How would you handle this?

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heavyshooter

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I was wondering if you guys have a policy of telling friends how they will handle your guns BEFORE you hand them over. In the past two weeks I have had the same experience and it has me wondering how I could have avoided it. The list of people that I allow to fire my guns is very short, but I am wondering if I should give a course on proper gun handling.

Two weeks ago I went to the gun range with an acquaintance. After we had been there for about 30 minutes he handed me his Smith & Wesson 629 and I handed him my Ruger GP100 (he is considering whether or not he wants to purchase a Ruger). Each of us loaded up and fired at our targets. After he fired his 6 shots he opened the cylinder, unloaded the spent shells, and then he did the unspeakable. YES, he did the movie star wrist flick to swing the cylinder shut!!! Dude, what tha fat!!! I politely retrieved my gun and explained why he should not do that. I was surprised because he is 20 years older than me, and he owns a few guns; not the least of which is a Smith & Wesson 629!!! I did not think I had to tell him that swinging the cylinder in this manner is a major gun sin.

Two weeks go by and I recover from the traumatic range experience; which brings us to today. My wife asked if she could have my Smith & Wesson 37-2; being the great husband that I am, I said no. But I went out and bought her a Smith & Wesson 442 and I was showing it to my Father-in-Law. I opened the cylinder and then I closed it the proper way. I did this for two reasons. 1) I wanted to show him that it is unloaded and 2) I wanted to show him the proper way to handle it. After I handed it to him he promptly opened it and flicked it shut! It all happened in less than 2 seconds! WHAT THA FAT!!!!! Twice in as many weeks! In his defense, my FIL is new to firearms so I explained it to him. But I also made a mental note to quiz/inform anyone that is going to handle a gun of mine before I hand it to him.

How do you guys and gals handle this?
 
I think that you handled both fine. In the future add it to your little ramble to people new to guns before handing them a revolver. I'm not suprised that your friend at the range did it; just because he is older and has guns doesn't mean that he knows or cares about flicking the cylinder. As long as revolvers are in movies and people watch them, people are going to flick them closed.
 
well i always explain to anyone that handles my guns that they are very expensive and

well made. please be carefull. it has worked so far it has worked great with the lucky

few that have handled them.

ok now my horror story! 3 years or so ago i bought my first pistol (that the state knew

about at least). i was at work,on break as usual, and my long time friend had stoped by.

we were at my truck and i produced my new kimber eclipse ll. i handed it to him being

at the time very pround of my new purchase. right when i was explaining the gun to him,

to my horror i see him twurl im new pistol. not only did he do it wrong, but managed to

drop it 3 feet to the pavement!!! it got pretty beat up in the fall too, banged up the

front and rear sight and dinged the muzzle crown. the worst part is he told me not to

worry about it. i replyed with a witty "1200.00 dollars is most sertantly a thing to worry

about!". we are no longer friends for this reason and ever sence i have ben very picky

and chosie with who i allow to handle them. im not a wheel gun man but if some one

droped the slide of one of my guns without a loaded mag in it. we would have words.
 
To the OP: I think you handled both situations well.

Most of the people I hang out with do not own any guns, and some don't have any experience with any either. When I introduce a new person to guns or shooting, I always go over the 4 safety rules and do a demonstration on how to properly handle the gun that I am about to hand them. This happens before we leave to go to the range and also when we get there.
 
funny... there's just something about some guys who get around a firearm and they think they have to start doing stupid crap like slapping and flicking and just being over all rough on em like that's the way guns are supposed be handled... never understood it:confused:.......................
 
If I’m with a newbie, it’s a safety and gun handling lecture for sure.

If they have experience, just a few words about safety.

If they drop or otherwise damage my firearms. I believe that broken guns are easier to fix than broken friendships.

Steve
 
well i always explain to anyone that handles my guns that they are very expensive and

well made. please be carefull. it has worked so far it has worked great with the lucky

few that have handled them.

ok now my horror story! 3 years or so ago i bought my first pistol (that the state knew

about at least). i was at work,on break as usual, and my long time friend had stoped by.

we were at my truck and i produced my new kimber eclipse ll. i handed it to him being

at the time very pround of my new purchase. right when i was explaining the gun to him,

to my horror i see him twurl im new pistol. not only did he do it wrong, but managed to

drop it 3 feet to the pavement!!! it got pretty beat up in the fall too, banged up the

front and rear sight and dinged the muzzle crown. the worst part is he told me not to

worry about it. i replyed with a witty "1200.00 dollars is most sertantly a thing to worry

about!". we are no longer friends for this reason and ever sence i have ben very picky

and chosie with who i allow to handle them. im not a wheel gun man but if some one

droped the slide of one of my guns without a loaded mag in it. we would have words.
Click to expand...

