What the heck is a "press check"?

Delmar nailed it!

R-Tex

Press Check

Checking a freshly loaded .45 ACP cartridge with dial calipers to make sure station 3 die hasn't changed since last session.

1911 pistols without recoil spring guide rod

Press check - weak hand thumb in front trigger guard, index finger in the front of pistol and under the bore over the recoil spring cap. Squeezing the thumb and index finger together slightly to open chamber far enough to see if pistol is loaded.

All pistols

Pinch check- weak hand under front of pistol, using thumb and index finger to squeeze slide at front and pulling to rear of pistol to open chamber slightly to see if pistol is loaded.

Press check was popular until recoil spring guide rods made it impractical.

Al Pacino did it in HEAT, Steven Seagal has done it in several of his movies.
And just the other day, I saw the redhead on CSI vegas do a correct press check of a 1911. Needless to say it was pleasing sight to see it done correctly on a TV show.

waterdog

Regarding l337 5p34k

Here's my favorite bit on the subject, which references the movie Airplane.

1337 speak, I think, IMHO, came about when Counter Strike players tried to type too fast when spelling 'leet' and accidently hit the 3 key. (you'll notice that the '3' is right above the 'e'.) And it evolved from there. Same with the word 'pwned' (pronounced 'powned'). This most likely came about from some Counter Strike commando, in an effort to type 'owned', missed the 'o' and hit 'p' instead. Thus ends my theory on the origins of 1337 speak.

Sadly I see (and use ) this type of language all too often. I live in a dorm full of engineers and computer geeks (of which I am one) most of whom play Counter Strike.

the more "modern" press check is preformed by cupping your weak hand under the frame, in front of the trigger guard, and grasping the sides of the slide. your then work the slide rearward until you can verify "brass" (that is why some pistols have front slide serrations)

Click to expand...

Man, that doesn't work for me with a blow-back .380 and an arthritic left thumb -- talk about pain!! Guess that's why they call it the 'weak hand'.

I typed this with my right hand . . .

In California you wont need to do press checks, its been mandated that all new handguns sold have a chamber load indicator...

I do a pinch-check with my Beretta. www.skunkabilly.com/videos/berettahandling.wmv

Press check when pistol goes in or out of holster. I'm one of those people who check my fly even if I remember zipping it up.

w00t!!! ph34r me!

Hmm...

I'd rethink the idea of putting anything inside of the trigger guard while doing any weapons manipulation aside from cleaning an unloaded firearm, or actually shooting at targets.

As to my idea of press check, I place the non-firing hand over the pistol, slightly easing the slide back and using the index finger to feel for the brass case.

There have been times where I have seated the magazine and racked the slide, and get a click but no bang. A press check would have solved that. My way works in both light and no light condition, though the IPSC/USPSA folks are nervous about hangfires going off and blowing brass fragments into the non-firing hand. (Dunno how that would be since a press check is done prior to have needed to use the firearm.)