wildburp
member
I submit this reluctantly; I hope it will prevent injury. I recently rolled over while sleeping and fired one of my Colt SAA .45's accidentally. You may think "I can load six and stick it my pants" and not worry. Well I rolled over in my sleep, and my hand bumped the hammer. The gun hangs on a cup hook screwed into the bottom of a shelf above my bed (luckily pointed away!). I saw a flash (through closed eyes, but believed I was dreaming)then slowly awoke (I wear a nose mask for sleep apnea). Once I pulled the mask off and smelled the smoke, I knew I was not dreaming. I scratched my left cheek for several weeks afterwards, because it was injured by the explosion, which sent debris from the cylinder/barrel joint into my face (I was on my right side at the time, with that side of my head in the pillow).
I like to think of myself as an expert with firearms; I've fired fully automatic weapons, semi-automatics, revovlers, rifles, and shotguns, always with safety foremost in my mind (luckily, never in combat). You don't have to fully cock a SAA to make it go bang - I doubt my restless arm deflected the firing pin more than a quarter inch, but it was enough to initiate the chain reaction begun by the insulted primer. 255 grains of lead suddenly shot forth around 900 + (?) feet per second, into the uncharted universe. Luckily, nobody was harmed.
Here's how to load a 6 shot SAA (with 5) - Load one, skip one. In other words, with six empty cylinders, load one, then click past the next empty cylinder, leaving it empty, and continue loading - after the fifth cartridge is shoved in, close the gate, pull the hammer all the way back, and let it down on the EMPTY cylinder. This works. You'll have five rounds loaded, with the hammer resting on the single remaining empty cylinder. The rule is LOAD ONE, SKIP ONE.
So, what's the lesson here? Right! Don't carry the old SAA fully loaded. If you are going into a fight, sure, load six; hopefully the bad guy will thoughtfully provide an empty casing under the hammer for future saftey.
wildburp
post scriptum: it should go without saying, but don't leave autos laying about with rounds in the chamber. Leave a clip in the well, then release the slide catch to load a round to fire. Noise, you say? Unless you are have to ****, don't fart.
Thanks for all the feedback. I have always known the danger of loading 6 when carrying, but thought nothing of having it ready for home defence with 6 loaded. I reloaded with 5 after the incident (I live alone and seldom have guests, but unload everything when I do). Knowing the load state and that I have sole control, I have to say I see no problem with the cup hanger with no round under the hammer. I keep an S&W model 19 .357 on a hook in another part of the house, fully loaded and ready for use. One person suggested storing the Colt in a holster near the bed; I think that is generally frowned upon because of moisture problems, especially since my place is cooled with an evaporative cooler.
My Browning 9 and Colt 1911-A1 are now stored with the slide locked back with a magazine handy, but not in the well, as someone suggested (neither hung from the trigger guard).
Speaking of load status, can anyone recall a movie where a DA revolver is opened to spin the cylinder to check for rounds when the "fish hits the lure" sound effect is not dubbed in? Or can anyone name the movie in which Clint Eastwood's character dies?
Still learning in Sunnyvale,
WB
I like to think of myself as an expert with firearms; I've fired fully automatic weapons, semi-automatics, revovlers, rifles, and shotguns, always with safety foremost in my mind (luckily, never in combat). You don't have to fully cock a SAA to make it go bang - I doubt my restless arm deflected the firing pin more than a quarter inch, but it was enough to initiate the chain reaction begun by the insulted primer. 255 grains of lead suddenly shot forth around 900 + (?) feet per second, into the uncharted universe. Luckily, nobody was harmed.
Here's how to load a 6 shot SAA (with 5) - Load one, skip one. In other words, with six empty cylinders, load one, then click past the next empty cylinder, leaving it empty, and continue loading - after the fifth cartridge is shoved in, close the gate, pull the hammer all the way back, and let it down on the EMPTY cylinder. This works. You'll have five rounds loaded, with the hammer resting on the single remaining empty cylinder. The rule is LOAD ONE, SKIP ONE.
So, what's the lesson here? Right! Don't carry the old SAA fully loaded. If you are going into a fight, sure, load six; hopefully the bad guy will thoughtfully provide an empty casing under the hammer for future saftey.
wildburp
post scriptum: it should go without saying, but don't leave autos laying about with rounds in the chamber. Leave a clip in the well, then release the slide catch to load a round to fire. Noise, you say? Unless you are have to ****, don't fart.
Thanks for all the feedback. I have always known the danger of loading 6 when carrying, but thought nothing of having it ready for home defence with 6 loaded. I reloaded with 5 after the incident (I live alone and seldom have guests, but unload everything when I do). Knowing the load state and that I have sole control, I have to say I see no problem with the cup hanger with no round under the hammer. I keep an S&W model 19 .357 on a hook in another part of the house, fully loaded and ready for use. One person suggested storing the Colt in a holster near the bed; I think that is generally frowned upon because of moisture problems, especially since my place is cooled with an evaporative cooler.
My Browning 9 and Colt 1911-A1 are now stored with the slide locked back with a magazine handy, but not in the well, as someone suggested (neither hung from the trigger guard).
Speaking of load status, can anyone recall a movie where a DA revolver is opened to spin the cylinder to check for rounds when the "fish hits the lure" sound effect is not dubbed in? Or can anyone name the movie in which Clint Eastwood's character dies?
Still learning in Sunnyvale,
WB
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