7 More Reasons Why Revolvers Are Obsolete For Concealed Carry & Personal Protection

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In my recent article on why revolvers are NOT more reliable than modern semi-auto handguns, I ticked off a lot of die hard wheel gun fans.

In truth, I expected the backlash … but… this isn’t about making friends, this is about sharing hard-won info that can save your life, or the life of someone you love.

If that means I have to skull-stomp a sacred cow then so be it.

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What’s more: I said at the outset that “if you like you wheel guns, you can keep em’!”because I’m sure I’m not going to get a die hard revolver fan to give up his favorite piece. And why should he? If you like it, keep doing it … just don’t mislead others into thinking that 1800’s technology is somehow the best choice for personal protection and/or concealed carry in 2015. It’s not.

So let’s continue and talk about why Revolvers are obsolete for a self-defense fighting gun.

You Need a Fighting Gun …

One thing you’ll hear from the lefties and anti-gunners is “all guns are made for killing” — to quote Tom Givens — that is nonsense.

There are guns made for all types of things. Sporting uses, hunting, target shooting, plinking or fun shooting, as collecter pieces (Art basically) and more.

For our purposes, we’re talking about a fighting gun. You want a gun that you can carry with you on your person that is reliable, effective, concealable and made for fighting.

With THAT criteria in mind, let’s talk about why revolvers are not a good choice for most people (we’ll be focusing on the double-action revolver because nobody in their right mind would argue that a single-action revolver is an actual choice on the table)…

1. Low Capacity. Yes, I’m starting by hitting below the belt because it needs to be said. Revolvers fall way short in capacity. The common concealed carry chioce, the J-frame holds only 5 rounds. That is woefully inadequate for a fighting pistol for a number of reasons.

Consider that even untrained shooters can shoot 4 rounds per second, and you realize that a J-frame can only keep you in the fight 1.25 seconds. With the typical gunfight lasting 3 seconds … that doesn’t sound appealing.

One magazine in the Glock 19 holds 15 rounds (plus one in the chamber) giving you three times the ammunition to save your life without reloading.

Statistically, just drawing your gun will most likely cause your attacker to run away and you won’t need more than 5 shots … but … if we’re talking statistically then you could take the odds that you’ll never be in a gunfight in the first place, so why carry a gun?

2. Hard (impossible?) to reload. Revolvers are hard, to near impossible to reload under stress. As we discussed, 5 bullets may not be enough to stop your threat or get you out of trouble and you may need more. Good luck trying to reload your revolver in time though. This is the reason the “New York Reload” became so popular with the old NYPD who would carry two revolvers so when one went empty you just grabbed the backup gun and kept shooting. Again, you would need three new york reload, 5-shot revolvers to (almost) equal the capacity of one Glock 19 magazine (15+1).

(Yes, I know Jerry Miculek can shoot 6 shots reload and 6 more with a revolver in less than 3 seconds — you are not Jerry Miculek. And I’ve never heard of anyone doing it in a gunfight — that wasn’t a cop, already hidden behind a car with plenty of backup.)

3. Bad Sights. In my experience the sights on J-frames and other concealed carry revolvers are hard to aim with. It reminded me of a bead on a shotgun, just not that precise. (It’s my understanding, the Baughman ramp found on most fixed-sighted S&W revolvers was designed in the 1930s to alleviate snagging on the leather holsters of that era. Not a problem nowadays.)

Now, I am NOT one to say that Glock sights are good to go from the factory because I hate them with the passion of a thousand suns … but … I would still take the stock Glock sights over the last revolver sights I used.

Plus, in most cases you’re carrying a 2 or 3 inche barrel wheel gun (because its small and easy to carry) which reduces the sight radius, making it even harder to aim …

4. It’s Bulky. The J-Frame is considered the gold standard “pocket gun”. You can just drop it in your pocket and get on with life. The Glock 26 is almost the exact same size, but because of the revolver’s cylinder, the Glock (not a thin supermodel size gun by any means) is actually thinner. The Glock 26 holds 10+1 rounds vs the J-frame’s 5.

5. Trigger Weight. Because double-action revolvers have the trigger doing double-action (rotating the cylinder AND dropping the hammer) the trigger pull is always much longer/heavier. Lighter triggers are easier to shoot. Shooting a double-action revolver well takes a lot more work/skill/practice. Combine a bad trigger with hard to use sights and you might think having more than 5 rounds is a good idea?

6. Stout Recoil. People like J-frames because they’re easy to carry because they’re small … and … now they’re light. They kept making smaller, lighter revolvers and now there are not just steel but aluminum, scandium and even titanium frames on small revolvers. These are all so light, that when you put in a good +P .38 self defense load (or a .357 magnum …) you get a gun that kicks. Hard. Harder recoil makes a gun harder to shoot accurately, fast, under stress.

7. No good way to carry extra ammo. Along with being hard to reload fast under stress, and not carrying much ammo on the gun, even the “reloads” you can carry are not easy to use. There are five basic ways to carry reloads or additional ammunition for the revolver:

1. Loose cartridges in a pocket.
2. Cartridges in a dump pouch.
3. Speed strips that hold the ammunition in a straight line.
4. Speed loaders.
5. Moon clips.

I believe most wheelgun shooters prefer speed loaders, because it’s the one method that sucks less to reload with, but it’s still far less than ideal.

Consider that with a modern semi-auto like the Glock 19 you have three times the ammunition on board with the weapon (15 vs 5) and then if you want to reload it you can either carry 15 MORE rounds in one magazine (or you can do like me and carry a Glock 17 magazine as a backup, with 17 rounds) and the additional magazine is easier, faster, and more reliable to reload with.

In Conclusion …

Not only are revolvers not more reliable than the modern semi-auto pistol, they are just not a good choice overall as a fighting pistol.

For all the diehards out there … consider this:

In 1911, the ARMY and the rest of the military made the decision to switch to a semi-auto pistol, replacing the revolvers used in the past. This was over 100 years ago. If I told you today that tomorrow you would be sent to the Middle East with an M4 Carbine and a sidearm and you had a choice between a J-frame revolver or the M9 Beretta 9mm handgun which would you choose?

Nobody in their right mind would go into a fight with a 100+ year old design weapon with less capacity, a worse trigger, worse sights, no good way to carry reloads, etc

The decision is an easy one.

Don’t forget why you carry a gun in the first place (you might have to get into a gunfight, so you want a gun you can fight with) …

Again, revolvers are cool and all but they are a victim of the technology of their time. They are over 100+ year old technology and the world has moved on. There are much, much better choices for a fighting pistol than the 5-shot concealed carry revolver.

 

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Caleb Lee is the #1 best-selling author of "Concealed Carry 101" and founder of PreparedGunOwners.com. He is a civilian (no law enforcement or military experience) who shares information about self-defense and becoming more self-reliant. He's a 1st degree black belt in Taekwondo, NRA Certified Basic Pistol & Personal Protection Inside The Home Instructor, Concealed Carry Academy Instructor certified & also a graduate of the Rangermaster firearms instructor course. He's also the author of numerous online courses including the UndergroundAssaultRifle.com course.

104 COMMENTS

      • caleb i have shot white tail deer at over 2 hundred yards with38- 44-45 calibre revolvers i have a gsg 1911 in 22lr that carry when i feel the need….i started shooting in 1965 so i am comfortable with any thing you put into my hands…i think what you youngsters need to do is practice with every thing so that you can use any thing in a pinch…..cap and ball….flint lock and percussion muzel loaders included…ive killed dozens of deer with black powder…..one shot 90+% of the time so maybe you should practice with the old stuff to appreciate the new….

