Pre-cocking a double action revolver

tocohillsguy · Sep 12, 2010

I was watching an old cop movie the other day and noticed that before sweeping a building for bad guys, the officers pre-cocked their revolvers. Was this really the way officers were trained, or is this just another Hollywood inaccuracy? If this depiction was accurate, were officers also trained to disengage their 1911 safeties before sweeping a building?

tazcollins · Sep 12, 2010

tocohillsguy said:
I was watching an old cop movie the other day and noticed that before sweeping a building for bad guys, the officers pre-cocked their revolvers. Was this really the way officers were trained, or is this just another Hollywood inaccuracy? If this depiction was accurate, were officers also trained to disengage their 1911 safeties before sweeping a building?

Never in my 22 years of law enforcement was this trained. Revolver or auto. TC

Switch Hunter · Sep 12, 2010

That is definitely not taught in any training I have ever attended. I would consider that very dangerous and believe it is no more than theatrics. Like the six shot revolver that fires indefinitely without reloading.

Alk8944 · Sep 12, 2010

First, films ave never been known for accurately portraying anything. Makes no difference whether you are talking technology, police or military tactics or????

Until at least the mid-late 1950s there was very little training of police officers. They were literally hired, handed a badge, gun, and call-box key and told to go to work. Were they taught to cock a revolver under the described circumstances, no. They weren't taught not to either! Did some officers do it this way, undoubtedly yes. Should they have, obviously from modern tactical perspective they shouldn't have, but that was a different time and things were different.

tocohillsguy says "Never in my 22 years of law enforcement was this trained." Don't know when that was, but when I was hired, in 1969, there were still officers on the department that had been on the street since the 1930s. It was really interesting to talk about their early days and how things had been "Back then", and what I have related is based on discussions I have had with "The old heads" while they were still around.

james56 · Sep 12, 2010

No absolutely not

cmort666 · Sep 12, 2010

tocohillsguy said:
I was watching an old cop movie the other day

There's your answer there.

Do you watch a "Flash Gordon" serial and wonder if that's how NASA does things?

Do you watch "Beach Red" and wonder why the Marines in the Pacific had M-47s, but the Army in Europe, faced with Panthers and Tigers had to make do with Shermans?

Do you watch "100 Rifles" and wonder if John Garand made up a special run of M1s for the Mexican Army around 1910?

The movies are make believe and whatever's in the script is whatever happens. Any resemblance to reality is purely coincidental. Usually, it's purely accidental.

keith44spl · Sep 12, 2010

Quote:
Originally Posted by tocohillsguy
I was watching an old cop movie the other day

cmort666 said:
There's your answer there.

Do you watch a "Flash Gordon" serial and wonder if that's how NASA does things?

Do you watch "Beach Red" and wonder why the Marines in the Pacific had M-47s, but the Army in Europe, faced with Panthers and Tigers had to make do with Shermans?

Do you watch "100 Rifles" and wonder if John Garand made up a special run of M1s for the Mexican Army around 1910?

The movies are make believe and whatever's in the script is whatever happens. Any resemblance to reality is purely coincidental. Usually, it's purely accidental.

Now, right there ya go!!! ~Smiley~

Su Amigo,

Dave

tocohillsguy · Sep 12, 2010

cmort666 said:
There's your answer there.

Do you watch a "Flash Gordon" serial and wonder if that's how NASA does things?

Do you watch "Beach Red" and wonder why the Marines in the Pacific had M-47s, but the Army in Europe, faced with Panthers and Tigers had to make do with Shermans?

Do you watch "100 Rifles" and wonder if John Garand made up a special run of M1s for the Mexican Army around 1910?

The movies are make believe and whatever's in the script is whatever happens. Any resemblance to reality is purely coincidental. Usually, it's purely accidental.

Geez, excuse me for asking.

cmort666 · Sep 12, 2010

tocohillsguy said:
Geez, excuse me for asking.

Movies have always been fantasy. These days they're usually STUPID fantasy. That's why I see very few films anymore.

Movie cowboys used to regularly shoot guns out of people's hands. Now, idiots in LA are wondering why the cop(s) who shot the drunken Guatemalan who was waving a big knife around, didn't just shoot the gun out of his hand. Not only isn't that the first time I've heard that, it isn't even the fifth. I'm a harsh critic of the police who thinks they should be held to a very stringent standard. That standard's NOT going to be found in "My Darling Clementine", or "The Naked City".

The most accurate part of 99% of films is the credits.

oldman45 · Sep 12, 2010

Well, IMHO, if a person carries the right sidearm, it stays cocked. A 1911 works well already cocked and loaded. In fact, the only time my 1911 guns are not cocked is when I am cleaning them.

I do pre-cock a Model 66 when sweeping an area in darkness. But I do so only when I am on my own time and helping a friend.

tocohillsguy · Sep 12, 2010

cmort666 said:
Movies have always been fantasy. These days they're usually STUPID fantasy. That's why I see very few films anymore.

Movie cowboys used to regularly shoot guns out of people's hands. Now, idiots in LA are wondering why the cop(s) who shot the drunken Guatemalan who was waving a big knife around, didn't just shoot the gun out of his hand. Not only isn't that the first time I've heard that, it isn't even the fifth. I'm a harsh critic of the police who thinks they should be held to a very stringent standard. That standard's NOT going to be found in "My Darling Clementine", or "The Naked City".

The most accurate part of 99% of films is the credits.

