Print

Please login or register.
1 Hour 1 Day 1 Week 1 Month Forever
Login with username, password and session length

[Nulzilcho]

Almost all double-action revolvers have no external safety, the heavy trigger typically being sufficient to prevent negligent discharges via mishandling. In addition the overwhelming majority of revolvers manufactured since a certain period (1960s? 1970s? I forget precisely) have internal mechanisms to prevent firing without the trigger being actuated, a transfer bar or a hammer block safety either of which obstruct or keep the firing pin misaligned without movement of the trigger.

It's nothing to worry about.

Edit: Just noticed you mentioned it had no internal safety. I'm a doofus.

Edit 2: Took a quick look at the manufacturers website, the technical specs for all the revolvers I looked at all listed a transfer bar. So there's probably that.

[RedKing]

The weirdest thing about it though, and I hope somebody like RedKing shows up to discuss: It has no safety mechanism of any kind.  No trigger pin or hammer block, and being a double-action revolver it doesn't even need to be cocked to fire.  I'm assuming it's legal to sell in the US, since I bought it at a real store.  But what the heck, a gun with no safety?

* RedKing appears in a puff of gunsmoke. "I have been summoned?"

While I don't really deal with the regulatory side that much, a quick discussion with a couple of ATF folks reveals that yes, it's legal and it's not even that uncommon for handguns these days. An actual manual safety is rare on most modern handguns, instead having either a decocking lever or a long trigger pull as their nods to safety. The design notion is that handguns are less sporting weapons and more personal defense weapons. Hence, when you need to fire a pistol you REALLY don't want to worry about whether the safety is on or not. Given that the higher-end pistol market is often law enforcement or private security, they also don't want to be caught in a situation where they need to fire without disengaging the safety. For instance, Glock doesn't put a safety on their pistols.

Manual safeties are still much more common for rifles.

[Aqizzar]

Yeah, those are pretty much the answers I expected.  The gun probably would be almost impossible to fire accidentally or through jostling.  The hammer is almost blended into the body and the pin is sprung so it can only fire when the trigger is fully depressed.  It's a direct copy of a Swith & Wesson, and it's not like they're famously unsafe or anything.

I also found it interesting that when I went to buy the ammunition, I couldn't find a single box of normal .38 rounds anywhere, as opposed to .38 Special.  As far as I know, the only difference is the length of the charge and being a revolver you can fire anything that will fit in the chamber.  Since it's made for +P rounds, normal .38 should be just fine.  But the store I usually go to didn't look like they even sold it.

Not that it really matters, but that I can see that dollar a shot adding up quick.

I'll also admit that when I took it out for target shooting that day on a rocky beach, I was hit in the forehead by a ricocheting piece of gravel.  That probably isn't a good omen.

[RedKing]

Those rocks ain't going down without a fight.

[Andir]

Heh, gotta be farther away from the target... rocks and metal plates should be avoided with the higher powered rounds like that.  My brother actually made up a metal spinning plate at work to use as target practice and I wouldn't shoot at it with anything but a slow moving rounds unless I had some distance to mitigate risk.

Using the "shorter" rounds with higher caliber is generally "better" when shooting close range hard targets ("soft" targets are safer) but if you intend to shoot at something harder than lead you can expect that you're going to get ricochet.  Somewhere there's a video of a guy shooting a .50 cal sniper rifle at a steel target that's waaay too close and part of the jacket (I think) came back to hit him in the head.  You just gotta be aware of what you are shooting at.

Oh, and I have a Sig SP2022 that's a double action with no safety other than the double action making the trigger pull harder on the initial shot.

[Scoops Novel]

How long does it take to pick up good marksmanship on average for basic guns? How long is you attempt to be multidisciplinary?

[Fishbreath]

I've been shooting for about four years now. I'm a mediocre pistol shot and a middling-to-good rifle shot.

Learning the principles of marksmanship and being able to apply them sometimes is easy. Learning to apply them reliably and consistently is the hard part.