        • I like black powder guns, the 1858 Remington is my favorite, a beautiful gun, a work of art and design combined for it’s time.
          That being said a deer isn’t armed and doesn’t shoot back so it’s not a stressful situation like another person shooting at you with a much higher capacity firearm.
          How long does it take to reload a black powder revolver? Even with a pre-loaded cylinder that can be changed quickly like the 1858 Remington it takes about 10 seconds to do with much practice. By that time the gunfight is long over and the one using 157 year old technology is on the short end of the stick.
          Black powder guns are a hoot to shoot but not a viable option in a modern day gunfight.

          • i wasnt saying make b/p your primary wepon i was saying every one should at least become aqaunted with every thing they can….those of you that like aac blackout 300 should know what im saying …and for those that dont know what im talking about i will take the time to draw them a picture…. a subsonic projectile of just about any size and or weight will have a simalar rate of drop or ballistic curve the only thing that i am aware of that will make a sizeable differance in the the bullets drop energy and velocity is the ballistic coeficent of the bullet…..but for teaching/practice break out a muzel loader become proficent with it hunting squirel deer rabbit ect and then when you pick up your AR in 300 338 375 416 there will be a minimum adjustment time to shake off that high velocity state of mind and you will already have bullet drop adjusted for{bullet drop on the subs is considerable} so i think they do have a place in the line up still even after a 147 years….they also condition you for ammo reloading….but i gaurantee you if your the one that sets up the fight and the conditions of the fight you will walk away with a machine gun thats only been droped once and you can put the muzel loader away to hunt with later after the fighting is done….

    • Can someone tell me why a Glock with the “Safety ?”mounted on the trigger is considered to have any safety at all ??
      If you accidently bump or pull the trigger it goes OFF ! How is that a safety ? It seems carrying a Glock with a round in the chamber is the same as carrying a 1911 Colt 45 semi-auto, With a round in the chamber, The hammer cocked and the safety Off ! ?
      Please explain ?
      I know police departments in the past at least had a lot of problems with firing Glocks by accident when they all changed over to them from revolvers or other semi-autos.

      Thomas Buyea ranger00116@outlook.com.

      • Thomas,

        There are three internal safeties on the Glock, one of which is the trigger safety you speak of:

        https://us.glock.com/technology/safe-action

        Essentially to compare “apples to apples” the 1911 has the hammer coccked in single action mode and ready to fire — that’s why the safety has to be on. Now, it’s not called a “hammer” with the Glock but essentially the hammer (striker) is NOT cocked, it’s like “half cocked” and the first part of the trigger pull cocks it fully first then drops the “hammer”. Make sense?

        Yes, if you depress the trigger, and manage to engage the trigger safety accidentally it will fire. Just “bumping” the trigger won’t do it, you can pull on the sides of the trigger as much as you want, but unless the little plastic safety on the trigger is pressed the trigger won’t fire the gun.

        And Police have always had negligent discharges … many of the discharges with the Glock were from field stripping which requires the trigger to be pulled before disassembly. That was one of the big benefits of the SW MP that came out — that was advertised to police — no trigger pull to field strip.

        Anyways, no, Glocks aren’t perfect but perfectly safe to carry in condition one — one in the chamber — and ready to fire, just keep your finger off the trigger unless you want to shoot and the rest of the time gun is in the holster with trigger guard being covered.

    • The only semi auto I know of that shoots .44 Mag is the .44 AutoMag. IF you can find one and IF you can afford it AND the ammo.

  1. First capacity… I live on California, so you get to carry 2 more rounds that me, we have capacity restrictions.
    Next Reloading….yes if you are a semi guy and you try to reload a revolver with a speed loader you are going to be slower.. I can reload just as fast, BECAUSE I PRACTICE!!
    Bad sights… I carry a S&W Model 29 4″ barrel 44mag. My sights are as good as any..
    Trigger weight…if I have to double action, the trigger weight is high I will give you that…I like my single action and feel better if I have the time to pull the hammer.
    Bulky…a little more .,,but that Glock your talking about doesn’t have the knock down power and if I’m in a gun fight with someone and it gets to the point your having to use rounds like your talking about….that means I may have had time to find cover. I’d rather have my gun now!! I can blow through a wall the other guy is standing behind, can’t do that with those pop guns.
    Recoil…guess I’ve shot big caliber guns all my shooting life. I can handle my 44mags recoil just fine.
    Again…I carry speed loaders and California has mag load limits so you may have a couple of rounds on me…hope you are nervous when your being shot at….I’m guessing just about every civilian will be….so to the better aim under life threatening circumstances.

    You are preaching to your choir out there. U.S. Die hard wheel men could care less about your dainty rounded high capacity pop guns….time to unsubscribe

    • Kriss, I didn’t consider california. I guess you’re right — if you have that many ammo restrictions carry what you want lol!

  2. Yup, no doubt about it. However they are better than nothing. My wife carries my model 60 daily. She shoots it well enough but I have been bending her ear to switch to a pistol. She shoots my 9mm’s well, and even shoots my 1911’s and enjoys them. For purse carry any of them will do, but she complains about the extra weight, and I really don’t blame her. It will definitely take practice, practice, practice with whatever she decides on. The only problem with carrying an auto vs revolver for the inexperienced shooter is ‘smokestacking’ caused by the limp wrist. Not a problem with the revolver, but easily corrected with proper practice.

  3. As far as “standard capacity, let’s consider that the new Glock G43 carries 6+1 of 9mm. The Springfield XDs 9mm holds 7+1 (standard magazine), and the XDs .45 acp holds 5+1. Granted, and with exception with the new G43, extended magazines are available from the manufactures (discount after-market vendors). In that vein, a low capacity semi-automatic pistol has no distinct advantage over a revolver. What it does mean is that the operator has to train more with the pistol and use the ammunition that is available to him/her effectively. I would also contend the same with a large-capacity semi-automatic.

    Some folks can shoot a revolver better than a pistol. Capacity has nothing to do with accuracy; if a person can stop a threat better using a revolver over a pistol, and do so with less rounds, I say more power to them.

    An objective viewpoint regarding the pros and cons of each type of firearm would have been less contentious; one of the principles of writing is to courteous, an aspect that has been disregarded in your first (and this) article.

    • Who can shoot a revolver better than a pistol?

      Secondly, even a tiny g43 with 6+1 has … 2 more rounds than a 5 shot jframe and you can carry another magazine of 6 shots that’s easily reloadable in a fight — the same can’t be said for revolvers.

      • I’m glad you finally mentioned the G43 because you’ve been comparing a 2-3″ barreled revolver with pistols having 4+” barrels and adjustable sights like a Glock 19. I’ve carried a Glock 22 and my prized 1970 Walther PP in .380, but my best shooter is a 4″ barrel .357 S&W 6 shooter modified for moonclips. I compete against guys @ my club with 1911s and single-stack pistols, and can outshoot them and reload as fast if not faster – and if there is ever a problem, I just pull the trigger again. Don’t have to rack-slap-and hope. As to sights, what about the ‘concentrate on the front sight’ mantra? If you spend some quality time working your sights (filing, polishing and adjusting), and practice, you can get them to line up every time.

        (In Vietnam, my backup to my Remington 700 was a Ruger Blackhawk Convertible in .357 (hot handloads) because I couldn’t afford a jam.)

