Might well have happened. It's not ringing a bell on my end, though. I know Rich Wemmer, the LAPD officer survival guru, talked about some cases of cops with 18 revolver rounds running dry in SoCal, and at least a couple doing the same with all 3 service pistol mags, at least one being a double stack Beretta. That was before North Hollywood, there may have been more in that incident.Originally Posted by Rex G
Yeah, well.... I had a Ruger Convertible Blackhawk back in the day as my only gun (still have it). Not knowing any better, I kept the gun loaded with .38 LRN cartridges and lubed with WD-40. One day, I took it to an indoor range and first shot the ammo in the gun.I grew up hearing this, but have since seen multiple tests that dispute it.
*Click* -what the hell is happening with my- *Bang*
*Click* -f***, is this going to happen agai- *Bang*
Six rounds, six hangfires. I don't remember the duration, but it was probably five to ten seconds each. I reloaded with fresh cartridges and everything was normal.
After I finished, I told the guy behind the counter what happened. I asked him if he knew what was going on.
He sort of frowned at me and said: "Kid, did you use WD-40 to oil up that gun?"
"Yes, sir."
He turned around, picked up a 1-oz bottle of gun oil and put it on the counter. "Don't use WD-40. It'll kill your cartridges. Use this."
I paid the man.
So yes, I'll believe that WD-40 will kill cartridges.
Last edited by Stephanie B; 06-28-2019 at 08:34 PM.
If we have to march off into the next world, let us walk there on the bodies of our enemies.
In the 37 years that I have been involved in shooting, this is the first time I have ever read or heard about a hang fire actually occurring. That definitely validates the wisdom of avoiding WD-40.
Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
Any legal information I may post is general information, and is not legal advice. Such information may or may not apply to your specific situation. I am not your attorney unless an attorney-client relationship is separately and privately established.
American police departments were slow to change from revolvers to pistols for different reasons. One was concern for safety seen in fear of negligent discharges by those armed with semi autos. Few departments would have issued 1911's which most thought were unsafe if not carried in condition 3. Introduced in 1954, S&W 9mm pistols had a poor reputation, and this series continued to suffer reliability problems for the next 35 years. Further, 9mm ammo performed poorly. For decades many considered semi autos to be unreliable. l saw many examples of poor functioning. Glock reliability and improved ammo paved the way for acceptance of the pistol in law enforcement circles. Today we feel put at great disadvantage by the revolver's 6 shot capacity. Had Smith, Colt, or Ruger made 7 or 8 shot versions, these offerings would not have slowed down the switch to pistols. New and younger managers were open to change. They realized tactical limitations of revolvers, figured out that mastery required intensive training, saw that training with .38 ammo but issuing expensive magnum issue was poor practice, and quickly understood the usefulness of the Glock platform. Soon Glock displaced other brands.
I'm not saying that an 8 round model 627 would have prevented the change. In 1990-91 my dept adopted the S&W 3906. A single stack gen 3 Smith. It had 8+1, in a not particularly reliable package. Would you choose this, or an 8 shot 627? A few years later, with a new chief, and we had adopted the P226, and officers could carry any pistol from Sig, Beretta, Smith, or Glock (with a + connector) in 9mm, .40, or .45. This is in additional to any revolver from Colt or Smith in .38, .357, or .44 mag. That's a big change in a few short years.
I think about whether guys like DB or Lt Dave would have carried 8 by .357 in their holsters in LA county during the '80s. That seems like a big upgrade in firepower. A follow-on is the fact that the speedloaders would have carried 8 rounds instead of 6, so officers would have had an additional increase of rounds on board.
I understood that - I'm suggesting that an actual incident like Hall Street could be the original source of the story. Though I have no doubt that many departments across the country experienced barricaded subjects and exchanged a lot of shots with them. Most of those stories are long lost to history, I'm sure.
Anyways - Hall Street, Newhall, Miami, North Hollywood, etc. have become folklore in many instances when retold in different places and different times. The details are misremembered/not remembered and subsequently replaced with more relevant locations and times. Of course, since it did not happen "there" the end result is that, unlike a game of 'Telephone' there isn't an originator to fact check with. Instead we're just left with the last few in the line to provide conflicting details/stories.
Mas - can we (by that I mean you) try to convince Captain Wemmer to write us a book? His experiences would be phenomenal to read. I looked to see if he had anything published, but I'm not finding anything currently. I hope you're going to tell me he is currently in the process of doing this!
I mean, if I was given a choice between an 8-shot .357 or a single-stack pistol, particularly a 1911, as a duty weapon - I would probably choose the .357. I love my 1911s and they shoot well, but as has been noted several times here and DB has so eloquently stated - the 1911 makes a poor "people management" gun. The DA trigger is a much better one and given that the bulk of police work isn't gunfighting, I'd lean towards the system that allowed me better mental and physical control over the dangerous tool.
Of course, if I became a LEO in some capacity tomorrow, I would prefer an HK with an LEM trigger to everything; preferably a P30 with a TLR-1 and LEM V2 or V3.
Rob, I too have hoped for Rich Wemmer to write a book, but I don't believe he has yet, and I haven't been in touch with him for many years. I don't have his retirement contacts, but I'm pretty sure DB and some others here know him, and might be more up to date. @Dagga Boy?
Assuming I could get my mitts properly onto that N frame I’d happily take 8 shots of 357. Of course I ditched the Glock 21 for a seven shot 681PC back in the day and never had a second thought. If I went back on the job tomorrow I’d be ok with a wheelgun on my hip, in my waistband and in my pocket to sally forth and crush evil. I still have folks ask me to apply to their agencies. I have toyed with the idea.
*RS Regulate Affiliate*
Reply With Quote