We are all products of our experiences, or the experiences of the folks we respect/value. I did not get “Kilt In Da Streetz,” in the Eighties, when revolvers were my standard carry, while on street patrol, and during personal time. (Houston, Texas, an oil boom town, during a time when the rest of the USA was in recession, so, an INTERESTING TIME, in an interesting place!) I do, VERY MUCH, remember the morning I arrived at home, after a night of street patrol duty, unholstered my S&W Model 58 handgun, and heard its broken mainspring rattling about, inside the grip frame. So, I remain comfortable with revolvers, as carry guns, and, am MOST comfortable when carrying a second gun.
That second gun could be helpful, if six shots were to prove to not be enough, but, importantly, the second gun, if carried, is THERE, not somewhere else,
I know what is it like to be shooting a “qual,” in 1991, when the front sight of my pistol flew away from the slide. Again, this is not something that could be resolved, on the spot, in a real-world shooting incident, if a second gun were not present. (Actually, my Colt Commander fit my hands so well, I finished that qual, with a passing score, out to 25 yards, by “natural pointing,” looking over the slide, rather than through the sight “picture.” I had my S&W Model 60 snub-gun with me, of course, to complete my duty shift with at least one weapon that had sights*. Lesson: Carry guns that point well, in our hands, and with which we have trained, extensively. “Pointability,” and Familiarity, are so very important. A second, more important lesson is that parts, in general, can break, or otherwise fail. In the Eighties, it was a mainspring. In 1991, it happened to be a front sight.
Details on the two handguns: my S&W Model 58 had been manufactured in 1974 or 1975, in a run made for Antonio PD. The breakage happened in the 1986 to 1989 time frame. The Colt Commander was a new one, made only a year or so before the sight went flying. Of course, Colt front sights were not dovetail-mounted, in those days, but peened into place, so, the amount of metal involved in the failure point may have been quite small.
Yes, of course, a Glock, for example, with ten to seventeen rounds on board, offers the probability of more continuity of fire, than would a revolver. I am not arguing against Glocks, in particular, or against autos, in general, or, against double-column-mag pistol systems. I have some Glocks. I am about to drive into Uptown, and may well carry a G17 as my second gun.
Up-gun, when going into Uptown.
To be clear, I do not ALWAYS carry two guns, but, it is Continuity of Fire that matters, more than the in-gun ammo capacity, in and of itself.
*It was a night-time qual, but, the targets were illuminated. Finishing my shift, on the streets, I could have found myself having to illuminate an opponent with my hand-held light, and would have appreciated having a handgun with front AND rear sights.
