Tips for writing revolvers in fiction.
It’s my pleasure to host the first of two posts from “Adam” of Writer’s Detective. He’s an active law enforcement detective in California, hence the quotation marks. When he’s not on duty, Adam offers advice to writers about police work on his website and Twitter handle.
He graciously accepted my invitation to talk about the handguns he uses. Watch for an upcoming post on the firearms criminals use. I think you’ll enjoy them both.
~Ben
Moon clips hold ammunition in place for insertion into revolver chambers. (Wikimedia image)
TLDR: Yes, revolvers use clips, but write them specifically as “moon clips.”
As covered previously, 99 percent of the time the right term for “detachable thing that holds ammunition” is “magazine,” not “clip.” That’s despite “clip” being used instead of “magazine” in about 99 percent of instances in fiction. It’s an easy fix – just write “mag” or “magazine” whenever you get the itch to use “clip” – but there are a few exceptions. One of those is with revolvers.
by Dana King
Nick Forte, the protagonist of my PI series, has a bit of a military background, and is old school to boot. His weapon of choice is a classic M1911 .45 caliber Automatic Colt Pistol (ACP). Nick figures, if it was a good enough sidearm to be standard issue for 74 years and five wars, it’s good enough for him. (Some U.S. troops still use the M1911.)
This guest post comes from Travis Pike. He’s a Marine veteran, a firearm instructor and a writer. The post that follows pokes a little fun at stereotypes in the gun world, but I think his satire can apply to assigning handguns to characters, too. Have fun with it!
~Ben
1. The Revolver
You’re a hipster.
Fiction, especially the thriller and crime genres, loves the pocket shot. Nothing surprises a target character like a blast from a handgun from within a jacket or pants pocket.
But how true to reality is the pocket shot? Is such a thing even possible? Continue reading
The Writer's Guide to Weapons 