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Rust shooting ???

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Gimlis Ghost:
The death of a woman by a live round fired from a prop revolver raises many questions.
One I'd like to address is several youtube videos where people claim that it is no possible for a single action Colt or its clones to fire without pulling the trigger. Anyone making that claim has never seen the lockwork of a badly worn or overly "gunsmithed" single action.
I've repaired several of the 1851 nd 1860 Colt replicas and several 1873 replicas as well as other single action revolvers. Poor heat treatment of hammers and triggers are commonplace, along with owners who play movie gunslinger and damaged good guns by fanning.

The four click action of the revolver in question if not badly worn is fairly safe only so long as the lockwork is reasonably free of fouling and hardened grease, which few revolvers fired extensively with BP loaded blanks and not properly detailed stripped afterwards are likely to be.
When badly worn ,especially by fanning, the quarter cock and half cock are often chipped or completely broken away. Colts used for fanning are supposed to be modified for the purpose, a procedure I haven't done so I can't speak on that in any detail. Even fast draw revolvers are often modified for the purpose to reduce breakages.

Personally I despise Baldwin and his public displays against his own family suggest he is at least a malignant narcissist and possibly a psychpathic personality. I suspect he arranged this "accident" himself and did not kill at random or by accident.
But claims of it being impossible for any much used and poorly maintained prop handgun to go off as described are spurious.

I'd like to hear your thoughts on this aspect of the case.

Pat B:
Alec Baldwin said on an interview that he didn't pull the trigger but he also said that he pulled the hammer back and get it go. That alone could fire this pistols. To many questions to be asked like...why wasn't the prop/blank gun used. It looked just like the one that was used but could not hold or fire a live round. Why were live rounds even on the set. That alone was against the rules and maybe the law. Why were even blanks used when with technology the same effects can be achieved after the fact.
 I won't make personal comments about Baldwin but I will say I don't believe in accidental gun firings. Someone or something is always responsible.

White Falcon:
I tested my gun yesterday, EMPTY. As most know if you pull the triger back MOST of the way and release it, it WILL FIRE.

Gimlis Ghost:

--- Quote from: White Falcon on December 06, 2021, 11:48:53 am ---I tested my gun yesterday, EMPTY. As most know if you pull the triger back MOST of the way and release it, it WILL FIRE.

--- End quote ---

You should detail strip your revolver and carefully clean every part. If not heavily fouled or badly worn the quarter cock or half cock notches should have prevented the hammer from droping all the way under such conditions.

A common problem is a trigger honed to give a too light trigger pull. In such cases the half cock and quarter cock notches become worn or the half cock notch can be broken away.

The half cock position was not designed as a safety mechanism, its there for reloading. Neither the configuration nor the heat treatment are up to the task.

I've run across half cock notches broken out simply by someone pulling the trigger while at half cock. More often the sear will break off the trigger.

When a too light trugger allows a discharge without significant back pressure on the trigger the quarter cock can become rounded and the sear surface also becomes battered and rounded.

Quarter cock notches, more like a shelf than a notch, were developed to prevent doubling in autoloadings pistols. They weren't designed to be a safe carry position for revolvers. The edges become rounded in normal wear and tear, a tiny bit every time the hammer is cocked.

Some smiths used to weld or braze pieces onto worn hammers and triggers and recut the surfaces. I always replace both hammer and trigger.
Worn or bent action screws can also lead to poor sear engagement, as can weak or broken trigger springs.

A revolver that has been fanned will often show serious wear to any or all these parts. Even fanning a revolver once can produce unsafe engagements.
Remember that if guns never became worn there would be no need to stock replacement parts.

White Falcon:
I should have said Ruger single six. Not an Old Colt.

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