Safely uncocking a loaded revolver

[Jazziette]

I'd say the firearms handling course would be money wisely spent. It not only will show you more about your present gun but it'll teach you the basics of the other styles of guns as well. Along with that I'd similarly recomend you buy a set of snap caps and practice like the others are suggesting. You may want to look into a speed loader or two as well.

BC....I'm going to join a gun club. A lot of my friends who were never raised around guns are joining gun clubs now so they can get a gun and learn how to use it. It just amazes me how afraid people are of guns here. But then I know how important it is to use precaution. Just reading all the things you guys have posted make me think about all the people out there who have guns and are totally (more even than me) clueless and careless with them. I'm not careless. Honestly I'm very careful. If not I would have never called the cops to help me decock it. But...I do think it will be fun to go to school and get involved in a gun club. I'm a great shot too. I really am.

 

[Jazziette]

Smith & Wesson revolvers were my first love, and still are...not 1911s, as might be supposed. That love affair started in 1960 or '61 with a Victory Model that my ol' pappy gave 15 bucks for at Wilson-Pleasant's hardware.

Tuner...have you seen this old classic that S&W is making? You need to order this:

Only $6,500.....

 

[Jazziette]

Hold the gun in your right hand (if you are right handed) and hold back the hammer with your left thumb. Be sure to hold it firmly with your thumb in between it and the striking pin so that it can't spring into action. Then click the trigger and slowly, very slowly lower the hammer into it's resting position.

It should read Hold the gun in your right hand (if you are right handed) and hold back the hammer with your left thumb. Be sure to hold it firmly with your thumb in between it and the striking pin so that it can't spring into action. Then click the trigger letting the hammer fall on your thumb. Take your finger off the trigger, remove your thumb from under the hammer and slowly, very slowly lower the hammer into it's resting position.

This would be for DA revolvers.

Griz...I'm going to change my original post to reflect your modifications. Thanks!!!!

 

[ronto]

The more ladies with guns the lower the crime statistics...Congradulations and get yourself a pump shotgun for your next purchase...Go Girl!

 

[1911Tuner]

To take it a little further, and hopefully provide a little more understanding of the design...

Dry-fire a Smith & Wesson revolver, and don't release the trigger. Look closely at the hammer...and watch what it does when you release the trigger. Now...Without touching the trigger, try to push the hammer forward again into the firing position. It won't go there. The rebound slide blocks forward movement. This will happen even with the hammer block removed from the gun. The hammer block is a redundant feature.

Do the same with a single-action Ruger with the transfer bar. Watch the hammer when you release the trigger. It will move forward and rest on the frame...but it won't reach the firing pin. When the trigger is released, the transfer bar...the connector...moves downward into the frame, and prevents the hammer from contacting the firing pin.

 

[OregonJohnny]

Jazziette,

I'm not careless. Honestly I'm very careful.

And yet...

a red-tailed hawk swooped down to pick up my baby squirrel off the ground. I picked up my gun and shot it from inside the house.

I don't want to pick on you too bad, but there are a lot of things wrong with this. First, I'm sure it's against the law to kill a hawk of any kind in any of the 50 states. I could be completely wrong, and if I am, my apologies. But almost more importantly, I hope the hawk was not in the air when you shot at it. That bullet is going to come back down to Earth somewhere. Please be careful.

 

[Jazziette]

Dry-fire a Smith & Wesson revolver, and don't release the trigger. Look closely at the hammer...and watch what it does when you release the trigger. Now...Without touching the trigger, try to push the hammer forward again into the firing position. It won't go there. The rebound slide blocks forward movement. This will happen even with the hammer block removed from the gun. The hammer block is a redundant feature.

That was really great, Tuner. Until you posted that I really didn't have a clear understanding of how the safety feature worked. That was a very good and easy to follow explanation. Thanks!!!

I really do know I've learned a lot of things from this and still I am a firm believer that no matter how familiar you are with your revolver you should still be very careful when decocking a loaded revolver. No pun intended, but it's when you get "cocky" that accidents happen. Safety devices or no safety devices. After all...fingers can slip.....