      • I can shoot full power 357 loads out of my LCR better than I can shoot light power 9mm loads out of a comparable single stack 9 like a PF9 (horrible trigger btw). The platforms are just different and I tend to limpwrist the auto but I can shoot the 357 loads quickly because I know how to handle its recoil. It is just what I learned on. In .22LR autos I’ve fired I tend to be off to the left or right but in a wheel gun I’m spot on – I’m not sure why. I learned on an old Security Six and worked my way up to full power 357 loads and did the same things in my LCR – my only two firearms. Ultimately, for me it was about caliber since I liked all what you could do with 357 mag / 38 spec in …

        I’m not opposed to autos but am not presently comfortable to striker fired for what others have said. I like the DA/SA I’ve handled except that first DA trigger pull is typically too long for my short fingers. Most SA guns are totally out as I’m a lefty. I have yet to handle a good DAO auto and nor do I want to fiddle with a safety.

        There are pros and cons to each platform and your boxy glock is probably a bit less concealable than a rounded wheel gun but some of that depends on the willingness of the user. I’m not disagreeing with your article Caleb (although a snub is only thicker in one small spot and the glock 19 is thicker and more angular everywhere else and way heavier loaded) In fact two lcr 38’s would roughly equal the weight of one glock 26 loaded (of course they cost more too so there I’d give the edge to glock)

        Were I to go to auto I’d really wanna go to 10mm but there’s nothing practical there. I could settle for the other rounds but I haven’t found a good slim platform I like. In the meantime I do ok with what I have and practice is cheap and what is out there is out there for a reason (like a swat team 8 shot 357 mag – good luck carrying the bulky reloads)

  4. In the days of the Old West where everyone, or almost everyone, wore a gun strapped to their hip a wheel gun
    was the way to go. But as “civilization” progressed they were no longer fashionable nor permitted in many
    cities and sates. When Auto’s became available and reliable they replace the Wheel gun for a multitude
    of reasons. Safety, rounds carried but most of all concealability of the weapon. My personal preference
    if I am outside in the woods, I will take my wheel gun and enjoy myself with its presence on my hip. If I am
    in town then the Auto is on my person and out of sight until it is needed. Both have their purpose and
    function, it is up to the individual to carry that which is most suitable to their needs at the time.

    • I agree with you. out in the country I carry a .357 or my 1911. IN TOWN I CARRY CONCEALED, A 9MM PISTOL.

  5. I started carrying in NYC in 1972, there were only snub nose revolvers that made any sense to carry due to size, “especially off duty”. Fast forward 20yrs later,. No one I knew still had a revolver, unless they were shooting silhouette targets, or steel or hunting with a 454 or a 357 and a 8 inch scoped revolver, but to carry for self defense, no way. Only as a back up gun, in 357 on the ankle . that’s about it.

  6. Semi autos for all the reasons mentioned remain valid versus revolvers, but for target, small game, etc. I still like revolvers. For self defense a lowly .410 shotgun may seem stupid but fool me, it’s plenty lethal at close range minus the big bang and recoil. A handgun takes a lot of practice to master but a shotgun is point and shoot, BANG! you’re dead !

  7. Being a diehard, I just have to answer your question “who can shoot a revolver better?” I can. Between my wife’s Sig 238 (.380) and my Taurus 85 (38 special) I am all over better with the Taurus. I struggle to stay on the paper with the Sig at 10yd. I can shoot the Taurus as fast as I can at 10yd and make a 6″ pattern every time. Probably 2 – 3 seconds, I don’t time it. And that is double action aimed fire. I need to slow down a little to do the same at 15yd but I can still do it. And it’s a 2″ barrel with fixed sights. And I don’t consider it a real high quality gun but it’s never ever malfunctioned. Ever. And I’ve put many hundreds of rounds through it, probably closing in on 1000, and it came to me used. The Sig, which was purchased new, does not have that track record, even with factory ammo.

    And as a reloader, the revolver is much easier to load for. A lead shaving on the bullet or crimp will stop the Sig cold. You’ll never even notice it on the Taurus.

    Which are only a few reasons that I’m a diehard. Carry what you hit well with. I’m not a gun fighter and hope never to be, but I really do believe one well aimed shot is going to be better than 3 misses every time. The trick, no doubt, is to focus and deliver well aimed shots under distress. And that is common no matter which version you choose.

  8. Let’s not forget the people who don’t have the money to upgrade. 5 hits in the bull means they are practicing with what they have. 5 hits out of 15 is poor. Plus you just cannot get that snick of a cartridge going into the cylinder on a auto.

  9. One more bit that I just considered – dry fire practice with the revolver is EASY. Whether you choose single or double action practice, it’s the same motion, less the recoil, as firing with live ammo – so very easy to develop good habits. With any single action auto that’s not the same at all. And the only DA auto I ever tried I absolutely hated, though I would expect that to be the same as with a revolver.

    • Excellent points, Jim. But I just bought a state lotto ticket and I expect to win, so I’ll never have to worry about the high cost of live-firing (even reloading); and I’ve decided I’m not getting any older, so the dry-firing practice isn’t ever going to show me my developing bad habits again!

  10. Bruised egos? He speaks the truth. You’re downgrading yourself, and why? Nostalgia?

    If you want to carry your wheel gun, fine. Just accept the face that you’re downgrading yourself, and practice more. And most of all, quit lying to those little old ladies that it’s easier and more reliable. The recoil sucks on even the weakest loads of a revolver compared to a comparable sized semi. Just about the only thing the wheelgun has over a semi is that it’s easier for weak hands to put rounds in a cylinder that into a magazine, but that’s remediable with a magazine load (up lulu anyone?)

    I love revolvers. I think they’re cool. But they are not better than semis, unless you need to drop a frikin BEAR.

    • Haha…Yep, we have bruised egos…Sorry to bust your bubble but we like and shoot wheel guns. I collect 1911’s I think they are cool…a lot cooler than those plastic guns you all are so proud of. I’m a lot more afraid of a #600-1200 Kodiak than I am of a human with an semi auto….I’ll carry the same gun in both instances (S&W model 29 44 mag w/4″ barrel), I’m guessing since your so proud of that semi you’d carry the same gun….good luck

      • If I was going through Bear territory it’d be a 10mm glock … as a backup to the shotgun I would daily carry with slugs, lol

        We’re talking 2 legged predators here …

        • If one was going into a combat situation then you’re correct that a revolver wouldn’t be the ideal choice, but for the typical civilian low risk encounter, they’re just fine

          2 Legged predators don’t want to see their prey produce ANY firearm and aren’t going to be less deterred in their actions towards you because you pull a revolver instead of a semi-auto.

          For the record, the majority of the time I am carrying it’s a semi-auto (usually a single stack .45) but will on occasion carry a .357 j-frame (and occasionally it’s loaded with .38spl)

          It conceals just as easy (for me) as a semi-auto and with practice reloading with a speed loader is fairly quick.

          We get you don’t like revolvers (for carry) Caleb, but that doesn’t make them obsolete, nor does it make them a poor choice.

  11. have auto’s an 2 as you call then wheel guns, Taurus 357 mag which is my wife’s but I like to shoot, we practices
    2 to the chest 1 to the head at the range.
    the other SW 38 both 6 shots,

  12. JAMS. JAMS. JAMS. I love semi autos for fun and sports but they jam. Since I’m not about to spend hours practicing quick clearance of stage 1, 2, or stage 3 jams, so that I can do it under extreme pressure, I’ll stick to my revolver for self defense.

