Forgotten revolver tips and tricks.

Congrats on your Colt Cobra Baldman!! I carried my 1st generation Cobra as my BUG/off duty for many years. Fine sixgun. I wish Colt would make another run of it.

My family was all police. Father, Uncles, Great Uncles. All Colt men too, except for my Grandfather. He was a S&W man. He put a 5 inch M&P 38 in my hands and taught me to shoot when I was 7 YOA. He had old 5 gallon pickle buckets full of lead round nose.

We would go out to the potato farm fields and shoot all morning...........sometimes all day, till I "got it right!".

My family was quite perturbed when I bought a S&W model 19 for my first duty revolver. I got the Cobra to placate them.

Mat, not doormat - Competition, excellent point to bring up!

Unlike many who decry that competition is somehow negative or teaches you "habits that will get you killed", I feel competing with your revolver is excellent practice!

While competition is a sport, or game if you will, and is not "training" in the sense that you are not recieving instruction in the use of your firearm to fight and prevail, from a qualified instructor - competition IS good gun handling practice!

Where else, other than in competitions like IDPA, will you practice reloading your revolver all afternoon? And under "pressure" as well, from the clock and your peers. Where else can you "compare notes" with like minded folks on what equipment works - or doesn't work? You may discover during a match that you are having difficulty with your chosen handgun - either with firing it quickly and accurately - or perhaps getting a good grip and fast draw due to the grips you have chosen.

Much better to discover these things about your revolver AND your skill set under the pressure of a clock rather than the terror of live fire from a determined miscreant.

And despite the underlying serious nature of our revolver conversation, let us not lose sight of the most important factor we experience while practicing and shooting our revolvers in competition, it is FUN!!

Speaking of revolver grips - or stocks as some prefer to call them, I prefer rubber grips for revolvers used for serious purpose. In fact, my competition revolvers also wear rubber grips. As was previously mentioned by a contributor in this thread, rubber still affords you a grip with wet, sweaty, or bloody hands. Very important.

I remember the armorers getting revolvers ready for issue. They removed them from their packages, took off the wooden factory grips and discarded them in the dustbin. Replaced them with Pacmayrs. I've always used Pachmayrs although I like Hogues as well and there is nothing wrong with Uncle Mikes grips either, if you can find a set.

Wooden grips are for your BBQ gun or your "lookin at" revolver, IMO of course. Some of those pistoleros older than I will disagree and perhaps wooden grips worked well for them. Try both and decide for yourself.

In fact, that topic should be included here in this revolver thread as well. Read all you can. Research using the internet. Talk to fellow shooters at the practice range or the monthly competitions. Try out what you learn that interests you. BUT!! YOU DETERMINE WHAT WORKS BEST FOR YOU! You decide. Not some instructor or author or TV hero. You. Because ultimately the only person we have to please is ourselves.

Do not be disuaded from a technique, or piece of equipment, because some anonymous person on the internet tells you its junk, or you are foolish for using it, or doing something in a particular fashion. You do what works for you. Regardless of what others tell you.

Allright then. Enough from me today. Lets hear from someone else who has information that will help you handle and shoot your revolver quickly and accurately. TJ

Excellent MrBorland!! I quite enjoyed that. Well done sir!

I encourage our revolver afficianado readers of this thread not to despair and fear they cannot duplicate MrBorlands magnificent demonstration of EXCELLENT trigger control.

I'm aware MrBorland is very skilled with a revolver and an accomplished competitor as well. I'd venture a guess that MrBorland devotes time to practice. I'll bet he competes often and works to maintain those impressive skills.

I challenge those who choose a revolver as a carry gun, to practice and work to match his excellent revolver skill! TJ

Certaindeaf makes an excellent point. As my instructors from my Grandfather forward drilled into me; "The proper way to fire a double action revolver is in double action. Don't be cocking that hammer boy!"

So, I have spent my decades of revolver shooting.....shooting double action. In fact, one of my favorite, and perhaps one of my most accurate revolvers is a double action only S&W model 64-3. It was a Brinks turn in that J&G had for sale. Based on the NY-1 variant 64.

It has a superb trigger. Smmoth as glass with a crisp release. IMO accuracy starts with a good trigger. You can have a Performance center revolver with a match grade, air guaged barrel and if the trigger is lousy you will not hit squat. A good revolver should have a great trigger. This trade in 64 has a BETTER trigger than my S&W Performance center revolvers. I sh...spit you not!

One can be amazingly fast and accurate when they master double action shooting with a revolver. You don't have to fork over a fortune either to get the equipment to learn how. I saw five DAO model 64's on the auction boards this AM. All of them were between $220 and $269. Get one of those, a case of ammunition........well......that might be problamatic these days.....but, you get the idea. A nice DAO revolver with a great trigger and a case of ammo will give you a good start on your skill set.

While examining my old Colt Cobra last night I recalled another "trick" we use to do. Only police use holsters - according to bad guys anyway. So the plain clothes guys use to take the 1/4 inch rubber bands from the office and wrap them around the grips of their Cobras, DS, Agents and Chief Specials. This way you could stick it in your waisband and the rubber bands would keep it there. I'd forgotten that trick till I saw the rubber bands still on my Cobra.

Heres another trick too, that I mentioned in another thread, but see I've left out of this thread. The old tale that a bad guy will grab your revolvers cylinder and keep you from shooting him. Well, in 25 years of close quarter contact with felons I never saw this even attemted by any mope. I think I saw it on T.V., maybe. Anyways, should some miscreant grab your revolvers cylinder - and you are carrying a S&W - simply twist your revolver clockwise by the grip while squeezing the trigger. It will go boom. Try it. WITH SNAPCAPS ONLY PLEASE!!

