Forgotten revolver tips and tricks.

[J-Bar]

Anyone join me in asking that this be made a "sticky"?

 

[45 Dragoon]

Anyone join me in asking that this be made a "sticky"?

Yessir!

Mike

 

[NIGHTLORD40K]

+1

 

[MrBorland]

Anyone join me in asking that this be made a "sticky"?

Already is, but one of the links within the Reference Library sticky.

 

[J-Bar]

Already is, but one of the links within the Reference Library sticky.

Thanks. I found it.

 

[hey smepl this]

Love this thread. I’ve only been shooting the past three years so I’m still a novice. As I gain experience with different handguns and long guns I keep gravitating to revolvers bc I’m old fashioned and revolvers are awesome.

 

[fastbolt]

I was glad to see this thread pop up I miss the OP, who was a friend. For those who may not know, John died while walking his dog March 9, 2022.

 

[J-Bar]

Several posts mention speed loading strips as alternatives to the usual 6-in-a-circle speed loaders. Any idea where these can be purchased?

edit: I found some "Tuff Quick Strips" in Dillon's. Blue Press. Seems like they would work; are there other options?

 

[TriTone]

Several posts mention speed loading strips as alternatives to the usual 6-in-a-circle speed loaders. Any idea where these can be purchased?

edit: I found some "Tuff Quick Strips" in Dillon's. Blue Press. Seems like they would work; are there other options?

You can get Bianchi and TUFF speed strips in 5,6,7,8 and 10 round configurations on Amazon for an avg. cost of $10 for two. Double Check the caliber and number of seatings before you order there are many variations and it’s easy to get turned around in that particular forest. Lol

 

[MutinousDoug]

Regarding "snap caps" I've now made my own using RTV to fill the primer hole in fired 38 cases for my S&W m15, m19, M66 and 644. This after trying Hot Melt Glue and then trimmed rubber pencil erasers neither of which lasted more than a few strikes from the firing pin before disintegrating.
The RTV seems to be holding up after dry firing 30-45 strikes 2-3 times a week for the last 7 months (Not each gun but in total).
When I 1st put them in, I could see light through the primer hole to verify they were not live rounds when held up to the light but I couldn't use them to practice reloads from a Speedloader so I made tapered wooden plugs to facilitate that. The RTV in place of brass or chrome primers is pretty obvious but I have to be careful which gun the snapcaps are in before I start practicing in the garage (or, God forbid, my little home office).
I'm going to mark the case heads with red marker and probably the wooden plugs too, just to help me along.
I don't have a good solution for rimfire caps.

 

[the Black Spot]

Anyone join me in asking that this be made a "sticky"?

Agreed

 

[Plano11]

Anyone join me in asking that this be made a "sticky"?

+1

 

[Rexster]

Rest in peace, 18DAI.

 

[IWAC]

another benefit of dry-fire is safety. coopers four rules apply here and should be practiced religiously, especially rule number one. THE GUN IS ALWAYS LOADED ALL THE TIME.

Check the weapon first, every time you handle it, and make sure it is unloaded. pop the cylinder out on a da revolver, open the loading gate and spin the cylinder on an sa, lock the slide back and remove the magazine on an automatic, open the breach on a single shot. get in the habit and you won't have to think about it. get in the habit and you will always know you have a loaded or unloaded weapon.

I learned about that the hard way! One day, I had finished shooting, and unloaded (I thought!) my revolver as I usually did. I got home, and opened the cylinder to check before cleaning, and there was a live round still in the cylinder! I was SURE I had completely unloaded at the range!

A friend later reconstructed my error, showing me that a round can be concealed by parts of a revolver if strict attention is not being paid. Thankfully, not the worst of all hard ways to learn, but enough to give me the jimjams for a while. I double check now!

 

[.455_Hunter]

Six .38/.357 caliber cartridges fit nicely in an old plastic film canister- Five in a ring rims down, one in the center rim up. A piece of Kleenex or paper towel can keep them from rattling. Compact, relatively protected from the elements, and easy to carry.

 

[IWAC]

I personally try to practice with my single action every day when I can. Draw it from my holster, cock the hammer as I do so, aim down the sights finding my target, and finally pull the trigger. And I even do hip firing drills which have really helped out my hand/eye coordination.

