Revolver

“ Her hand caught the grip of a revolver that protruded from her pocket.
"You will never have the courage to pull that trigger when I'm helpless in your hands!"
The hot blood mantled her exquisite face like red fire. ”

“ About his slender waist was strapped a heavy cartridge belt, from which swung a stamped-leather holster, sheltering a pearl-handled and gold-plated forty-five caliber revolver—the same that had barked death to many a villain in the last act, and caused thousands of matinée girls to cover their ears and squeak with pleasurable fright. ”

“ I shall put a pistol into his hand and make him fight.”
“I doubt it.”
“An unloaded revolver! Ridsdale, don’t you see? I’ll give him an unloaded revolver, with six cartridges. I’ll have the same myself—and I’ll begin to load. When he sees me load he’ll know that he must do something if he means to save his skin. When he sees me load my weapon, he’ll load his weapon too. I shall watch him as a cat watches a mouse. If he raises his arm, up goes mine. If he fires, I fire. We bang at each other at the same moment.”
“Impossible.”
“Why impossible? If I get him alone he can’t help himself.” ”

“ England is the last country to use the revolver in the army, and is the last refuge of the revolver, just as Yellowstone Park is the last refuge of the buffalo.
For competition in England, practising will have to be done with a revolver, not an automatic pistol, and a deliberate aim taken at a black bull’s-eye on a white target. ”

“ When he was a boy in short trousers he had learned from Uncle Jasper the two main articles of a gun fighter's creed—that a revolver must be fired by pointing, not sighting, and that there must be nothing about it liable to hang in the holster to delay the draw. The great idea was to get the gun on your man with lightning speed, and then fire from the hip with merely a sense of direction to guide the bullet. Just as one raises his hand and points the finger. ”

“ He shifted a little to smile more directly into her eyes, and the movement caused her glance to drop to his holster. It was open. With a slow gesture—for no one, not even a woman, makes free with the weapon of another in the mountain desert—she drew the revolver out, looked it over with the keen eye of a connoisseur, glanced down the sights, spun the cylinder, and tried the balance with a deft hand.
“Clean as a whistle,” she said as she restored the revolver. “Some six-gun!” With a new respect she looked the man over from head to foot.
“Maybe under the mask,” she said, “you look almost human.” ”

“ The revolver is uplifted in the air, as a Western man handles a gun, so that when it is snapped down with a jerk the deadly shot can be fired. LAURA is terror-stricken, but before the shot is fired she takes a step forward and extends one hand in a gesture of entreaty. ”

“ As we close this little volume it is apparent that revolver and pistol shooting is about to become a very popular sport; the cavalry and artillery of the National Guard in America are [Pg vi] likely soon to be equipped with and instructed in the use of the revolver. As pistol practice increases in popularity, events herein recorded will, doubtless, be equalled and excelled many times.
The author begs to acknowledge courtesies extended to him by Messrs. Smith & Wesson; Colt’s Patent Fire-Arms Co.; Merwin, Hulbert, & Co.; Union Metallic Cartridge Co.; United States Cartridge Co. ”

“ I know this long-distance revolver fire seriously bothered me. One cannot help jumping when death, in the form of a piece of flying lead, hits the rail beside him, or the mast over his head, or whines away in a ricochet from the steel shrouds. Nevertheless, I managed with my rifle to bother the exposed men on the rail to the extent that they lost one hooked bird out of two. And twenty-six men require a quantity of albatrosses and mollyhawks every twenty-four hours, while they can fish only in the daylight. ”

“ I never budged so much as an inch till that thundering apparition had got within fifteen paces of me; then I snatched a dragoon revolver out of my holster, there was a flash and a roar, and the revolver was back in the holster before anybody could tell what had happened. ”

“ The tonneau of the car was not separated from the driver's seat, and bending forward, she wrenched her revolver from her pocket, and pressed the muzzle of her weapon to the back of the man's neck.
"Don't stop!" she gasped, struggling for her breath. "Go on! Quick!" ”

