I would say that most of the people in that class had over a 1000 hours of instruction/training with pistols. I am north of that, myself. Most of them I know personally and have trained with multiple times. I know at least five of them have over 3000 hours.
I know that two of the guns that had light strikes were using the same batch of European ammo (S&B) that is known for harder primers.
And I follow you on how a firing pin nose makes a real difference compared to a fixed firing pin. One of the "issues" was with a GP-100 with the framed-mounted pin and a transfer bar. I looked at the other, and made sure that the strain screw was not backed out, I think we have all seen snake-oil gunsmiths who back out the strain screw, and call that a "trigger job". Both of those shooters are very highly skilled, and good friends. Frankly, it was just a batch of ammo with hard primers.
We were running pretty fast and furious in class. So when a shooter had an issue, they simply pitched the gun in a bag and grabbed a different one. If they still had an issue, the ammo was suspect. If they did not, then it was likely that revolver. I bought over a dozen revolvers to the class, as did another person. There were lots to go around, believe me.
My intention with this participating in this thread is not to cast blame, or sling poo. I just want to point out that I was one of the people on the range, passed the class, and am what I would consider a dedicated and skilled revolver shooter. I have insight into what makes them run well, and what makes them not run at all.
As a fer instance, I spent a year dragging a factory S&W 686 to pistol classes. I was always the only wheelgun in a class full of Glocks and M&P's. And I'd usually finish in the upper half of the class. I got
REALLY good with Safariland speedloaders.
I did it not to be an asshole, but to really learn how to improve my double-action trigger work. It also made me much more skilled with a Glock (striker-fired) or a Beretta (DA/SA). That's why I did it.
Revolvers have a place. They make an excellent teaching gun to help people overcome a flinch. They make a great complimentary weapon to a primary large-capacity semi-auto. They make a useful pistol for people with an unusual hand structure, since the stocks are so varied. They make a great weapon for shooting with a compromised grip.
Tools are tools. Know the limitations of the tool and yourself, and you have an edge. Ignore both, and you are a fool.
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