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Technique for decocking Millenium Pro (3rd gen)?

8K views 34 replies 19 participants last post by  couchlockd 
#1 ·
I've been favorably impressed with a number of Taurus handguns, and in the compact Millenium line in particular. I've held off purchasing one because I really prefer traditional double action handguns (long heavy first trigger pull for safety, short light follow-ups - or first shot if circumstances permit). I got to handle the new 24/7 OSS model with decocker and really like the lockwork. I hope Taurus makes a version of the compact Millenium Pro series with a safety/decocker like the OSS.

BUT, I read tonight on another web site about a technique for decocking the current Millenium Pro pistols by (as I recall) partially retracting the slide and then pulling the trigger with a round in the chamber while the slide is retracted. This was said to get you an uncocked (true double-action) first shot. But it was controversial - several other follow-up posts said they thought this would be very dangerous. I can certainly see some issues with pulling the trigger on a loaded firearm without intending to fire it. On the other hand, revolver shooters do this frequently (I've manually uncocked loaded revolvers, or semi-autos without decockers like the original CZ75s, many times without incident by pulling the trigger and easing the hammer down with my thumb). That said, I'm not sure about pulling the trigger on a striker-fired handgun and counting on it not firing because the slide is partially open.

Please bear in mind that I haven't tried this, may not be explaining it properly or completely, and don't know if it is dangerous or not. PLEASE DON"T TRY THIS WITHOUT CONFIRMING ITS SAFETY ELSEWHERE. I haven't tried it, but I'm curious about what others think and have experienced. They guy who posted about it said that if the slide is retracted, the gun won't fire, and he keeps it pointed in a safe direction to decock it using this method, so he thinks it is safe. I'm inclined to agree, though it would be much better if they'd just give us a decocker version.

Also, I wonder if it would be possible to recock the gun without ejecting the round in the chamber by partially retracting the slide. I have an SW99 (like a Walther P99) that works this way. It has a decocker button, but you can recock the gun by retracting the slide about 1/4".

Anyway, I'm very interested to hear what Taurus owners think of this decocking technique. I know that most are comfortable with the cocked and locked method and that it works fine - I just prefer the added safety of a true double-action first shot trigger (but not a DAO pistol). Thanks.

Doug
 
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#27 ·
okay im sure you guys read my post in the other thread about this very technique but it was pertaining to a pt145pro.

i got attacked, pretty badly called stupid in not so many words.

HERE IS WHAT YOU NEED TO DO.

if you want to do this, uncock the millpro series and have the full mag capacity and plus the one in the chamber. her is wxactly what you do, let me explain this carefully, and after that i honestly would say if you are gun savvy then YES I RECOMEND you do THE FOLLOWING!!

no first off i do this every single day at work, i get there and get my pt145, i have done this every single day for the last 5 months.

the only thing with this method is you CANNOT CHAMBER A ROUND FROM THE MAG AND DO THIS, YOU HAVE TO MANUALLY PUT THE FIRST ONE IN, OR THE SHELL WILL BE HELD MY THE EXTRACTOR AND NEGLIGENT DISCHARGE IS PRETTY MUCH GUARNTED, or at least 1 in 6 times, and with live rounds i cant chance that.

STEP#1;
Take mag out, make sure you have it full, and leave it out of the gun.
Step#2
rack the slide a couple times to make sure it is safe at this point.
Step#3
Lock the slide back with the slide lock/slide stop lever.
Step#4
Manually place you 11th round in the chamber.
Step#5
once the 11th round in in the chamber, carefully pull back on the slide to release it from the slide stops hold and ride the slide forward till it stops. it will stop with the ejector not grabbing the case rim, in other words the slide will not fully shit because it is being stopped from closing fully by the extractor pushing up against the chambered round.

Step#6
now just ever so slightly pull the slide back from resting against the chambered round, and pull the trigger to reset the action, you will get a feel for this after you do it many times.
Step#7
now the trigger is reset, and the slide is still trying to close but cant becasue the extractor is not going over the case rim, now just give the rear of the slide a little tap and<VOILA! it will snap shut and you will have your 10+1 capacity, and be in double action(long deliberate trigger pull)

by doing it this way, there is absolutely no chance that the shell can be ignited by the firing pin striking the primer, becasue theshell will the in front of the extractor and no were near the breech face, someitme you have to push pretty hard to get the slide closed after you reset the trigger, so only if you let the slide slam home and let the extractor engage the shell will this be potentially dangerous.

if yo do it as i outlined the procedure, you will have 100% reliability with this method of "decocking" a taurus generation 3 millennium pro pistol.

