Make SURE that sidearm works!

[armoredman]

News story from Phoenix today...
http://www.abc15.com/dpp/news/regio...2-people-in-vehicle-after-argument-in-phoenix

...Phoenix police Lt Laslavic said the suspects walked up to the black Chevy Blazer and an argument started between them and two people in the vehicle for an unknown reason.

The suspects then fired shots at the two people, hitting them multiple times, Laslavic said.

The victims tried to fire back but their gun was jammed, he said. They were transported to a local hospital with non-life threatening injuries.
...

Emphasis added. More of the story says this was at 10:30 in the morning, not zero dark thirty, and not gang related.

 

[Ruger44mag]

That would stink. I think that would be my worst nightmare in a gunfight. Actually that seem to be what happens in my dreams at night!

 

[bcp280z]

Yeah, luckily non life threatening, though, if its window view and above, seems loke they should've been kill shots.

Wonder what the vic's carried.

 

[.338-06]

I thought I was the only one who had dreams of being in a gunfight where the gun always malfunctions! It's always shoot at a bad guy/monster, gun malfs, clear gun, shoot, gun malfs, and so on. Actually the gun jams on every second shot so I do get to shoot some monsters.

 

[paramedic70002]

I've read lots of stories where somebody's gun 'jammed' either at the outset of a gunfight or during the gunfight. I don't believe most of this reporting is accurate. Guns just don't 'jam' that often in my experience.

So either a fair number of people are doing weird things with their guns, or there are different explanations for all these 'jams.' I think some obvious choices are:

Safety on

No ammo

Only had a couple rounds loaded; ran out quickly, BTW-
I have taken guns off BG and found them to be only partially loaded!

Unable to shoot at a human

 

[olderguns2]

And sometimes its pure panic the stops you from shooting , had a friend years back in a shooting he was just nicked by a bullet the bad guy got away told everyone his gun jammed, but year or so later admitted to me when the bad guy's gun was pulled on him, he just froze hand on gun, could not even pull it from holster,

 

[Vern Humphrey]

Gee -- isn't there a thread about "would you carry a gun that was less than reliable?"

 

[joeq]

Heck, I'm alway's having a dream where my revolver has malfunctioned. No matter how hard I pull the trigger the cylinder on my j frame won't spin. Kind of funny considering l have not had one issue with that revolver. I guess everyone that carries always has that thought of what if my gun malfunctions.

 

[Vern Humphrey]

At Isandalwana, where the Zulus wiped out a British column of about 1200 men, the officer chosen to save the Queen's Colors was surrounded, drew his revolver -- and the cylinder fell out.

 

[MtnCreek]

I could see it happening. I retrieved a ruger .357 from my truck one evening to shoot an armadillo and I had to put a lot of force on the trigger to make it fire (a lot of force!). I had spilled a soft drink earlier that week and didn't know that it had got all over ( & inside) my pistol. Everything worked out; I learned a lesson and the evil, sod diggin armadillo is no longer with us!

 

[xfyrfiter]

sounds fishy to me, victims could not provide description of shooters, and there were no witnesses?

 

[the count]

Hmmm, after racking the slide you always have to either make sure the loaded chamber indicator is on or pull the slide back a tad to see the loaded round.

 

[riseagainstforme]

I always have nightmares that I can't find the right ammo for the gun, or that I only have a handful of rounds.

 

[Devonai]

I once had a pre-Kahr Auto-Ordnance 1911A1. When I got it I was so thrilled I carried it for two or three days before I got to the range. It jammed up on every shot. Never again, no matter how much I've got stars in my eyes, will I carry an untested pistol. Common sense, perhaps, but I was younger then.

 

[Kiln]

Haven't had the dreams like you guys that the gun didn't work when I needed it but I have had a dream where I was alone in the house then people came in and when I fired my weapon it was totally ineffective. Bang, bang, bang, doesn't even slow them down. Thats about as close to a firearms related nightmare I've ever had.

 

[Fred Fuller]

Gave this one a couple of days to see if it would come around to ST&T, but it's still all hardware...

Moved to Handguns.

lpl

 

[Yo Mama]

1911 cocked and locked solves this one.

 

[Al Thompson]

I've had all the nightmares and a few thankfully not mentioned.

FWIW, I've seen people carrying with no round in the chamber due to "safety" concerns and I've had and witnessed previously reliable handguns choke for mysterious reasons. Always good to have those malfunction drills down pat.

 

[aryfrosty]

Bad dreams

I have 'em, too. From 'wrong ammo' to 'trigger sticking' to '???'. And I believe these dreams have a purpose. My wife thinks I'm an old 'granny' because I take these dreams to heart and check and recheck and then check again. I always will.

 

[Deaf Smith]

Hence I pack a Glock 26/27 and Smith J .38.

Jam they don't.

Deaf

 

[Strykervet]

Hence I pack a Glock 26/27 and Smith J .38.

Jam they don't.

Deaf

Exactly. A G27 or 29 and a 340PD. No jams, just bangs.

 

[dieselgeek]

I bet it was a sigma.

 

[WardenWolf]

I got an incredibly rude surprise when I took my Ruger P90 to the range: the round in the chamber was dead. This is my car gun, and it would have been very bad if I ever had to use it. The rest of the rounds were good, and there was no oil that could have compromised the primer. The Arizona heat may have just gotten to it.

Bottom line: there may have been nothing wrong with their gun. The round may just have been bad and they weren't trained on how to deal with a jam. Even the best gun in the world will go down if you have bad ammo.

 

[armoredman]

I try to explain to people who insist on carrying a sidearm with a positive safety engaged - practice wiping that safety off until it is ingrained muscle memory. If you don't, and try to pull the trigger, first you look stupid, then you look dead.
No further info on this one yet.

 

[RightCoastBiased]

This is why I shoot my gun regularly. Clean my gun regularly. Change out defensive loads regularly (every 2-3 months). And, regularly hope I never have to fire in self defense.