Handgun as club

[heron]

We've all heard of the practice of "pistol-whipping." I'm just wondering how -- and how badly -- you'd damage a handgun (auto or revolver) by using it to beat someone with.

 

[LightningMan]

I don't know, I suppose it depends on which handgun and with what part of the gun you use it hit them with. I do know at least one old time pistol (Merwin, Hulbert & Co.) made some of their revolvers with grips made for exactly that purpose, they called it a; "Skull Crusher" grip. LM
See example on Gunbroker; http://www.gunbroker.com/Auction/ViewItem.asp?Item=127687074

 

[Khyron]

I was wondering the same thing when I watched Reservoir Dogs again recently. In one part Mr Pink smashes a car window with the butt of his S&W 5906. Beeing all steel I suppose MAYBE that would be possible. Well if it didn't have safety glass anyway. Anyway suppose it would hurt more to get wacked by an all steel pistol like the 5906 then a Glock.

 

[kilo729]

It's a good way to break your pistol.

 

[HippieMagic]

I think smacking someone with a polymer pistol would be about as effective as defending yourself with a whifflebat.

 

[Vonderek]

Steel against flesh & bone. I don't think you would have to worry about damage to your pistol. Wyatt Earp was known for using his pistol to bludgeon the heads of miscreants...and he used it with the muzzle end forward. It didn't seem to affect the operation of his pistol.

 

[Hoxviii]

I have an old model Blackhawk with a cracked grip frame (aluminum) from being used to pistol whip somebody. Not of my doing, but I was a direct witness.

For an all steel gun I wouldn't worry about it too much unless you had the gun firmly by the barrel, missed the perp, and hit something SOLID- possibly chipping the grip, tweaking the barrel, etc.

However, at the point that you need to be using your gun as a club, damaging the gun should be the least of your worries.

 

[Wolfeye]

Historically, I've heard that guns used to commonly be combined with other weapons so they could still be used for defense if the gun misfired. (This pic isn't mine, but I saw one in a museum recently. It had a calander stamped on the blade, of all things.)

I've seen museum guns combined with rapiers, cutlasses, hunting knives, crossbows, axes... I've heard of gun-maces, but haven't seen any yet. They would bash heads very well.

I think the whole concept of a gun as a hand weapon may have had sound reasons at first, but I think it became more of a fad as time went on and guns became more reliable. We hardly even see bayonettes any more.

In popular culture, one of the better pistolwhip scenes I've seen was in "Equilibrium". With the push of a button a bunch of nailhead-sized things came out of the grip to make it more deadly, I guess. Lots o' gun choreography in that movie.

One of the most interesting gun/hand weapons I saw was in a museum on the East coast somewhere. It might have been just 100-150 years old: picture brass knuckles that could be unfolded to make a revolver. Unfold the blade from under the barrel, and it became a kris knive. I wish I'd taken a picture.

I think pistolwhipping is mostly a Hollywood thing, like silenced revolvers. If anything a bird's head SA revolver might lend itself best to the purpose, and a plastic auto would be the worst.

 

[ShadyScott999]

I think my 3" 629 would make a mighty fine club.

 

[Fumbler]

I think my 7.5" Super Redhawk in 480 Ruger would make an even better club.

If I ever ran out of ammo in a gun fight it'd be nice to have the SRH. Otherwise I believe I'd just use my fists.

 

[theken206]

Been thunked over the top of the head with a hi-point as it were{dont ask lol} and I assure you it seems to work pretty well even on thick skulled SOBs like myself

 

[VINTAGE-SLOTCARS]

From personal experience a S & W 586, 4" will do the job and come out fine.

 

[Clifford]

I'm not gonna get into the details but my father pistol whipped a guy who tried to steal his wallet. The 1911 came out with no damage but the guy he hit had to get stitches.

 

[loop]

I can't say much for certain about the damage to the gun, but I do have first-hand experience with being the whipee. I can tell you it ain't fun.

If I thought it might have broken his gun I may not have given him all my money.

This was in 1971 and it launched me into a life of crime. Knowing that criminals carried concealed I began to do so at that time - long before CCW became legal. Now I have a nice laminated license that made me a law-abiding citizen again.

I can offer this thought on the subject, though. If I am threatened enough to draw my weapon it won't be used as a club unless I run out of ammo.

 

[Elvishead]

Honestly?

for real?


Get a life!!!!

heron We've all heard of the practice of "pistol-whipping." I'm just wondering how -- and how badly -- you'd damage a handgun (auto or revolver) by using it to beat someone with.

 

[cane]

Back in the "good old days" we carried 4 D cell metal flashlights. A bad guy took one away from one of our officers, and beat him badly with it. The BG was convicted of assault with a deadly weapon. After that, every time we struck someone with our flashlights, their lawyers would clain excessive (deadly) force. Of course we then went to plastic, but industructable, flashlights. It was drummed into us to NEVER HIT ANYONE WITH OUR FLASHLIGHT. One night we were searching an auto junk yard for an armed robbery suspect. As I was moving between 1 junked cars, flashlight in one hand, S&W 4586 in the other, the suspect comes around one of the vehicles and runs right into me. There was a loud "clank" and he hit the ground with a bloody face. The Sgt came up, and first question was "you didn't hit him with your flashlight, did you?" Pistol wasn't hurt at all.

 

[CWL]

It is possible even with plastic guns. You need to rethink how to hold it and what part of the pistol is most useful to hit with.

 

[LoneCoon]

Evil Overlord Rule 197:

I will explain to my Legions of Terror that guns are ranged weapons and swords are not. Anyone who attempts to throw a sword at the hero or club him with a gun will be summarily executed.

 

[GRIZ22]

I've seen cylinder cranes bent on K & J frames when they were used as bludgeons. I know of an incident where a 6906 was used as a club and it didn't suffer any damage.

I would imagine the damage, if any, would differ depending on what part of the gun made contact, what part of the body was hit, and how hard.

Difficult to come to a reasonable conclusion on this.

 

[Rockwell1]

I think smacking someone with a polymer pistol would be about as effective as defending yourself with a whifflebat.

As mentioned before, I've had my nose broke with a Whifflebat

 

[A-FIXER]

Well, being in the supply of ammo and lack of ammo I may need to rethink this lol....

 

[Pizzagunner]

I think I could still pistol whip someone with my Beretta PX-4 despite the poly frame. The slide is still very much a hard piece of steel.

A Government Model would still be much more versatile in that regard though.

 

[The Lone Haranguer]

On older Colt revolvers with the exposed/unshrouded ejector rods, the rod could be bent after thumping on a noggin. Otherwise it is pretty difficult to damage a large frame revolver this way.

 

[chuckusaret]

The XD stands for extreme duty but I don't think it meant to be used to beat a guys head in. I'll never know because I'm going to shoot first.

 

[Zerodefect]

Hmmmm...seems kinda clumsy. I'd just drop the gun and use my ninja skills. Or if it was a heavy revlover, i could do a backflip and throw it midair when I was upside down.

I was shooting a friends .44 mag revolver. It was off to the left. So I went up stairs to the gunsmith and told him. He picked it up walked over to a big wooden block that was dented up pretty bad. Raised the gun over his head and WHAM! Smacked a $1100 gun on that chunk of wood.

It did shoot better, I had him thunk it again and it was spot on.

So maybe we don't want to hit things with or revolvers. That what ninja swords are for.