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the weapon being carried. Often these revolver backup guns are .38 or .357 caliber, although there is some poten- tial for larger calibers to be used if an individual is willing to work on the issue of correctly carrying a revolver.


Technical Issues Revolvers started as single actions


— that being an operation of the me- chanics where you need to cock the hammer back for each firing. The late 1800s brought about the advent of


double-action revolvers. These


guns have the original single-action capability and a second type of ma- nipulation of firing known as double action, also sometimes called trigger cocking. In trigger-cocking, double- action revolvers, firm rearward trig- ger pressure to the tune of 10 to 15 pounds brought the hammer back, whereupon at full hammer with- drawal the sear released the hammer, and allowed the forward fall of the hammer for firing. Perceptions were that double-action firing was “faster” than single action, yet realities often proved that point to be arguable.


Tactical Issues If you carry a revolver you need to


practice loading; you should anyway but even more so with a revolver, due to limited ammunition capacities. The oldest of revolvers were carried hammer down on an empty cham- ber/charge hole to preempt acciden- tal firing if dropped. This “down on an empty” carry brought about all kinds of spin off issues. Even in the mid-1900s police-range commands were given “on the line with a 5-round load,” and even square range courses of fire had 6-shot revolvers loaded with only five rounds and closed on an empty chamber … old traditions die hard. Even when I started as a cop we had loop belt loaders. Agency wise, we were not allowed to carry the new fangled “speed loaders.” Since we all cheated and carried the speed loaders concealed in our pockets any- way, a newly elected Sheriff set into motion a new generation of training with guns that allowed us to carry speed strips (which weren’t all that speedy) and circle-type speed loaders. Over the years, circular-shaped


loaders from HKS, Safariland and JET came about, but it is important to remember that speed loaders were


WWW.AMERICANHANDGUNNER.COM 61


The SASS brought forth a whole new generation of shooters and breathed a new life’s blood into the single-action revolver.


The Smith & Wesson Model 325 with light rail is a “new” revolver stepping forward to solve today’s problems.


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