“ At length as many as ten men stood around them.
"What are you staring at?" said Buttons again. "You needn't look so frightened. Americans only use their revolvers against thieves."
The Doctor at this, apparently by accident, took out his revolver. Standing a little on one side, he fired at a large crow on the top of a tree. The bird fell dead. He then fired five other shots just by way of amusement, laughing all the time with the Senator.
"You see," said he--"ha, ha--we're in a fix--ha, ha--and I want to show them what a revolver is?" ”

“ Slowly I got on my knees, rose painfully, and groped my way to a chair. On the floor lay my revolver, shining in the pale light of early morning. My mind clearing by degrees, I looked, shuddering, at the window. The glass was unbroken. I stooped stiffly, picked up my revolver and opened the cylinder. Every cartridge had been fired. Mechanically I closed the cylinder and placed the revolver in my pocket. The book, the Chronicles of Jacques Sorgue, lay on the table beside me, and as I started to close it I glanced at the page. ”

“ And I almost sent that theory to join the other two wild ones—the corpse who returned to its post, and the Arab who threw sword-bayonets from afar. Almost—until I remembered that revolver in the dead man's hand, and the empty cartridge-case in one of its chambers. And then I asked myself, 'Does a man who is conducting the defence of a block-house, against tremendous odds, waste time in taking pot-shots with a revolver at concealed enemies, two or three hundred yards distant? Does he do that, with hundreds of rounds of rifle ammunition and a score of rifles to his hand?' Of course not. ”

“ He was the sort of flamboyant man who keeps a loaded revolver in obedience to the theory that a loaded revolver is a necessary and proper part of the true male's outfit, like a gold watch and chain, a gold pencil case, a razor for every day in the week, and a cigar-holder with a bit of good amber to it. ”

“ It was set so solidly in its socket that you could almost stand a rifle in it without overturning it. The rifle might fall out, but the socket is so deep that the glass probably would remain where it is. Provided, of course, that you could get a rifle into it.”
“But couldn’t the revolver have tipped out from some slight jar without tipping the glass over, and then couldn’t the recoil of the accidentally discharged revolver, whose bullet struck down the major, have smashed the glass?” I asked. ”

“ Having witnessed considerable revolver-shooting, and not a little in a section of this country where the arm was carried for protection, and after many practice shoots to almost invariably hear the shooters remark, “Any one of these shots would have hit a man,” the writer formed [Pg 58] the impression that the majority of persons who carried revolvers were content with an arm which, when fired, would hit the size of a man. On the supposition that this is the case, it is not strange that so little has been done to improve the accuracy of the revolver by correctly sighting it. ”

“ The revolver is of little service against this formidable creature, owing to its cunning and the rapidity with which it manoeuvres, while its bristly hide is stout enough to defy the ordinary shotgun. ”

“ The revolver being a more practical weapon than the pistol, it is likely that the single-shot pistol will in future be confined almost wholly to indoor target practice, and the revolver will be used exclusively in many clubs who shoot their matches out of doors. It has been proven that the revolver is a powerful and accurate weapon from 10 to 250 yards. ”

“ As revolver-shooting is becoming so popular in America, probably a more intelligent study of this arm is now being made by marksmen then ever before; and, while the advantages of a solid-framed revolver with a fixed barrel are admitted for certain uses, it seems to be generally admitted that, for fine [Pg 28] work, where accuracy is the chief object, no revolver is equal to one which permits of an inspection of the inside of the barrel. ”

“ The world moves, mechanical skill improves, artistic knowledge of form and symmetry is each year combined with mechanical ingenuity, and at the present time the American pistol and revolver has reached a degree of perfection previously unknown; and it is our purpose to describe in this volume the modern pistol and revolver of American make, those manufactured in quantity known in trade, and procurable by any one desiring to secure a safe and reliable weapon. ”

“ The revolver covered Littimer quite steadily. He could see into the blue rim, and he was conscious of strange cold sensations down his spine. A revolver is not a pretty thing at the best of times; it is doubly hazardous in the hands of a woman. ”