  13. Most of what you say is right although, I have never had a casualty shooting a revolver. I can’t say that about a pistol. I’ve had a few “stove pipes” with my Ruger P-90, maybe 2 but you only need one if you are in extremis. I don’t hardly carry as I don’t get out much. My home defense? 12 Gauge shot gun, .45 ACP Carbine. The shot gun if it is just one thug, if in doubt grab he Carbine.

    Frank

    • I have 3 autos, and a .38 S&W stainless 4″ Wheel gun. I bought a Taurus stainless ‘Ranch Hand’ 20″ lever action .38/.357. That way, I can use the .38s in both weapons. I spent 17 yrs working as a Fl. Correction Officer. We carried, outside the gate, S&W .38s, and Rem. pumps. So, I’m Very Comfortable with the .38. That said, I would buy a high cap. 9mm, if the price was Right.

  14. I completely understand where you’re coming from but you aren’t talking about reliability here. Revolvers are basically the MOST reliable firearm in the market. Yes the a few flaws but that’s why in the long run I carry a revolver as a backup. Smith and Wesson model 686. Plenty of stopping power and 7 rounds, but still pretty decent to conceal.

      • Yes, you discussed your “Opinion” are reliability in your prior article, but it is your opinion and skewed by numbers you feel important to prove your point.

        The real world shooters who have extensively shot both will confirm that there are far more failures/malfunctions with a semi auto, those are true facts that no statistic’s can prove different.

        I love guns and have more semi-autos than revolvers & I do believe that a semi is a better option for most conceal carry situations and is what I usually carry, but semi-auto’s do have more problems than revolvers and the majority of shooters could tell you an exact # of failures they’ve had with a revolver while the average semi-auto shooter could probably give you a pretty good estimate.

    • By the same logic: “Just how many times or how often do you have to shoot your gun in any self defense situation?”

      If we’re playing the odds then don’t carry a gun in the first place. I’m just saying if you’re gonna carry a gun why not carry a better gun?

  15. Caleb,
    I am not necessarily a wheel gun fan although most of my pistols are revolvers, I have a 1911 I wouldn’t take a brass monkey for. That said I wouldn’t ever recommend most ladies to have an automatic as a portable, personal defense weapon. What I recommend to the average lady is a stainless steel, snub nose, .38 with +P rating. The ammo is hollow point or hydroshock in the 150 weight range. The reason for this is, for my experience, most guns are carried ad infinium in the bottom of ladies purses along with all kinds of nasty chemicals and vapors that will take its toll on blued steel. I have a daughter-in-law who carried a glock for a while, but when she did practice with it (more than most ladies do) she had function problems associated with not holding her arm stiff enough (stove pipe), etc. She now has a SS .38wheel gun and doesn’t have to wonder if she remembered to put one in the chamber after the last time she used it. Most encounters that I have known about (gas stations, ATMs, etc) the range is measured in feet or sometimes inches. That’s why concealed carry qualifications that I have seen are fired at almost laughably close ranges, that’s the real world. If some relatively inexperienced lady is going to get into some protracted 40 yard gunfight, she is probably going to loose even if she had a bazooka.

    • We can agree that most gunfights are typically “3 steps, 3 shots in 3 seconds”

      It’s funny, as a child I stovepiped with the Glock but that was because the grip was too big. With the new Gen 4’s — I don’t have that problem, ever, anymore … that’s a different article in itself. But anyways, I’d also venture to say “remember to put one in the chamber” is simple. Always keep it loaded. Guns aren’t much use if they’re unloaded.

  16. You are getting entirely TOO DEFENSIVE. By the way, a lot of the Gun Fighting Techniques of the Southwest Pistol Shooter League that Cooper was a premier member of were developed first for revolvers, then automatics. And to say revolvers are so difficult to reload, it is all a matter of TRAINING. At the Border Patrol Academy when it was at FLETC, there was a Border Patrol Instructor who could reload two rounds of .357 from his belt loop FASTER and fire, hit the bulls eye, than an Instructor could reload a magazine automatic and fire. Once again, TRAINING is the answer. I learned on Revolvers, Transitioned to Autos years ago. EACH has its uses. The major problem with Autos Is that, in the desire for more fire power, LEOs are being taught to just keep pulling the trigger until they feel the threat is gone. I was taught maybe three rounds, then take a second to re-assess the threat. A lot fewer misses, ricochets into Grandma Moses that way. By the way, over 15 years as a Federal Firearms Instructor. Been there, done that. Please, you are creating a controversy over a Dead Horse. There is no reason for that other than to “sell” your blog. Have a Nice Day.

    • Hey, thanks for chiming in …

      Sure, you could train to get better with a revolver … but … if you just started with a semi auto and trained just as much — you’d be even that much more better. Think about it 🙂

      • Already Have. 15 years as a Federal LEO Firearms Instructor. And stomping in the skull of a sacred cow sounds a like a trip into macho land. If I had my druthers, MP5 series subgun, head shots at 25 meters no problem. But a Smith and Wesson Highway Patrolman does me just fine.

  17. This comes down to another age old argument. Revolvers or semi autos. Similar to the argument of 45acp vs 9mm. Each side has their adherents and nobody is likely to change their mind. Although I did. I went from a revolver to a 1911 .45acp. I’ve never regretted it, and the three registered firearms on my California CCW are all semi autos. California is the only state that licenses the gun as opposed to the person.

    I’ve been shooting since about 1958. got my first 22 rifle then for a birthday. Spent my time in the Marines in Nam. (’66~’67).
    When I was training as a gunsmith back in the early 80’s, my mentor, a gunsmith of some renown, took a revolver and a 1911 .45 down. He held them up and said, “Throw both of these across the street as hard as you can. Let them bounce on the pavement, then do pick them up. I will guarantee you the 1911 will continue to function. I will make no guarantees as to the revolver. The cradle may have been sprung. The timing might be off. The cylinder may be misaligned.”
    Nobody is suggesting that you do this test, but the fact of the matter is that revolvers are more ‘delicate’ (for lack of a better word.), than semi autos. My experience bears that out. I’ve generally repaired about 6 times as many revolvers as I do semi autos.
    Be that as it may, to inexperienced shooters who want a weapon for home defense, I usually recommend a revolver. Why? Simple, no safety, nothing extra for the user to try to remember to activate in order to fire.
    Revolver, straight point and shoot. Much easier for a 76 year old grandma to remember than trying to remember to take the safety off. Plus reloading a revolver is much easier for them to figure out.
    Yes, I know, practice will alleviate that problem, but it will NOT make it go away entirely. And how do you get that 76 year old grandma to go to the range on a regular basis? Won’t happen.
    I’m an NRA Certified Firearms Instructor. I’ve been range officer and firearms instructor at a number of training facilities over the years. I’ve been a gunsmith since 1986. I’ve build competition guns for IPSC and USPSA.
    I’m not looking to change anybody’s mind, just throwing out information for people to consider.
    As one person said, “Even a black powder gun is better than nothing”.

    • Agreed something is better than nothing …

      Your experience proves the point — revolvers are delicate. When they jam they JAM. They don’t malfunction and get fixed with a tap, rack, bang — they wont work till brought to a gunsmith like yourself.