But I won't have to call the cops again for sure!

 

[Jazziette]

Jazziette,




And yet...





I don't want to pick on you too bad, but there are a lot of things wrong with this. First, I'm sure it's against the law to kill a hawk of any kind in any of the 50 states. I could be completely wrong, and if I am, my apologies. But almost more importantly, I hope the hawk was not in the air when you shot at it. That bullet is going to come back down to Earth somewhere. Please be careful.

Johnny....I was on my ranch back in Texas when this occurred. I was a licensed wild animal rehabilitator there and this was a little squirrel I had raised and released behind the house. It took up residence in a hole way up on the trunk of an old oak tree just a few feet from the back porch. I was watching Cuckoo (his name) at the time when the hawk came down and circled the tree where Cuckoo was right at the base going to the ground. It was a very big hawk and I did it to protect my little squirrel I had raised and released. There wasn't a house anywhere near where I shot as I was deep in the country. But I appreciate your concern and know what you mean about the bullet going 'somewhere'. I don't really like killing things to be honest. I don't. But I would do it again under the same circumstances. Where I live now there is a Coyote who comes into my backyard and kills the feral kitties I feed. I wouldn't shoot it but I sure wish I knew some other way to get rid of it. Trapping it is out of the question as the kitties would get in a foot trap and a coyote won't go in a cage trap. Unfortunately even if I did another one would come along.

I don't know if it is against the law to kill a hawk in Texas but I don't think so. I wasn't in the city limits.

Thanks for your post, btw. I am one who can take constructive criticism.

 

[OregonJohnny]

Thanks for clearing up the circumstances. It's hard to know all the details of an event from just a few lines on an internet post.

A lot of gun owners, even those who've been around guns most of their lives, don't have the best safety practices. It sounds like you're dedicated to becoming and remaining a safe and responsible gun owner.

 

[raskolnikov_22]

and drop it until you get the hammer to jar off.

That made me grimace. Telling me to drop one of my guns is like telling a mom to drop her new-born

 

[Isher]

Jazziette -

It is indeed illegal. The Federal Migratory Bird Treaty Act of 1918

Is the grandfather document...........

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Migratory_Bird_Treaty_Act_of_1918

As noted, it is Federal law, and if I remember correctly

Fines of $10,000 and up and/or jail time

(Depending on the severity of the offense)

Can be imposed upon the offender(s).


isher

 

[Jazziette]

It is indeed illegal. The Federal Migratory Bird Treaty Act of 1918

I guess it's a good thing I didn't hit it then isn't it. Even if I had shot it I doubt that anyone would have cared unless I had taken it to a taxidermist to have stuffed. LOL

But I did manage to scare it that day. For some reason this reminds me of a story I heard just yesterday. A waitress had left her job late at night and was waiting alone at the bus stop. She had her hand in her purse on her gun. A guy came out of nowhere and grabbed her purse and was running away. She held onto the gun and shot him six times, killing him. After she had been arrested and had been charged with manslaughter the Judge asked her why she shot the man six times. "Well, when I shot the seventh time it only went 'click'." The jury acquitted her.

 

[Jazziette]

That made me grimace. Telling me to drop one of my guns is like telling a mom to drop her new-born

Raskol...I don't think that Tuner actually meant to drop your gun. I think he was just making a point that it is more difficult than one thinks....etc.

I would never drop my gun on purpose. I won't even dry fire it. LOL

 

[Jazziette]

The more ladies with guns the lower the crime statistics...Congradulations and get yourself a pump shotgun for your next purchase...Go Girl!

Gosh! Are there some statistics on this? That's interesting. I would rather have a sawed- off shotgun. I do have a Daisy Ryder BB gun that you pump. But you can't even shoot one of those in the city limits where I live. I am with you on the women with guns. And I think it's great that they have come out with pink grips and stuff for women. Still, most if my girlfriends are terrified of guns.