“ Jim's revolver lay on the seat beside him, while I held mine in my hand, but in our hearts we knew it was a perfectly useless precaution. A revolver is no good at a hundred yards, and we formed a sitting shot at two hundred to a man with a rifle. ”

“ He changed his course, which took him to an open space in the brush, where he stopped for a moment to try and get his bearings. And almost at the same moment he heard a bullet scream past his ear, and from on the slope of a hill came the pop of a revolver. ”

“ I had dropped my revolver when I threw myself from the cot, and now saw the weapon lying among the bedclothes near the foot. I was master of myself again. Quietly stepping down, I secured the revolver, and ten seconds later it was all over. Then I opened the door and flung the carcass outside, came in and barricaded the entrance again. No longer did I hesitate about the open window, but went and fastened it in the same manner I had the other. My foot struck some object. ”

“ Persons who have very limited use for a weapon as for home protection and occasional pocket use, especially when they do not expect to practice shooting with it regularly will find a suitable revolver much more serviceable, safer, and generally more satisfactory than a magazine pistol. ”

“ Where, they will ask, did Willoughby Braddock get the revolver, without which a man may say “Hands up!” till he is hoarse and achieve no result? For of all the indispensable articles of costume which the well-dressed man must wear if he wishes to go about saying “Hands up!” to burglars, a revolver is the one which can least easily be omitted. ”

“ Loading and Firing.—No arms shall be loaded except at the firing-point, the muzzle of [Pg 137] piece being kept in the direction of the target till the arm is either discharged or unloaded.
Miss-fires shall not count; but an accidental discharge shall, in every instance, be counted.
Position.—The position shall be as follows: Standing, free from any other artificial support; the pistol or revolver held in one hand only, with the arm extended free from the body, and unsupported in any way. The rear sight of the pistol or revolver shall not be nearer to the eye than twelve inches. ”

“ I always call it a revolver, but in reality it is a pistol, and a very old-fashioned make too, with this ramrod and the trigger so hard to pull that I have to use my other hand as well. I am not a bad shot, for a woman, provided that I may take my time, but this is not very easy when one wants to fire at a robber. ”

“ I'll bet you anything you did. You only shot once at the dingo—there are two chambers empty in this revolver. Come, own up; where was the revolver when you went to sleep?"
Eustace flushed crimson as the realization flooded his mind. ”

“ But, desperate with fear, the poor fellow now stood upon the yard, and while one hand grasped the topping lift, with the other he waved his shirt to the Spaniards. I heard the crack of a pistol, and next moment he fell a quivering mass upon the deck, stone dead, shot by the revolver. ”

“ That sounds a simple thing to do. But if his hand trembled, if he snatched eagerly, if his eyes lit up with premature exultation? The second footman was—or seemed—a long time handing over the revolver. ”

“ When the revolver is cocked and fired by pressing the trigger, greater rapidity of fire is obtained than when the hammer is cocked with the thumb, but accuracy is impaired, as the trigger requires a long pull and considerable force in order to compress the mainspring and revolve the cylinder. ”

“ They are most unnecessarily encumbered with a heavy, unwieldy firearm (the carbine) , when a neat and exceedingly effective weapon—a repeating pistol, or revolver—could be loaded with five rounds of ball-cartridge before going into action, and when fairly engaged and surrounded with enemies on every side, the revolver could be drawn from a holster-pipe, and every round it contained fired at such close quarters as to render it a matter of certainty that a man would be killed at every shot. ”

“ Big, stalwart men, the power of conscious strength in their step and bearing. Each of them carries a weapon: some Winchesters, others shotguns. In the hand of one I notice the gleaming barrel of a navy revolver. ”

“ All skilled marksmen who have handled the modern American pistol and revolver must be aware that those of standard make are strong, well-made, safe, and accurate. It is believed that no attempt has ever been made to learn the possibilities of the various weapons, the greatest accuracy, range, and power, and record them for comparison in a single volume. ”

“ A Remington, Winchester, or other cartridge rifle may be carried for rapid work in fighting Indians, or killing large game, and a Colt's revolver, with loose ammunition, will be a convenient thing for every day use and ornament. ”