Chill, it was just a question. In part it was the product of watching an IDPA qualifier where I saw someone shoot single action for the longer shots and double action for those closer. Made me wonder how police officers were trained with respect to revolver use. The movie simply made me even more curious.

keith44spl · Sep 12, 2010

Cocked or Cocked & Unlocked?

tocohillsguy said:
I was watching an old cop movie the other day and noticed that before sweeping a building for bad guys, the officers pre-cocked their revolvers. Was this really the way officers were trained, or is this just another Hollywood inaccuracy? If this depiction was accurate, were officers also trained to disengage their 1911 safeties before sweeping a building?

Sir,

I've cleared a few buildings in my day...Don't ever remember cockin' my revolver.

Never noticed anyone cocking their pistols...I guess I must've been busy coverin' my own ground.~Smiley~

As far as the safety on my 1911...I don't rightly recall. ~Grinin' little guy~

Su Amigo,
Dave

Jellybean · Sep 12, 2010

tocohillsguy said:
Chill, it was just a question. In part it was the product of watching an IDPA qualifier where I saw someone shoot single action for the longer shots and double action for those closer. Made me wonder how police officers were trained with respect to revolver use. The movie simply made me even more curious.

Firearms training has changed a lot over the years, and not always to the better, but I don't remember ever being taught to shoot single action for anything. But I did, especially for the longer shots.

Sprefix · Sep 12, 2010

WOW MEMBERS!!!!!!!!! Someone have a fight with the other half before posting???? I understood a question about training techniques and you jump all over the guy. Have some more coffee and maybe a smidge of "shut up" in it....

. A few of you are rougher than 80 grit........LOL.....Remember, we are all gun-NUTZ here. Allow some latitude......OH.., Good morning.

45FMJoe · Sep 12, 2010

The lead firearms instructor in my academy was a local PD armorer and range master for many moons. He told me he was first hired as a patrolman in 1962. He told me the only time they ever shot singe action was at 50 yards during matches or qualification. Yes, he said they used to qualify at 50 yards way back when. But 25 yards and in was double action.

ASA335 · Sep 12, 2010

I was watching an old cop movie the other day and noticed that before sweeping a building for bad guys, the officers pre-cocked their revolvers. Was this really the way officers were trained, or is this just another Hollywood inaccuracy? If this depiction was accurate, were officers also trained to disengage their 1911 safeties before sweeping a building?

I went through my first academy (reserve) in 1971. We weren't taught to pre-cock our revolvers, but we weren't told we couldn't either.

I shot some PPC back then. Many more shots were taken preparing for and shooting the matches then were ever taken at the academy or in requalification. Pre-cocking for the longer shots was done (but not by all), and our PPC experience/training would show up in our handgun usage in the field.

Did some officers pre-cock in the field?

Probably a few did, but I don't recall seeing it done.

Hollywood inaccuracy?

Most likely yes, but as I noted above, pre-cocking by some officers is possible.

Disengage a 1911 safety before sweeping a building?

The departments in my area didn't allow the carry of semi-autos on duty in the 70's - revolvers only.

At your service,

WhisperFan · Sep 12, 2010

Alk8944 said:
First, films ave never been known for accurately portraying anything. Makes no difference whether you are talking technology, police or military tactics or????

Isn't that the truth!
I remember in the movie Blue Steel with Jamie Lee Curtis, the bad guy had taken her duty revolver. So - later his is getting ready to shoot someone. He first cocks the revolver to scare the guy - then the camera zooms in ..... for dramatic effect, they show the guy squeezing the trigger, the cylinder turning .....
Well - we all know that the cylinder would have turned when the hammer was thumbed back. The bad guy didn't lower the hammer - but they don't know what they're talking about.

In Stand By Me, a kid at the bank of the stream breaks up a fight by firing a 1911 up in the air. Then, when one of the older boy comes at him, he points the 45 at him and thumbs back the hammer ..... ugh!

So - in short - we can't trust Hollywood to portray anything gun related correctly. But there is a reason for that ... Hollywood is in CA, and (by-and-large) movies are made by liberals .... so it is no wonder that they don't know how guns work!

cmort666 · Sep 12, 2010

If movies were a guide to how police carry out... or are supposed to carry out their duties, the nightly news would be replete with videos of cops shooting two handguns simultaneously... while flying through the air.

Perhaps John Woo is the new Ed McGivern...

BUFF · Sep 12, 2010

Actually, many police departments either ordered their revolvers or modified them so that they CAN'T be cocked single action. Generally, a cocked double action revolver in the hands of someone with a dose of adrenalin on board is a bad thing. Not only is an unintended discharge far more likely, the chances the gun handler will forget it is cocked and reholster it that way is pretty good. A double action revolver is best cocked only when the decision to shoot has been made.

Proper training with a single action semiauto is to remove the safety after the draw, while raising the gun up on target. It doesn't slow anything down, as it takes less time to flip the safety off than it does to raise the pistol- doing both at the same time slows nothing. Same thing when lowering the gun from a target, muzzle down/safety on. Up-snick, down-snick.

Proper training in good technique and frequent practice is always the key to safe use of a defensive handgun.

moxie · Sep 12, 2010

Two points here:

1. How can one watch "100 Rifles" and see any guns? All I could ever see in that movie was Raquel Welch. There were guns?

2. I can see scenarios where I might want to pre-cock a revolver. This would be no different than taking off the safety of an auto in Condition 1. The finger stays off the trigger until the sights are on target. I was always taught to be flexible and use the tools available to me.

Pre-cocking a double action revolver

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