Horror Story:
Life depends on gun (S&W 686). Gun hangs on wall when not on hip. Passerby (me) takes down unloaded gun for a random inspection. Passerby finds gun with lint/dust/particulate in every nook and cranny. Barrel fouled with lead so think you could get brain damage just looking at it.
Closer exam finds that the firing pin is sticking out into the cylinder. Not understanding why this particular gun was different from the other 686's, I tried to dryfire it a few times. The pin never moved. Other guns show the pin moving in and out with the hammerstrike. Not good.
It took a blow from a hammer to get the pin back into place and even then you only had one shot. Though I didn't gap the pin, I'll go out on a limb and say that it was riding against the primer when the cylinder was fully loaded!
Needless to say, management was notified, as was the gun's user, and the weapon has been removed from inventory. Said user, when questioned on the condition of the weapon, stated that he thought the vault crew was taking care of them so he didn't bother.
Never mind that the visible dust and gunk on the weapon should have served as an indicator! &@#^$ IDIOT.
Moral: NEVER, EVER trust someone else to maintain a weapon that you will bet your life on. You will live or die by the condition of your sidearm and it is your responsibility to see that it is operating within normal parameters.
And, no, we don't have any kind of armourer. We have a few cleaning kits and everybody tends to their gear (or is supposed to) in a manner they see fit. It's usually an ignorant manner, when it exists at all, but it was good enough for papa's flintlock and so will do just fine for these ones. That's the logic.
Good night.
Life depends on gun (S&W 686). Gun hangs on wall when not on hip. Passerby (me) takes down unloaded gun for a random inspection. Passerby finds gun with lint/dust/particulate in every nook and cranny. Barrel fouled with lead so think you could get brain damage just looking at it.
Closer exam finds that the firing pin is sticking out into the cylinder. Not understanding why this particular gun was different from the other 686's, I tried to dryfire it a few times. The pin never moved. Other guns show the pin moving in and out with the hammerstrike. Not good.
It took a blow from a hammer to get the pin back into place and even then you only had one shot. Though I didn't gap the pin, I'll go out on a limb and say that it was riding against the primer when the cylinder was fully loaded!
Needless to say, management was notified, as was the gun's user, and the weapon has been removed from inventory. Said user, when questioned on the condition of the weapon, stated that he thought the vault crew was taking care of them so he didn't bother.
Never mind that the visible dust and gunk on the weapon should have served as an indicator! &@#^$ IDIOT.
Moral: NEVER, EVER trust someone else to maintain a weapon that you will bet your life on. You will live or die by the condition of your sidearm and it is your responsibility to see that it is operating within normal parameters.
And, no, we don't have any kind of armourer. We have a few cleaning kits and everybody tends to their gear (or is supposed to) in a manner they see fit. It's usually an ignorant manner, when it exists at all, but it was good enough for papa's flintlock and so will do just fine for these ones. That's the logic.
Good night.
