Will stick to the tried and true method in the future (letting the round fall to the ground)
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http://www.tdsa.net/tips/totm5.html
"The TDSA Tip
Homer Hurlbut
NRA Instructor
Unloading Your Handgun - Safely
It is a common practice to unload a cartridge from the chamber of a pistol. We do it at home when we are going to store the weapon and we do it at the end of each stage at a match when we “unload and show clear.� We do it before handling a weapon to insure it is unloaded. There are several different ways to perform this act, but one of the more common is very dangerous and leads to a large number of accidents and injuries each year.
The safest way is to move the slide back, ejecting the round into the air and let it fall to the ground. Trying to catch the round in the air can lead to pointing the muzzle in an unsafe manner (especially if a loaded magazine were yet to be inserted).
The most dangerous method is to cover the ejection port of the slide with the weak hand, and attempt to eject the round into the weak hand (Fig. 1)
Figure 1
This action can trap the round with the primer of the round against the ejector and the bullet nose against the port in the slide. (Fig. 2)
Figure 2
The ejector in any pistol (Glock, 1911A1, etc.) is similar and this problem lies with ALL pistols, regardless of their brand or model. (Fig. 3)
Figure 3
The ejector is just the right shape and height to engage the primer if the round “bounces� from the covering hand as the pistol attempts to eject the round. (Fig. 4)
Figure 4
A slight rearward movement of the slide (which is under spring pressure) is sufficient to cause the round to fire.
When the round fires, it cannot dislodge the bullet and the firing results in a catastrophic failure of the brass, usually upward as the path of least resistance, into the shooter’s covering hand. According to the NRA and other sources, this results in upwards of 100 accidents a year. Loss of fingers, nerve damage and tendon damage are among the results.
Moral: When clearing a pistol, let the chambered round completely clear the pistol rather than attempt to ‘capture’ it with your hand. Let the round fall to the ground and retrieve it later after the gun is holstered. The fingers you save may be your own."
