Author Topic: A Recent Death in my Area  (Read 4154 times)

Offline cargaritaville

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A Recent Death in my Area
« on: August 16, 2016, 10:34:20 PM »
A couple of weeks ago, a local jewelry store owner accidentally dropped his everyday carry, a S&W Revolver.  He always carried it cocked. When it hit the ground, it went off, hitting him in the groin and severing a major artery. He made it to the hospital alive, but then died of a massive heart attack. A tough way to go. I switched from carrying my R9 to a Sig P938 Nightmare. It has a safety, which I use always. I feel safer. My question is...will a Revolver in a cocked position always go off by dropping it, or is this something by chance? And yes, I know that carrying a firearm with a safety on can add to something going wrong in an emergency situation, but the older I get, the clumsier I get, and yes, I have dropped my gun before...in a mens room.
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Offline PhilZ

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Re: A Recent Death in my Area
« Reply #1 on: August 16, 2016, 11:20:11 PM »
I thought modern revolvers have transfer bar safeties, so you have to pull the trigger to drop the bar out of the way of the hammer. 

Offline mikejd

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Re: A Recent Death in my Area
« Reply #2 on: August 17, 2016, 08:37:32 AM »
A couple of weeks ago, a local jewelry store owner accidentally dropped his everyday carry, a S&W Revolver.  He always carried it cocked. When it hit the ground, it went off, hitting him in the groin and severing a major artery. He made it to the hospital alive, but then died of a massive heart attack. A tough way to go. I switched from carrying my R9 to a Sig P938 Nightmare. It has a safety, which I use always. I feel safer. My question is...will a Revolver in a cocked position always go off by dropping it, or is this something by chance? And yes, I know that carrying a firearm with a safety on can add to something going wrong in an emergency situation, but the older I get, the clumsier I get, and yes, I have dropped my gun before...in a mens room.

I feel that the DOA of the R9 is much safer then the sig cocked and on safe. The likely hood of accidentally disengaging the safety over pulling the long trigger is much more probable.
« Last Edit: August 18, 2016, 08:25:04 AM by mikejd »

Offline MRC

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Re: A Recent Death in my Area
« Reply #3 on: August 17, 2016, 09:54:10 AM »
A couple of weeks ago, a local jewelry store owner accidentally dropped his everyday carry, a S&W Revolver.  He always carried it cocked. When it hit the ground, it went off, hitting him in the groin and severing a major artery. He made it to the hospital alive, but then died of a massive heart attack. A tough way to go. I switched from carrying my R9 to a Sig P938 Nightmare. It has a safety, which I use always. I feel safer. My question is...will a Revolver in a cocked position always go off by dropping it, or is this something by chance? And yes, I know that carrying a firearm with a safety on can add to something going wrong in an emergency situation, but the older I get, the clumsier I get, and yes, I have dropped my gun before...in a mens room.

I feel that the DOA of the R9 is much safer then the sig cocked and on safe. The likely hood of accidentally disengaging the safety over pulling the long trigger I'd much higher.

I have to agree with mikejd on this one.

Cocked and locked is fine with a 1911 in my opinion because of the grip safety.  I questioned you in the other thread about how "positive" the safety was on the 938 because of this.  Some safeties are just too "mushy" to me.

I do not carry a R9 anymore because frankly, I do not shoot it very well and I carry what I shoot best.
« Last Edit: August 17, 2016, 09:56:04 AM by MRC »

Offline johnny

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Re: A Recent Death in my Area
« Reply #4 on: August 17, 2016, 04:50:06 PM »
   I have been carrying since it was legal in Wisconsin,some 5 or 6 years ago.
      Over that time I have carried the R9,LCR 9mm,my Glocks,and my 1911's.It took some time getting used to carrying the 1911 cocked and locked.I'm over that,but they are a bit heavy and bulky.I shoot a Glock 27 almost weekly in our defensive pistol club,and its little brother Glock 43.
                     I feel safest with the R9 or the Ruger LCR .Both,as most of you know are double action.I don't know enough to comment on carrying a revolver hammer back so I won't comment.A very sad situation.
                 Even thou I feel confident with my Glocks sitting on my body,there is that extra bit of security with the Ruger,only as far as an accidental discharge goes.I shoot the Glocks better,and I have had less trouble with them.

Offline tracker

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Re: A Recent Death in my Area
« Reply #5 on: August 17, 2016, 05:40:42 PM »
It is difficult to know why the revolver fired without the trigger being pulled as the S&W hammer block has been around since WWII or before; here is a brief description of the safeties involved in this discussion--if they work properly:

"Both the hammer block and transfer bar safeties require the trigger to be back in order for the gun to fire. They accomplish this in opposite ways.

The S&W hammer block is positioned between the inside of the frame and the hammer when the trigger is forward. It prevents either the hammer nose (hammer mounted firing pin) from contacting the primer or the hammer from contacting the frame mounted firing pin. Pulling the trigger back drops the hammer block out of the way so the hammer can do its thing.

The transfer bar safety that Ruger uses moves into place when the trigger is pulled back. As the name implies, the transfer bar has to be between the firing pin and the hammer for any energy to be transferred."
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« Last Edit: August 17, 2016, 05:46:48 PM by tracker »

Offline sslater

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Re: A Recent Death in my Area
« Reply #6 on: August 19, 2016, 10:41:55 PM »
Did I read this post correctly?  The Jeweler carried his S&W revolver COCKED!!
We don't know how old the gun is, nor its physical condition.  It could well be a pre-transfer bar model.

I've never heard of anyone carrying a revolver that way.  I sure as hell wouldn't carry my S&W 686 with the hammer cocked.  If you pull your revolver with intention to shoot, follow Cooper's Rules I thru IV, and then pull the trigger, I would think the time difference between double action and single action sear release would be almost negligible.
 

The so-called firearm gurus almost unanimously recommend against trusting mechanical safety mechanisms - the most important safety is between the ears.  I'm not a guru, nor am I an expert, and safeties have saved me from a negligent discharge at least twice.  But I did have a negligent discharge once - it was indeed caused by failure of the safety between my ears.

Offline Brenden

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Re: A Recent Death in my Area
« Reply #7 on: August 21, 2016, 02:26:56 AM »
I agree. Anyone that would carry any revolver fully cocked is asking for trouble IMO!
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