 

[hillbillydelux]

While I'm in complete agreement that a DA revolver shouldn't be cocked in a tense situation...I think it's amusing that the same folks who warn against it so vehemently think nothing of desiring/requesting a 3-pound trigger on a 1911 pistol that they intend to carry for that same possibility.

Did I miss something????

Nope I just checked and all my 1911's have safety's. And none of my revolvers do.

For a minute there I thought I was loosing my mind. geesh

 

[AgentAdam]

If the gun can only be fired by cocking the hammer ,like a "cowboy gun", then it is single action (SA) only.

If the gun wont allow you to cock the hammer back manually and can only be fired by pulling the trigger it is a double action (DA) only like the 642. DA guns cock the hammer for you as you pull the trigger.

If the gun can be cocked manually or fired while the hammer is down by pulling the trigger then it is SA/DA because it can do both like my 360 chiefs special airweight.

I had a hawk around hear squaking at my 3.5lb dog and i would have done the same but it is safe to say that all birds of prey or predatory birds are protected. Of course there are clauses for if you or your property are in danger but that is open for interpretation. I would have been surprised if you pulled of that shot with a snub.

 

[Sport45]

I was a licensed wild animal rehabilitator there and this was a little squirrel I had raised and released behind the house.

Had you wounded the hawk would you be obliged to rehabilitate it? It's a wild animal too.

And the world has a lot more squirrels than hawks. But I suppose baby squirrels are cute and hawks are only beautiful. To each his own...

Your revolver probably came with a manual like this. On page 22 are the instructions S&W gives for decocking.

 

[2nd 41]

Good thread. We can never discuss too much safe gun handling.

 

[yenchisks]

this happened to me once,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,, ,what i did was throw the gun in the air ran around in a circle and screamed,,,,,,,, then i calmed down walk over picked it up got scared and threw it again ,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,ran in circle,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,this went on for some time until the revolver went off putting a hole threw the roof,witch i had to climb up to the roof and fix being I'm an old tough a#% roofer

 

[1911Tuner]

1911's have safety's. And none of my revolvers do.

Yes they do. You haven't been paying attention. Your revolvers have built-in safety features that require pulling the trigger in order to fire. They just don't require any deliberate effort on your part in order to function. We're assuming that they're all in good mechanical condition and that nothing is broken, of course.

Jazziette...They're givin' you the straight of it. Killing a raptor is a federal crime. It's even a crime to be in possession of one...breathin' or stuffed. Licensed wildlife rehab organizations excepted. Squirrels and rabbits were born to be food for predators and raptors. That's why they multiply like...well...like rabbits.

 

[John Parker]

I'm amazed that this thread has gone on this long. It was really wrapped up in the first ten posts.

 

[1911Tuner]

It was really wrapped up in the first ten posts.

Well...At first glance, but apparently there were at least a couple-three folks who didn't understand the function of a modern double-action revolver...and the thread provided the opportunity for them to gain a deeper understanding of the design. So, it at least served that purpose.

Now, before anybody jumps...let me repeat that I'm not trying to imply that carrying a cocked single or double-action revolver is a good idea. Just that it's not quite as hazardous as some would think.

 

[Jazziette]

If the gun can only be fired by cocking the hammer ,like a "cowboy gun", then it is single action (SA) only.

If the gun wont allow you to cock the hammer back manually and can only be fired by pulling the trigger it is a double action (DA) only like the 642. DA guns cock the hammer for you as you pull the trigger.

If the gun can be cocked manually or fired while the hammer is down by pulling the trigger then it is SA/SD because it can do both like my 360 chiefs special airweight.

I had a hawk around hear squaking at my 3.5lb dog and i would have done the same but it is safe to say that all birds of prey or predatory birds are protected. Of course there are clauses for if you or your property are in danger but that is open for interpretation. I would have been surprised if you pulled of that shot with a snub.

Hi Adam! The gun you have pictured is exactly like the .38 I own that I had to have de-cocked, with the exception that it has pink grips on it currently. I've been googling decocking guns since beginning this thread and have found articles stating that "decocking a loaded SA gun is one of the most dangerous things one can do" and urging extreme caution.

