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Posted: 4/12/2019 10:01:51 AM EDT
I can find no historical record of a revolver being successfully reloaded during a gunfight.
I can find examples of semi-auto reloads during gunfights. There are examples of “New York reloads” - dropping an empty gun and going for a back-up gun. There are examples of revolver reloads being attempted but fumbled. But I can find no historical record whatsoever for a successful revolver reload during a gunfight. If anyone knows of any, I would like to read about them. I strongly suspect that, if your CCW is a revolver, what you've got on board is what you've got. A back-up gun might be a good idea. A laser sight to maximize hit potential might be a good idea, too. |
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In before "If I can't do what I've gotta do with 5-6 rounds, then I should be running away"
We can't all be Jerry REVOLVER SPEED RELOAD! 16 rounds in 4 seconds on slow mo! S&W 929 Jerry Miculek |
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In before "If I can't do what I've gotta do with 5-6 rounds, then I should be running away" We can't all be Jerry https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0FbUMqoyjDw View Quote |
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With all due respect to the phenomenal skill of Smith & Wesson's trick shooter, he's doing that standing still in the daylight with very specialized gear not suitable for practical use, and no one shooting back at him. View Quote I've carried a 4" ported .357 on occasion, but I was more worried about hogs in those cases. |
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One of the agents in the 1986 FBI shootout fired 12 rounds from his revolver, so he must have reloaded during the fight.
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One of the agents in the 1986 FBI shootout fired 12 rounds from his revolver, so he must have reloaded during the fight. View Quote In that fight, Agents Hanlon and Risner had backup revolvers and used them. Agent McNeill emptied his revolver but was unable to reload it. I can't find anything about a successful reload. |
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Most gun fights were not historically recorded. For purposes of a police investigation maybe, but not something readily available online. Unless it was some watershed event, like Miami and Newhall, like mentioned. When revolvers were standard in police use, reloads were taught and used in quals. How often they happened on the street, who knows. I have talked with two old cops who have used revolvers in shootings. Neither reloaded, one dropping the bad guy at close range wth one shot, the second getting hit in his primary arm and emptying his cylinder with his weak hand and then going for his backup revolver, which he didn’t fire.
I’m sure that some time in almost 100 years of revolvers being the prevalent sidearm, someone has reloaded one during a fight. My 642 is primarily a BUG. I do not carry a reload for it. |
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My dad in 1977 reloaded his model 15 combat masterpiece from a dump pouch twice, firing 18 rounds at his attacker AFTER he was shot point blank in the back with a sawed off 16 gauge fortunately loaded with birdshot. He was peppered with shot from his neck to his heels. His partner took 1 pellet in the arm and promptly sprinted to the cruiser and left my dad to fight for his life alone.
He was at another time shooting at robbers charging a roadblock and reloaded once from a dump pouch. He scored 5 hits that went into the headrest of the drivers seat. Luckily for the driver he was ducked down. Attached File |
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My dad in 1977 reloaded his model 15 combat masterpiece from a dump pouch twice, firing 18 rounds at his attacker AFTER he was shot point blank in the back with a sawed off 16 gauge fortunately loaded with birdshot. He was peppered with shot from his neck to his heels. His partner took 1 pellet in the arm and promptly sprinted to the cruiser and left my dad to fight for his life alone. He was at another time shooting at robbers charging a roadblock and reloaded once from a dump pouch. He scored 5 hits that went into the headrest of the drivers seat. Luckily for the driver he was ducked down. https://www.AR15.Com/media/mediaFiles/74310/FB_IMG_1555089344809_jpg-910024.JPG View Quote |
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In that incident, Officer Alleyn was killed as he was trying to reload. View Quote View All Quotes View All Quotes Quoted:
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Newhall incident? On the flip side. The first 2 round from the perps .357 killed one cop and the first 2 rounds of the other peeps .38 killed another. The first round fired from the perps 1911 missed and caused a malfunction. Carrying speed loaders wasn't the norm for the vast majority of time cops carried revolvers. I think you're try to find a correlation that I think will be very hard to find. Between lack of details on the internet about OIS or even civilian shootings back when revolvers were common. Private citizen carrying concealed wasn't as common when revolvers were more popular. I think there could be a very small window where revolvers and speed loaders were carried that might be interesting to read some details. If we're just trying to invent theory's then the reason we can't find more documentation is that the people who carried the revolvers got the job done in 6 rounds. I'll need to find my copy of Bill Jordan's book. I haven't seen it in a while. I might need to get a new copy. I think there are a few stories of him reloading but can't be sure. |
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That's what I'm looking for, thanks. Do you have a link to any news reports or more details or anything? View Quote View All Quotes View All Quotes Quoted:
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My dad in 1977 reloaded his model 15 combat masterpiece from a dump pouch twice, firing 18 rounds at his attacker AFTER he was shot point blank in the back with a sawed off 16 gauge fortunately loaded with birdshot. He was peppered with shot from his neck to his heels. His partner took 1 pellet in the arm and promptly sprinted to the cruiser and left my dad to fight for his life alone. He was at another time shooting at robbers charging a roadblock and reloaded once from a dump pouch. He scored 5 hits that went into the headrest of the drivers seat. Luckily for the driver he was ducked down. https://www.AR15.Com/media/mediaFiles/74310/FB_IMG_1555089344809_jpg-910024.JPG |
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In the early 1980s, a Virginia State Trooper exchanged gunshots with a hit-and-run suspect. He emptied his revolver, reloaded from his only dump pouch and fired a couple rounds. The VSP went to speedloaders a couple years later.
