Personal Defense Network By Grant Cunningham
Revolver shooters tend to be a pretty smug lot when it comes to dealing with malfunctions, enjoying the reality that serious revolver malfunctions are fairly rare. When severe malfunctions do happen, however, they usually take the gun out of commission. The usual prescription to “stroke the trigger again†doesn’t solve these unusual problems, and most people don’t know that there is a malfunction drill for revolvers — one that addresses all of the predictable failures.
The Loudest Click in the World
The first and most common malfunction is a simple misfire. This is where stroking the trigger again is called for, as it brings a new round under the hammer. If it ignites, you’re back in business. If it doesn’t, follow the universal prescription: RELOAD!
The usual issue with a revolver not going “bang†is, of course, lack of ammunition. Reloading obviously cures that problem, and also gives us another diagnostic tool: if the gun still fails to fire after the reload, you probably have a broken firing pin. This is a failure you can’t fix in the field. You should drop the gun and implement your backup routine. (You do carry backup, don’t you?)
Serious Malfunctions
Contrary to popular belief, there are a lot of things that can go wrong with a revolver. Thankfully they’re fairly rare, but they can tie the gun up so solidly that it becomes a paperweight. If this happens in the middle of a dynamic critical incident, getting the gun up and running (if it can be done) is a top priority.
More:
https://www.personaldefensenetwork.com/article/the-revolver-malfunction-drill/
