Revolvers for Defense. I like em but many dont. Why??

[22luvr]

Don't know myself....

My Uncle was a police officer and later, a bank robbery investigator for the LAPD for 30 years. The only thing he carried was the venerable Smith and Wesson Model 36 "Chief's Special" most of his career. He's happily retired and the little wheelgun saved his bacon more than once.

Good enough for him, good enough for me.

Why do I like'em?

*simplicity
*reliability
*not ammo-sensitive
*self-contained (no clips to lose)
*MT's stay in the gun until ejected by shooter, not scattered all over the place.
* lightweight, easily concealed
* can be handled and understood easily by a novice in an emergency. ("here, point this and pull trigger...")
* Can be shot virtually in any position
* Makes a good bludgeon when MT
*very difficult to take out of battery (many autoloaders can be taken out of battery with as little as 1/8" rearward slider travel!)
*most are SA/DA.....your choice of shooting effectiveness/style
*a revolver is almost universally and instantly recognized as a GUN by whomever it is leveled against, often causing an immediate cessation of hostilies and quick retreat.
*longevity- A revolver can sit dormant in a nightstand drawer for many years and be brought into immediate action with devastating results with minimal preparation.
*the hammerless variety can be fired directly from a pocket

Not only that, but they're purdy and really fun to shoot!

 

[Kentucky Rifle]

Mrstang01...

If I had to go downtown more than once a month...I'd go nuts! (Or "nuttier". Is that a word?) I have to go downtown once a month for a haircut and beard trim, and I feel like I'm going into combat. Those strange people (some wearing SUITS), those dark parking garages. <shudder> The very last time I was downtown (a week ago), a guy walked up to me and said, "Mister, can you tell me the time"? (He had on a watch and his girlfriend stood about 20 feet away and kept looking left & right, left & right...like she was checking to see if the coast was clear.) I was trapped. The elavator was taking it's time. Alarm bells were going off in my head. He had that "look". I put my hand behind me and looked into his eyes. He must have seen the, "Hey, this guy is gonna kill me PTSD fueled craziness look in my eyes because he said "thank you" and backed away".
Nope~~I ONLY go downtown when I have to. There are other barbers. But I've been going to the same guy for 27 years. He came to the HOSPITAL to cut my hair! He also came to my father in law's HOME to cut his hair after he had his heart attack. I have to be loyal to this guy. So, I put up with going downtown.

KR

 

[Diesle]

Its a nasty compromise. If you go auto you give up the reliability and simplicity. If you go revolver you give up capacity.

With a statistical 80% or greater miss rate, I think capacity is tipping the scale...

Diesle

 

[mrstang01]

Now hold on, unfortunately, when I'm at work, I'm one of those strangers in suits! I know what you mean though, I try to not wonder off the beaten path no further than I have to.

Sounds like you were being set up for sure. Last time that happened to me, uh, I mean to a friend of mine, I think he said that his coat came back and exposed his 1911, and the dude beat feet.

 

[Gmac]

KR,Sounds like things have changed for the worse since I was at Fort Knox in '68.

 

[sixgun_symphony]

I work downtown. In fact I get there by riding metro bus which can sometimes be like sitting inside the cages with the animals at the zoo.

I carry a Detective Special with a spyderco clipit knife for backup.

 

[Pendragon]

80% statistical miss rate?

Look up Bernie Goetz.

His little wheelie got the job done against 4 perps.

I am not an average person, nothing in my life fits the statistics.

 

[charleym3]

80% ?!?!?!?

With a statistical 80% or greater miss rate, I think capacity is tipping the scale

Among who? What's the source of this data?

 

[Adventurer_96]

Gary: I know what you mean, I didn't agree with this guy's implication at all but I figure it was good for a laugh. It would be a good point in a mystery/cop novel though.

 

[Gary A]

Adventurer_96, Yeah, you're right and I figured you meant it that way. I just wanted to throw in some ballast lest unfriendlies get an unbalanced picture of we gun owners by treating humor as fact. LOL, this is "The High Road", after all. No slight to you intended.

 

[Poohgyrr]

Geez.

