Defective firearms go unchecked (Pt 1 of 4 of gun grab special reports - what a hatchet job)

Detroit Spews..uh..News ^ | 12-14-03 | Melvin Claxton

[MarkL]

I've never bought a revolver. Do they include that advice in the manual for the gun?

Actually, for SAA style revolvers, yes it is. They are the "original" style, single action revolvers, where the firing pin is attached to the hammer, and it would rest directly on the primer of a cartridge while at rest. A blow to the hammer while it's down could easily set off the round.

That's why modern revolvers use a "transfer bar," which only allows the hammer to contact the firing pin through a transfer bar, which only contacts the firing pin when the trigger is pulled.

That's why modern revolvers don't have this problem.

Mark M

[MarkL]

I will accept that firearms should be presumed capable of reloading themselves any time they are set down, and should be kept pointed in a safe direction even when you can see into the chamber, but if a Glock can't be unloaded with enough confidence to allow pulling the trigger, how can it be field-stripped?

Knowing that "all guns are loaded" doesn't keep you from pulling the trigger. As long as you keep the muzzle of the barrel pointed in a safe direction, and know what's downrange, feel free to pull the trigger before field stripping the weapon.

I used to compete in USPSA shooting events, and while these events were a lot of fun, if safety rules weren't strictly followed, it could get very dangerous, and people could get injured or killed. You've got to remember that some of these people shoot more than 1000 rounds a week in the top classes. When the course of fire is finished, the RSO, who has been shadowing the shooter, checks to make sure that the magazine is out and the weapon is clear, the shooter drops the slide on an empty chamber, and drops the hammer. One year at the CO state championship, the top lady in the even did quite well. The RSO confirmed the weapon was clear, she dropped the hammer, and the weapon discharged. They didn't look far enough into the chamber on her .38 Super race gun to see that it really was unloaded. Because of the rules, her weapon was pointed down range at the berm, so there was no danger. But it did DQ her.

When I was competeing, and practicing drawing from a holster in my room, my roomates would comment about my constantly "racking the slide" on my .45. It was because it never went back into my holster without my looking down into the chamber. It was a habbit that I've never broken.

As long as you know all weapons are loaded and treat them as such, the chances of an AD go down dramatically.

Mark