Dropping rounds into the chamber vs loading from magazine on M96

[rci2950]

My father likes to drop rounds right into the chamber and then close the bolt. Letting the extractor snap over the rim of the casing. I don't think this is a good idea. I like to load from the mag and it feels so much smoother. Will it damage the extractor on a swedish Model 96 Mauser if you close over an already chambered round?

[imanaknut]

Some firearms have an extractor that was designed to load from the breach in the event of magazine failure or loss. The Beretta Series 92 pistols come to mind as their manual almost brags about being able to load one round at a time in the event of mag loss or damage.

There are some firearms that must be loaded from the mag as the extractor was designed for the round to ride up into it from behind as it would from a mag.

Look at the extractor. If it is beveled inward at the leading edge and looks like it was designed to strike the rim, and slide around it, you are good to go. If the extractor is at a 90 degree angle to the fore and aft, it was not designed to slide over a rim and should be loaded from the mag.

As a Beretta fan, I can tell you that when they came out with the CX4 Storm Carbine, it had a flat extractor. Although it was designed to use the 92FS Pistol mags, it didn't have the pistol's ability to load one at a time from the breach, and many early owners found out the hard way that not reading the manual and loading like the pistol would break the carbine extractor. Beretta has since fixed it, but you have to check the extractor to find out if the shape of the leading edge would allow it to slide over a rim.

[Schuetzenman]

I use to own Swedish Mauser rifles. Though you can do what you say he's doing, IMO it is better, easier on the extractor to not do that. I think it puts more stress on the extractor and could lead eventually to breaking it.

[Dr. Gonzo GED]

I've owned an S&W that would do it just fine and several other pistols that would not.