We had a sad incident in our community where a very well-liked police detective attempted to unload his semi-auto to clean it. Muscle memory had a brain-zap, and instead of pulling the magazine and racking the slide, he racked the slide and pulled the magazine. The gun was pointing at his stomach on the desk in front of him when he inadvertently pulled the trigger.
He died leaving a wife and two young children.
His funeral was one of the most beautiful I’ve attended, especially with the bagpipe formation.
ALL guns are loaded...
Whether they are or not.
“...Muscle memory had a brain-zap, ... he racked the slide and pulled the magazine. …” [Magnatron, post 48]
“to use rugers as an example i can see a genius such as this easily missing a round in a blackhawk, where one round at a time is emptied,... [rebel25, post 50]
“Sorry, not buying this story... Not a revolver... how can you miss one in the cylinder” [Popman, post 63]
“You MIGHT miss one in the cylinder if it were the style of revolver were you load or empty the cylinder one round at a time. Like a colt fronteer.” [from occupied ga, post 70]
Swingout-cylinder revolvers - most double actions - are much easier to check. Many are made with recoil shields of reduced diameter (compared to the cylinder), so it’s easy to see cartridge rim edges when looking over the sights from behind the gun, as a user would, preparing to aim.
Break-top revolvers are easier still: the barrel and frame hinges down, and all charge holes are easy to see. Break-tops and other hinged frame types have become less common since 1940 or so, but can still be found. Harrington & Richardson made some rimfire models into the 1980s if memory serves.
A great many revolvers are made with the cylinder cut forward a little: a wide gap between the rear face of the cylinder and the standing breech makes it (relatively) easy to look in from the side and spot the rims of any cartridges that may be present. But as rebel25 pointed out, solid-frame rod-ejector models like Ruger’s Blackhawk (many of which have been made with the aforementioned gap) demand more care in operation.
A number of revolver models have been made with recessed chambers, which swallow the case rim of loaded rounds - only a tiny gap is left between the rear cylinder face and the standing breech, and thus peering from the side tells the user nothing.
Touted as a safety measure against possible case rupture, the recessed-rim chamber first appeared in the 1930s, when high velocity 22 rimfire ammunition was introduced. As from occupied ga notes, subscale rimfire Colt single actions (G, K, and Q frames) have recessed-rim chambers and checking load status can be quite ticklish. Same is true for Ruger’s Single Six and Bearcat revolvers in rimfire calibers.
Centerfire cartridges rarely present this problem, but Smith & Wesson put recessed-rim chambers in its large-frame revolvers when the 44 Magnum was introduced in the 1950s (now called the Model 29). Some imported revolvers have recessed-rim chambers (Sauer & Sohn single action made some), but Ruger did not copy the practice: Blackhawks and Redhawks of current production do not have recessed-rim chambers and one may peek in from the side to determine load status.
Muscle-memory misfires like the one Magnetron mentioned do happen, though they ought not, as Popman indicated, especially with revolvers. Experienced personnel seem more at risk; unfortunately, they let their guard down or get distracted. I’ve met several - all far more adept and experienced than I - who caused negligent discharges, including one who shot his own TV. He “simply forgot” the gun was loaded.
When I purchased a Blackhawk I also bought a set of snap caps made by A Zoom: when I’m not actually firing or carrying the revolver, I load them into all six chambers. Made of aluminum anodized a deep purple/maroon color, they look like no live ammunition I’ve ever encountered, and make inadvertent loading or neglectful use very difficult. Not impossible: never use such sweeping terms when it comes to gun safety.
Users of single action revolvers must take extra steps to be properly safe: prior to the introduction of modern safety devices, it’s unsafe to load all chambers in the cylinder. All Ruger Blackhawk, Single Sixes, and Bearcat single action revolvers made before they introduced their “New Model” (circa 1973) should never be loaded with more than five rounds, and should be carried and handled with the hammer all the way down on the empty chamber. Safety-modification kits are available for these older revolvers, installed by the Ruger factory at no charge.
No Colt single action revolver has had modern safety devices, dating all the way back through the cartridge models, through the percussion models, to and including the very first guns made at Paterson. Always load with one round less than full capacity and position the empty chamber under the hammer for handling and carrying.
[In contrast, Colt developed an excellent safety actuated by trigger movement: no conscious thought required by the user. They installed it on all double action, swingout-cylinder solid-frame revolvers they made, from 1908 until 1969 when new models were introduced.]
The advice about vintage Colts applies across the board to almost all revolvers made until after 1945. Replica revolvers are spotty: some are exact copies and require the same safety practices as the originals; some have safety devices. Go very carefully: be sure of your revolver and know its operation thoroughly.
Gun safety is vital for all of us; the only thing that is more important is armed combat. Even then safety runs a very close second and ought to be kept in mind as much as possible.