Let's not forget the movie hoodlum who fires a couple of shots through his overcoat pocket with a snub nosed revolver, then nonchalantly slips into the crowd and strolls away. For the record, I tested this with an old coat. It's kinda hard to walk away unnoticed when your coat is on fire.
Handgun Urban Legends/Myths/Rumors
- Thread starter ryan3465
- Start date
The Webley Mk IV did not have a safety until it was required by BATFE import rules to pass a drop test. It was then that the safety was installed.
At one time, German law required safeties on handguns, and many revolvers made at that time in, or for sale in, that country had safeties. That is why many of the small European revolvers of the 1880-1914 era had safeties.
Jim
At one time, German law required safeties on handguns, and many revolvers made at that time in, or for sale in, that country had safeties. That is why many of the small European revolvers of the 1880-1914 era had safeties.
Jim
gotthegoods
New member
My favorite myth stemmed from my purchase and research of the M1 Carbine:
"so underpowered, the round would not penetrate the heavy winter / frozen coats of the Chinese soldiers (Korean War)"
BTW, Singer did produce receivers for one of the prime contractors, Winchester
Did anyone mention the mere sound of racking a shotgun will freeze a BG in his tracks?
"so underpowered, the round would not penetrate the heavy winter / frozen coats of the Chinese soldiers (Korean War)"
BTW, Singer did produce receivers for one of the prime contractors, Winchester
Did anyone mention the mere sound of racking a shotgun will freeze a BG in his tracks?
3.Shot.Group.
Moderator
I don't if anyone has mentioned this one or not, I only read the first and last pages.
In the HBO miniseries "The Pacific" Sidney Phillips tells Eugene Sledge "If you shoot a Jap in the hand with this(a .45 revolver) it'll take his arm clean off".
Funny, shot a tree in the twig but it didn't take the branch clean off.
In the HBO miniseries "The Pacific" Sidney Phillips tells Eugene Sledge "If you shoot a Jap in the hand with this(a .45 revolver) it'll take his arm clean off".
Funny, shot a tree in the twig but it didn't take the branch clean off.
I've actually done that...it didn't freeze the BGs, they both ran back out the door they broke into. My verbal challenges did nothing, but when I pumped a round into the chamber, they bolted like they were on fired.
(disclaimer: this was many years ago, I have since learned better practices for home defense, so keep the preaching to yourself)
Semper Paratus
New member
THirty something years ago during a boarding I racked the slide on an 870, chambered a round and taught the "no hablo ingles" captain to speak English in two easy moves.
Sharpsdressed Man
Moderator
My dad dumped the M1 carbine and carried an "abandoned" M1 Garand for the duration of his 2 1/2 years in the South Pacific (he was an 81mm mortarman). Said he "couldn't hit the broadside of a barn" with the carbine. Every M1 carbine I have fired in my lifetime could easily take out small windows in a barn from 50-100 yards away. I do not know how or why THAT rumor got started, as he is gone now, and I never wanted to get into the argument with him when he was alive.
Mike Irwin
Staff
He might have had a bad carbine that simply wasn't accurate, or he might simply not have been able to get a good comfortable shooting position with one. Not uncommon.
My Great Uncle was in the 82nd during WW II and was in every major combat operation with them and was never wounded.
About the only thing he ever said to me about it was that he found another soldier who had an M 1 who wanted a carbine, and they traded because he didn't like the carbine at all.
My Great Uncle was in the 82nd during WW II and was in every major combat operation with them and was never wounded.
About the only thing he ever said to me about it was that he found another soldier who had an M 1 who wanted a carbine, and they traded because he didn't like the carbine at all.
James K, thanks for that info about the German revolvers. I should have remembered that the 11mm one I almost bought last year had a safety.... It was one of the enlisted man's revolvers since it was only single-action.
Why in heck did the German army think that officers needed both DA and SA but enlisted did not? Would the officers be too dumb to remember to cock it
But I have to disagree about the Webley Mk IV .38 having the safety from the factory. I mean, partially disagree.
Only some of these guns (most, I'm sure) didn't originally get built with the safety. There is a civilian (no military markings) sub-model that was made for police forces, which does have the safety right from the original manufacturing, rather nicely I might add, right behind the hammer. This results in a unique shape of grip. The following link shows one very much like mine and not far off in the Singapore Police Force rack numbering.
Webley .38 with safety
The safety added for importation into the USA is an awkward abomination and is found in front of the hammer. I refuse to even search for a pic of that!
Bart Noir
Why in heck did the German army think that officers needed both DA and SA but enlisted did not? Would the officers be too dumb to remember to cock it
But I have to disagree about the Webley Mk IV .38 having the safety from the factory. I mean, partially disagree.
Only some of these guns (most, I'm sure) didn't originally get built with the safety. There is a civilian (no military markings) sub-model that was made for police forces, which does have the safety right from the original manufacturing, rather nicely I might add, right behind the hammer. This results in a unique shape of grip. The following link shows one very much like mine and not far off in the Singapore Police Force rack numbering.
Webley .38 with safety
The safety added for importation into the USA is an awkward abomination and is found in front of the hammer. I refuse to even search for a pic of that!
Bart Noir
3.Shot.Group.
Moderator
I've served with a couple of guys who fought in WWII, from what they've said, and from my understanding of fighting off enemy combatants, it's preferable to take them out long before they get within 100 yards, and the M1 Garand was good at taking out targets beyond 300 yards.
