. I am not sure - have not had time to inspect the damage closely, but I believe the pistol landed on the hammer. The force of the impact broke a piece out of the backstrap just behind the grip safety, which left the grip safety free to swing beyond the backstrap, which normally captures it. The hammer ended in the down position, and can not be cocked. I can pull the hammer back, but it will not lock back. Obviously, the pistol will require repair before I can carry it again.
The good news is there was no accidental discharge. I thought this was worth mentioning here because I frequently read folks expressing reservations about carrying their 1911 in Mode 1. My experience this morning should prove there is nothing to worry about in that regard. I dropped my loaded Kimber on its hammer on a concrete surface, with enough impact to damage the weapon. The hammer moved to the down position, against the firing pin, with no discharge. So stop worrying about the safety of Mode 1 (just don't use my expensive method to prove it
). I found this lesson learned to be a confidence booster, reinforcing what I already knew, i.e. that carrying a 1911 in Mode 1 is totally safe.
Of course the bad news is that I damaged my prized Kimber which I am typically very anal about keeping in top working order. This sucks but I will dis-assemble the pistol tonight, including removal of the backstrap, and try to determine exactly what parts I need to order to get it fully functional once again.
Needless to say, another valuable lesson learned from this experience is to be fully awake and vigilant about those few steps between the back door and the garage, especially when carrying a loaded handgun. Maybe I need some dance lessons too!
I thought there were a couple of valuable lessons learned here, so I figured that makes it worth sharing with the community, even if I get some well deserved criticism out of it. I accept that and figure its more important to share the experience so others can learn from my mistake.
Part of my morning "leave-the-house-for-work" routine includes the short walk from the back door to the garage. I typically carry my holstered Kimber to the truck, where I transfer it to a holster mounted under the steering wheel. This morning there was a little patch of ice that had formed in front of the overhead door on the garage. I lost my footing for just a moment and dropped my Kimber, which I always carry in Mode 1 - cocked and locked. I am not sure - have not had time to inspect the damage closely, but I believe the pistol landed on the hammer. The force of the impact broke a piece out of the backstrap just behind the grip safety, which left the grip safety free to swing beyond the backstrap, which normally captures it. The hammer ended in the down position, and can not be cocked. I can pull the hammer back, but it will not lock back. Obviously, the pistol will require repair before I can carry it again.
The good news is there was no accidental discharge. I thought this was worth mentioning here because I frequently read folks expressing reservations about carrying their 1911 in Mode 1. My experience this morning should prove there is nothing to worry about in that regard. I dropped my loaded Kimber on its hammer on a concrete surface, with enough impact to damage the weapon. The hammer moved to the down position, against the firing pin, with no discharge. So stop worrying about the safety of Mode 1 (just don't use my expensive method to prove it
). I found this lesson learned to be a confidence booster, reinforcing what I already knew, i.e. that carrying a 1911 in Mode 1 is totally safe.Of course the bad news is that I damaged my prized Kimber which I am typically very anal about keeping in top working order. This sucks but I will dis-assemble the pistol tonight, including removal of the backstrap, and try to determine exactly what parts I need to order to get it fully functional once again.
Needless to say, another valuable lesson learned from this experience is to be fully awake and vigilant about those few steps between the back door and the garage, especially when carrying a loaded handgun. Maybe I need some dance lessons too!
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