Wow! Has someone hyjacked Al's account? Has the real Al ever used all caps for a word before such as LOOK. Love the passion Al. Sorry if I was apparently out of line in sketching out the scenario of an anchor that doesn't fall in within the "norm" range as stated by the OP in using the term "bomber". With a anchor that falls with the "norm" range I do, at least if I remember to do so, I clip through the master point. Perhaps it would have been better form to start a new thread. My apologies.
That said, with an anchor outside to the "norm" I will not clip the master point. I will be sure my belayer is cloved in to the master point with no slack and in position to take the fall directly in line with the anchor. The idea is that the inclusion of the additional elasticity due to an the climbing rope from the belayer's harness to the anchor and the elasticity added by the belay loop on the harness being in the system will help to reduce the force on the "marginal" anchor. Additionally it eliminates the multiplier effect of the pulley on the anchor created by clipping through the master point.
Properly positioned catching a fall directly on the belay, although it may drive you to your knees, should be reasonably doable. For the record, I nor any belayer of mine has caught such a fall. So no, I have not yet done the experiment. Maybe I am fooling myself and being a little anal-retentive about the entire thing but it does, at least for me, eliminate a bit of the anxiety generated by climbing above a marginal anchor prior to placing and clipping the first solid piece.
