Is 6 Shots Really Enough?

[skoro]

Point is, carry whatever because the likelihood of you ever needing to defend your life in public with a firearm is ridiculously small.

I think this is the reality for the vast majority of us.

If I was a law enforcement professional, celebrity, millionaire or involved in risky business, then I'd want to be better armed. But I'm just a middle-aged guy who is inconspicuous, so my j-frame, PF-9 or P3AT will serve well enough in the extremely unlikely event that I ever need to draw one of them.

 

[Target008]

I have asked my self this question a thousand times but lets face it i am no action hero so chances are yes 6 plus one or two speed loaders should be ample to deal with almost any encounter of either the 2 or 4 legged kind. now if you are an officer of the law or a secrete agent you know the kind of person who may have incurred the wraith of a foreign government, rouge wet works team, street gang or cartel then you should carry a gun with 5 20 round mags and never be too far away from something with some more oomph.

 

[Warp]

I have asked my self this question a thousand times but lets face it i am no action hero so chances are yes 6 plus one or two speed loaders should be ample to deal with almost any encounter of either the 2 or 4 legged kind. now if you are an officer of the law or a secrete agent you know the kind of person who may have incurred the wraith of a foreign government, rouge wet works team, street gang or cartel then you should carry a gun with 5 20 round mags and never be too far away from something with some more oomph.

I rate this a D+

 

[allin]

My main ccw is a j framre 38 - 5 shot. I practice with it and feel comfortable shooting it. I actually have two a 2" and a 3". I own and shoot many revolvers and semis, 357, 38, 9mm, 45acp and 22lr, they are all excellent and enjoyable. If I believe that I am going into a really dangerous situation I take my 5 and 8 year old grandchildren. They are usually armed with a lot of caffeine no nap and a puppy. That tends to ward off most bad guys.

 

[skoro]

Noisy, hyperactive kids as a deterrent?

Never thought of that but I can sure see how it would work.

 

[PabloJ]

I have asked my self this question a thousand times but lets face it i am no action hero so chances are yes 6 plus one or two speed loaders should be ample to deal with almost any encounter of either the 2 or 4 legged kind. now if you are an officer of the law or a secrete agent you know the kind of person who may have incurred the wraith of a foreign government, rouge wet works team, street gang or cartel then you should carry a gun with 5 20 round mags and never be too far away from something with some more oomph.

In reality with six-shot revolver and two speed loaders one has just SIX shots. One high capacity and high quality modern 9mm Luger pistol is better then three six shot revolvers. Unless one is in brown bear country where very powerful handgun is needed revolver is only useful to those who live and exist in utopian environment where no handguns are needed in first place. Good example would be small town in 'Red State' where everyone knows and respects each other.

 

[YJake]

6 shots is more than enough.

Choose the platform, caliber, and practice with it. If it works for you that's all that matters.


-Jake

 

[X-Rap]

Is 6 Shots Really Enough?

NO

 

[Kleanbore]

Posted by CSG: Point is, carry whatever because the likelihood of you ever needing to defend your life in public with a firearm is ridiculously small.

Proper risk management is based on conditional probability--in this context, on what is likely to be required in the unlikely event that the need should arise.

 

[SharpsDressedMan]

Without being able to say for sure, we might be able to conclude that MOST OFTEN, six rounds or less gets the job done (based on actual shootings). The goal is to be able to PLACE six good shots. What if you had better intentions, but now you are down to your LAST six rounds. I know of an Ohio State trooper who got into a gunfight over top of the car, emptied his revolver, as the opponent emptied his gun, also, without a hit. The trooper, a distinguished shooter, could not believe that he missed, and after reloading, took one carefully aimed shot, and dropped his attacker. There is a message, and truth, in there somewhere. Take from it what you will.

 

[murf]

is six enough?

you bet it is. the most potent weapon you have is the one between your ears. if you have six shots, make them all count. it will be enough. if you have 18 shots, make them all count. don't think, "well, i have eighteen shots, so i can just 'spray and pray' them and i'll be ok". no, that doesn't work. make them all count.

if you have two shots, make them count. if one, make it count. if you have no shots ....... run!

run what ya brung (and use that brain to deal with the situation).

murf

 

[Noah]

Interesting stuff here. You mean to say that if you have one guy with a 17+1 Semi Auto, and another guy with a 6 shot wheelgun, and the guy with the semi auto just point shoots and jerks the trigger, and hits once every 4 shots, (and that's generous), and gets a total of 4 or 5 hits, and a lot of stray rounds, he isn't still twice as tactically awesome as the guy with the revolver who trained, and is familiar with his weapon and handling it under stress, and scored 4 or 5 hits with a lot less stray lead, in the same amount of time??? That's crazy talk in the 21st century.

If you are more comfortable and proficient with a revolver than a semi auto, that's well and good and I'd take you by my side any day. If you are more comfortable and proficient with a semi auto, that's well and good, and I'd take you by my side any day.

Is a guy who trains a lot and makes his shots count with a 17 shot 9mm better armed and prepared than the guy who is just as proficient (or even a little more) with his 6 shot revolver? I think undeniably yes. The semi auto has more rounds. And a 9mm/.40/.45 is more powerful than a .38. And faster combat accurate RoF than a .357.

Is a mall ninja who gets a poor sight picture and uses his RoF/Mag capacity as an excuse to shoot too many too fast better armed and prepared than a guy who hits with a revolver? Heck no. No way.

 

[vamo]

Personally I'll take being limited to 5-8 shots over having a chance (however slight) of a jam/misfeed. Honestly in most situations a civilian will ever find themselves in 2 shots is probably enough. Don't get me wrong I like my standard capacity mags as much as the next gun owner, but I'll take reliability over more shots in a defensive situation though.