  18. Shooting animals has nothing to do with being shot at. Anything past 30 feet is a waste of ammo. I use .357 HP 158 grain in my Dan Wesson Revolver. I can get 3″ groups at 30 yards. I’m a Viet Nam Veteran and also a Range Officer. I see more Semi-Auto jamming than I never see a Revolver jam. You like Semi- Auto’s ? Well good for you.
    I have 2 XD’s that jammed after the round in the chamber was shot. I had to clear ever round after the first. I have a S&W .45 Auto that jams once or twice per magazine. These are new guns. I’m a retired Machinist from the old school where you had to do everything using intelligence not computers. I also run CNC machines.
    Both XD’s were repaired by Spring Field Armory. My S&W .45 is kept in the box.
    My carry guns are Dan Wesson Revolver and a Ruger Speed Six which Both guns are 40 years old and well broke in.
    I don’t trust any gun that has a lot of moving parts. To much can go wrong. The people making these guns are button pushers not Machinists. Half never check their work. I’ve worked in 18 shops, I see all kinds of crap being shipped out to customers that should be scrapped. I’ll stick to my Revolvers every time.
    You like Semi-Auto’s, I like Revolvers. You drive a Ford, I drive a Chevy and on it goes.
    You need a hundred rounds in your pocket? I keep 6 rounds in each front pocket. That’s 24 rounds.
    The best advice is to carry what you can shoot and not miss. Rather than send 18 rounds down the street looking for some where to land. Most Cops that are in shoot outs only hit a couple times. So where did the other 16 rounds land ?
    What works for me with my training and Combat experience, I truly feel plenty safe out there with my guns of choice.
    I use a Judge .45 Colt and .410 in the house for protection. I use all .410. Plus a 12 gauge behind the door.
    Hope you never get in a gun fight sir. It’s a whole new mind set when bullets are coming at you.
    Regards
    Robert

    • As a gunsmith, and a journey level machinist, I would say that your experience with autos jamming is the result of poor quality control. Most of the time, a trip to the local qualified gunsmith should fix the problem. Granted, it shouldn’t have been a problem in the first place. they should come from the factory already ‘fixed’.
      My factory autos – an Auto Ordnance 1911 and a recently acquired FMK 9mm have functioned flawlessly out of the box. The Auto Ordnance has well over 25,000 rounds through it. One failure- a factory Winchester round that had NO powder in the case. Hardly the weapon’s fault. The FMK has had no failures. Granted only around 2,500 rounds through it so far.
      Of the autos I’ve built for IPSC and USPSA shooters, I’ve had no reported failures back from the shooters. Again, many more revolvers jammed. When a revolver jams, it’s out of the fight.
      As you said, you had to clear the malfunctions on the XD’s. You can do that with a semi-auto. When the revolver jams, it’s done. And I have had that happen. Fortunately, it was on the range, so it was not a life or death matter. But the revolver was done for the day and I was not able to re-qualify with my revolver that day. Came back next month with a semi auto and had no further problems.

      You like your revolver – GREAT! I hope and pray it never lets you down

  19. Great topic. I for one have always carried a 1911 of some sort or another. 8 plus 1 is way better then any wheel gun. I know many, many people that really down play this old icon of fire arms history, but the facts of history show them to be as good as any and better then most! I used to carry a big Colt in .45 Colt handloaded to hot rifle specs and it would kill any threat I ever came across. Times have changed and now I carry a Para Ord. 1911 double stack that I converted to 10mm! its the same size as a standard 1911 and a full size glock and it holds 16 plus 1! Now I have the very best pistol one could ever need! High cap and serious stopping power in a well proven combat pistol design! Any one ever claiming the old .45 acp lacks stopping power has never worked a trauma unit. 10mm loaded to the Jeff Cooper F.B.I. specs is even better and is actually a lot better the .357 mag +p loads! Now I can not only defend my self from any threat, I can kill your BIg FORD F-350 just like the big ‘ol .45 COLT

  20. Interesting forum, and I find it hard to disagree with most writers. I have a .380 Bersa Thunder, not a powerhouse, but as reliable as rain, and the duty gun in many South American PDs. That said, my favorite (don’t laugh) gun out of 15 or so I’ve owned is my stainless 2.5 inch .357 Rossi. Loved it the minute I got it. I shoot some .38 cheapos in it, but carry with +Ps HP for protection. I’m not a big guy, nor are my hands, and I don’t care for the noise & recoil of .357 ammo, though I use it from time to time at the range.
    In summary, all I can say is “to each his own.” My next gun will be a compact S&W .45 semi; love the feel, and the way it fits my hand. “Nuf said.

  21. My Bersa .380 Thunder is as reliable as rain. My Rossi stainless 2.5 inch .357 is my fave-loved it from day one.
    I’m not a big guy, nor are my hands, so I’m good with these two guys.
    That said, my next will be a S&W compact .45; fits my hand like a glove; love that gun.
    Stuck here in Califexico, I’m limited to capacity anyway. When I lived in Idaho, no problemo. Shoulda stayed there, but family calls, etc. etc. Great forum, and hard to disagree with most of it.

  22. To comment on your reasons to carry a auto loader and not a revolver, I agree the auto loader
    will take more abuse than a revolver but they have such different disciplines regarding each.
    I am 2-0 for deputy involved shootings. Each time I carried a 4 inch model 19 S&W and 3
    speed loaders plus my model 60 in my hip pocket. County policy was not changed until just before I quit so you can guess how long ago this was. Each incident did not require a reload and was over in under 4 seconds. I did achieve Distinguished Expert rating while in the academy and have a strong feeling that is why I am around today to write this letter. I had purchased a S&W model 39 but
    left before they were released for duty. I am 62 now and the only advice I can offer is to practice
    practice, practice, then practice more. Those 2 shootings happened so fast I did not have time to
    think. I have shot firearms since the age of 12 so I had lots of practice pulling a trigger. If you like
    Wheel guns then get out and practice speed loader or full moon clip changes. Auto people
    practice your mag changes plus those pesky little stovepipe drills. I have always loved revolvers
    For their beauty and mechanical function, but when it’s time to get to work give me an auto loader.
    Guns can’t shoot themselves anymore than pianos can play themselves so get your butt out there
    and practice. If you do get into an armed confrontation your body and mind will go into automatic
    mode, besides all the other neat things that happen, time will warp, your short term memory changes
    Your vision changes to tunnel vision and you need to constantly scan your area for more perpetrators.
    Check your cover, try to see what is behind your adversary and be damned sure they are armed and not carrying just something that looks like a gun, walking stick, phones,even large key rings can be mistaken. Remember the more you practice, the better you will be. The better you are =better shot placement, shorter action time, LESS LAWSUITS!!! You auto guys and girls might try only
    Loading 2 rounds into each mag then slow down a little since you only have 2. Rnds. This will help on the initial shots fired and also facilitate mag changes . Work your way up in round numbers only when you are satisfied with your accuracy and speed. Concentrate more on accuracy, the speed will improve
    by itself.
    Best of luck All professional law enforcement and military DON’T FORGET TO LOOK UP and check your corners, God Bless You All. God Bless America

