isn't it interesting that when the chips are down

[BSA1]

Semi-automatic handguns are all the rage now days. General issue for most Law Enforcement Agencies, conceal carry and ownership by citizens for target shooting , etc... On many forums mention of revolvers is passé and the poster is something of a dinosaur.

Yet I can't help but notice how many small frame revolvers are carried as bug by Cops. When things are at their worst possible moment a officer reaches for a revolver to save his bacon. Given all of the praises for the semi-auto the officer chooses the gun that is most likely to go bang the first and every time the trigger is pulled.

Then figures released by S&W and Ruger show sales of small handguns are very strong. All of these guns are going somewhere which I suspect is where they are never meant to be seen. This is not to mention duty in a nightstand drawer for the last line (and only for some) of defense when things go bump in the night.

Not discussed much but there when you need it most.

 

[UncleEd]

At a couple of indoor ranges I frequent, a number of staff carry revolvers
openly or under a shirt.

One range has revolver Friday where the entire
staff often totes revolvers.

And I'm not talking about J-frames. I'm talking about K, L and N frames or GP 100s. And those carrying are not old fogies either.

Smith & Wesson has done itself a lot of good by having L and N frame 7 and 8 shot .357s with skeletonized barrels, round butts to cut weight so that those guns weigh the same or little more than a K frame 4-incher. And Ruger's 3-inch GP 100, I believe, is very popular.

.

 

[joem1945]

I'm a S&W fan. I've had 2 on order for close to a year, engraved 29 and a 57. I hope I'm still above ground when and if they ever get here.

 

[antiquus]

For a BUG small revolvers are the best. If you are an LEO who is struggling to keep his duty piece in the holster with one hand, having a small revolver in your offhand pocket allows you to draw with the other hand. Revolvers work perfectly one handed never needing a rack to clear a jam or misfire and are nearly impossible to disable. An auto may have a safety which can be used to disable the gun, or pushing the mag release may launch the ammo out of the gun and frequently lock the mechanism, or shooting with someone's hand on the slide is a guaranteed FTE requiring two hands to clear. Revolvers have none of these issues. Snubbies in particular only have one good place to grip and that's in your hand.

 

[Saddlebag Preacher]

I carried a snub .38 as a BUG for the same reason ^^^^^^said. I have been on the ground holding my gun IN the holster as three drunks were on me trying to get my gun. The revolver will not jam in a body contact or coat pocket shoot through situation.

I didn't have to use it by the way, but was going to.

 

[Malamute]

I think some of the "reasons" people talk themselves into about why revolvers are used are more rationalizing than valid.

Small autos arent as functionally reliable in many cases as small revolvers, it isnt simply "revolvers are more reliable and cant jam, etc, blah blah". Revolvers can fail to function for a number of reasons, they arent ordained with supernatural powers.

Main reason I prefer small revolvers over small autos in they arent as blocky for comparable power class loads. Less blocky, easier to conceal in a pocket. Smoother coming out of the pocket in many cases.

 

[Panzerschwein]

Small .380s are now replacing many of the J-frames for LE use. Sure, some still carry wheelguns of some flavor, but I predict we will see the extinction of revolvers for duty carry within the next 10 years if not sooner. Those authorized to carry revolvers are at or beyond retirement age, and the young bucks simply do not want the limited capacity and slow reload of the revolver.

 

[BSA1]

Cooldill,

Every new generation thinks they know more than the previous one. .380's have been around for bugs when I still had hair on my head.

This generation will soon learn that old cops know what they are talking about by using J-frame revolvers using for bugs.

 

[walnut1704]

It's not just revolver vs auto, it's also .38 spl Vs .380.

 

[WC145]

Small .380s are now replacing many of the J-frames for LE use. Sure, some still carry wheelguns of some flavor, but I predict we will see the extinction of revolvers for duty carry within the next 10 years if not sooner. Those authorized to carry revolvers are at or beyond retirement age, and the young bucks simply do not want the limited capacity and slow reload of the revolver.

For general off duty use? Yes, most cops are carrying autos, I'm recently retired but I've carried autos off duty the majority of the time for years. But that is not my experience where BUGs are concerned, and not what I've seen by younger officers that have anything on the ball and pay attention to their FTOs.

Small .380s are offering little, if anything, in capacity over a small frame revolver and reload speed is generally of little consequence when talking about a "get the hell off me" gun.

The thing that a small frame revolver offers a LEO (or anyone else) as a BUG is reliability and positive function under the worst conditions. They are not subject to the issue small autos suffer like limp wristing, misfeeds, being pushed out of battery, mag failure or loss, etc.. In addition, if it you pull the trigger and it doesn't go off the next try is just another trigger pull away, few if any, of the pocket size autos on the market are second strike capable.

IMO, the perfect LEO BUG would be a lightweight (13oz +/-) J frame size DAO 9mm revolver that uses moonclips. If either Ruger or S&W would come out with that gun and market it to LE as a BUG and get out there and demo how easy they are to conceal, use, and reload, they'd corner the BUG market. Historically, their 9mm revolver efforts have all been too heavy - 22oz for S&W's 940 and Ruger's SP101, 17oz for Ruger's LCP - and they don't market them well. Some people complain about moonclips but they keep your ammo contained, they eject fully and can be loaded with one hand. I have a custom 9mm scandium framed S&W 360J (13oz empty w/CT laser grips). I carried that gun as my BUG for the last 5 years of my career, still carry it regularly, and it has never let me down.