[Tellemurius]

As a hunter its just practice and practice to me, also building that padding on your arms for that recoil

[Andir]

Practice is a huge aspect, but there are some basics along with proper tools that applied correctly can greatly influence your shot.  We were out shooting a couple weeks ago and my brother just got some Crimson Trace grips for his pistol.  They have a small laser that sits above your hand on the grip and a small button that you depress with your middle finger on the grip.  Without the laser, my groupings were anywhere between 6-10 inches and I was hitting the bulls-eye with the laser on with 2-3 inch groupings.  I'm not sure why the iron sights vs laser were so drastically different since I swear my iron sighting was consistent but whatever... the laser sight dramatically improved my group consistency.  I would have figured trigger pressure would have impacted the aim more than the difference between point and shoot and aim and shoot.  I don't believe I changed my trigger skill between clips.  The only difference I assume is just the ability to more easily see my resting point (the most stable point in your aim) with the laser was easier because the dot remained somewhat consistent in the bulls eye and that's harder to tell with the iron sights.

With most anything like that though, it's partly the person and partly practice.

[Tellemurius]

Practice is a huge aspect, but there are some basics along with proper tools that applied correctly can greatly influence your shot.  We were out shooting a couple weeks ago and my brother just got some Crimson Trace grips for his pistol.  They have a small laser that sits above your hand on the grip and a small button that you depress with your middle finger on the grip.  Without the laser, my groupings were anywhere between 6-10 inches and I was hitting the bulls-eye with the laser on with 2-3 inch groupings.  I'm not sure why the iron sights vs laser were so drastically different since I swear my iron sighting was consistent but whatever... the laser sight dramatically improved my group consistency.  I would have figured trigger pressure would have impacted the aim more than the difference between point and shoot and aim and shoot.  I don't believe I changed my trigger skill between clips.  The only difference I assume is just the ability to more easily see my resting point (the most stable point in your aim) with the laser was easier because the dot remained somewhat consistent in the bulls eye and that's harder to tell with the iron sights.

With most anything like that though, it's partly the person and partly practice.

oh yea lasers are so much different, your time to aim is significantly cut down since you know thats the spot the bullet will hit so you wouldn't require more time to aim down the sight.

[Andir]

...

oh yea lasers are so much different, your time to aim is significantly cut down since you know thats the spot the bullet will hit so you wouldn't require more time to aim down the sight.

Sure, but I always thought trigger pull was a major aspect of aiming inconsistency and I would spend countless rounds trying to hone my skill with the trigger.  I guess that's why my laser shots were still so precise, but I found out I was practicing the wrong muscles when I should be looking into why my sight is throwing me off.

[Tellemurius]

...

oh yea lasers are so much different, your time to aim is significantly cut down since you know thats the spot the bullet will hit so you wouldn't require more time to aim down the sight.

Sure, but I always thought trigger pull was a major aspect of aiming inconsistency and I would spend countless rounds trying to hone my skill with the trigger.  I guess that's why my laser shots were still so precise, but I found out I was practicing the wrong muscles when I should be looking into why my sight is throwing me off.

Trigger pull is important too, depending if you are running on single action or double action you would need to time your pulls for consistent shots.

[Andir]

...

oh yea lasers are so much different, your time to aim is significantly cut down since you know thats the spot the bullet will hit so you wouldn't require more time to aim down the sight.

Sure, but I always thought trigger pull was a major aspect of aiming inconsistency and I would spend countless rounds trying to hone my skill with the trigger.  I guess that's why my laser shots were still so precise, but I found out I was practicing the wrong muscles when I should be looking into why my sight is throwing me off.

Trigger pull is important too, depending if you are running on single action or double action you would need to time your pulls for consistent shots.

I should have said "my trigger pull."  I know it's important.

[Nadaka]

Well, I am now the proud owner of a Norinco SKS paratrooper carbine that takes the more reliable AK magazines instead of SKS style magazines.

Now my big problem is finding a place I can shoot it regularly.

The only rifle range with less than an hours drive requires NRA membership, and considering how derpy they have been for most of my life and especially recently, I don't really want to give them any money.

EDIT: photo... slightly blurry.

Spoiler (click to show/hide)

[codyorr]

I bought an AR-15 on December 26. I was talking to a guy who comes into work often and told him I was going to the gun store to check it out. He said "You know I've had an FFL since 2001 and I actually have one right now." Perfect. Only problem is it's a hunting sytle AR-15 and only has a 5 round magazine. Hopefully I get those 40 round magazines I ordered from Triple K soon. I also own a 1911 .45. I really should use my carry permit. All I carry is a taser which I don't even need a permit for.