  23. Hears something to make you think! I spent over 24 years in a level 1 trauma unit and we had more then our share of gun shot victims come through.Some survived, Most did not! One Trauma victim I remember quite vividly was a 43 year old man of over 400 lbs, came in having been shot by a 19 year old kid who the victim had tried to rob! He had shot that kid twice with a 9 mm, once in the upper left chest and the other in the lower left arm ( just a grazing wound) That kid , having been shot, reached under the counter and retrieved a .357 mag loaded with 6 rounds of 147 grain +p jacketed hollow points and fired 5 of the six into the big mans upper back (4 between the shoulder blades and one just below the others, and to the right of the spine! Round number 6 went high and impacted the back of the skull just above the brain stem! Bad guy keeps running out of the store, gets into his car and drives 9 blocks before the extent of his wounds did him in! What amazed me most of all, the 19 year old kid was able to get to his revolver and fire off six shots at a moving target, and he did it having been under extreme mental and physical stress! Bad guy suffered 6 fatal gun shots! we may never know which one of the 6 did the trick, but it took at least 5 minutes for the combined effects to catch up with him! KId lost the use of his left arm but survived! I have seen the effects of every caliber pistol out there, and while I wouldn’t want to get hit by any of them, the one that consistently performed every single time was the big old trusty .45 acp in 230 grain ball! That round does just as much, if not more damage to a human being then just about all the others! The big magnums don’t always work quite as well as every one would like to think, speed and mass cause problems like “ice picking” that the common .556 “green tip” ammo is famous for! That being said, I used my trauma experience when I was forced to reconsider what I carry. The 10 mm round when loaded to full power with a 200 grain solid hard cast lead bullet performs better then the legendary .357 mag, and what it does for tissue damage is unbeatable! I have yet to see a gun shot victim survive a hit from that round ( when hitting vitals) and it even out performs my old favorite, the .45 auto! I have experienced a lot in my years on the Trauma unit, and the one round I see people surviving most of the time is the 9 mm luger! it all comes down to shot placement, and it also has every thing to do with bullet type! Shot gun blast, fua ged abo it!!!! Even bird shot at point blank range is really bad for your health, and will stop a threat pretty darn quick! for you anti wheel gun folks, re read the above!

    • Brings to mind another experience I had while training snipers in Israel back in the early 70’s. I was approached by several Israeli soldiers and asked if I could get them some 1911 – 45’s. Seems their little 9mm weren’t stopping the Arab terrorists they were facing.
      Did some ‘trading’ and got them a half dozen .45’s. It was all legal and done through the State Dept. The IDF soldiers loved them. I was pretty popular for the rest of my stay in Israel.

  24. The opening line abut “sharing hard won information” is belied by the fact that you had a jam in your Glock as a child. You are not old enough to claim hard won information.

    Revolvers do not jam. They do break, and infrequently. Semi-autos can jam, stovepipe, double feed, and break. Comparing a broken revolver to a semi-auto jam is the sort of thing one expects to hear from a leftist trying to prove their point of view. This is the definition of PROPAGANDA. Your goal is to stir thing up for your blog site, as one other commenter stated. You do not have facts, and only have youthful inexperience along with youthful opinions. Please stop confusing facts with your personal opinions.

    These are different guns, and they have different uses. The revolver on the nightstand is 99.99% reliable with most any commercial ammo that fits it, and most anyone can pick one up and make it work. That cannot be said of a semi-auto. Even the Glock will fail to feed if fired by a small statured person (my wife for example) and especially if limp wristed. Anyone who has been in a real life or death situation can tell you once the adrenalin starts pumping it is very hard to remember even basic gun operation. In such situations a manual safety can be overlooked when there is no time to fail. The revolver with its simple operation fills the bill for many.

    Yes, the revolver has a fat cylinder, and is limited in capacity to 5, 6 ,7 or 8 rounds depending on one’s choice. California has a 10 round magazine limit. It is not the only state that has mag limits, Several other states have similar limits. Revolvers are more difficult to conceal. But a great number of self defense scenarios happen in the home where concealment is not a factor. And in that case my preference is for the 6-1/2″ S&W 610 with choice of 40 S&W loads, or full house 10mm rounds. The sight radius on that gun beats all but a few rare semi-auto pistols hands down.

    Some people just don’t have the hand strength to operate a semi-auto’s slide.

    How to you justify comparing recoil of a J frame S&W to any nameless semi-auto? Yes the J frame will kick hard with powerful loads. So will any small semi-auto with loads approaching 357 power. There is a small amount of cushioning by the action of the slide, but the major factors in recoil are gun size and weight versus bullet weight and velocity. Consult Isaac Newton on this matter.

    An old design does not make it obsolete. How old do you think the wheelbarrow is? Is it obsolete? Recoil operated semi-autos are over 100 years old. Do we have to abandon that design because gas operated designs are newer? The adage KISS applies! There is no need to abandon revolvers just because some kid has decided they are “too old”.

    I know you will not publish this. I have grown tired of your diatribes and immature writings justifying personal opinions over facts. So I will be blocking further mailings from you. Again, not just because of revolvers over semi-autos, but all your articles smack of lack of experience, and worse, lack of facts!

    • The facts are that most semi-autos “malfunction” if something goes wrong, meaning a quick tap/rack/bang will fix the problem.
      Most revolvers, if there is a problem, will “jam” meaning you can not fix them in a fight. You need tools and serious time to fix them.

      Again, I am young thank you, but it does not take 40 years of experience to see that there is a reason the every branch of the military and all forms of law enforcement have stopped using revolvers.

      And yes, since the 2nd century tractors and other forms of moving dirt around were invented to replace the manual labor of the wheelbarrow. Don’t really get your points.

  25. I have always seen and heard much controversy about the pros and cons of autos versus revolvers. The obvious in each is the preference of the person to one or the other. Always there are good points, some irrelevant, and some just plain stupid. Much is always mentioned about training, and practice. It doesn’t matter which weapon one has chosen. The only thing that does matter is a lot of practice with what is chosen. Now, on to some facts.

    Never have I seen anyone mention the FBI survey called ‘Hits and Misses’. Two ten year surveys were made when any person, LEO, citizen, or business person, had to use a firearm in some emergency situation, the following facts were found:

    1. In every case the weapon had to be in hand fast. No matter it in a holster, in an end table drawer, in a pocket or purse, or anywhere, it had to be in hand very fast.

    2. It was always ‘draw and fire’ immediately at the target.

    3. The ‘gunfight’ only lasted for less than three seconds, and took place all within six yards. (A mere 18 feet.)

    4. In 97% of the cases there was an 83% complete miss of all rounds fired.

    5. In cases of the average person, over half the time their own weapon was taken and used against them. Stop and think about this last one here. This situation is the case of a professional versus an amateur. The bad guy learns to be a Pro by virtue of what he does in his criminal life. The ‘average’ person is the amateur. Now, it is very rare for any amateur to fair well against any Pro in anything. It is that old saying of “like taking candy from a baby”.

    So, with Pro versus amateur, how much practice does it take for an amateur to become a Pro?
    In my experience of my Pro years in shooting, I had to fire every day of the week! In competition I always felt sorry for the people I competed against as they could only afford the time or money to fire a couple of times each month, or, at best, once each week. To keep a proper practice in perspective, one must consider the person that wrote a book many years back called “No Second Place Winner”. That person was Bill Jordan.

    For those that do not know, or remember Bill, he was the Retired Chief Inspector of the U. S. Border Patrol. He was the same man who designed the modern police holsters called the
    Border holster, and the River holster. The Border holster was for the brush country along our
    borders and had a holster enclosed trigger guard to keep brush from getting stuck behind the trigger. The River holster had an open trigger guard on the holster since the river areas along the border were open areas. Bill was also the same man that gave many demonstrations of shooting combat style. He could draw from under his coat, fire, and pulverize an aspirin tablet at 50 feet in twenty-sevenths (.27) hundredths of a second. He even had mentioned that where the gunman’s crouch did present somewhat smaller of a target, why present yourself to be any kind of a target at all. Just be fast, and accurate! One picture in his book shows where he has drawn his revolver from under his suit coat, has fired, and his coat tail still hasn’t yet fallen.