I worked with officers who were in an extended pursuit. One emptied his revolver, fired all his extra rounds, then reloaded with rounds from the other officer and fired a couple more before the pursuit ended. No officers injured. Second officer shot the driver after vehicles crashed. |
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Quoted: No, but if you have questions I can ask him. Lol I bet he can tell me 20 or more stories about cops reloading revolvers during gunfights. His first partner killed like 11 guys before they made him retire. Number 11 was a prison guard or cop if I recall. View Quote |
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In the early 1980s, a Virginia State Trooper exchanged gunshots with a hit-and-run suspect. He emptied his revolver, reloaded from his only dump pouch and fired a couple rounds. The VSP went to speedloaders a couple years later. I worked with officers who were in an extended pursuit. One emptied his revolver, fired all his extra rounds, then reloaded with rounds from the other officer and fired a couple more before the pursuit ended. No officers injured. Second officer shot the driver after vehicles crashed. View Quote |
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Who? In that fight, Agents Hanlon and Risner had backup revolvers and used them. Agent McNeill emptied his revolver but was unable to reload it. I can't find anything about a successful reload. View Quote View All Quotes View All Quotes Quoted:
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One of the agents in the 1986 FBI shootout fired 12 rounds from his revolver, so he must have reloaded during the fight. In that fight, Agents Hanlon and Risner had backup revolvers and used them. Agent McNeill emptied his revolver but was unable to reload it. I can't find anything about a successful reload. Page 13, "SA Orrantia - 12 rounds .38-caliber +p ammunition from his .357 Magnum." |
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Quoted: https://vault.fbi.gov/FBI%20Miami%20Shooting%204-11-86%20/Miami%20Shooting%204-11-86%20Part%207%20of%2011%20 Page 13, "SA Orrantia - 12 rounds .38-caliber +p ammunition from his .357 Magnum." View Quote And this: "What came out of the shooting was the FBI abandoning the revolver because of its difficulty to reload under fire." |
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Never did it with a dump pouch, but I worked in a stake out squad and we reloaded with speed loaders on several occasions when we were doing something that did not allow shotguns, such as delivering pizzas or working behind a counter.
Couple of uniformed guys from my agency reloaded with speedloaders. I did see one guy draw two snubbies and shoot at a robbery suspect charging him. The suspect dropped at his feet, the look on his face was priceless as he realized he had no reloads. |
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I carry 2 speed strips with my 442 BUG. A 5 or 6rd wheel gun is defensive only IMHO. If I had to use it, I'd be in cover & trying to retreat back.
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You cannot seriously believe this. Not every shooting comes with a full press release for your viewing pleasure. Wheelguns have been around for a long time and they were/are carried by people trained to reload them.
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OP what draws you to the revolver? No one will claim you can reload a revolver as easily as an auto and the New York reload was commonly recommended for officers. Thing is LEOs (with a few rare exceptions) no longer carry revolvers so for them the issue is moot.
Show me civilian shootings where the reload mattered. Not where they reloaded but where the fight was won because they reloaded. I believe you should always carry a reload, if only for malfunctions, but the truth is in a self defense shooting you will usually run of out one before you run out of bullets. |
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My agency back in the day required reloads from loop loaders, the standard issue. Before my time but I believe it was pull and load two cartridges at a time, three times for the reload. Guys did carry backups, usually a model 66. They also carried speedloaders in plain clothes work.
