revolver safety thread brought this old question to mind...

M

Magnum Wheel Man

New member
I'm a revolver guy as is easy to tell by my forum name... the last 2 years I've been carrying a TCP in 380... but this year at Christmas I bought myself a LCR-X short barrel, with the intention of getting back to a revolver...

I have this small concern, that 1st came to mind, back when I turned 50, & took up rollerblading... ( I'm not very good at rollerblading ) I once, fell & got myself up, brushed myself off, & got going again... several 100 yards down the trail, as I was giving myself a once over, I noticed my holster was empty... I went back to where I fell ( off the trail ) & there in the leaves was my TCP... which I had started carrying, because it was cheap & rust resistant, but was cheap, in case I fell & broke it... I had gotten in the habit of carrying with an empty chamber, because I often do very physical work around the farm, & have had it get ripped from the holster in the past ( yep... I use a good holster with a leather retention strap) but cutting brush, & wrestling animals, stuff happens...

got me thinking, that I was glad I had an empty chamber, if a kid had come along & found the gun beside the trail, before I got back... seems just a couple months ago, & kid pulled his mothers gun from her purse, & accidently shot her, while she was shopping...

a full sized auto with a safety would prevent a little kid from pulling the trigger... a revolver has no safety device... that LCR-X has a pretty easy trigger pull... anyone given thoughts along those lines...
 
Losing a gun is always cause for concern.
The fear of it has fueled all kinds of inventions, safes and lock boxes, retention holsters, slings, 'etc.
The only way to make sure our weapons don't fall into the wrong hands has always been to not lose them, or control of them, in the first place.
No doubt our ancient ancestors had the same worries about their war clubs and flint knives.
 
I don't see the empty chamber under the hammer of a revolver.

No modern revolver will fire unless the trigger is pulled.

As to a kid or someone else unauthorized getting a hold of the revolver and firing it; When pulling the trigger or cocking the hammer of a revolver causes the cylinder to rotate, so what good does the empty chamber do.

I don't care how good the holster it, if the gun falls out when you fall or what ever, it isn't a good holster.

In LE I found cops spent a heck of a lot more time wrestling bandits then shooting them, therefore a secure holster is critical.

I got a used Hoyt holster when I first hired on, in twenty years of LE, I never had a gun fall from the holster or had a bandit pull it out of the holster.

I still have that holster (and a couple newer ones), still never had one come out when it wasn't suppose to.

I don't wrestle bandits any more but I like the fast holsters (Hoyt) and use them in ICORE and other action style matches.

They are fast, secure, and its easy to get the gun back into the holster one handed without looking or sweeping my self or anyone else.

For every day (all day) carry I carry a 642 in my pocket, it doesn't fall out nor can anyone else get to it.
 
got me thinking, that I was glad I had an empty chamber
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The idea of carrying on an empty chamber is a holdover from days when revolvers used hammer spurs to strike the primer directly. Those days are long past. Modern revolvers use a transfer bar. This transfer bar only comes up in line with the hammer with a trigger pull. At other times, it rests down away from the hammer. You can carry with a round in the chamber cylinder with complete confidence.
 
KRAIG... sorry... I wasn't implying, keeping the hammer on an empty chamber in the revolver... though if someone were to chase that dog down that alley... I suppose a person could keep the 1st indexed chamber empty, rather than the one under the hammer... thus requiring a double tap to get the 1st bullet out...

I've been thinking about a Blackhawk retention holster... though I admit I've not seen one for the LCR...
 
The idea of carrying on an empty chamber is a holdover from days when revolvers used hammer spurs to strike the primer directly. Those days are long past. Modern revolvers use a transfer bar. This transfer bar only comes up in line with the hammer with a trigger pull. At other times, it rests down away from the hammer. You can carry with a round in the chamber cylinder with complete confidence.
Click to expand...
"transfer bar"? No such thing as revolvers with hammer blocks? S&W owners are going to be disappointed to hear that. ;)
 
I'm completely confident the gun won't go off... unless some 5 year old kid comes along & picks up the revolver & pulls the trigger... I have that protection with a semi auto with an empty chamber... not too many 5 year olds know the tap & rack drill :)

perhaps a better direction for this thread, would be with holsters... I'm not finding a "good" retention holster for the LCR / LCR-X...

what ever I choose, must still be a concealment holster, not a duty holster... I think I would like a Blackhawk Sherpa style... I see they make them for non 357 magnum J frames ( like my lil 32 H&R Air Weight )... I've never worn a Sherpa, so I may find I don't like it, & it goes to "that" drawer with the rest...