I served with one guy who was with 101st, he was one of the "Battered Bastards of Bastogne", served in Korea with the 101 as well, was 1 of only 10 who survived when his unit was wiped out. The biggest problem, he said, they had was that they just didn't have enough ammo to kill them all with, so they ended up beating their brains out with their weapons until they lost their weapons somehow, then he crawled onto a passing tank and beat them off with a cheater bar until it got dark so he could slip away under the cover of darkness.
He served in Vietnam with the 101 as well, different war, different rifle. He wore 5 battle stars when he retired with more than 40 years of service, most of it with the 101st Airborne.
But I digress
I think the biggest myth I've heard is that you just sit back and shoot at the enemy when he stands up like a pop up target.
Truth is you hardly ever see who's shooting at you, and if you do see him you're going to have lock arms with him and kill him or he'll kill you.
I can't speak to their various views on accuracy but I can tell you for a fact that combat personnel in the pacific issued carbines preferred and switched out to Garand whenever possible.
In my dad's outfit (11th Airborne), the Garand was first thought of as a distinguishing weapon because it was often carried by officers and airborne. But as soon as they hit their first combat with the Japanese they switched to the carbine whenever possible. They were not so focused on range and "stopping power" for trivial reasons, they really did need the Japanese as far away and as hard as possible. My dad had all kinds of prejudice against the Japanese for Pearl harbor, but he also spoke with awe at their level of commitment as fighters. The type of single hit injury that might stop most US servicemen would not stop most charging Japanese soldiers. Facing bayonet charges by hardened fighters who know they are going to die and who do not turn back is sobering. As a result of his combat experience, for his whole life my dad judged all firearms by their "stopping power."
US servicemen, then and now, are not cowards at all. But they generally feel they have done their duty if they take a serious bullet wound (or of 10-25% of their squad goes down). It is fair to say that Japanese solders of that time often would not stop until they all had been killed.
I don't think a preference for the garand, or its reach, is a myth, at least when it comes 44-45 Pacific
My father was issued an M1 carbine during the Korean War but he wanted a larger capacity magazine. He was in a transportation company which evidently saw action on a number of occasions. He picked up a Chinese rifle with a large capacity drum magazine and carried it until his buddies razzed him about carrying a Commie gun. He couldn't remember (or maybe never knew) the gun's name but I'm thinking it may have been the PPSh-41 which was actually made in the Soviet Union or the North Koren variant called the Type 49..
Mike Irwin
Staff
"Why in heck did the German army think that officers needed both DA and SA but enlisted did not? Would the officers be too dumb to remember to cock it."
That was actually done a number of times in Continential Europe. France had a single action version of the Mle. 1873 for NCOs, while officers got the double actions.
Same with the Italian Bodeo revolver.
For whatever reason, the single action versions are a lot less common in the United States. Don't know if fewer of them were made, or if fewer simply made it over here.
The reason was probably the divide between the socially higher status of the officer class vs. the rank and file.
"He picked up a Chinese rifle with a large capacity drum magazine..."
That would have been a submachine gun, either the PPSh 41 (as you surmise) or the less common PPD-40. Chambered in 7.62x25 Tokarev and pushing out 900 or so rounds a minute.
That was actually done a number of times in Continential Europe. France had a single action version of the Mle. 1873 for NCOs, while officers got the double actions.
Same with the Italian Bodeo revolver.
For whatever reason, the single action versions are a lot less common in the United States. Don't know if fewer of them were made, or if fewer simply made it over here.
The reason was probably the divide between the socially higher status of the officer class vs. the rank and file.
"He picked up a Chinese rifle with a large capacity drum magazine..."
That would have been a submachine gun, either the PPSh 41 (as you surmise) or the less common PPD-40. Chambered in 7.62x25 Tokarev and pushing out 900 or so rounds a minute.
Mike Irwin
Staff
Chances are he wouldn't really know. The two are very similar looking. For a time apparently US military officials believed that they were an early and a late version by the same designer.
I don't know how I would title it but this incident happened last week with me. It's probably the dumbest thing I've seen:
A neighbor down the street hollered at me while I was walking the dog that he wanted me to see this beautiful handgun he picked up at an auction. It was a nickle plated Ivers Johnson 32 cal "secret service special" that he paid 675.00 for. On his way home he bought a box of 32 cal bullets. He told me he was going "test fire" it before he resells it. I strongly suggested he have the gun checked out before he did anything with it. He didn't listen. I saw him in his garage on Monday and he had a cast on his right wrist and some type of gauze wrap on his left hand. I didn't talk to him but I did talk to his wife on Tuesday. She said her husband had a shooting accident with a gun he just bought. That's all she said and I could tell she was really PO'd.
I'm guessing he blew the cylinder off the gun.
A neighbor down the street hollered at me while I was walking the dog that he wanted me to see this beautiful handgun he picked up at an auction. It was a nickle plated Ivers Johnson 32 cal "secret service special" that he paid 675.00 for. On his way home he bought a box of 32 cal bullets. He told me he was going "test fire" it before he resells it. I strongly suggested he have the gun checked out before he did anything with it. He didn't listen. I saw him in his garage on Monday and he had a cast on his right wrist and some type of gauze wrap on his left hand. I didn't talk to him but I did talk to his wife on Tuesday. She said her husband had a shooting accident with a gun he just bought. That's all she said and I could tell she was really PO'd.
I'm guessing he blew the cylinder off the gun.
Glenn E. Meyer
New member
Was it a black powder gun and he put a modern round in it. That was known to happen to Iver Johnson guns.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Kyft3HstzVU
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Kyft3HstzVU