[rodrigo]

I've just got another toy, a Browning BDA9, which has seen very little use. I got it from a retired Air Force officer, it was standard issue sidearm for many Peruvian Army, AF and Navy officers.

When I happily told a friend, he said he had one some time ago, and told me not to trust the decocker lever; he claims the gun went off a couple times when decocking.
I believe this should be a rare case, but just in case I'll point safely and won't take my ear protection when decocking, but I wanted to check if this was a common failure or my friend just wasn't lucky.
Thanks for the input, regards!

Rod

 

[abninftr]

One thing you can count on is that people will blame a mechanism for human error if they can. I say that because more often than not when a gun goes bang when it isn't supposed to it is because someone had their index finger somewhere it shouldn't have been. It is in this way, particularly in military organizations where there is a lot of self-esteem to be lost that myths about unsafe guns get started.

I do trust decockers on those few guns I own with decocking mechanisms. But then, I always keep them pointed in a safe direction when I decock.

 

[weshowe]

+1 on what abninftr said...

Wes

 

[twoguns]

Howdy folks,

Make that 2+ on Mr. abninftr's thoughts. I have run ranges/quals for several decades where weapons being fired were H&K, Beretta, Sig, Smith, Ruger and probably another one or two decocker models were being fired. I have never witnessed a weapon that mechanically malfunctioned while being decocked. I have indeed seen shooter induced rounds going off during decocking, because there fingers were still on the trigger.

That being said, it is a mechanical device. I alway keep my pistol pointed at the target while decocking. I have fired Smiths and Sigs for about 20 years now, and never once had a mechanical discharge during a decocking. But as you stated, keeping the muzzle pointed at the target is the safest way to operate any control on a weapon.

Enjoy your newest lady sir, and when you have the chance to shoot her, please give us a range report.

twoguns

 

[Papabear]

Well make it +3 on abninftr's thoughts., I to trust de-cockers on those few guns I own with de-cocking mechanisms......... :..... but I always keep them pointed in a safe direction when I de-cock too!

BTW Rodrigo, nice looking pistola......

papabear

 

[nuclear]

The only gun I have ever heard of the decocker failing and causing the gun to discharge is the old CZ-52 handgun. It is a known problem with that particular gun. I have never heard of a Browning, Sig, etc., firing due to a defective decocker.

 

[rodrigo]

Well gents, I took my new girl to the range, to see how she performs. In my opinion the trigger, even in single action, is too long. Besides that, she's a pleasure to shoot, good balance, nice sights, good looking... (si papa-oso, bonita pistola!!)

Although I'm not a very good shot, here's what I managed to get at 25 yards:

And finally, I did tried the decocker, like 10 times in a row, with no failure, no shot went off, I guess my friend's BDA9 had a mechanical problem. BTW, my friend's not military, so it's not an ego thing, I must have been a pistol with a problem. BUT NOT MINE!! (yet).
Regards!

Rod.

 

[dasmi]

The decocker on my Makarov has never worried me. There's a big chunk of metal physically blocking the hammer.

 

[Papabear]

s

 

[Guest]

i just purchased a sig 239 w/ decocker. does that use any kind of firing pin block when being decocked?

 

[twoguns]

Howdy Mr. Teif239,

Since we don't want to hi-jack this thread, the short answer is yes sir it does. Keep it pointed down range, but with 8 Sig pistols (one P229, the rest P226s) I have never had a problem while engaging the de-cock feature, even during tactical courses, and actual tactical situations, etc.

twoguns

 

[Guest]

thanks twoguns

sorry bout the attempted jacking. thats a great looking pistol.

 

[cajunbass]

I can think of no more reason to not trust a decocker to work as designed, than I can to think of to not trust a trigger to work.

Point it in a safe direction? Of course you should. You should do the same when you close the cylinder on a revolver.

 

[jimhigginbotham]

Some of us old timers may remember that it was not extremely rare for a P-38 to go off when decocked using the decocker/safety and even some of the early S&W 39s were known to do this. PPKs have known to do it also. To be sure it is a rare occurrance in all of those but happened neough to get some attention.

Apparently it is one of those inertia things as represented by that little novelty give of the 4 or 5 steel balls suspended in a row. When you raise and drop one on the end the other end flies forward.

Later the guns started being designed where not only did the block of stell roll up to protect the back end of the firing pint the firing pin itself was locked by that "drum" that rotated. In other cases strengthening the firing pin return spring was enough to fix the problem.

In any case, I dont think to many modern pistols have this problem.

Jim

 

[larry]

Don't know how the BDA works but most modern DA pistols rely on several safeties to prevent shooting when decocked.

On SIGs and Walther P5s, the hammer drops slowly "on" the decocker. In addition, they have FP blocks (on the P5, the hammer doesn't even touch the FP). In Berettas, the hammer drops with force but the FP is blocked and out of reach.

On old Walthers - P38s and PPs, the precursors of DA and decock-safeties - the hammer drops with full force: if the FP block (on the former) or the hammer block (on the latter) fail, you get a bang!

L.

 

[Chris Stephens]

Hello,

Absolutely do I trust my decocker on my SIG P-226 and my "Larry Inspired" Walther P-5! (I had to have it after Larry gave me the most extensive tutorial on the "benefits" of owning one!) On the P-5, the FP actually rotates out of the way of the hammer!

On my SA firearms, the Browning HP MKIII, CZ-75B and the Colt Commander, the manual of arms that I follow is to remove the magazine and eject the live round. While I can competently lower the hammer, I always follow the most least evasive way of removing a live round from the chamber.

Best,

Chris

 

[rodrigo]

Thanks to all for the answers, but contrary to what Larry's pistols do, in the BDA9 there's no gentle decocking, the hammer goes pafff!! in the very same way it does when you pull the trigger. I was checking with detail my gun's operation, and I believe the reason for its long trigger is that it moves up, at the end of the travel, a metal plate with an inverted 8 shape hole (with the FP almost in the bigger one, so normally, it's blocked). As I said, at the last milimeter of the trigger move, it pushes the plate up, so the FP is now almost in the small hole, and the hammer hits it. When decocking, the plate doesn't move, so when hit by the hammer, it won't shoot.

Hammer down, trigger untouched:

Hammer held, trigger pulled all the way:

So I believe that (at least in theory), this gun, even with one round in the chamber, will never shoot it, unless someone or something pulls the trigger all the way, am I right?
Although I appreciate your comments on other guns, allow me to re-ask: Does anybody else has a BDA9 and had any problem with the decocker??

Regards,
Rod.

 

[gandog56]

I've had three guns with decockers, 2 Rugers and a Sig. Never had 1 AD with any of them.

 

[oberstlt]

I have never had an unintended discharge with any decocker style gun but I am always hinkey when hearing the trigger snap or any breach slam home. Sort of like a long tailed cat in a room full of rocking chairs. PPKs and S&W 39s et al and Berettas are no longer part of my stash but I don't know if I attribute that to DA/SA action or the decocking mechanisms. I never used them on my CZ type pistols either. Having said all that, any mechanical device can fail so regardless, muzzle safety is the key. I still use an old bit of body armor (with Ti plate) for loading and unloading. I also have a phobia about magazine disconnects and have successfully shot a hubcap (excellent shot) and a door as a result of HUA when young and foolish. Let's be careful out there!

 

[billt]

This "Baby" Desert Eagle is the first semi auto I bought with a decocker. Admittingly, it scared the hell out of me the first time I used it, seeing the hammer fall with a live round in the chamber. But since then I've gotten used to it, I like it a lot. Bill T.