Double Action Friendly I Ain't

A recent post by Caleb at Call Me Ahab has managed to put a burr under my saddle. In said post, Unix-Jedi makes a play on the line from Star Wars: A New Hope, saying: "Not as clumsy or random as a automatic. An elegant weapon for a more civilized time." He was, of course, referring to revolvers.

Now, please don't take what I'm about to say the wrong way. I realize that this was (mostly) a bit of fun between friends. I also realize that everyone has their preferences and everyone's preferences are different. The world'd be a really dull place if there was only one style of handgun, rifle, and shotgun in it.

But, please, don't try to sell me that bit about revolvers being the perfect carry gun. Folks can (and have) debated for days on end, back and forth about reliability, capacity, and concealability. But, for me, it boils down to one issue that's the deal-breaker: revolvers are intended to be fired in double action. And I just can't shoot in double action.

Oh, I suppose I could hit the broad side of a barn with a typical DA pistol. The Smiths in particular have a DA that is smooth enough for me to do okay with. But I consistently do better with pistols that have a crisp, single action trigger. It doesn't even have to be that light. If I were to take a box-stock Rock Island Armory plain-jane 1911 and a slicked-up Smith .357 (whatever model), I can state with confidence that (barring poor workmanship) I'd hit consistently better with the 1911. This has been true since I bought my first handgun (a S&W 66). I imagine it's also true of said stock 1911 versus pretty much any DA/SA or DAO autoloader. I don't know as I've never shot many of those types of handguns.

I guess what I'm getting at is that I don't see how one can naturally shoot a double action better than a single action. The only way I can see that it's feasible to compare the two is to have someone who has worked with DAs long and hard enough that it's not a handicap any more (Jerry Miculek anyone?). It just seems to me that for the average joe a SA autoloader is going to be significantly easier to get good hits with quickly. And isn't that the point of a defensive arm?

Man shoots intruders who turn out to be SWAT

YIKES! That's a scary, scary situation that I hope to never be in. Thankfully no one was seriously injured.

The thing that really gets my goat, though, is this: "Police haven't decided whether they'll try to charge Khang with a crime."

They bust into the wrong house on a no-knock (don't get me started) and they're actually considering charging the man who defended his home and family? How retarded is that? I don't care if you're yelling "Police!", flashing badges, or have those nifty vests that proclaim POLICE in yellow across the front, you pull something like that in an honest man's home, this is the least you should expect.

People are still using that?

This is a bit of old news but I just saw it and thought it was amusing. It seems that Con Edison has finally discontinued distribution of DC power! I didn't even know they were still using DC current. Who'd'a thunk it?

But that's not even the kicker! It seems that the Mid-Manhattan Library as well as a few thousand other users had to be transitioned over to AC power over the last few years. Their method? Install an AC-to-DC converter!

Though come to think of it, I'll bet the lights in that place are great for reading...