When I worked for a large Western Daily Newspaper, one of my duties was to call the hospitals to see if anything interesting had happened. One day, the nurse told me that a gentleman had shot a Big Mac off his ...hip...using the same sort of "fast draw" maneuver. Of course his movenents were lubricated by an alcholic beverage. That was the first time I remember hearing a nurse giggle!

 

[kevincallahan]

Came out of the academy in 1981. We were in a mainly Smith and Wesson part of Texas. Most everyone carried K frames. Issued silver tips and later 125 grain jhp. Learned to load off loops, two at a time looking up and at my front sight. We did drills that required us to just load two and re engage target coming towards us. I had been shooting since I was a kid, but the two weeks we spent on the range made me tired. Today my old agency uses simulators and glocks, with far less live ammo training. Still pretty good but honestly think we got far better training and survival techniques when we were taught the high value of shot placement and gun fight principles around revolvers. By the way , still have my model 15 and 36. Still carry that old 36 often in retirement and feel fine about it.

 

[rperyam]

You can get Bianchi and TUFF speed strips in 5,6,7,8 and 10 round configurations on Amazon for an avg. cost of $10 for two. Double Check the caliber and number of seatings before you order there are many variations and it’s easy to get turned around in that particular forest. Lol

I’ve used both brands of speed strips. I kept them in my garage and gun safe. Both brands have shattered and fallen apart after being left in the heat, summers get well over 100 degrees here. I now keep them in my house.

 

[Clayguy]

Having read through another thread on this board, I see that there are some young revolver afficianados present here. In that thread I became aware that certain things I was taught as a young LEO, pertaining to fighting and prevailing with a six shot revolver, are evidently lost to the dustbin of history.

Well, let us start at the beginning. Loading your revolver..

.We were also taught to use a 2X2X2 pouch. Much better than a dump pouch. This 2X2X2 pouch held six rounds close together in pairs. You carried it on your belt (it wrapped around) and learned to pull the rounds out in pairs and drop/feed them into the charge holes. With some extensive practice at this it becomes a rather fast way to get back in the fight, in the unlikely event you should ever need to reload during a "gunfight".

Not necessarily true. I carried dump pouches that where steel lined to hold rubber speed strips with six rounds. Lot less fumbling.

Loops can be fast if you bring the empty cylinder of the gun close to the loops at waist level but as you put it required extensive practice to do it fast and fumble free.

Speedloaders are the fastest and most foolproof way to reload the revolver. I carried Safariland which only required a strong push to release rather than turning the knob on HKS.

When using a revolver for fighting, be aware that you need not dump unfired rounds in order to reload your sixgun to full capacity. I you fire two or three shots and obtain cover (COVER not concealment, there is a difference! ) open your revolvers cylinder and slightly tap up on the ejector rod. Your fired casings will remain up and your remaining unfired cartridges will fall back down into their charge holes. Pick out the emptys and drop in your fresh rounds from your 2X2X2 or loose cartridges carried in a pocket. I was proficient and fast with all the reload methods due to endless repititions.

This was outdated from the minute it was introduced. It has been proven over and over that fine motor skills go out the window under extreme stress. As you admit this technique required endless practice.

The Onion Field incident created a lot of controversy about whether to surrender your gun if someone such as your partner is been held hostage. It taught the value of a backup gun.

Newhall taught us to how range practice habits that can get you killed in real life. Dumping empty brass into your hand and putting the brass into your pant pocket so you don’t have to sweep up brass after done qualifying. And not practicing bringing a partially reloaded revolver back into action. It taught us the value of the “New York Reload” i.e. carrying a second handgun (again).

How many remember that the speedloader for a S&W K-Frame duty gun also fit a Colt Detective Special carried for back up?

Poor results in actual shootings showed us the value of using actual duty ammo for qualification.

Well document incidents in the late ‘70’s taught us the danger of using WD-40 in revolvers. I recall three incidents in Illinois where LEO revolvers failed to fire due to combination of cold weather and gummed up actions from WD-40.

We learned the tactical advantage of having your hand on a hammerless J-Frame revolver in your outside coat pocket when making a car stop. Instead of trying to draw your duty gun you simply pulled the trigger on the snubby ruining a perfectly good coat and hopefully the perps day.

We learned the value of the inside thumb break vs. a safety strap that snapped on the outside of the holster for prevention of gun snatchers.

We learned how rubber grips gave the advantage of not slipping in the hand that was wet from rain or blood.