    People never read his small book. It is in almost every library, and isn’t more than about a half inch thick. It stresses speed and accuracy with his dry humor of some cases for examples. And, even though was written back in the mid-60’s is still 100% on target for what we must know today.

    Now, also from my experience in gunsmithing, and shooting, the number of failures/ stoppages of an automatic pistol far exceed the number of failures/ stoppages of the revolver. As to the reloading speed of an auto versus a revolver, it still depends upon the amount of practice. A person with an automatic pistol that doesn’t practice this a tremendous amount can end up being less speedy that one with a speed loader and practice with the revolver. My personal preference on speed loaders is the Safariland speed loader. One does not need to twist a button to drop the rounds into the cylinder. Merely line up the rounds and press down on the loader very slightly. The rounds will drop automatically. The rounds are held tightly in the loader with no wobble as found in the speed loaders that one must ‘wobble’ around a bit to line up the rounds before twisting the release knob. I have loaded my S&W, Mod. 19, 2 1/2″ barrel much faster with these than with any others. In a demonstration at one of my PD training classes where we were to fire six rounds at a 3 yard target from a holstered weapon in twelve seconds,
    I fired six, loaded another six, fired them, and loaded another six and fired in just over eleven seconds. All were center mass hits on my target. All eighteen rounds. Practice, Practice, Practice, and Practice more!

    About the expense of that practice, that most can’t afford either the time, or money. I can’t either.
    Instead, I use the indoor, plastic, practice ammunition. My only expense is to buy those rounds first, then my only expense thereafter are boxes of small pistol primers. The plastic rounds are non-lethal, but can put a bad welt on someone, might even break the skin, and might even break a window of glass if close. They do no harm to my old army duffel bag stuffed tightly with old rags, and hanging from the wood ceiling supports upon which I pin my target. My target?
    Just a sheet of typing paper to start. (When starting to learn accuracy.) When I got good enough to hit that paper every time, I folded it in half. Again, when good enough, I folded it in half again.
    In my shooting at 15 feet from behind the line, I get to hit this quarter page every time, I am then good enough to hit a center mass target of a person every time.

    You might think that I would also need to practice at a greater range. Say, maybe 25 feet, 50 feet, 75 feet, and even more, but WHY? We are speaking here of an emergency need to act, and this will always be just a few feet. Any time a person is at more than six to ten yards you have time to dive for cover, and take more time for your shot(s). (Groups of two or three only.) If you are so poor a shot that you cannot hit your target accurately with two or three in any situation, you should not even carry a weapon on your person until you are that good. Use tear gas or a stun gun instead.

    So, after all of this, what difference does it make which firearm you carry? A person who brags about how good he is probably isn’t one that should even have a firearm for protection. He will only get himself in trouble, or dead. If you own a top of the line brand firearm, it most likely will be dependable in an emergency. If it is kept clean, and is constantly checked for problems, it will be what you can depend upon. Where the semi-auto pistols do malfunction much more that a good revolver, even those failures are rare if it is a top of the line brand firearm, and you take care of it. Just practice, and learn to be fast and accurate.

    (Former associate with Maj. Geo. Nonte. Firearms testing, evaluations firm, and authoring of many books on firearms.)

  26. this thread is surely just about done, but more than once here we’ve seen references to guns for little old ladies.
    My mother qualifies. Little interest in training, little hand strength. She’s got a little .380 that is too complex for her and she can barely work the slide. So why does she have it? She has about zero ability to defend herself any other way.
    If she’d asked me I would have pointed her to a .38 snub nose. But she didn’t.
    Later I saw her shoot my .38. She thought the recoil was pretty severe. Surprised me because I always thought it was pretty mild. So while I still think it would be better than the auto she can’t operate well, I’ve since speculated that a small revolver in .32 might be just the ticket. I’ve never fired one. Not sure I’ve seen one in person.
    What do you all think? Apart from ammo availability – face it, this gun wouldn’t go through a lot of ammo. Just needs to be there & ready & reliable.
    Thanks.

    • @Jim that’s a tough one right? My mom’s in the same boat, arthritis, weak hands, etc

      It’s somethign I’m going to examine in the future. My first thoughts are that if .380 is generally underpowered, then .32 is moreso. My second thoughts are that the whole slide not being able to rack, etc can be overcome with more specialized training (i.e. showing how to use the body with the dominant hand to move the FRAME while the other hand holds the slide, etc)

      Then with a semi auto — more rounds on board, and if it’s kept locked and loaded like a self defense gun should — just pull the trigger.

      I’m not sure yet, but this is a topic that’s definitely worth exploring. When I think of how hard a time a lot of older women have with racking slides do to HAND STRENGTH issues — then I also think — there’s no way I want them relying on a double action revolver trigger — Trigger pull is the most important part of hitting what you’re aiming at — so I’d rather have them struggle with racking a slide in the comfort of the home, loading it before putting it in the holster … then not even be able to hit the effing bad guy in the first place.

      At this point, I’m just typing my thoughts out loud and I’m going to explore this in future article(s)

  27. Agreed on all that, except the .32 can be fired single action by cocking the hammer, which is easy compared to working a slide. You are correct that Mom is not a fan of double action.
    Power not withstanding, I believe there was a time when the .32 was fairly common with folks who wanted a practical concealed piece. At least in the eastern U.S. I believe this to be the case, and even for police carry. Maybe even a few professionals who found them small and therefore quick? Either mcGivern or Keith wrote of using something like that in your weak hand while keeping your opponents attention on your strong hand prior to ‘the draw. ‘

  28. My first handgun purchased for home defines was a Ruger GP100 .357 mag. I take into the wild country for backup. It sits mostly in its case. For CC I have a Walther PPK/S .380 and for open carry a Walther P99QA .40 cal. Enough for me.

  29. Well written article and agree especially with the threats today. However carrying a small well made revolver as a backup is not a bad thing to have to go along with your semi-automatic which is what I do.

  30. Although I don’t consider a J Frame a combat weapon either (GSG9 might differ) there are people who have won fights against multiple opponents with them. The L frame and K-frame .357s and their Ruger and Colt counterparts are fighting handguns. When I was a young cop we qualified at 50yards double action with our terrible fixed sight 681 Smiths. If you can’t shoot just as well with a double action trigger pull at typical combat ranges you just need more trigger time. It’s the man, not the gun.

  31. When I’m out and about running errands, etc, I pack a 1911 officers model. It’s the most reliable auto I’ve seen/owned. It’s easy to conceal, and is a series 90 (7 +1 shot)

    BUT, when I’m riding the bike (HD), I pack a ladysmith .357. Reason? I’ve had it for 20 years. It shoots a god-awful .357 load that will stop a car engine or shoot through a car body if need be. And it DOESN’T fail, ever. Cleaning is easier, straight forward and fast. AND, When I’m bumming around in the back country, I pack a 4″ 629. Reason? All the above, plus the terminal ballistics of a howitzer. Common thread on these is they’re both stainless, both shoot magnum loads, and both S&W. Not one failure in either of these weapons since purchase, YEARS ago. And I must say, the 629 has not had an easy life. Dropped in mud, and washed in the creek a time or to.