Also, in the process, I have found many articles about people being killed accidentally during cleaning of and training others to use safety with their handguns. Yeah, I know these are rare incidents but still I don't think enough safety can be stressed and after reading all the comments here I can see there are definitely different points of view on carrying a cocked SA or DA revolver. I know that most of you can probably handle your guns standing on your heads but there are those who can't and so I think that it's a good idea to post things which are going to wind up on search engines that might save someone's life rather than endanger it.

As for the red-tail hawk incident we all live and learn. As previously stated I grew up on a ranch and then lived on one most of my adult life. Anyone who has done this knows that things happen on ranches that don't normally happen in the city. As an example we had a hawk that found a way to get into the chicken coup. My husband finally killed it. There is no way most farmers/ranchers are going to pay any attention to some of these environmentalist laws. Would he have ever just gone hunting to kill hawks? No...never, but this was one of those times when it was necessary. And me shooting at the hawk that was trying to pickup my squirrel was a natural reaction for a country girl.

Now...before you get all over me for saying the above, let me go on with this: I moved from Texas to Arizona in 1995 and have discovered that city life is very different from country living. I have always been a law abiding citizen and was really unaware that it was against the law to kill a red tail hawk. Still....I honestly don't think I could stand idly by and watch a hawk or owl come down and pick up my kitty or my little dog without doing something. And I don't know one soul who would report me for it. Same thing with coyotes, although they are not protected.

Let me go on, however. I am a lover of nature. I marvel at the beauty of these magnificent birds and do enjoy watching them soar overhead as they are hunting...normally in pairs, as the female and male hunt together. I'm also not the type that has to kill every snake I see or that is in my yard. I would rather catch it and relocate it far out in the desert. I used to say that I didn't understand people who wanted to kill every beautiful wild creature that happened to get in their yard...especially here in Arizona. But under certain conditions I can understand it.

I will admit that if I had wounded the hawk that was trying to get my squirrel I am certain I would have felt horrible and would have had to call my friend, Virginia, who specialized in rehabilitating birds. Virginia would have been really mad at me but would not have reported me. We would have still been friends and she wouldn't have regarded me as a criminal.

Bottom line here: I appreciate those who have attempted to educate me on the law regarding the killing of predatory birds and I also, very much, appreciate all the comments on the safety of decocking your revolver, including other related suggestions.

This has been a great experience for me to post here and to have the opportunity to interact with those of you who are experienced and knowledgeable and fun at the same time.

Thanks again to all. And to Tuner...I know you have never advocated carrying a cocked revolver and all your points were well taken. Thanks so much for all you did to explain the action to me so that I could understand it and be more comfortable while handling my gun.

Ya'll take care now and have a wonderful day!!!

~ Jazz

 

[Jazziette]

PS..I really really really did learn a lot and the biggest thing I learned was how much I STILL need to learn. I think this is a wonderful forum and again just want to thank everyone who so graciously responded to my initial post, which was intended to be helpful. I'm looking forward to knowing you all better and to reading the other interesting and helpful and educational threads here. What a great group of folks! I'll be sure to keep you posted when I start my class to obtain my concealed carrying permit and I also will touch base from now on just cause I feel like I made friends here and will want to stay in touch.

Have fun and be safe!!!! ~ Jazz

 

[Sport45]

You have fun and be safe too.

Googling is fine, but be aware that there is a lot of disinformation on the internet as well. I think the best place to start when trying to learn about your gun is the owners manual that came with it. If you have lost your's or it wasn't with the gun when you got it please print the one I linked to or call Smith & Wesson. They'll send you the printed manual for free. It will explain how to operate the handgun as well as how to clean, what ammo is okay to use, etc. For instance, with some of the lightweight snubbies you are not supposed to use 158gr lead bullets because they can jump under recoil and lock up the gun.

As an old country boy now living within spitt'n distance of the neighbors I can relate to that earlier post of yours.