Speaking of Paranioa

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GambJoe

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I'm not that new to guns but I came to them later in life. I try to follow all the safety rules and doing so I'm pretty comfortable around the things. Cautious but Comfortable. I haven't purchased a new gun in a while.

Then I purchased a new revolver. Let me tell even before I loaded the thing it scared me. I never fired a revolver before, but own auto's, so I fired handguns before. I don't know if it's because of unfamiliarity or I don't get out to practice as often as I did. Even after a few hundred rounds I approach it a little differently than my other firearms. Maybe it's the lack of a safety but it has a 12 pound trigger pull so unlikely to go off without trying.

Anyone one else get the new gun willies?
 
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The lack of a manual safety isn't an issue as long as the trigger isn't pulled. Your new revolver is as inherently safe as any loaded gun can be...but it does require strict adherence to the four cardinal rules.

1. Assume that the gun is loaded until you ascertain that it's not...and even then, treat it as though it were loaded.

2. Pulling the trigger fires the gun. If you don't want the gun to fire...don't pull the trigger.

3. Never allow the gun to be pointed at anything that you're not willing to see destroyed.

4. Be sure that that your target fits the 3rd rule, and be sure that nothing that lies behind or beyond your target is in danger. If you're not sure about the 2nd part...don't fire.
 
Tuner, as usual, is on target with his observations, but in addition if your new revolver is a Smith & Wesson, Ruger, Colt or Taurus (as well as many other makes) and is a hand ejector (cylinder swings out to the left for loading and unloading), it has a safety, but it's an internal mechanical one and not a manual lever or button that you flip on and off.

One way or another this safety (and they're may be more then one) will prevent an unintentional or accidental discharge unless the trigger is held fully to the rear while the hammer is falling, and should you drop the revolver on a hard surface nothing will happen in the way of a BANG! even if the hammer is cocked.

Any you don't have to do anything, the gun will do it for you.

Feel better?
 
There really should be only one rule, and it should be self-evident. It should be "Don't pull the trigger when doing so would be bad."

But, there are just too many levels of intelligence (and lack of it) out there.

OP, revolvers are great, and they're here to stay. Remember, they preceded autoloaders by a half-century or more. You'll be fine.
 
That's just being unfamiliar with a new gun, along with a good dose of healthy respect for a firearm. You'll get used to the revolver.
 
There's a difference between being paranoid and being cautious. One means one is sick, the other means one is being responsible. Most of us tend to be cautious with every firearm we own, new or old and give them all the same respect. Nuttin' paranoid about that at all.
 
I've owned a few revolvers too over the past few years and they scare me as we'll for some reason. My 1911 or any other one of my autos don't bother me at all.
 
I'm just the opposite; my semi-auto with blade trigger, grip safety, and short reset is more worrisome than my wife's Taurus .38 special, which has a transfer bar and won't go bang unless the trigger is pulled fully through its DA stroke.

Different Strokes...
 
Actually, rule no.2 ought to read "keep your booger hook off the trigger until your sites are on your target!"
Click to expand...

That's one of those things that is well suited for the range, the classroom, and general handling down at Ye Olde Gonne Shoppe...but it'll get a body killed on the street if the target is likewise armed and doin' his level best to clean your clock.
 
Revolver vs Semi Auto

My 1st handgun was a S&W Model 19 (revolver) , I have a few Semi Autos as well as a couple of revolvers. To me a revolver is pretty simple and safe. I like both formats but to me Semi Auto seems more complicated for novices.
 
You'll come to appreciate the revolver. Always ready, no worries about whether a safety is on or off, no worries about mag springs, etc.

6 for sure ain't bad at all!
 
Safety comes from the individual behind the trigger. But, in general, that which makes a double action revolver more difficult to master, also makes it safer. Thats the long and relatively heavy trigger pull needed to make it fire.

It all comes down to familiarity. Not to be critical at all - - - but I found it amusing when one fellow wrote that he was a bit scared of revolvers, but had no problem with 1911s ! That's definitely a matter of what he's used to.

Years ago a Texas Ranger was asked if he thought it dangerous to carry his 'cocked & locked" .45 1911 . He replied, "If it wasn't dangerous, I wouldnt carry the dang thing."
 
Actually, rule no.2 ought to read "keep your booger hook off the trigger until your sites are on your target!"
Click to expand...

That always sounds like something a twelve year old would say. (he-he-giggle-giggle) :rolleyes:

To the OP. I was that way with the first 1911 I ever owned. That cocked hammer gave me the willies. I didn't care that it had a safety and the safety was on. It didn't take long before I realized it worked the same way every other gun I owned did. As long as I didn't pull the trigger, it wasn't going to go off.
 
Can you say more about what, in particular, makes you uneasy? And what make and model is it?

I'm guessing from your description that it's a double-action revolver of some sort. Modern revolvers of this type are incredibly safe; you could literally throw it across the room as hard as you can with no fear whatsoever that it will discharge. Short of putting it into an oven, there is virtually no way for this gun to fire, other than pulling the trigger.

And as to that trigger... with an unloaded gun, see if you could find a way to pull the trigger unexpectedly. One classic way to manage an unexpected trigger pull is to try to stuff the gun into a belt holster while leaving the trigger finger in place. More than one glock owner has earned a long, ugly leg wound doing this stunt, but this is not a practical concern with a double action revolver. Try it; see how hard it is. It's doable, if you work at it, but it's just not the sort of thing you are going to do by accident.

It's one thing to recognize these points intellectually, it's another to actually try them, and let your body experience just how difficult it would be to pull the trigger purely by accident. I've found that this is the kind of knowledge that puts my inner self at ease.
 
The body will tighten up when youre startled. Its an automatic, instinctive defensive reaction. Thats why we keep our fingers off the trigger of any gun till we intend to shoot something. Any firearm can be fired unintentionally because of this reaction. But its far easier to do this with a 1911 than a revolver. And, tactical teams that use the 1911 put in a lot of trigger time & shoot a lot of training ammo paid for by the taxpayers. Our brains fly out the window when we're under such stress and we respond as we've trained.
 
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Which one did you get? Revolvers are awesome. Yesterday I was shooting my Redhawk .357, for example. It balances perfectly in my hands, and though my target was 10 yards further out than the semi shooters, I was nailing bull after bull after bull. Their targets were scattered with bullet holes. Mine had a solid hole of 100 .357 handloads drilled through the lower right part of the bull and into the 9 ring, with only a handful of fliers due to fatigue from shooting the AK-74. It was a nice reminder of why I love wheelguns.

And these days with brass scarce it's also very nice to have a tidy pile of it instead of having to peck at the ground like a chicken.
 
OP,
Even a revolver with a three pound double action (hey, I'm a fisherman!) is safer than any.. as long as it'll set off CCI primers DA.
what the heck?
Are you skeered lowering the hammer after you've cocked it or something?
 
I got the willies the first time I shot my crossbow. I had never shot one and it took a few bolts before I was settled in. I get a little nervous the first time I pull the trigger on a rifle I built out in the garage but so far so good. Revolver chamberings can be stouter than semi-autos so maybe it is magnumitis. Glocks and Glock me too's have a lighter trigger pull and no safety selector
 
I absolutely love the feeling of having a brand new gun in my hands. I remember the first time I ever shot a .22 and the feeling I had right before I pulled the trigger... Nice to upgrade to some larger calibers these days!
 
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