If you are carrying a Colt revolver simply twist it counter-clockwise while squeezing the trigger. Same results. Snub revolvers are harder for a miscreant to get hold of vice larger guns. Makes it tougher to disarm you.

My personal policy always was that some mope may get my gun - BUT - he would get it bullets first! Surrender is not in my vocabulary. Id advise everyone who contemplates carrying a revolver to train for the worst and hope for the best. Always be prepared to fight for your life, because someday you may have to. Our close combat instructor use to say; "Its not the size of the dog in the fight, its the size of the fight in the dog!" Mindset matters as much.......if not more.....than skill with a firearm. Although it would be optimal to possess both simultaneously.

Oh, speaking of close combat with a revolver, in a grappling fight try to push and block with your off hand. With your revolver in your strong hand, go for contact shots. Lower abdomen, pelvic girdle hits will often drop your attacker to the ground enabling you to put distance between you and them or to seek cover, whichever is more approprite at the time. Contact shots to the head work welll too. Just be aware of where your off hand is in relation to your revolvers muzzle. Feet as well for that matter. Sucks to shoot yourself.

Lets talk about nice revolvers for a moment. A nice revolver for defensive use will have an excellent trigger and should be accurate. Almost every snub Combat Magnum, model 15, Colt DS, Cobra, Agent I've ever shot sufficed as a carry revolver.

In the J-frames I've ever only owned two. A Chiefs Special and a 640-1. I prefer the 640-1 in a J-frame. It is heavy enough to practice with regularly, something I have not experienced with other small and light weight revolvers. But once again, GO WITH WHAT WORKS FOR YOU!

The last revolver I qualified with and carried on or off duty was a 3 inch 13-3, rendered DAO by my talented gunsmith, with a spurless hammer. It was one slick little carry gun. I have always preferred 3 inch K-frames as "for serious" guns. They simply point naturally and are......."lively" handling guns. The full length ejector rods aid in the positive ejection of empty casings as well.

On that topic, make sure you get in the habit of giving that ejector rod a VERY HEALTHY SLAP! Tilt the revolver up as much as possible while doing so. Nothing messes up your day like having to pick out empty's whilst trying to reload.

Whew! I haven't typed this much in decades. Alright, time for lunch. One of you lads take it from here! Best TJ

MrBorland I had not really gone into grip. I thank you for your excellent coverage of that very important factor in accurate revolver shooting!

Folks, you should also practice getting a good grip from your holster during your draw, as well as when you are on the square range and getting ready to fire. MrBorlands second, or middle photo illustrates how you should grip a revolver. As we cannot see the left side of his hand/revolver in the pic, I'd wager that his thumb is curled downward. Aiding in control and minimizing lateral motion. Please correct me if I'm mistaken MrBorland!

Practice hitting the "sweet spot" at the top of the grips/grip frame with the flesh between your thumb and trigger finger as you practice your drawstroke. This is another area that competition helps you refine.

I had not really intended to cover the fundamentals of revolver shooting here. I do thank MrBorland and all those who have touched on them. I had mearly wanted to pass on some the things that we as revolver shooters had learned back when revolver usage for serious purpose was more prevalent.

But perhaps a quick review of fundamentals is useful here. Stance - Grip - draw - push out/bring up/point - sight picture - trigger control - bullseye.

You must practice bringing all these elements together - in unison - to be successful with a revolver. Now, again, I'm no expert. I'm just an old revolver guy who, through a combination of training/instinct/experience/tactics/a little bit of skill and alot of luck managed to survive on the streets to reach retirement.

I would encourage anyone interested in being accomplished with a revolver to read some of the following works. "No second place winner" by Bill Jordan. This book has more of an LE revolver useage theme, but is still relevant and very useful.

"Tales of the stakeout squad" and "Guns bullets and gunfights" by the late great Jim Cirrillo NYPD. What this fine man forgot about fighting with a revolver, most of us will never even know. Very interesting reading and an excellent training aid, IMO. These also contain the best explanation/instruction on point shooting that I've ever read.

"Fast & fancy revolver shooting" by Ed McGivern. This man could make a revolver sit up and sing. Amazing shooting by a fine marksman. Hard to read due to his writing style and a bit slow.....boring, in places, but it made me a better marksman.

There are other fine works on using/learning revolvers in print out there as well. I hope some of the participants in this thread will list their choices. I can't recall all of the really good ones. Simply the ones I refer back to most often. Oh, Grant Cunningham recently did the Gun Digest publication - "Book of the revolver". Excellent book for the beginner as well as the seasoned revolver shooter.

Do also read the internet writings of the late great Mr Stephen Camp. I learned much from Mr Camp. He was a fine teacher and revolver expert, as well as a great gentleman. He is missed.

Everyone who elects to carry a handgun for serious purpose should seek out some training. In person training with a qualified instructor. I won't comment on the various.....and expensive.....schools out there. Research them and decide whether you wish to spend your hard earned money with them. Do a cost/benefit analysis.

There are less expensive and equally valuable ways to obtain training. Start at your local indoor range. Check the bulletin board there and make inquiry with the range master. Odds are they know a silver haired "revolver guy" willing to give you some instruction.

Ask around at the local matches or competitions. Odds are there is a fine gentleman like our own MrBorland, who is willing to share his experience and skills with you. However, please do keep in mind their time is valuable!! There is no free lunch in this endevour!!

I thank all our members who contributed to this thread. I hope the aspiring revolver shooters as well as the old hands learned a bit that might assist them in the future. I know I did, and rediscovered some things as well.

Please continue adding information as you recall it. I know I will be out shooting/practicing with my model 66 and think; "Hey! This is something those kids on the internet board might be interested in!" If/when that occurs I'll be sure and post again here! Best, TJ