should I attempt to decock a loaded, glitchy Taurus Judge

S

sappho

Inactive
I live alone in a small first-floor apartment in a city. I cocked the Judge in response to returning home to find a strange mens' hat on my bed, but the trigger got stuck in the rear of the guard. I've de-cocked the gun before, but I don't know if this glitch means that there's even the smallest chance that the gun will discharge in my apartment if I attempt to decock it. (Then unload it and send it to the factory because this glitch is not cool.)

There was no danger; the hat was left there by a friend who never wears hats and was only in my bedroom for a moment.

All my instincts are telling me to call my local police department, explain the glitch, and ask them to kindly decock my weapon for me.

What do ya'll think?
 
Get some help. Anyone that is worried about doing anything with a firearm should always get some help. Then there are those that aren't smart enough to be worried that need help too!

Maybe someone from your local gun store could help you out.

I am afraid to give any more advice than that since I can not see and handle the gun to know what to expect.
 
Point it in a safe direction with the muzzle in a pile of old towels/blankets/pillows. Then proceed to decock it - it isn't that bad of a thing to do as long as you are safe. I ave done it a lot with my S&Ws for practice - with live ammo in it - and never had an issue
 
Call a gun smith
Tell him it is loaded and ask what to do.

Then
get it fixed.
get it fixed
get it fixed
 
...muzzle in a pile of old towels/blankets/pillows...
Click to expand...

If loaded w/ standard ammunition, the bullet will go through all of that like $%&@ through goose and keep going.
Even if loaded w/ a 410 shotshell, it will act like a solid projectile and likely go right on through as well. :eek:

But the good Lord made old socks for a reason.

If you're really nervous about the trigger, just slip a twisted-up sock between the hammer and the frame to
block things completely. Then de-cock with thumb on hammer spur as normal and let it ride forward
knowing that even if you slip, the sock (or whatever) keeps things from striking home.

When comfortable that you've got it under full control, remove the sock let it down easy the rest of the way.



(Then go get that "twitchy" trigger fixed.) ;)
 
Thank you

Wow, thank you for such quick responses. Our PD is really young (most officers appear to be under 40) so I think you might be right about them not knowing how to work a revolver. Plus, I just don't like the idea of allowing random men into my apartment (badge or not) when I'm home alone, and they probably wouldn't submit to my request to send a female officer.

So I'm calling a gunsmith, to see what they say.

Thank you again

Update:

I called a local smith, and he just confirmed the advice I got here, and I will be decocking it manually with much caution. Thank you again.

Update:

Just successfully de-cocked it! Weird defect. I have had several issues with it not firing before. Glad I have a S&W snubbie bug.
 
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The Judge is a double action revolver for a reason. Do not cock it when expecting a possibility of trouble. You are much much more likely to have a negligent discharge than you are if you rely on the double action mechanism to fire the weapon.

And to reiterate the advice of others, send it back.
 
So what exactly was the defect? Did the gun not decock because the trigger could not be pulled back farther? How did you manage to decock it anyway?
 
There are ways to safety decock a SA/DA revolver. Many owners manuals go into detail about it. However, as previously stated, if you are asking how to do it, it will be a safe bet to ask someone with revolver experience.
 
The Judge is a double action revolver for a reason. Do not cock it when expecting a possibility of trouble. You are much much more likely to have a negligent discharge than you are if you rely on the double action mechanism to fire the weapon.
Click to expand...

I'm glad someone said it. :rolleyes:
 
You saw a hat and you cocked your gun?

I understand your desire to arm yourself because there might be someone in your apartment...

But...

Cocking the gun?
 
Doesn't anybody remember the old canard that putting a hat on a bed is bad luck?

I am glad you were able to make the gun safe. I wonder (like spanishjames) what caused the problem. Was it some foreign material in the trigger guard? Was it a burr or metal shavings in the action?

Many people will strip/disassemble their new guns to give them a thorough cleaning before ever firing them (if they are comfortable opening them up that far; many owners think such a policy is crazy - I have a story if you are interested). Often there are small bits of metal left over from machining the parts that the factory did not clean out. Sloppy work if you ask me, but it happens.

In any event, I would try to reproduce the condition (unloaded, of course) to see if I could diagnose the problem. If you send it back to Taurus, unless the problem volunteers itself, they will probably do nothing but send it back to you with the observation that they found nothing wrong.

One possibility is that your ammunition was dragging on the recoil shield. (A round not able to get fully inserted in its chamber or a primer standing proud of the case head.) Not likely, but if done just right it could hang up the hammer and trigger as you described. Had you been able to cycle the cylinder with these same cartridges before?

Lost Sheep.
 
suspenseful thread.... I thought the boogeymanwas going jump the OP. :eek: or he shoot the wall by mistake. :eek:
:(
 
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