“I was allowed to carry the pistol, but was restricted to.38 cartridges. I loaded 5 .38s, and one .357, with the .357 being the chamber which would fire first.”
Why one?
Explained it in original post. Figured I could talk my way out of having one 357 cartridge, as a loading mistake on my part, if inspected by a supervisor. If it was necessary to fire my pistol in response to a threat, I figured my first shot would be the most important one. And one must consider that I was young, confident, in great physical condition, and as stupid and innocent as a young officer could be.