TCP let me down as wild dogs were running towards me

[Bigslug]

Meantime I have to admit my wife is right(for once) You can't trust a semi-auto and that's why she uses a Ruger LCR.

Mmmmmm. . . .yeaaaaaahhhhhh. . .

As a wise armorer-instructor once told me "ALL guns are pieces of **** just waiting to fail on you". One thing I'm sure of is that revolvers are NOT infallible. Another is that a once-functional autoloader is usually A LOT easier to troubleshoot back into functionality than a once-functional wheelgun. There's a long string of consecutive engineering miracles that have to occur to keep that cylinder spinning and indexing true.

All that said, I've frequently seen CCW's dry as Egyptian mummies and so caked up with lint that if cartridge ignition WAS realized, the handgun could perform double-duty as a firestarter. Just because you haven't shot it doesn't mean you don't have to occasionally clean it, check all the crevices, and run some basic function checks. Put another way, would you jump out of an airplane with a musty-smelling parachute that has an inspection tag reading "Packed with pride in 1943"?

The flip side is I've seen guys go all "Oil Baron" on their guns - obsessively scrubbing with a river of solvent to render the surfaces they know how to access spotlessly clean. . .but forcing all manner of black sludge into extractor cuts and firing pin channels that the working parts begin to have trouble moving as intended.

And even if you are on the ball in those regards, NONE of that will keep the gremlins out of your ammunition, factory or otherwise.

One nice touch about the show Black Sails is that a lot of the circa-1720 pirates are shooting their flintlock pistols left-handed, presumably because they regarded them as a handy, but largely untrustworthy means of stacking the odds in their favor right before going to work with the much more reliable sharpened steel. It's good that technology has advanced to the point that some folks at times put absolute faith in it, but that doesn't mean doing so is particularly wise. Backup plans are GOOD!

[Groo]

Groo here
As Clint would say "Two is one, One is none, Three is better..."

[Idaho45guy]

the OP has exhibited a classic reason for a civilian carrying a revolver, preferably a snubby, too.

Why? You are hampered with low capacity, increased recoil, and I have seen more problems with revolvers not going bang than with quality semi-auto pistols.

Revolvers are for women and old men.

[jrayborn]

Just sharing my experience, but I have taught many folks to shoot handguns they purchased. The vast majority of them are not the type to alter their firearms in any way at all. What I have seen is that many striker fired automatics will have issues with "hard" primers. I have seen it in my firearms as well, mostly Glocks, Rugers, and Springfields. Because of this I have installed heavy (10%) striker springs in all my striker fired auto's.

A lot of the shooting I have done is in the winter and certainly this may have something to do with it, but for sure I would NEVER EVER install a lighter striker spring in any handgun I planned to depend on. Another thing I have learned is to keep the striker channel clean and completely free of ANY lubricant at all. By doing these two things I have had 100% dependability with all ammo I have run, including Sellior & Belloit which has some of the hardest primers I have seen.

Anyway, just my experience with a bunch of striker fired handguns...

[dverna]

There is no excuse for not being prepared. You are lucky you were only facing dogs and not something more serious. If your weapon will not fire 200 rounds without a hiccup, find ammunition that will work in it. If you cannot find ammunition that works, the gun is defective. Fix it or trade it.

Your tale indicates you do not practice with your carry weapon. Hopefully you have learned from the experience.

[jrayborn]

Well that's a little harsh...

[35remington]

In the FWIW department, I see far more firing related malfunctions of all types with autoloaders than revolvers.

Throw in that revolvers are somewhat more forgiving of neglect (not abuse) and do not suffer from user induced malfunctions that autoloaders do (limp wristing, thumb or fingers accidentally engaging slide stops, accidentally engaging safeties, accidentally ejecting magazines, fingers slowing down slides, etc), or the level of operational problems like inertial misfeeding due to weakened magazine springs, users deciding “plus one” magazines are da bomb, magazine latches failing to hold mags in place, failing to return to battery, failures to extract, failures to eject, not functioning correctly with some types of ammo...and on and on.

Ponder this....you buy boutique ammo at a buck plus a shot. I know I’m in good company here. Anybody run at least a few hundred rounds of that to ensure it works the gun? If you do you are in the minority I’ll wager. That sort of thing is not necessary to the same high round count with a revolver.

For the rounds in the gun already the revolver has undeniable advantages tied to the fact they lay there until struck by the firing pin and do not have to move forward and backward.

I use both types of guns. I do not have rose colored glasses on when evaluating their strengths and weaknesses. The revolver has disadvantages when trying to recharge it and capacity. The user decides what is important and goes with his choice.

[jrayborn]

Good point on the revolver for sure. Auto's have a lot going on before the cartridge gets to the point that the firing pin strikes the primer.

[FergusonTO35]

Remington 1 1/2 pistol primers have extremely soft material and are the easiest to indent of any small pistol primer. That said, due to their softness they are not appropriate for loads exceeding much over 25-30,000 psi as they will pierce. If your gun cannot indent 1 1/2s there is something seriously wrong with it.

Friend, I think this is the one time that you and I are just going to disagree and leave it at that!

Back on topic, when I am at home I always have one of my snub .38's plus a reload with me. If I'm going out in the woods, I also carry a rifle or one of my high cap autos which I shoot really well.

[35remington]

Ferg, the 1 1/2s are distinctly different than their other small pistol primers. Methinks you got some of those instead.

I mentioned the 1 1/2s because Remington makes a soft cup primer that is easy to indent, and these are those primers.

[FergusonTO35]

I have encountered plenty of hard primers in 1-1/2 boxes. I think Remington has used 5-1/2's and/or small rifle primers to get product out the door at times, especially during the many panics we've endured over the years.

[35remington]

I must say I never have, and I’ve been using them for decades.

A bit of scholarly information about the primer, for whatever it is worth and for those who may be interested in such a thing.

https://www.ssusa.org/articles/2018/...istol-primers/

[FergusonTO35]

Good article, thanks. Experience is the best teacher, so I have to stay with that.

[35remington]

As do I.

[GOPHER SLAYER]

They will do it, embarrass you every time.

[BigAlofPa.]

The wife and i had our 9mm's out the other day. We ran through around 300 rounds loaded with the cci primers. No failure to fire. Variety of brands in guns. Was a good range session.

[curioushooter]

What is a TCP?

Taurus?

[onelight]

What is a TCP?

Taurus?

It is a Taurus TCP is for Tiny Cute Pistol similar to a Ruger LCP Little Cute Pistol

[35 Whelen]

Around my place I never know what I'm going to see; stray dogs, coyotes, hogs, bobcats, deer or rattlesnakes. I wouldn't dream of carrying a two-piece firearm of any kind. For the last 15 years out here I've always had a revolver strapped to my side. 90% of the time it's a SA .44 Special, followed closely by a SA .357 and lately a 1917 S&W.

35W

[Shuz]

Well, I got down to the range yesterday and fired some rounds through the Taurus 738 TCP(Taurus Compact Pistol). I had 1 fail to fire outta 20 rounds fired. It was a light strike on the primer. On investigating the ammo, I noticed that the primers used were a brand named Privi-Partisan(PPU). Perhaps they are a harder primer to set off? I'm gonna thoroughly clean the pistol and try some different primers and see what happens. I'm also gonna fire some of the PPU primed ammo in my Kel-Tec K3AT's and see what happens.