Carl Levitian
member
Most people who know me, also know I have a very strong bias toward the revolver. At the present time, the only auto pistol I have is an old Ruger standard model I bought new for 39'95. That tells you haow long ago it was bought new by me.
I wasn't always this way. At one time I was a fan of the 1911, and owned a nice Colt series 70, with the Colt manufactured .22 conversion unit for it with the floating chamber. I sold it off in 1977.
The year 1977 was a pivotal year for my gun preffernces. I had just joined the Trinidad Colorado police department, under Chief Denis Demsey. In Colorado back then, a police officer could use any gun of his choice, as long as it held at least 6 shots, was of at least .38 caliber, and had at least a 4 inch barrel. Since I had served in the U.S. Army, the 1911A1 and I were old friends. When I went off to the C.L.E.T.A. (Colorado Law Enforcement Training Acadamy) I took my .45 with me. I was planning on qualitfying with it as my service weapon.
Plans change.
In the thrird week of the acadamy, the range instructor was a Sgt. Tom Crowe, and our head training officer was Sgt. Ralph Smith, with a Captian Stewart as commanding officer. Sgt. Crowe remarked that he saw some of us had plans on using an auto pistol for our service weapon. Okay, he said, but first he wanted us to listen from somebody. Sgt Crowe was a die hard revolver man, Smith and Wesson being his God. He must have been good, as he was a champian PPC competitor.
This morning in question, he went over and opened the side door to the classroom we were in, and a young guy in his 20's wheeled himself in. He was in a wheelchair. He addressed the class.
He had been a Pueblo police officer, and had been carrying a Smith and Wesson model 39. One day he had stopped a car for blowing a stop sign, and unknown ot him, the guy had just robbed a gas and go. It had not gone out on the air yet. They guy jumps out with an old M1 carbine, and opens fire on the officer. The officer returns fire, or tries to, but this model 39 jams on the first shot, with a smokestack. While the officer is trying to do the tap rack bang drill, the guy with the carbine runs up to him and shoots him three times. Two of the bullets do little damage while going through the second chance vest he has on, but one of them severs his spine at the waist.
He sat there telling us of the incident, and how he would never walk again, go anyplace without that wheel chair, never make love with his wife again, never get to play ball with his young sone again. It was a very thought provocking afternoon. He told us if he had the chance to do it over again, he'd be carrying a revolver.
They let us go early that day, and I went out and sat in my jeep for a while. I did some thinking, and I knew what I was going to do. I traded in my old .45 auto and .22 conversion kit on a new Smith and Wesson model 64, and the gunshop tossed in a set of pachmier grips and some HKS speed loeaders. I shot that 64 for many years, and I still have it. Over the last 31 years I've not had a single malfunction from it, or the model 60 with the bobbed hammer that was my duty back up and off duty gun. I loved my 1911, but like most auto's, it would bobble once in a great while. I deceided not to gamble, and went with a gun that would not let me down. To this day, niether revolver has yet to malfunction, no matter what type of bullet or load goes through it.
I remember Sgt. Smith telling us that the averige gunfight is a couple yards, a couple shots, in a couple seconds. Close, fast, and its all over one way or the other.
I love my revolvers.
I wasn't always this way. At one time I was a fan of the 1911, and owned a nice Colt series 70, with the Colt manufactured .22 conversion unit for it with the floating chamber. I sold it off in 1977.
The year 1977 was a pivotal year for my gun preffernces. I had just joined the Trinidad Colorado police department, under Chief Denis Demsey. In Colorado back then, a police officer could use any gun of his choice, as long as it held at least 6 shots, was of at least .38 caliber, and had at least a 4 inch barrel. Since I had served in the U.S. Army, the 1911A1 and I were old friends. When I went off to the C.L.E.T.A. (Colorado Law Enforcement Training Acadamy) I took my .45 with me. I was planning on qualitfying with it as my service weapon.
Plans change.
In the thrird week of the acadamy, the range instructor was a Sgt. Tom Crowe, and our head training officer was Sgt. Ralph Smith, with a Captian Stewart as commanding officer. Sgt. Crowe remarked that he saw some of us had plans on using an auto pistol for our service weapon. Okay, he said, but first he wanted us to listen from somebody. Sgt Crowe was a die hard revolver man, Smith and Wesson being his God. He must have been good, as he was a champian PPC competitor.
This morning in question, he went over and opened the side door to the classroom we were in, and a young guy in his 20's wheeled himself in. He was in a wheelchair. He addressed the class.
He had been a Pueblo police officer, and had been carrying a Smith and Wesson model 39. One day he had stopped a car for blowing a stop sign, and unknown ot him, the guy had just robbed a gas and go. It had not gone out on the air yet. They guy jumps out with an old M1 carbine, and opens fire on the officer. The officer returns fire, or tries to, but this model 39 jams on the first shot, with a smokestack. While the officer is trying to do the tap rack bang drill, the guy with the carbine runs up to him and shoots him three times. Two of the bullets do little damage while going through the second chance vest he has on, but one of them severs his spine at the waist.
He sat there telling us of the incident, and how he would never walk again, go anyplace without that wheel chair, never make love with his wife again, never get to play ball with his young sone again. It was a very thought provocking afternoon. He told us if he had the chance to do it over again, he'd be carrying a revolver.
They let us go early that day, and I went out and sat in my jeep for a while. I did some thinking, and I knew what I was going to do. I traded in my old .45 auto and .22 conversion kit on a new Smith and Wesson model 64, and the gunshop tossed in a set of pachmier grips and some HKS speed loeaders. I shot that 64 for many years, and I still have it. Over the last 31 years I've not had a single malfunction from it, or the model 60 with the bobbed hammer that was my duty back up and off duty gun. I loved my 1911, but like most auto's, it would bobble once in a great while. I deceided not to gamble, and went with a gun that would not let me down. To this day, niether revolver has yet to malfunction, no matter what type of bullet or load goes through it.
I remember Sgt. Smith telling us that the averige gunfight is a couple yards, a couple shots, in a couple seconds. Close, fast, and its all over one way or the other.
I love my revolvers.
o) about how a malf with an auto is easier and faster to clear than a malf with a wheelgun, and about how one example of how poor training ended up getting a guy crippled shouldn't mean much. 