I learned the mere presence of a short double barrel shotgun quieted the rowdiest bar.

I saw first hand how the sound of 12 ga. pump shotgun action being racked could empty a man’s bladder full of beer.

We spent an entire day discussing the CHP Newhall shooting in our Academy class. SGT Bob Smitson (later captain) from LAPD was the instructor for the class and said that the CHP officers did not put their brass in their shirt pockets and that rumor was a disservice to the officers. There were some tactical errors on the part of the officers, but the bottom line is they were just outgunned by guys that had zero hesitation to kill and were desperate outlaws.

As for the Onion Fields, we were taught NEVER to surrender your firearm. Once you do that you have no cards to play!

Having read through another thread on this board, I see that there are some young revolver afficianados present here. In that thread I became aware that certain things I was taught as a young LEO, pertaining to fighting and prevailing with a six shot revolver, are evidently lost to the dustbin of history.

Well, let us start at the beginning. Loading your revolver..

.We were also taught to use a 2X2X2 pouch. Much better than a dump pouch. This 2X2X2 pouch held six rounds close together in pairs. You carried it on your belt (it wrapped around) and learned to pull the rounds out in pairs and drop/feed them into the charge holes. With some extensive practice at this it becomes a rather fast way to get back in the fight, in the unlikely event you should ever need to reload during a "gunfight".

Not necessarily true. I carried dump pouches that where steel lined to hold rubber speed strips with six rounds. Lot less fumbling.

Loops can be fast if you bring the empty cylinder of the gun close to the loops at waist level but as you put it required extensive practice to do it fast and fumble free.

Speedloaders are the fastest and most foolproof way to reload the revolver. I carried Safariland which only required a strong push to release rather than turning the knob on HKS.

When using a revolver for fighting, be aware that you need not dump unfired rounds in order to reload your sixgun to full capacity. I you fire two or three shots and obtain cover (COVER not concealment, there is a difference! ) open your revolvers cylinder and slightly tap up on the ejector rod. Your fired casings will remain up and your remaining unfired cartridges will fall back down into their charge holes. Pick out the emptys and drop in your fresh rounds from your 2X2X2 or loose cartridges carried in a pocket. I was proficient and fast with all the reload methods due to endless repititions.

This was outdated from the minute it was introduced. It has been proven over and over that fine motor skills go out the window under extreme stress. As you admit this technique required endless practice.

The Onion Field incident created a lot of controversy about whether to surrender your gun if someone such as your partner is been held hostage. It taught the value of a backup gun.

Newhall taught us to how range practice habits that can get you killed in real life. Dumping empty brass into your hand and putting the brass into your pant pocket so you don’t have to sweep up brass after done qualifying. And not practicing bringing a partially reloaded revolver back into action. It taught us the value of the “New York Reload” i.e. carrying a second handgun (again).

How many remember that the speedloader for a S&W K-Frame duty gun also fit a Colt Detective Special carried for back up?

Poor results in actual shootings showed us the value of using actual duty ammo for qualification.

Well document incidents in the late ‘70’s taught us the danger of using WD-40 in revolvers. I recall three incidents in Illinois where LEO revolvers failed to fire due to combination of cold weather and gummed up actions from WD-40.

We learned the tactical advantage of having your hand on a hammerless J-Frame revolver in your outside coat pocket when making a car stop. Instead of trying to draw your duty gun you simply pulled the trigger on the snubby ruining a perfectly good coat and hopefully the perps day.

We learned the value of the inside thumb break vs. a safety strap that snapped on the outside of the holster for prevention of gun snatchers.

We learned how rubber grips gave the advantage of not slipping in the hand that was wet from rain or blood.

I learned the mere presence of a short double barrel shotgun quieted the rowdiest bar.

I saw first hand how the sound of 12 ga. pump shotgun action being racked could empty a man’s bladder full of beer.

I like to think that had the four CHP officer at Newhall been carrying autos, the outcome would have been better as the CHP officers were outgunned. BTW, the CHP officers did not put their brass in their shirt pockets. I don't know how that rumor got started, but according to Bob Smitson at LAPD, who taught our officer survival class, that did not happen and he felt it was a real disservice to the officers. As for Onion Fields, we were taught to NEVER give up your firearm, once you do you have no cards to play.

 

[entropy]

Ok, we heard you the first time.