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From: wdo@inel.gov (william d orr)
Newsgroups: rec.guns
Subject: Re: Big bore carry guns (and Sig Sauer)
Message-ID: <35301@mimsy.umd.edu>
Date: 6 Jun 91 14:58:38 GMT
Sender: magnum@mimsy.umd.edu
Organization: Idaho National Engineering Laboratory, Idaho Falls, Idaho
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Approved: gun-control@cs.umd.edu

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

I recall reading several years ago in an article about John Browning why he designed his 9mm Pistol with a safety that prevented firing when the magazine was removed.  It seems that most accidental discharges of pistols happen when handling a pistol that the user believes is unloaded.  With the design of automatic pistols such that it is not possible to see if there is a round in the chamber the magazine safety ensures that the weapon will not fire unless the shooter has loaded it and intends it to be read







y.  This also keeps from having accidental discharges when trying to rapidly reload by dropping out the magazine and loading a fresh one before the first mag iz totally empty, as police and military may often need to do.

Looking from this angle it seems to make sense to me.

Bill



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