The only two pistols (I'm sure there are more) that are bad to drop the slide on a empty chamber that I know of is the 1911 and the Hi Power.
 
Two ideas:

1) No quality revolver (unless a pristine collectable with no turn ring, etc.) is going to be damaged in any conceivably measurable way by someone flipping the cylinder shut once or twice. It isn't good gun-handling and folks should be gently corrected for doing it, but you can absolutely reserve your look of shocked horror for something that deserves it (like dropping it or scratching the finish). Guns shouldn't be abused, but they are pretty tough. Don't take it up as your standard practice, but don't feel like the gun has been compromised in some way by their wantonly destructive act.

2) Talking to someone about how to handle your firearms is not a bad idea, especially if they are new. Correcting someone who does something mildly foolish like this in a gentle tone is completely acceptable. You also will be able to note their reaction and use that as a gauge to decide if you really want to share your tools and toys with them in the future.
 
I think you did it well. I would tell you, I have a lot of experience with pistols, rifles, shotguns but ZERO with revolvers. While I would not do the movie flick it shut thing, I would not see a reason not to (mainly because of ignorance of the weapon). From what I have learned with the other weapons, I am not likely to do anything to/with a weapon I see in the movies.

I am with you on who handles them. One thing I ask anyone who touches my weapons, is how much experience they have had with them. Anyone with little to no, I will review safety rules with them. If I see any unsafe or inappropriate behavior I will bring it up. Course I am anal and over protective with my weapons anyway.
 
I had a similar experience with a gun-buddy. I showed him my NEW BHP which was painful to purchase because of the price. He proceeds to rub his old crummy auto AGAINST my BHP saying: "look they are the same size".. after recovering from my fainting spell I retrieved my pistol and asked why he would rub two pistols together like making a wish. His answer was comparing size of the two :what: we are still good buddies but I don't hand any "nice" guns to him anymore
 
I once went into a gun shop looking for a holster for my Taurus PT1911. I carried the gun in cased, unloaded and locked open, just to show safe so I could take it out on the counter and try out a few different holsters in the shop.

One of the store owners proceeds to pick up my gun, check it unloaded, and drop the slide with no mag in the gun. I took the gun, placed it in the case, and walked out the door. Haven't been back since.
 
Jeez people, they are guns not fine china.

As Sam1911 mentioned, with few exceptions you are not going to hurt a modern firearm by dropping the slide or snapping the cylinder shut a few times. If you've bought a gun from a gunshop, chances are its already had this done repeatedly as its brought out from behind the glass for previous customers.

They are your guns and you have a right to treat them however you want. Don't freak out on people who handle them a bit rougher than you'd like, because dropping slides and snapping cylinders is well within the norm of gunhandling.
 
I had my son (25) do something similar to my Ruger SP101. After opening it up tio make sure it was empty he spun the cylinder and flipped it shut while it was still spinning. I immediately informed him that he shouldn't do that because it can damage the gun. Only time will tell if he takes this information to heart and remembers it. If his past is any indication, he will never do that again.

I had another incident at a gun store where I let one of the younger employees check out one of my semi auto CCWs. He pulled the slide and looked into the empty chamber after I cleared the gun then he allowed the slide to slam shut on the empty chamber. I immediately told him that he shouldn't do that. The owner was standing beside him and ask me why. I explained that it is possible to damage the breech face when allowing the slide to slam shut without the shell in the chamber to soften the force of the slide moving forward.

I know that the chances of damaging the breech face of a semi are pretty remote but I don't want my guns handled this way. In both cases I remained calm and I used it as an opportunity to teach both these young guys something. How they handle their own guns is up to them but I'm pretty sure they will be a little more cautious when handling someone else's gun.
 
They are your guns and you have a right to treat them however you want. Don't freak out on people who handle them a bit rougher than you'd like, because dropping slides and snapping cylinders is well within the norm of gunhandling.
Click to expand...
I have to respectfully disagree. It's not as much about the gun is it is about respecting other peoples property. If you dont think so, how about you let me drive your vehicle or borrow some of your tools?
:D
 
have to respectfully disagree. It's not as much about the gun is it is about respecting other peoples property. If you dont think so, how about you let me drive your vehicle or borrow some of your tools?
Click to expand...

If you didn't inform them ahead of time not to snap the cylinder, etc. the onus of responsibility is on you. The guns were made to have the cylinder swung shut and slide dropped. They are handling them within the design parameters of the gun. Yes it can cause excessive battering of parts if done repeatedly, but one time is not going to harm anything.