i have done this with my pt145, and pt745, and my wifes .40 and .380 millenium pro's

if you try this with the shell being held by the extractor up against the breech face you are plain foolish. but if you make sure the shell is not held up to the breech face by the extractor, then you hae a goo almost quarter of an inch between the breechface and primer.

to take it FWIW, newbs, i really wish you guys get some experience under your belt before altering the mode of carry manually like this with any gun at all, even if it has a decock, you still need to be as cautious as decocking a revovler.

anyone that is familiar with the 24/7 or millpro pistol design (one of the best designs of any poly framed gun ever, even HK and sigs, really you cant get all these features in those other guns costing 5 times as much) you know for a fact this is a perfectly safe procedure granted the usualy firarms safety is practiced.

again i do this every single morning 6 days a week, for the last 4 or 5 months. nver an issue. i now just leave it as is, with the round chambered, and the gun in double action made, as i realized after doing this over and over to the same round day in and day out, it was putting some little nicks in the case rim, so i leave it locked in the case now and put it on when i get to work. its a family buisness, and i will die protecting my family, but i do alot of hard work and i am that much more confident having the gun on me loaded but "uncocked"
 
#28 ·
Personally, I would not risk the above described procedure. I am not "knocking it" for those who are comfortable with it, but I personally don't think it is necessary. Like many people I prefer my carry gun to be a simple draw, point, and shoot tool. I do not want to count on my "muscle memory" to rack a slide or flip a safety in the split second SD encounter. I have 4 guns that I regulary carry two are Keltecs (DAO with no safety), my PT92 which I carry with a round in the chamber and decocked, and my PT145 which I carry with a round in the chamber and safety off.

I think I am in the minority on this, but I have been carrying my PT145 for a while now in that condition. Not once has it decided to fire all by itself. Some people say "train to sweep the safety off", but I say "wear a quality holster and train to keep your finger off the trigger". I do use the safety if I am un-holstering or re-holstering, and flip the safety off when it is snuggly in its carry position. Then I leave it alone. It will not fire unless the trigger is pulled.
 
#30 ·
What's wrong with carrying the pistol, in the manner in which the manufacturer designed it? Doubt Taurus would recommend shortcutting, so you can carry a SA/DA pistol in DA, nor recommend not using the safety. Otherwise, they wouldn't have built the thing to be SA/DA, or put a safety on it.
 
#33 ·
well the reason i do this, carry the first like that, in double action mode, manually "decocked" is because i dont like the way the slide has a tendancy to stay partially back, as in the point at which the barrel is just about to drop down, due to the striker being caught on the sear.

take an empty millpro, and cock it, and then put a slight amount of pressure on the front of the slide as you pull the trigger, and youll see the slide will pull back to the point of almost being out of battery.

if this gun had a heavier recoil spring or lighter striker spring it wouldnt do this.

now if you were to do the same thing with a loaded mag, the loaded mag puts significant friction on the slide and will actually hold the slide back bout little less than a 1/4" and still fire.

not that i feel a gun firing out of battery is a problem. im sure it is fine, and wont cause the gun to blow up at all, not a chance. especially when it is in a holster of some kind mashed up against your body, then the slide being pushed and held back is a very real possibility.

different strokes for different folks.

HMMM,...... i wonder why walther decided to put a decock on their p99 guns. ill tell ya why, for the same reason, the recoil spring is under sprung, and of the captive design and they had a little track record of the slide staying partially back and messing up the recoil forces and making it jam, i had one and it did it 100 percent of the time if you purposely set the slide back a little and fired it. add a decock and problem solved because after that, the gun is cycling, and the slide is slamming home each time it is shot. no way it will stay back after the first shot.
 
#34 ·
You guys say worrisome things. I tried (with an empty gun) pulling back on the slide as I pulled the trigger. It will not drive the pencil if the slide is back more than a quarter inch. OH boy! That tells me that pulling the trigger with the gun pushed against something that has shoved the slide back (you follow?) it may not fire and I just lost the battle.

Now tell me something good.
 
#35 ·
less than a quarter inch and its firing out of battery, it might strike the primer it may not, but if the slide is at the point were its not far enough for the disconnector to be actuated, it may strike the primer, and then you have a gun firing out of battery and a possible set of circumstances for a KB

i just like the feeling of the recoil/captive recoil system to have full sprung pressure on the breech against the case and into the chamber.

i am talking about doing this "decock" prior to the extractor engaging with the case rime, I.E.--> not against the breech face, once uncocked, tap the back of the slide to lock the extractor to the case rim.

like i said different strokes for different folks, the OP asked how this works, and in the previous thread on this, i was taken out of context, and my method got misconstrued. unless the firing pin is able to poke out of the breech more than an half inch this is safe.

i dont it almost every day for the last 4 months and the OP asked the way to do this so i told him.
 
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