Yes, Guns Do "Go Off"

[Kirk Freeman]

Not looking to spoil anyone's fun for today, but let's remember guns are dangerous, even in the holster.

Let's treat them as snakes, not teddy bears. With respect, not indifference.

Armed 'patriot' accidentally shoots self in leg at Gettysburg battlefield | PennLive.com

 

[Expat]

Police said the revolver was "bad". I wish we could see a pic or get more info.

 

[Kirk Freeman]

Police said the revolver was "bad". I wish we could see a pic or get more info.

Even money on 3 screw Ruger.

"Eye rightly don't care fer dem billboards on my Roo-gar."

 

[Expat]

When they said PoPo had difficulty getting the cat-riches out of the cylinder, I didn't even think about them just not knowing how to unload a SA revolver. That could explain that comment. I imagined them actually being stuck.

 

[Ddillard]

More information is needed, but I hope it was not a matter of poor training of the officers involved. At least no one was harmed beyond the initial mishap.

 

[KellyinAvon]

I'll take "cap and ball" for $1,000, Alex. I can see a lot of officers who haven't made it to their 40th birthday being not that familiar with a modern revolver but they'll have the basic understanding to unload it. An 1860 Colt-style revolver will stump most who come across it.

The gun then went off a second time about 1 p.m. when police were trying to unload the weapon. The gun was pointed at the ground in a field north of Meade's Headquarters along the west side of Taneytown Road. A PennLive reporter witnessed the second shot, which occurred as visitors to the park milled nearby.


Bad guns, bad guns, what ya gonna do...

Officers said the gun was "bad" and they had a hard time getting the rounds out of the chamber. After they forced all of the rounds out of the revolver, they secured the gun.

 

[Frank_N_Stein]

I'll take "cap and ball" for $1,000, Alex. I can see a lot of officers who haven't made it to their 40th birthday being not that familiar with a modern revolver but they'll have the basic understanding to unload it. An 1860 Colt-style revolver will stump most who come across it.

The gun then went off a second time about 1 p.m. when police were trying to unload the weapon. The gun was pointed at the ground in a field north of Meade's Headquarters along the west side of Taneytown Road. A PennLive reporter witnessed the second shot, which occurred as visitors to the park milled nearby.


Bad guns, bad guns, what ya gonna do...

Officers said the gun was "bad" and they had a hard time getting the rounds out of the chamber. After they forced all of the rounds out of the revolver, they secured the gun.

So how do you unload a cap & ball revolver?

 

[TheJoker]

So how do you unload a cap & ball revolver?

"BANG!"

 

[Hawkeye]

So how do you unload a cap & ball revolver?

I'd remove the caps.

 

[Frank_N_Stein]

I'd remove the caps.

I'm assuming each hole in the cylinder has one? Can you pull them out with your fingers or do you have to gently pry them out?

 

[drillsgt]

I'm assuming each hole in the cylinder has one? Can you pull them out with your fingers or do you have to gently pry them out?

It depends, you should be able to pull them off but there are tools made that fit under them that allow you to pry them off. Anything short of shooting it to unload it is a pain in the rear. You can take the nipples off, dump the powder and then use a rod to push the ball out but that is not without some risk, I've used this method before.

 

[gmcttr]

....I imagined them actually being stuck.

First thing I thought of was a .357 mag SA revolver that had seen a lot of .38's through it without having the buildup cleaned out before loading up with .357's for the protestors.

 

[KellyinAvon]

So how do you unload a cap & ball revolver?

The Joker beat me to it with, BANG! I'd be pretty much stumped by a cap and ball too, but DrillSgt seems to be on a logical path with remove the caps (prevent more BANGS.)

Then again, cordon off the area and wait for EOD sounds like an option.

 

[DeadeyeChrista'sdad]

I'd remove the caps (using my pocket knife to flip them off, if need be.) then use air pressure to blow the loads out.

 

[JAL]

I'd remove the caps.

^^^^^ THIS ^^^^^

It's the same as removing primers from live cartridges (if you could actually do that).

John

 

[JAL]

I'd remove the caps (using my pocket knife to flip them off, if need be.) then use air pressure to blow the loads out.

Depends on how you define "unloading" it as to whether you would go beyond removing the percussion caps. It cannot be fired without the caps.

 

[JAL]

I'm assuming each hole in the cylinder has one? Can you pull them out with your fingers or do you have to gently pry them out?

The back of each chamber on a revolver has a "nipple" on which the cap is placed. It's a very short and small diameter tube providing a tiny hole into the chamber. You simply pull the percussion caps off of the nipples.

John

 

[actaeon277]

 

[DeadeyeChrista'sdad]

Very good photo.

 

[hoosierdaddy1976]

I'd remove the caps (using my pocket knife to flip them off, if need be.) then use air pressure to blow the loads out.

Well, that ended like a printcraft sig line.