Whenever I take hold of a self-loading pistol that is new to me, or any which has been out of my sight even briefly, I routinely draw the slide back far enough to see that the chamber is empty. I've done it this way for 60+ years. I either see the bright shine of brass or the deep, dark chamber and know immediately if the weapon is loaded or not.
Well, this morning a neighbor handed me his Colt M1911A1, safety off and hammer down. I pulled the slide back far enough to glance into the ejection port and verify that the chamber was empty.
Satisfied, I released the slide and was about to.....
But wait! Was that chamber really as deep and as dark as I remembered?
Lo and behold! There was a .45 ACP dark-varnished, steel-cased cartridge in the chamber and seven in the magazine.
(Persons who carry this pistol in "Condition 2", as described, have a special place in world opinion, but that is a seperate subject.)
With Russians loading empty-chamber-coloured cartridges I will have to be more careful, more clear-eyed, or both, henceforth.
