So I understand that when you fire an automatic rifle the gas sends the working parts rearward to pick up the next bullet, but when the last round is fired the working parts are fully rear and the hold open recess stays open. Why does it do this?
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I’ll explain it for pistols since pistols are what comes to mind with the slide staying locked back after the last round is fired.
You are correct, when you fire a (semiauto) pistol, the slide gets knocked back as each round is fired, then comes forward and engages the next round. However, below the last round in a magazine there is a little plastic block called a “follower.”
After the last round is fired, the follower reaches the top of the mag, and a little tab on the follower sticks out the top. This tab engages/trips a lever next to the chamber and this lever prevents the slide from coming forward, and essentially locks it in the rearward chamber-open position. It may serve other purposes, but the main purpose is to provide a visual/physical cue that the mag is empty
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