Doing so of course would or at least should expel a round/shell from the firearm.
So why do we see it so often?
Even those who have never handled a real shotgun know the sound, so that is the down-and-dirty answer.
Audiences have come to expect to hear it.
In fairness, sometimes it is even necessary.
Of course, the hammer would have already been cocked when they racked the slide.
But why ruin a perfectly good moment by being realistic?
Many other times characters seem to rack the pistol again, even after having fired a round.
All this would do of course is expel the round that was in the chamber.
Pistol Slides Dont Lock
Another common movie troupe is the empty pistol.
Well, to tell you the truth, in all this excitement, Ive kinda lost track myself.
That is what the T-800 did inThe Terminatorwhen he bought an Uzi off-the-shelf.
You could argue that this was before the 1986 ban on the manufacture and sale of new machine guns.
Why he couldnt have used a shotgun and simply ratcheted it repeatedly is anyones guess!
If anything, it could show the pressure of having to worry about such things.
Too often actors fall back on the cup-and-saucer grip, or have ashooting posture that is just wrong.
It was 1996sIndependence Daythat perhaps highlights this more than any other film.