I just think if I'm going to go back to carrying a revolver, I need to find a better retention holster for it, as I'm not looking to turn a 5 shot compact revolver, into a 4 shot by leaving the 1st trigger indexed chamber empty...


... just to clarify... the hammer mounted firing pin did the striking... not the hammer spur... ;)
 
The idea of carrying on an empty chamber is a holdover from days when revolvers used hammer spurs to strike the primer directly. Those days are long past. Modern revolvers use a transfer bar. This transfer bar only comes up in line with the hammer with a trigger pull. At other times, it rests down away from the hammer. You can carry with a round in the chamber cylinder with complete confidence.
Click to expand...

wow.

#1) Hammer spurs do NOT strike the primer. That would be the firing pin. The hammer spur is on the other side of the hammer, its the part sticks out that you pull back on to cock the hammer. There never were any days when the hammer spur was used to strike the primer directly.

#2) Those days are NOT long past, they are not past at all. Those same guns are still with us.

#3) How do you define modern? By design age? By manufacture date? By what features the design has, or doesn't have? Where do you draw that line? By my standards, only some "modern" designs have a transfer bar system. What are your standards?
 
I think you just need a better holster one more suited to whatever it is your trying to do.

If you do fall down get in the habit of checking for your wallet, piece, cell phone, etc. right away rather than a few minutes later none of those things do you want to drop or loose and it doesn't draw attention to yourself to check for them. Habits, we can build good habits.

I'll add that in my experience folks who rollerblade don't care what they look like and don't care that others think they look silly. This opens the door for a fanny pack of some type. These are more secure and comfortable than many types of concealed carry holsters when strenuous activity is involved. You can dig a ditch, chop brush, prune trees, backpack, etc, and a bag of some type on the hip or shoulder fits right in.

Pants...Dickies, Carhart and others make comfortable work pants with ample pockets for a small piece and pocket rig.

No good reason to not keep all chambers loaded.

Also...S&W revolvers with firing pins on the hammer have been drop safe since the Second World War. Colt DA revolvers even longer. As someone mentioned it's the hammer block. The transfer bar is different.

tipoc
 
The problem I see with keeping the first chamber empty on a revlover would be the fact that a kid could pick up the gun, pull trigger, and nothing happens. At that point the kid assumes the gun is a toy and points it at something and the second trigger pull fires off a round.

The use of a lanyard ring and retention strap would keep the revolver on your person... Yes I realize it's not very realistic, but it is all I could come up with.
 
I guess I was a little off. UncleEd reminded me that it is my Rugers which have the transfer bar. I guess other manufacturers havn't gone that way.
 
We all mis-speak sometimes and sometimes mis-remember and sometimes we get it wrong or get it half right. "Ain't no thing" as we used to say. Ain't so important that the 24 hr. news cycle will pick it up.

Sometimes we're too quick to correct and too self important to take it light.

tipoc
 
We all mis-speak sometimes and sometimes mis-remember and sometimes we get it wrong or get it half right.
Click to expand...

I do it myself, more often than I would like.:o

I get a little ...overzealous some times. Sorry if is comes off as rude. It's not personal.

It was early, I hadn't had my coffee, the cat ate my mouse, the dog ate my homework, and if I can think of any more whining excuses for being a pain, I'll try to keep them to myself,:D

Seriously, I'm only grumpy between sunrise and sunrise. The rest of the time, I'm fine.
:rolleyes:

apologies.:o
 
An excellent question and kind of a quandary really. If the gun is not in your control in a given moment, there really isn't anything that you can do to deter or prevent an unauthorized person, namely a child, from picking it up and having something tragic happening. A safety device on a semi-auto could help, but not guarantee it wouldn't or couldn't happen.