My father is an avid woodworker, and has a number of different chisels. Some are used only for handcutting dovetails and other fine work, and are kept very sharp. Another set is used for work around the house. If a neighbor came over to borrow a chisel to do some rough work around the house, and my father gave him the nice set, could he then get mad when it came back dull?

If you have expectations that your firearms will be treated more gently than what is the accepted norm for gun handling, it is on you to inform people of that before you hand them your gun.

I don't make a habit of dropping the slide on an empty chamber on my guns or anyone elses, but I certainly would not be aghast if someone did in unknowingly on one of my guns.
 
I explained that it is possible to damage the breech face when allowing the slide to slam shut
Click to expand...
Well, I've never heard that one before. Can't say as I really believe it, either.

Now, there is/was some truth to the idea that 1911s with finely finished trigger jobs could have the engagement surfaces of the sear a bit battered doing that, but there is nothing at all to get concerned over with any modern off-the-shelf service or self-defense type pistol.




ETA: I see tens of thousands of autoloading handguns a year as a competitor, Safety Officer, and Match Director. Every one must be unloaded, shown clear, slide run forward, dryfired, and holstered between six and twenty times in every match -- and who knows how many times in weekly practices. The occasional 1911 shooter still does ease the slide down (and I usually do, too, when shooting a 1911) but NO shooter of any other type of auto does that. If they were so fragile that this could hurt them, they'd be UTTERLY unacceptable as a defensive tool.
 
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I explained that it is possible to damage the breech face when allowing the slide to slam shut
Click to expand...

There are some Army FMs that mention that letting the slide/bolt slam home with no round in the chamber on 1911s, M2s, and open bolt MGs can cause excessive battering on the breech face and barrel. Basically with no rim of brass to cushion it, it becomes steel on steel contact.

But this was written to keep Army grunts from playing with their guns and doing it 10,000 times on a guard shift.
 
I have had several people spin the cylinder then flick the wrist slamming the spinning cylinder into the gun. I correct them every time because I believe that it could harm the gun. Releasing the slide wouldnt upset me though.
 
1911s, M2s, and open bolt MGs can cause excessive battering on the breech face and barrel. Basically with no rim of brass to cushion it, it becomes steel on steel contact.
Click to expand...
I'd almost buy that with open-bolt blowback-operated MGs which were often designed in an exceedingly simple manner and could actually impact the breechface against the barrel.

But not an M2, which features a rotary bolt with a recessed breechface which envelops the cartridge head.

And absolutely not with a 1911 as the breechface doesn't touch the barrel at all except maybe a hair of contact at the barrel hood where such impacts won't have any negative effects at all. If you said the lower lugs against the slide stop pin, maybe... but they're going to get a lot of wear anyway in firing.

This all goes back to the bullseye shooters with razor-edge 2 oz. trigger jobs that were so fragile that they'd hold the trigger back while dropping the slide for fear of disturbing that perfect surface.
 
I think it would be good to tell people your expectations beforehand. People sometimes just don't know. Unless they are an ass, I don't think you would offend them by mentioning that. I think you will either get an "I didn't know that" or a smile, and a "Yeah, I know."

FWIW, I didn't know not to do that to a revolver. I've never shot one, and no one I shoot with has one. Then again, I probably wouldn't do it just because I saw it in a movie.
 
spin the cylinder then flick the wrist slamming the spinning cylinder into the gun.
Click to expand...

There's actually two issues at play:

1) Slamming the cylinder closed can bend the crane over a lot of iterations.

2) Spinning the cylinder and then closing it quickly causes the cylinder bolt (stop) to hit the cylinder notches awfully hard, with the possibility of peening the notches and wearing the bolt. This happens anyway to some degree with a lot of fast-paced shooting, but there's no reason to hyper-accelerate that kind of wear with a "stupid gun trick."
 
Sam 1911 + 1

The last post says it all and I am a bit surprised that not all here know that FACT.

I have had it happen and I am not polite about it no matter who MISHANDLES my guns.
 
I have had it happen and I am not polite about it no matter who MISHANDLES my guns.
Click to expand...

Right, right, but read what I said back in post 9. Someone doing this once, or twice, or probably over and over for 5 minutes, hasn't actually hurt your gun in any measureable way. It isn't a good idea to make a habit of it, but there's no reason to be impolite to someone over it. Just teach them, gently, the right way to handle things and go on with your friendship. If they won't listen to you, then perhaps that is indeed RUDE, and you should reconsider their value as a freind and shooting buddy.

But most of this is much ado about nothing.
 
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