Speedloaders and dump pouches were never issued. |
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I like to train with revolvers just so I can pick up any gun and be relatively competent. Like being able to drive standard.
My carry guns are autos though. |
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My Grandpa exchanged gunfire with a suspect during a robbery in progress. He was a sheriffs deputy, it was the 60's. He and another deputy shot near all of their ammo. Total number of shots fired, I couldn't say. He did say they didn't hit the suspect and he escaped on foot.
Edit. They were stationary behind cars, not running and gunning or the like. |
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OP what draws you to the revolver? ... View Quote View All Quotes View All Quotes 2. A desire to be competent with any weapon I am likely to encounter. 3. They still shine in a pocket/ankle back-up role. 4. In case the Lefties outlaw semi-automatics, I'd like to be ahead of the power curve and stay legal as long as possible. 5. I often travel to the neighboring state of Vermont, where magazine capacity is limited and my usual carry pistol is illegal. 6. It's the simplest and safest handgun option if I want to arm someone with relatively little knowledge and training. 7. Practice with the long, heavy double-action trigger carries over into my other shooting. Quoted:... Show me civilian shootings where the reload mattered. Not where they reloaded but where the fight was won because they reloaded... |
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Quoted: Considering he was reloading one at a time from a dump pouch it's hard to pass judgement. On the flip side. The first 2 round from the perps .357 killed one cop and the first 2 rounds of the other peeps .38 killed another. The first round fired from the perps 1911 missed and caused a malfunction. Carrying speed loaders wasn't the norm for the vast majority of time cops carried revolvers. I think you're try to find a correlation that I think will be very hard to find. Between lack of details on the internet about OIS or even civilian shootings back when revolvers were common. Private citizen carrying concealed wasn't as common when revolvers were more popular. I think there could be a very small window where revolvers and speed loaders were carried that might be interesting to read some details. If we're just trying to invent theory's then the reason we can't find more documentation is that the people who carried the revolvers got the job done in 6 rounds. I'll need to find my copy of Bill Jordan's book. I haven't seen it in a while. I might need to get a new copy. I think there are a few stories of him reloading but can't be sure. View Quote |
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NYPD went to semi because a PO was involved in a shootout with a perp when he ran out and during the reload of his his revolver the perp armed with a semi auto walked up and executed the COP
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1. History and tradition. 2. A desire to be competent with any weapon I am likely to encounter. 3. They still shine in a pocket/back-up role. 4. In case the Lefties outlaw semi-automatics, I'd like to be ahead of the power curve and stay legal as long as possible. 5. I often travel to the neighboring state of Vermont, where magazine capacity is limited and my usual carry pistol is illegal. 6. It's the simplest and safest handgun option if I want to arm someone with relatively little knowledge and training. 7. Practice with the long, heavy double-action trigger carries over into my other shooting. For a perfect and modern example, Google Lance Thomas, the L.A. watchmaker who had four shoot-outs with gangbangers in his shop. View Quote View All Quotes View All Quotes Quoted:
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OP what draws you to the revolver? ... 2. A desire to be competent with any weapon I am likely to encounter. 3. They still shine in a pocket/back-up role. 4. In case the Lefties outlaw semi-automatics, I'd like to be ahead of the power curve and stay legal as long as possible. 5. I often travel to the neighboring state of Vermont, where magazine capacity is limited and my usual carry pistol is illegal. 6. It's the simplest and safest handgun option if I want to arm someone with relatively little knowledge and training. 7. Practice with the long, heavy double-action trigger carries over into my other shooting. Quoted:... Show me civilian shootings where the reload mattered. Not where they reloaded but where the fight was won because they reloaded... I only ask because between this thread an the other you seem awfully down on wheelguns (rightfully pointing out their weaknesses) and seem to want someone else to validate your desire to carry one. I’m not against them, in fact I have a J frame AIWB as I type this, but aside from very limited circumstances (which I think you have identified in the other thread) I think they are obsolete. Not useless, just not the best tool for the job. BTW recently I have seen a number of posts talking about how revolvers (in one case single action revolvers) will still be around when semi-automatics are banned by law. I have a hard time believing when the bans do come they will still allow us to carry wheelguns. Even in its worse form the SAFE act allowed 7 round magazines. I believe we’ll end up allowed to only carry low cap guns or no guns but I can’t see a law only allowing revolvers. |
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... more than what the average person will face... View Quote View All Quotes View All Quotes Quoted:
... I only ask because between this thread an the other you seem awfully down on wheelguns (rightfully pointing out their weaknesses) and seem to want someone else to validate your desire to carry one... |
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A co worker of mine reloaded during a shootout. 10 shots fired. 10 hits. 357 Magnum 125s.
