I can't count to six

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David Park

New member
I really like revolvers, and would like to buy a Ruger .357 magnum, but... I can't count to six. :rolleyes: Whenever I shoot a wheelgun (admittedly only a few times), I lose count around shot 5 and wonder if the gun will go "bang" or "click" on the next pull of the trigger. This would obviously be bad in a self-defense situation.

Does anyone else have this problem, or is it just me? Would I improve with practice? Any other tricks that I could use?

BTW, basic math has always been a problem for me, though I actually like calculus (engineering major and math minor in college). Go figure.
 
The simple answer: load 5

It's the way of the single action.

Just to keep me from confusion, my DA gun is a SW 696 5-shot 44.
 
My wife can't count to six very well either, and she shoots wheelguns only. She shoots nice groups, but three out of four times she goes for that seventh round.

A friend of mine does the same thing, but he shoots pistols mostly, and I think he expects my revolvers to hold ten rounds. :)

About the only time I lose count is if I am interupted for some reason in the course of shooting. Then, occasionally I will get a dry-fire suprise. Good way to see if you are flinching or pushing the gun.

The solution to your problem is to shoot more often. You may not get any better at counting, but you'll have so much fun that it won't bother you when it happens.;)
 
Get a derringer....and for my CCW they made me count to 10, but I went back and passed on the third try.....thank god they don't sell hi-caps anymore....that was real confusing...
 
I do the same... I'll go for the seventh about 1/3 of the time. I *hate* that - I shoot handloads and I'm thinking "Is this a hangfire? Is this is a misfire? Did I just try to fire a seventh? I don't know!"... and sit there with revolver pointed down range for 45 seconds or better waiting for hangfire when I've just clicked #7 is all.

I get quite annoyed with myself sometimes.
 
So you want a Ruger wheelgun to defend yourself with and can't count above 5? No problem, Get a Ruger SP101. It only holds 5 rounds so you should be good to go. :p

Kilgor
 
Errr, loading five is NOT the solution :rolleyes:. Sorry, but, counting to five is no easier under stress.

The answer is to load the last round, whatever it is, with something with nastier recoil than all previous. That becomes the gun's way of telling you "I'm dry, fool, figure out a plan B el pronto!".

:D

As an example, in .357, load five good 125grain JHP's followed by a gnarly 180grain full-house hunting JHP.
 
Jim beat me to that one. Loading your last round as something noticeably different is probably your best bet. If you are already shooting a high recoiling round, make your last one a lower recoiling one. Maybe even a 38spl.
 
Thanks for not making me feel too stupid, guys. :o I also initially had a tendency to go for round 11 with autos, but I've gotten better at watching for a locked slide. :D For reference, I've only been to the range 3 times so far. At my CCW class and first time shooting (using a .38), I put 49 of 50 holes in the paper and never "clicked" on a spent round, so either I only counted to 5 once or I missed once, but still not bad. It was never the actual counting that bothered me so much as the doubt about that last round.

Jim March seems to have the best solution, and I agree that counting to 5 (with a 5-shot) is no easier under stress. I also agree with AR-10 that more practice should help. I'm hoping to try out .357s in various barrel lengths soon, so I'll see if my counting improves (or doubt goes away, or whatever).

KilgorII, I was planning to get a revolver for SD, until I encountered the counting issue. Then I shot a lovely Sig Sauer P239 auto, and the revolver issue was no longer as important. It's a single-stack, so I only have to count to 8 (or 9). :rolleyes: The wheelgun would be an alternate carry/home defense/range gun if I do get one and depending on the barrel length.
 
The subject recently came up on a mailing list.

One extreme example might be the new S&W Scandium .357 snubbies. At less than 13oz, shooting serious 125grain .357s would border on self-destructive behavior. All humor aside, I doubt any human wrist could take as many as 20 of these in a shooting session. They could prove worse than the Linebaughs that have sent gunwriters in for wrist surgery after a single session.

If S&W ever gets their politics together and I were to buy one, I'd treat it purely as a .38+P, except for carry I might load the last as a 125JHP .357 - and *never* shoot any .357s in practice.

That may sound crazy, but, after that last shot fired in anger, you don't need to recover from recoil and you don't want to flinch from it. And you WILL notice when the dangthing tries to rip your arm off!

The same basic gameplan may apply for some of the TI pieces.

Jim
 
It's a common malady. My wife and both my sons are nicknamed "Click".

I am fortunate(?) enough to have some kind of subconscious obsession with counting series of things - I seem to always know how many shots have been fired, not just by me, but by those shooting on either side of me. It really throws me off when people use .45 mags that hold 10 or more rounds - I usually don't have to count past 9!
 
I was trained to reload my weapon at the first possible opportunity; that I should be trying to get out of the fight and escape not counting my shots. Shoot to find cover, then reload. If you run dry looking for cover, I doubt counting is going to do you any good.
 
i often loose count but even when i have counted 6 (for sure ) i still act as if it still has another round and dry fire to be sure.
 
scoops says>>i often loose count but even when i have counted 6 (for sure ) i still act as if it still has another round and dry fire to be sure.<<

I keep telling myself this too ... LOL
If you can't finish the fight with six rounds you need more practice.
 
Take the cylinder to a smith or jeweler and have a tiny dot of silver or gold placed on the back of the cylinder at the outer edge where it can be seen around the recoil shield and index it to the same position every time you load. Never tried it myself, but it sounds good.
 
I usually have one round left when I think I've emptied a 6-shot cylinder. I guess thats better than thinking you have one shot left and do not! :rolleyes:
 
I've shot a 5 shot snub so much that I have a tendency to dump one live round and five emptys out of a 6 shot revolver.
Click to expand...

Glad to hear I'm not only one who has done this. I switched to a 6 shot 65 from a 5 shot 640 and over a year later did it during qualifications:o
 
Take this for what it's worth, but I would learn to count. It's always a good idea to know how many rounds you have left. Always. This is one area that I have never had a problem with. Practice counting.

justinr1
 
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