Revolvers get referred to by a lot of names. Circlestack, Wheelgun, and more. The revolver, typically in a .38 variant or .45 ACP and the 1911, generally in .45 ACP although .38 Super was around as well, were the foundation firearms of our sport going back to the very early days before double stack magazines, comps and, optics. At that point the 1911s were using surplus magazines so were 7+1 vs. 6 rounds in the revolver so there was not that much disparity. As revolvers were still the duty guns for most law enforcement agencies at the time they were very popular in the sport and readily available. Now, they are a rarity in our sport, especially USPSA, and it is not uncommon to run across ROs that aren’t “Revolver Aware”. They are a bit different from a rules standpoint so let’s stroll through the book and take a deeper look.
Let’s start at the back of the book in Appendix D6 (aptly named, no?) with some of the basics of Revolver rules. The real split here is in major/minor scoring in USPSA. Major is limited to 6 rounds, minor can have up to 8. Major can be either .45, .40 (S&W 610s are highly prized and somewhat rare on the used market), .357 Magnum, one of the .44 variants, and so on. Minor is typically going to be some .357/.358 caliber such as 9MM, .38 Special, or one of the shorter variants like .38 Short Colt which is arguably the more popular for those not shooting 9mm. A .38 Short Colt appears, at first glance, to be a 9×19 cartridge with a rim. Close enough to use 9mm load data as a starting point for load development, but not quite the same cartridge. And not really available as a commercially loaded round that is suitable for USPSA/SCSA.
Reloads are via a gizmo to load all the rounds at once which is somewhat analogous to a magazine but which looks nothing like one. Loading one or two at a time is tedious and exceedingly slow. Speed loaders are legal but only a hearty few use them with most having moved over to moon clips ages ago. Helpful hint, please be careful not to step on those moon clips…those can be as much as $10 each and if you step on it, it is trash. I once had an RO destroy several on a single stage because he thought it was funny to step on them. I was less than pleased. To his credit, he did pay for his mistake, but it put me down several moon clips for the match. No, they cannot be flattened well enough to be match worthy.
Single Action revolvers from the SASS crowd are legal, certainly, but are not really seen in USPSA competition. They are seen in SCSA now and then but as they tend to be very slow to reload aren’t very popular. Word to the wise, black powder charged cartridges are definitely fire hazards. Many ranges ban them during fire season. I’ve seen cardboard targets set ablaze by black powder cartridges so just keep that in mind. They are easy to spot with the volumes of smoke they produce.
There are seven shot revolvers. These are legal, of course. However, if shot in Major and they fire that seventh round instead of reloading after six they get moved to Open division which is a REALLY bad place to be for a revolver. They aren’t very commonly seen but I have seen them, even at Nationals.
When collecting ammo for Chronograph from Revolver shooters, it is a very good idea to ask them to “de-moon” a round so chrono doesn’t have to do it. Some chrono officers have a de-mooning tool and know how to use it. Most do not and the chances of the moon clip getting bent and thus destroyed are high.
In a lot of other respects, Revolver Division is a lot like Limited Division. Almost everything goes except optics (for now, maybe) and comps. Custom grips are very common and run from the mundane to the wild. Bobbed hammers are the norm and most of the time those do not have a half-cock notch, especially if an aftermarket hammer was substituted instead of just bobbing the factory hammer.
The double action trigger pull of even a well tuned revolver is very different than that of a semi-auto. They just feel different. Most are very long and revolver shooters learn to prep the trigger part way through its travel while aiming and then give it that last bit of pressure to fire for accurate shot placement. As such, they are very aware of where the point of no return is. Partially pulling the trigger to rotate the cylinder is common and can happen for a number of reasons. This is only a safety issue if the gun goes bang; provided it isn’t breaking other safety rules.
Remember that by definition in A3 the load/reload is over when the cylinder is closed. This is very different than for autoloaders. Revolver shooters also often wear gloves on their left hands because on a long stage that cylinder can get HOT. Gloves are personal equipment and are allowed.
The range commands do differ slightly also for the revolver crowd. Everything is the same up through “If you are finished, unload and show clear”. We do not require revolvers to pull the trigger (“hammer down”) because you just saw every possible place a round could be in that gun when you looked at the cylinder. So the next command becomes “If clear, cylinder closed and holster”. If you mess up and use the semi-auto version of the command, most of us will just do what we are supposed to do. We might pull the trigger if asked to but will likely remind you that isn’t the rule once “Range is Clear” is issued.
Reloading revolvers is a frequent event. John Wayne might have had a 600 shooter but that technology has apparently been lost. Very different stage plans are necessary especially for those shooting major and limited to six rounds. There are two styles of reloads and both have their merits. Most revolver shooters practice both and use the one that fits the situation best. The first method, and the one I was taught by my LEO firearms instructor uncle, was to cradle the frame of the gun with the left hand and the right hand pushes/pulls the cylinder release and the fingers of the left hand flop the cylinder open and the thumb pushes the ejector to get the spent cartridges out. Meanwhile, the right hand grabs fresh ammunition and drops it into the cylinder. The left hand then closes the cylinder as the right hand is re-establishing the grip and the left hand joins it. It sounds cumbersome but it actually is very smooth and fast when practiced. It is my favored method, likely because I’ve been doing it since I was twelve. Note that revolvers are very right hand centric. Even southpaws are going to handle it as a right handed shooter does. I’ve been told “left handed” revolvers were made but I’ve never seen one.
The other method is the strong hand pushes/pulls the cylinder latch and flips the cylinder open. The weak hand pushes the ejector and grabs a fresh ammunition supply and closes the cylinder. This can be hard on the cylinder crane if you are over zealous in your flip and if you have a high-ish primer it might not flip out so easy.
Again, both of these are legal. It does take practice to avoid breaking the 180, especially with the first method which is why when I have to reload right on the line, or in tight quarters, I tend to go for the second method. All of this can be a lot of motion which, as an RO you might not be used to. Just watch for the usual things (barrel direction, sweeping, etc.).
Squibs in revolvers can result in a bullet lodged in the barrel just as with a semi-auto. They also can result in a bullet caught in the forcing cone of the barrel not entirely out of the cylinder resulting in a locked up gun. The only real solution is to use a squib rod to pound the bullet back into the cylinder. You may hear that “revolvers can safely shoot out a squib” and that was a somewhat common practice at one point in time, especially with the PPC crowd. The cylinder to barrel gap does vent a lot of gas. But it is far from a recommended practice and most consider it unsafe. Just don’t do it.
Looking for a new challenge in USPSA/SCSA? Come on over to the Revolver side.