Autoloaders and revolvers both have strong points that I want to take full advantage of if needed. I really believe training and mindset are more important than picking auto vs revolver.

One real concern to beware of is overconfidence; a reason I shoot IDPA- so I can see up close and personal just how much better I need to be. This helps to keep me honest and my head on straight.

A pet peeve: if one or two shots is all we need, then why aren't we all packing a short barreled side by side 12 ga.??? Or a .38 derringer???

 

[Adventurer_96]

None taken. I just get a kick out of so-many mall ninjas and chairborne rangers out there who come up with this stuff for these forums. Generally, there's good information and conversation around here and a few others, falfiles being one, but one must always take a grain of salt with some of these stories.

 

[Mike Irwin]

"then why aren't we all packing a short barreled side by side 12 ga.???"

If I could....

I would.

 

[BignJames]

I keep the revolver closest to the bed, then the 12ga.,then the 9mm. BTW is anybody keeping score?

 

[twoblink]

First, as twoblink WOULD say... The semi's are more evil looking and more tactical..

That said, my Ruger SP101 with 357Mag 125 Grain Jacketed Hollow Points, sat on my nightstand for 2 years as my homeD gun..

Reasons why are obvious:

Like you said; I've left 5 rounds in there for about 2 years... No worries about spring fatigue... I can keep it holstered, and if I do, I don't worry about out of battery, light strikes etc.. I pull the trigger, I hear a click... PULL the TRIGGER AGAIN!!

I have a friend (who shall remain nameless) that swears that my Ruger revolver is there for suicide purposes only, that anything short of 10 rounds of .45ACP is not for self-defense, but for suicide...

OK... someone PLEASE name me something that I couldn't kill with 125grain .357Mag that I can with a .45ACP?? Yeah, I don't think so...

Adventurer_96... That was _ME_ that said revolvers don't leave shells as forensic evidence; also if you have hardwood floors, nothing to slip on, no brass on the floor...

I can't stand it when people think capacity is a replacement for good training [Insert Jeff White's views on training here!!]

I am more fearful of a trained man with a revolver then an untrained man with a Glock 17 and 17 rounds...

There was an article in one of the gun rags that talked about the snubbie revolvers being one of the toughest weapons to pry from anybody's hands, and of course, it's got quite a bit of advantage over a Beretta; I mean if you have the old Beretta's, someone can just shank the slide off Also, I can shoot 2" groups easily with my SP101, using 38Spls... And as they are small, they feel like I'm just pointing my finger, and so are very combat accurate when shooting combat style (instinctive shooting, pointing by finger, not by sight)

There are quite a bit of advantages to revolvers as homeD... I for one am a big fan of them..

Also, if you have other family members, then a revolver takes a BIG leap forward as far as advantages...

I don't have to teach the gf, "Honey, if you pull the trigger, and you hear a click instead of a bang, Tap - Rack - then try to pull again... unless you have a class 3 jam, in which case, first remove, the magazine, then rack the slide back, check to see if there is a second bullet still in the barrel, if so, rack again, if not,insert the magazine again, then tap-rack-bang! All the while asking the perp to wait for you while you reset your grock....)

Now when I took my ex-gf shooting, she only shot the revolver... why? Aim, pull the trigger... Simple instructions... In a panic, I don't know if I will be able to perform as needed if I get a FoF with a semi...

 

[twoblink]

Ooops... Being left handed, I forgot to address the left-handed issue.

I shoot, left hand on the grip, left finger on trigger. Right hand wrapped around.. I find that I reload FASTER then most right handers... here's why.

When I'm done, I slide my right hand thumb around (as it was on the top layer, wrapped around my left hand) and I press the barrel release tab... I (with my left hand) push the barrel out from the bottom so it flops out. That leaves my left thumb in perfect position to press the rod, and eject the rounds, as I grab the revolver by the barrel, with the thumb depressing the ejector rod. This is fast, very very fast, and I free my right hand to grab a speed loader... I never transfer my gun to the right hand... I keep it all in my left hand..

Those of you who are left handed should try this... Easy as pie, and fast.