We reloaded a fair amount during our qualifications. We used Safariland speed loaders. I still prefer them for reloading a revolver over the HKS. But there's nothing wrong with HKS, just personal preference. |
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The FBI did the same thing after the infamous Miami shoot-out. View Quote View All Quotes View All Quotes Quoted:
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NYPD went to semi because a PO was involved in a shootout with a perp when he ran out and during the reload of his his revolver the perp armed with a semi auto walked up and executed the COP When someone posts otherwise you demand evidence or news articles and when OIS reports that found that the officers using revolvers had a 10% better hit ratio with revolvers are posted, you ignore them. |
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Details? Link to news story? View Quote ETA: Details... Traffic stop went bad. Suspect pulled over, immediately started shooting at the trooper through his back window. Trooper returned fire ( imagine touching off a magnum inside your car!) The bullets obviously had to penetrate windshield, back window and all but two or three rounds impacted the car seat too prior to hitting the suspect. The trooper took careful aim and put one in his head. The suspect went down. Amazingly, he was leaning across the seat to reload and popped back up after being hit in the head. The trooper said it was "like a nightmare, he wouldn't go down. He came back up and just stared at me...". He put one ( or maybe 2? I don't remember) more in his head. Finally, the suspect was DRT. I did a search, I couldn't find a news article about it within the first 3 pages of results. |
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... imagine touching off a magnum inside your car!... View Quote View All Quotes View All Quotes Quoted:
... The bullets obviously had to penetrate windshield, back window ... Moral of the story: once your car is stopped, it's a trap in more ways than one. Get out of it. |
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Post above reminds me of firing a 357 mag. in a confined hallway. 2" barrel. It was like a wet towel smacking me in the face. Right into the sinuses. Was like time slowed down, I could see the dust and smoke.
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You know, I don't have any exact figures but I strongly suspect the British figured out how to reload their revolvers quite rapidly. If you will recall they used them until the end of WWII and beyond. And considering some of the protracted battles that the Brits fought reloading during an exchange of gunfire quite likely occurred on more than one occasion. Of course, a lot of these revolvers were top breaks.
Then again they did receive quite a few solid frame revolvers in .38 S&W, not to mention .455. Heck I seem to recall they even used a few revolvers than used 1/3 moon clips. Just because a skill has withered in the current generation, don't think it wasn't quite healthy in previous ones. And speaking of those sorts of skills, I know I can reload with a moon clip a heck of a lot faster than many can with a magazine. And no, my name is Jerry. It's called practice, practice, practice. Watch the line next time you're at the range. Under no stress, in broad daylight, and even with "special" modifications you'll see shooters who are looking at the magazine well fumble. |
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I can find no historical record of a revolver being successfully reloaded during a gunfight. I can find examples of semi-auto reloads during gunfights. There are examples of "New York reloads" - dropping an empty gun and going for a back-up gun. There are examples of revolver reloads being attempted but fumbled. But I can find no historical record whatsoever for a successful revolver reload during a gunfight. If anyone knows of any, I would like to read about them. I strongly suspect that, if your CCW is a revolver, what you've got on board is what you've got. A back-up gun might be a good idea. A laser sight to maximize hit potential might be a good idea, too. View Quote BOB STASCH - Interview With A Chicago PD Veteran Of 14 Gunfights I know a number of cops that personally got into shootouts with wheel guns and emptied more than six rounds and reloaded their wheel guns during the heydays of Miami's drug wars. |
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Most gun fights were not historically recorded. For purposes of a police investigation maybe, but not something readily available online. Unless it was some watershed event, like Miami and Newhall, like mentioned. When revolvers were standard in police use, reloads were taught and used in quals. How often they happened on the street, who knows. I have talked with two old cops who have used revolvers in shootings. Neither reloaded, one dropping the bad guy at close range wth one shot, the second getting hit in his primary arm and emptying his cylinder with his weak hand and then going for his backup revolver, which he didn't fire. I'm sure that some time in almost 100 years of revolvers being the prevalent sidearm, someone has reloaded one during a fight. My 642 is primarily a BUG. I do not carry a reload for it. View Quote |