    Auto’s are great, don’t get me wrong, but there are times when conditions move them to 2nd best.

  32. “Nobody in their right mind would go into a fight with a 100+ year old design weapon….”
    I’ll choose my 100+ year old design Sig Sauer 1911 45ACP over your
    puny Glock 9mm any day!

  33. Why do you need a rear site on a subby the sight radius is zero. Try the art of Point and shoot( Your preferia vision will pick up th front sight and barrel Eyes straight and train looking down Bubble at the same time With both eyes open ethen squint your No Dominate and tilt right or left with a weaver stance ! Bad advice way to many So called experts on the FAilable WWW Internet world where scammers lurk the easy money schemes.in fear mongering there boys.

    I wonder if S&W’s Jerry M reads these blogs ?

    Apparently this dude does not know any thing about fast draw SA Shooting bring out your fav Semi Auto any time.to NV, Conflicts will;begin at about 5 yards Think 21 foot rule Knife or Gun a short barrle snubby will work Any Gun will do and that is a true statement especially in a parctice range reality. Have you ever been out to Frontsight ? most of the wannabe Instructors have. I keep a DA SA S&W wheel gun by my bed and i use the best ammo misfire 1 out of 1000 rounds Federal or Hornady ammo in JHP 38 or 357. I would never keep on round in the chamber by my bed never. SA you will always do a chamber check and Mag Check try it out of a sound sleep,without doing it ,if you are pointing in the dark,you may be Hitting a loved one, who is waking you up out of a sound sleep. if you have no Combat or Any Self defense shoot experience then Try IDPA and steel action and then get into three gun tactical with Airsoft. I use to compete in Actual Swat Comsp wax Bullets backed up with low Powder charged Shells with Pistol and rifle barrels dedicated pistol rifle barrels for it ! But Air soft is now the choice due to the expense of reloading and time factor Any Rilfe or Hand gun will do its is called dedicated muscle memory Practice !

  34. Another thing websites I hate Crowdsourcing Advertisements On the sidebars and Inbetween Comments Sections and article Sentences. especially distasteful Hollywood crap! that is totally Irrelevant ! Think $ signs !!!!!!!!!!! Way To much Brain hardening info out tyhere !

  35. I prefer a revolver for home defense due to not having to worry if I limp wrist it having being woken up in the middle of the night half asleep. I practice with both the revolvers and the semi’s and can shoot both accurately. I have seen cases where even your better quality semi’s have jammed when someone is under stress concerning a violent situation. I honestly feel its how often you practice and what you feel the most confident shooting. Then again most people do not train themselves to effectively react in a dangerous situation. One of the biggest enemies is yourself if you do not train yourself to react under the adrenaline and other natural factors working against you in a life of death situation.

  36. I own revolvers and semi autos. My revolvers have never jammed!!! I have put several thousand rounds through my S&W 629 with zero malfunctions! My Colt detectives special never fails me either and is very accurate for a short barrel. Both my glocks and my XD along with my 1911’s have stove piped numerous times with every ammo available. So I will disagree with your reliability ideology of semi autos! With semi autos I know that the first round will fire, but i am never positive the next rounds will. Modern revolvers are just as good as modern semi autos! To say different is just plain arrogance! And your explanation of trigger pull is merely an opinion of yours. Did you forget about adrenaline? This makes trigger pull quite easy to shoot the effing bad guy. I am sorry but I do not buy into your theory. Shoot what you are comfortable with and trust! The only advantage to a semi auto is the 4 extra rounds and the ease of reloading, if it does not stove pipe.

  37. A light weight Commander in 45 w/crimson trace laser, cross draw holster (disabled and in a power wheelchair) and a couple of spare mags – this is more than enough to give a night crawler pause

  38. “Do you want yer rifle?”
    “Nope….Ive kilt many a sassy bandit with my revolver!”

    Gus from a scene in “Lonesome Dove” Gus is referring to his then outdated Colt Dragoon as “Blue Duck”
    the serial killer renegade approaches Gus’s camp.

    Gentleman, whatever you carry….know your gun.
    Mike Cop and Viet vet

  39. I have shot both semi-autos & revolvers for years. With my Taurus 66 .357, I shoot 92% accuracy at 15 yards, with Ruger Mark 2 .22, 97% accuracy. With my Ruger SuperRedhawk .44mag., I shoot 90% accuracy, but with the Glock 17 9mm. the best I can hope for is about 75% accuracy. With the Taurus PT92 9mm. I was even worse at about 60% accuracy. So do I want to waste all those extra rounds or just make sure each round counts by hitting my target the first time ?

  40. Caleb at 71 years old, I have been interested in firearms since about the age of 6 years old. I don’t know what what started my interest, but it has never stopped. Over the years between reading reading Keith, Askins, Jordan, and others, and personal experience, gun control is the most important thing about self defense. Gun control is hitting your target with with every pull of the trigger. If you have the nerves to stand up and face your opponent and take aim, the first hit usually stops the fight. That being said taking aim in combat conditions, usually around 20 feet you have to be capable of point shooting. practice this until you can keep a 3 inch group at 20 feet and then work on your speed. Look up Ed McGivern, and see if you can find any pictures of him shooting.

  41. The best gun for carry either concealed or open is the gun that: 1) You can afford to purchase, 2) you are comfortable with, and 3) you are reasonable proficient with.

  42. I keep an old fashioned 4″ .38 holstered on the bed, and an 18″870 in the room. When I’m out and about, there’s either a .380 P3AT or ruger LC9s in my pocket as warm weather here in FL favors pocket carry with no cover garments. Both come along with large cap mag.s in the off pocket.

  43. Let’s get back to what the point really is, what weapon is easier to CONCEAL.
    Wheel guns are usually more difficult to conceal because of the WHEEL.
    Gun fights will be with a humans not a bears so the ammo size is not the
    number one concern , accuracy is. If you need to reload, no matter
    which gun you have with you, you’re in trouble because your’re a poor shot
    and need to practice, practice, practice.
    Most likely you’re going to be in a situation with some low life dirt-bag who
    who has NO skills firing a weapon.
    has no skills handling a firearm.

  44. This has all been very informative & thought provoking. I pronounce revolvers the winner. :). Enough already!

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  51. The low capacity is the best argument. I absolutely hate the cliche, “You only need one bullet if you place it right”.

    That’s just egotistical, chest puffing nonsense from internet tough guys who have probably never even been in a fist fight in their lives. I don’t care if you can bullseye a shot consistently at your range. In a confrontation or ambush – armed or unarmed – is different. Your adrenaline is pumping, you don’t have time to think things out, you are ****ing in your pants.

    Practice makes perfect — and you should practice so no arguments there.

    But practice, and life-and-death situations are night and day. That’s why we see so many dash cam footage of trained law enforcement in a shoot out during a routine traffic stop where no one gets hit because they are scattering the shots all over due to the adrenaline dump and a lot of the training goes out the window.

    Natural instincts kicks in faster than a trained response. Go to Youtube and search Tony Blauer – Flinch and 1st two seconds in a fight.

  52. I’ve never carry a gun for self defense ’cause I’m russian and it’s forbiggen here.
    But you allways compare glock 19 and J-frame revolver. With more powerful ammo revolver is easy to conseal, so using a gun will be more unpredictable for the criminal what is tactically better. If you against several armed people doesn’t matter how ammo you have, you just couldn’t use it.
    It should carriyng what easier to conseal and further use. Glock is not bad, but have all wellknown disadvantages

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