 

[RealGun]

I like my revolvers but I must say that when I carry a Glock 22 (.40 S&W)(4") with a 14 round mag, I still carry a spare mag. Go figure. I guess I just like to dress up. P.s. I also carry a Kahr P40 crossdraw for the car, and that gun with its own spare mag. Mostly, in warm weather I carry my Ruger SP101 3" .357 Magnum and a speedloader in my pocket.

 

[Kleanbore]

is six enough?

you bet it is. .. if you have six shots, make them all count. it will be enough. if you have 18 shots, make them all count. ...

if you have two shots, make them count. if one, make it count.

Someone didn't spend enough time on Page 1.

Study John's link.

 

[Catpop]

GUN CONTROL is ONE SHOT ONE KILL!
I am ashamed to tell this story BUT I proved it one day while hunting in the 1970s. I was on the bulldozer when a nice young buck apeared about a hundred yards downfield. I stopped the dozer and pulled the Rem 760 out of the stabbard. I pumped 3 shots at him without even so much as a hair! I stopped as I pumped in the last round and thought to myself "you're better than this". I took careful aim and put the deer on the table.
Yes 6 rounds is enough IF YOU DO YOUR PART!

 

[Kleanbore]

GUN CONTROL is ONE SHOT ONE KILL!
I am ashamed to tell this story BUT I proved it one day while hunting in the 1970s. I was on the bulldozer when a nice young buck apeared about a hundred yards downfield. ...

The thread concerns defensive handgun shooting.

 

[PabloJ]

My daily carry is a S&W Model 19 blued with a 4" barrel, loaded with 125 grain loads, with a Glock 26 as backup.


I used to never second guess that 6 shots was enough until I started reading other opinions on the internet

Now I'm not so sure. I love my revolver and have shot so many thousands of rounds through it that it feels like an extension of my hand, something that I've never felt with higher capacity semi autos. I am confident that I can make meaningful hits with my 19 in a self defense situation. But what about if there are multiple attackers? What if I miss? What if, what if, what if?That's why I started carrying a G26 as backup, as much as I dislike the plastic little thing. But what if I don't have enough time to draw my backup? The uncertainty is maddening.

Am I just letting this (and the internet) get to my head? Should I not be concerned with my 6 shots?

No, but most guys carrying revolvers actually think speed loaders and speed strips are useful, therefore they're not limited to six shots.

 

[Catpop]

Klenebore, point well taken- this is a defensive pistol thread. I stand corrected. SO----
I carry a Ruger SP101 .357 with 5 shots. I practice weekly to be able to hit a 4 inch black circle at 25 yards. I feel the first shot is the shot that will stop the aggressive force and pervent me from receiving more incoming in my direction. (I also draw and fire at 5 and 10 yards. My first shot is ususally dead on and the remining 4 travel off in a string, but not far)
Too many times we hear of incidents where those involved expended tens to hundreds of rounds before the incident is over. This is fire cover and is best administered with firearms capible of multiple shots (18-40) in quick succession.
My other favorite gun is a 1911 with 7 shots. Its to big to CCW, but the 230 grain FMJ does wonders on almost anything I hit with it. Someone once asked me if I could hit anything the 1911. I told them "if I empty the gun and can't, I'll reload and give them the gun to see if they can".I intend to stop the threat with the first shot. I practice same 4" circle at 25 ysrds.
One shot is enough if you can hit where you aim. My other 4 are for IF I CAN NOT HIT WHERE I AIM
I hope I never have to find out if I'm right in a show down. God forbid I do not want to shoot at another human being, BUT as they said in the KARATE KID, "IF MUST FIGHT, FIGHT TO WIN"

 

[Kleanbore]

Posted by Catpop: I practice weekly to be able to hit a 4 inch black circle at 25 yards. I feel the first shot is the shot that will stop the aggressive force and pervent me from receiving more incoming in my direction.

And we have someone else who apparently skipped page 1.

 

[Catpop]

After your suggestion to reread the first page, esp. Johns reply, I still seem to be missing what you see so clearly. So please help me here, are we saying there is not a handgun made (capacity) to satisfy this question?

 

[TreeDoc]

I feel comfy with a 638 in a uncle mikes in my front pocket. I think 5 is enough. Speed of deployment and getting the first shot, I think makes up for capcity. A sticky situtation, something doesn't seem right, a bad gut feeling. Hand goes into my front pocket holding my revolver, looks natural, situtation passes take my hand off gun and out of pocket, no one is the wiser.
Last night in OKC 4 people at a well lit gas staion, were robbed at gun point while the two men were checking out a broke headlight on one of their cars. An assailent approached the 2 men asking what was wrong? and offering to help, then produced a small caliber handgun robbing the men and their wives.
This senerio doesnt really prove much of point other than a 5 shot 638 in the pocket probably could have thwarted the problem and in my veiw this is how most assalts and or roberries occur. badguy moves in close, gains edge and makes move. My spelling sucks

 

[murf]

hey kleanbore,

apparently, you don't like any opinions here other than your own. i don't agree with you or john. reread my post. six is plenty.

murf

 

[PabloJ]

hey kleanbore,

apparently, you don't like any opinions here other than your own. i don't agree with you or john. reread my post. six is plenty.

murf

From defensive gun perspective against bg six is plenty only if you are not likely to meet bad guy(s) in first place. You know in Smallville USA where everyone knows one another.

 

[Catpop]

Kleenbore, I really would like to know your position on this thread. Please reply as I think I am missing something here. Thanks, Catpop