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Numerous historical examples. Bill Jordan, Bob Stasch, Jim Cirillo ... View Quote View All Quotes View All Quotes Quoted:
I know a number of cops that personally got into shootouts with wheel guns and emptied more than six rounds and reloaded their wheel guns during the heydays of Miami's drug wars. |
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My dad in 1977 reloaded his model 15 combat masterpiece from a dump pouch twice, firing 18 rounds at his attacker AFTER he was shot point blank in the back with a sawed off 16 gauge fortunately loaded with birdshot. He was peppered with shot from his neck to his heels. His partner took 1 pellet in the arm and promptly sprinted to the cruiser and left my dad to fight for his life alone. He was at another time shooting at robbers charging a roadblock and reloaded once from a dump pouch. He scored 5 hits that went into the headrest of the drivers seat. Luckily for the driver he was ducked down. https://www.AR15.Com/media/mediaFiles/74310/FB_IMG_1555089344809_jpg-910024.JPG View Quote My father on the right when he was a patrol officer for the Dade County Public Safety Department. A S&W Model 15 was carried cross draw. He later went to the Beretta 92SB and then GLOCK. He then went to an UZI. |
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... And speaking of those sorts of skills, I know I can reload with a moon clip a heck of a lot faster than many can with a magazine... Please post a video of yourself reloading both to the point that the revolvers going to get you killed. Draw shoot reload More reloading practice |
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My Father's old agency.... he got into a tussle or two.
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1. History and tradition. 2. A desire to be competent with any weapon I am likely to encounter. 3. They still shine in a pocket/back-up role. 4. In case the Lefties outlaw semi-automatics, I'd like to be ahead of the power curve and stay legal as long as possible. 5. I often travel to the neighboring state of Vermont, where magazine capacity is limited and my usual carry pistol is illegal. 6. It's the simplest and safest handgun option if I want to arm someone with relatively little knowledge and training. 7. Practice with the long, heavy double-action trigger carries over into my other shooting. For a perfect and modern example, Google Lance Thomas, the L.A. watchmaker who had four shoot-outs with gangbangers in his shop. View Quote View All Quotes View All Quotes Quoted:
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OP what draws you to the revolver? ... 2. A desire to be competent with any weapon I am likely to encounter. 3. They still shine in a pocket/back-up role. 4. In case the Lefties outlaw semi-automatics, I'd like to be ahead of the power curve and stay legal as long as possible. 5. I often travel to the neighboring state of Vermont, where magazine capacity is limited and my usual carry pistol is illegal. 6. It's the simplest and safest handgun option if I want to arm someone with relatively little knowledge and training. 7. Practice with the long, heavy double-action trigger carries over into my other shooting. Quoted:... Show me civilian shootings where the reload mattered. Not where they reloaded but where the fight was won because they reloaded... Real Gunfighter Lance Thomas on Justic Files |
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Miami Screw Machine Speed Loaders came out in 1970 and were very popular in Miami. https://revolverguy.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/03/Dade-1-1024x1024.png My father carried them as a Deputy Patrolman with Dade County Public Safety. Speed Strips came out in 1972. HKS Speed Loaders came out in 1973. View Quote View All Quotes View All Quotes Quoted:
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Newhall incident? On the flip side. The first 2 round from the perps .357 killed one cop and the first 2 rounds of the other peeps .38 killed another. The first round fired from the perps 1911 missed and caused a malfunction. Carrying speed loaders wasn't the norm for the vast majority of time cops carried revolvers. I think you're try to find a correlation that I think will be very hard to find. Between lack of details on the internet about OIS or even civilian shootings back when revolvers were common. Private citizen carrying concealed wasn't as common when revolvers were more popular. I think there could be a very small window where revolvers and speed loaders were carried that might be interesting to read some details. If we're just trying to invent theory's then the reason we can't find more documentation is that the people who carried the revolvers got the job done in 6 rounds. I'll need to find my copy of Bill Jordan's book. I haven't seen it in a while. I might need to get a new copy. I think there are a few stories of him reloading but can't be sure. https://revolverguy.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/03/Dade-1-1024x1024.png My father carried them as a Deputy Patrolman with Dade County Public Safety. Speed Strips came out in 1972. HKS Speed Loaders came out in 1973. |
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