Okay, I attempted to read another book last week, a book I wanted to toss off a steep cliff into the Pacific Ocean. Why would I want to drive 3,000 miles just for the pleasure of watching a book sink into Half Moon Bay? It’s a simple answer really. I like my green tea hot with just a touch of milk, I like my Riesling chilled to the right temperature, and I like my freakin’ books to be believable. Even fantasy rings true if the author puts forth some sort of honest effort. But to write about guns, especially cop guns, and not do even a little bit of research just rubs me wrong. Like nails on a chalkboard. The information is out there. In fact, it’s everywhere – on the internet, shooting ranges, police officers, gun enthusiasts, target clubs, hunters, gun clubs, websites, blogs, Google, books, libraries, newspapers…you get the idea, right?
Anyway…one more time.
– Not all pistols have safeties.
– Revolvers do not automatically eject brass when fired.
– Pistols and revolvers are not the same (see images below). Therefore, their parts are different (Again, see below).
– Cops DO NOT pull the slide back on their pistols, chambering a fresh round before going into dangerous situations.
Police officers keep a bullet in the chamber at all times. Racking the slide would eject a bullet, which would leave the officer with less ammunition. Of course I do know a few cops who are one round short of a full magazine, but that’s another story. Oh, and the safety should always be switched to the OFF position on a cop’s weapon (if it has one). Please do not write, “Officer Doo Doo Head racked a round into the chamber and then flipped the safety off on his Ham Hock .45.” The very time you need to return fire would be the time you forgot to flip, switch, or click a safety to the OFF position. Result – a funeral complete with bagpipes.
Here are two diagrams showing the parts (nomenclature) of a pistol and a revolver. For fun, I’ve also added images of a shotgun and a rifle. By the way, the latter are not interchangeable. A shotgun is a shotgun and a rifle is a rifle. After all, we don’t confuse a giraffe with a kitten, right? And for goodness sake, a shotgun blast DOES NOT send people flying through air. Bits of flesh and brain matter yes, but the body simply falls down.
Pistol
Revolver
Some handgun parts can be customized to suit the shooter, like grips and sights.
Various grips are designed for comfort, and fit the hand better than others.
Sights, both front and rear, are interchangeable. Some even glow in the dark for night shooting. You may not be able to see your target, but you’ll certainly be able to clearly see the little sights on your weapon.
Shotgun
And finally, your protagonist CANNOT smell Cordite when he/she enters a murder scene. It hasn’t been manufactured for normal firearms use in decades! Cordite is actually strings of powder that are packed into a round like greasy spaghetti.
The top image is of Cordite (the orange stuff). The lower round is loaded with black powder.