 

[USSR]

It's not just revolver vs auto, it's also .38 spl Vs .380.

+1. It's hard to take the .380 serious.

Don

 

[Barry the Bear]

It ain't just the old timers keeping it real, I'm only 22 and guess what's in my shoulder holsters or three persons holster on my hip? An n frame from in the the Holy trinity chamberings (357 mag,41 mag, and 44 mag) or a good one .45 colt in a ruger old vaquero, this is often accompanied by the Taurus model 605 or model 36 Smith in the pocket or ankle.

 

[Hondo 60]

Well, IDK, am I a dinosaur at age 55?
I reload my own & LOVE revolvers.
No bending over to find brass, it stays right in the cylinder.

And as mentioned above - they go BANG! First time, everytime.

No I don't have 27 rounds before I have to reload, but shot placement is the key, so I don't spray & pray.

 

[Anmut]

Revolvers are near perfect self defense guns - those of us that do carry everyday know that. Guys that carry on the weekends or when it's fashionable are usually the ones that pack an auto.

 

[vladamiraaron]

I love my 1969 4" SW Model 10-5. One of the best pointing and accurate firearms I've ever shot. I've also a NAA Guardian .380 acp with tritium Novaks that I pocket carry daily. It's nice and compact and as accurate as I am and has never FTF. It was a tough call compared to a 642 j frame.

 

[Barry the Bear]

I love my 1969 4" SW Model 10-5. One of the best pointing and accurate firearms I've ever shot. I've also a NAA Guardian .380 acp with tritium Novaks that I pocket carry daily. It's nice and compact and as accurate as I am and has never FTF. It was a tough call compared to a 642 j frame.

Got a pre model 10 made in about 1947 that was my father's gun, It was the most accurate gun I ever had, now it's worn down about 30 percent blue left but I think it's a great candidate for a parkerizing job.

 

[vladamiraaron]

Got a pre model 10 made in about 1947 that was my father's gun, It was the most accurate gun I ever had, now it's worn down about 30 percent blue left but I think it's a great candidate for a parkerizing job.

I genuinely enjoy every aspect of this particular machine. It really is THE form of revolver. Nothing to fuss with, just fixed sights and six shots. I prefer the patina on old revolvers.

 

[Deaf Smith]

Yet I can't help but notice how many small frame revolvers are carried as bug by Cops.

That is ONLY, if for some reason, their main weapon fails. Might be empty, might be lost, might be damaged, might have jammed... but, they do carry the semi-auto as their primary and not the other way around.

Deaf

 

[Panzerschwein]

That is ONLY, if for some reason, their main weapon fails. Might be empty, might be lost, might be damaged, might have jammed... but, they do carry the semi-auto as their primary and not the other way around.

Deaf

+1. Very true.

So really, when the chips are down, they trust their lives to autos BEFORE revolvers, and with good reason.

 

[Barry the Bear]

Yet when all else fails they choose revolvers to be the gun that saves their bacon, and let's be honest most are issued autos, most police are not given a choice, The only reason for the change over to autos was for higher capacity and quicker reloads, but for the preceding 100 years before that revolvers took care of the problems at hand and still could today. I'm not saying all police should go back to revolvers but I'm also not going to ignore the fact that if cops still carried them it wouldn't be as disadvantaged as you think

 

[bannockburn]

I have always found a S&W J frame, typically some sort of variation on the Model 38 or 49 theme, to be of great comfort whenever I'm out and about.

 

[Waveski]

"I have always found a S&W J frame, typically some sort of variation on the Model 38 or 49 theme, to be of great comfort whenever I'm out and about."

I second the motion. I am a model 60 guy , 36 on Sundays.

 

[M-Cameron]

Revolvers are near perfect self defense guns - those of us that do carry everyday know that. Guys that carry on the weekends or when it's fashionable are usually the ones that pack an auto.

i think that is a bit of a broad, and quite frankly ignorant statement.

I carry every day......i used to carry a revolver (SP101), great little gun....but then i found the Glock 17, and that has replaced the Sp101 as my EDC gun.

not only do i get 3x the capacity of the sp101......but i also have a a full sized hand gun to fight with, which means i have greater controll over the firearm, especially under recoil.....not to mention faster and easier reloads....with the proven reliability of the Glock platform......All for the same weight of the SP101.

dont get me wrong, i love revolvers, i have several, and in all honesty, i enjoy shooting them more than autos......but they are not the perfect tool for every job, and they are far from the perfect carry gun, especially now with all of the quality offerings we have available.

 

[WC145]

Revolvers are near perfect self defense guns - those of us that do carry everyday know that. Guys that carry on the weekends or when it's fashionable are usually the ones that pack an auto.

I have to agree with M-Cameron. I'm a revolver fan, particularly as a BUG, but my go to carry gun is a 1911. I have them in several sizes to fit most concealed carry needs. It is only when I can't fit a 1911, or I feel the need to add a BUG, that I turn to a revolver for carry.

 

[minutemen1776]

Semi-automatic handguns are all the rage now days.

When I read this at the top of the thread, I wondered if someone had resurrected a topic from 25 or 30 years ago.