When I first got my CCW, I wasn't interested in carrying on my person. Initially what I chose to do was carry in my personal vehicle, and my company vehicle, but not on my person. An instance where a pistol that I had given my father for home protection had come up missing. My assumption is that a young adult in the family took it from his nightstand during our holiday get together based on when it went missing, of course that is only a theory.
This is a kid who has been in and out of trouble throughout his adolescence and young adult life. The thought that bothered me is NOW he had the ability and or the tool to truly get into very serious trouble and possibly destroy the rest of his own life and someone else's.
Got me rethinking my practice of having a weapon in a vehicle. So I asked myself if I were actually committed to carrying a firearm for self defense? Yes. How can I insure that my firearm can never get in the hands of another where something I would hate to feel responsible for could happen? To always have it securely on my person in a manner that no one but myself has or can gain access to it. That is when I began carrying daily on my person so as to insure that I was solely always in control of my chosen weapon.
That is a farce when you think about it. There is only so much I can do to insure that, and the unexpected and unanticipated can always happen. So it really is a quandary in the end.
Whether you choose to carry a revolver chambers full or with an empty chamber, or a semi automatic with a loaded chamber and safety engaged, or an empty chamber or by any other means, commit yourself to doing your level best, and beyond that pray.
 
Part of my preference for semi's is that I can keep a mag loaded in the gun without a round chambered. With practice it is only a tiny fraction of a second slower to get in use. In fact the practice is used by many elite military units.

If for some reason one of my kids got their hands on a gun they wouldn't have the strength to chamber a round. By the time they were strong enough, they were old enough to know better.
 
Gun retention while rollerblading has never been a concern to me!

Though for the last couple of days, ice skating may be on the horizon.

Bob Wright
 
BOB... rollerblading is good practice for the weather you've been getting... stay safe...

reason I started carrying that TCP, is I could just envision falling on my behind, & busting my butt, & a cherished revolver at the same time... the TCP functions perfectly, & I could not have bought a decent revolver for the same price... it's hard to believe it's already been a couple years... hoping that new LCR-X can take it's place for the next couple...

... although thinking on this train of thought, the lil 32 H&R S&W ( my 1st carry gun ) may have to step into the lime light, as so far the most retentive holster I can find is only for the non magnum S&W J Frames
 
all our holsters are a trade off between security (retention) and accessibility.

There is, sadly, no free lunch. The classic European military"luggage case" holsters, with a belt buckle type closure strap are the ultimate for retention. But they kind of suck when you need the pistol in a hurry!

Any kind of fast draw holster is meant for the gun to come out easily.

Maybe its time to rethink how, and where you carry it on your body, for certain physical activities? In other words, if you're regularly risking falling on your butt, maybe your butt (or close) isn't the best place for the pistol that day?

Back when I wore a much younger man's clothes (green ones given by my Uncle), I had lots of occasions where I had to get through a hatch. There is a good reason, beyond being stylishly cool, why tankers wear shoulder or chest holsters.

If it gets in the way, or is at risk (falling) will it still meet your needs if you move it?

And I got nothing against a "cheap" gun, so long as it works. Many of them do. If you ever have to use the gun, you are going to lose it, for a while, at least (evidence).

(I'm having visions of the holster sewn on to the rollerblade boot..I better stop now...:rolleyes:)
 
Corrections???!!! Go ahead and make them.

I'm still learning and if something wrong gets posted and nobody corrects it then I'll think 'well I guess that's correct.' I've been corrected and the folks here have not been mean about it. I'm glad the mods keep things from getting ugly.

Magnum-I'd be more than a little concerned about gun poking deeply into soft tissue/bones etc if I fell. Guess I'd go with the suggestion of a fanny pack if I were roller blading. (Ha! Like that's going to ever happen...I got those x-rays looking juuuuuusssstttt the way I want them to look and I'm reluctant to do anything that would disturb that picture.)

I've also mentioned this before...that I find buying holsters way more frustrating than buying guns or ammunition.
 
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