Were the police better shooters with revolvers?

[fortyshooter]

Please keep politics out of this!

Saw on the news yesterday about a local to me police involved shooting where the perp ran into his house and under a bed.
The responding officers came into the room and the guy started shooting at them from under the bed. After the officers,don't recall how many, fired 48 rounds as reported the guy was killed. Now most likely they could not see all of the shooter lying under a bed but you do have a good idea from the shots fired and don't know if he had anything around the bed as extra cover. But this got me thinking about back when the .357 DA revolver was the only tool the police carried back in the day before semi-autos took over.
Knowing you only had 6 rounds before a reload you would definitely be careful about shot placement and that 158 or 125 HP is going to get the job done. Yes when fire is coming back at you not much time to plan out a few shots.

Just wondering if the revolver trained officers were better shots?

[Oldbrass]

Probably didn't have as many crazy people which is why they went to a semi auto.

[fortyshooter]

Probably didn't have as many crazy people which is why they went to a semi auto.

That is very true and with the kind of weapons they may have.

[Sir Henry]

In nam we called it spray and pray. Of course we had full auto. That being said we still had to conserve ammo because some of the firefights lasted all night.

I wonder how many LEO had ammo when the shooting stopped.

[BrokenolMarine]

I shot my 4" model 64 Smith revolver well. I shot both the Glock 22 Full Size 40 caliber and Glock 23 mid size 40 caliber pretty well also. But... I am, and always have been, a gun person. I taught firearms for my department, and shot in competition, shooting approximately 10,000 rounds a year in practice and matches combined.

Compare that with the average officer today, many of whom are not shooters, don't take advantage of the practice sessions offered throughout the year, and only fire their weapons when they are required to requalify, most satisfied with meeting minimum standards.

Competition not only builds skills, but instills the ability to function under the adrenal dump that occurs under stress. Those who don't practice, don't train, and don't prepare, often panic... then you see the spray and pray.

As instructors, we made ourselves available once a month at the range to coach if needed, and offered 200 rounds per officer, each month for practice.
We saw the same few officers each month on a regular basis. These were the officers that didn't really need the official practice as they shot often off duty.

I don't think it's a matter of revolver vs. Semi-auto. It's a matter of training and attitudes.

[BrokenolMarine]

In the academy, I had the officers write in bold letters across the front of the notebooks we made them carry everywhere:

"In a crisis situation, I will react in the way in which I have been trained."

Every morning, as we started the day, we read this mantra. No matter the subject of the day's training. Every morning, they pulled out their notebooks and read the statement.

A couple days before graduation, when we were assigning Field Training Officers, I had them cross out the word "been."

We read the statement anew.

"In a crisis situation, I will react in the way I have trained."

Whole new meaning here. I explained that when they were released from field training, it would be up to them to maintain the skillsets they had been taught. Firearms, Defensive Tactics, First Aide, etc. Sure, there would be inservice and requals, but the effort THEY invested, "the way they trained," could make all the difference. I told them to go on break, and think about that. They kept the notebooks as reference, the mantra on the cover.

[clovishound]

I agree with BOM. I think you more frequently see the accounts of a large number of rounds fired, with little effect from the areas that are less likely to have those that have grown up owning guns and shooting. You rarely see this type of thing happening in places like Texas. Remember the Texas cop who shot an active shooter from over 100 yds while holding the reins of his horse? I doubt you would see this happening in a large NE city where the average LEO trainees have ever even seen a gun outside of the movies or TV.

I live in an area with a fair amount of folks growing up participating in shooting sports. Many of the cops I see at the range have minimal shooting skills. I've see way too many that I've hoped would never have to pull their gun to defend their life, or other's. I suspect most of them never handled a gun until they joined the PD. Not throwing stones.

[GunnyGene]

I shot my 4" model 64 Smith revolver well. I shot both the Glock 22 Full Size 40 caliber and Glock 23 mid size 40 caliber pretty well also. But... I am, and always have been, a gun person. I taught firearms for my department, and shot in competition, shooting approximately 10,000 rounds a year in practice and matches combined.

Compare that with the average officer today, many of whom are not shooters, don't take advantage of the practice sessions offered throughout the year, and only fire their weapons when they are required to requalify, most satisfied with meeting minimum standards.

Competition not only builds skills, but instills the ability to function under the adrenal dump that occurs under stress. Those who don't practice, don't train, and don't prepare, often panic... then you see the spray and pray.

As instructors, we made ourselves available once a month at the range to coach if needed, and offered 200 rounds per officer, each month for practice.
We saw the same few officers each month on a regular basis. These were the officers that didn't really need the official practice as they shot often off duty.

I don't think it's a matter of revolver vs. Semi-auto. It's a matter of training and attitudes.

A couple of quotes from Jeff Cooper:

"Owning a handgun doesn't make you armed any more than owning a guitar makes you a musician."

"Man fights with his mind. His hands and his weapons are simply extensions of his will, and one of the fallacies of our era is the notion that equipment is the equivalent of force."

[fortyshooter]

I was hoping you would add your professional input here BM and agree! If I was in police work I would be taking all the hands on weapons training I could get and then some as it could save your life and some innocent people!

Thanks!

[BrokenolMarine]

I took an NRA LE Firearms Instructor's course held one year at the FBI Academy at Quantico. The course was taught by the lead instructor for Law Enforcement Training, a retired Secret Service Agent. To illustrate a point in the lesson, he shared anecdote that applies here.

He said:

Back then, we were armed with six shot revolvers, and carried two speedloaders. My partner and I had followed two suspected counterfeiters thru a railroad yard to a meet, when we were spotted. One fired a couple shots our way and they both took off. We radioed for backup and gave chase. We had them trapped in a blind alley, waiting for backup to arrive. They were shooting up the alley at us, trying to work their way back out of the alley.

I was behind a brick wall on one side, my partner behind a dumpster on the other. If they stuck a head out, I fired a shot. My partner would fire a bunch of shots. I heard him reload twice, thenclick, click, click.

"Hey, toss me a speedloader, I'm out" he called across the alley.

He had fired 18 rounds.

"You hit either one of them?" I asked.

"No, don't think so, " came his breathless reply.

"Then why would I toss you any of my ammo?" I replied.