Revolvers still have their place?
- Thread starter marb4
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The Man With No Name
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I've become a big fan of the LCR myself. I owned and tried to like a Glock 26 really hard. It would have been nice especially since my duty weapon is a Glock 17 so I could just carry one of my duty mags as a reload in my back pocket when needed. At the end of the day my very heavy (at the time) Taurus 85 was just the more accurate and concealable gun still. Now that I have the Ruger LCR it isn't even a contest. A revolver is for many a personal preference. Personally I'd choose a single action revolver in 45 Long Colt with atleast 2 reloads worth of ammo over my Glock 17 with 2 spare mags any day and in any situation.
marb4 said:
My S&W 642 is one of three weapons I carry on a regular basis. The other two are compact semiautos. Which one I carry on any given day depends on how I'm dressed. But for some reason, I feel most confident with the 642. Maybe it's the "5 for sure" aspect.
Absolutely! I'm a long time auto only guy who recently picked up a couple of revolvers in successive weeks. They're a blast and quite flexible to hand load, they're accurate, they're easy to shoot in large calibers, they're easy to keep your shells from flying all over. Everyone should have a really nice selection of revolvers and I am just starting.
I plan on carrying my 6.5" model 29 in my Bianchi X15 cross draw shoulder rig in the winter months.
I plan on carrying my 6.5" model 29 in my Bianchi X15 cross draw shoulder rig in the winter months.
FireInCairo
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I tend to agree with the original poster's sentiment, but for one exception: The Ruger LCR is beauty of a pocket gun. Very lightweight, it's pretty unobtrusive in the pocket, and handles nicely with great accuracy for such a short barrel.
The design of the hogue grip is fantastic, too. It adds to the accuracy, comfort with recoil, and conceal-ability. Additionally, revolvers are very reliable.
And really, are semi-autos that are tiny comfortable to shoot? I suppose you could spend a lot of time training with one to get comfortable and develop accuracy with one. I would just as soon get the LCR and be done with it.
The design of the hogue grip is fantastic, too. It adds to the accuracy, comfort with recoil, and conceal-ability. Additionally, revolvers are very reliable.
And really, are semi-autos that are tiny comfortable to shoot? I suppose you could spend a lot of time training with one to get comfortable and develop accuracy with one. I would just as soon get the LCR and be done with it.
Mr.357Sig
Member
I love carrying my Model 38 Airweight. It's so light compared to carrying my full-size 1911 with two extra mags. I carry two reloads in speed strips for the M38.
My next wheel gun will be a Ruger LCR 357. I like having the option of shooting 38/357 and I'm a fan of the extra beefiness of the 357 model as compared to the 38.
Revolvers most certainly have a future in my life and will always remain in the CC rotation.
My next wheel gun will be a Ruger LCR 357. I like having the option of shooting 38/357 and I'm a fan of the extra beefiness of the 357 model as compared to the 38.
Revolvers most certainly have a future in my life and will always remain in the CC rotation.
Hondo 60
Member
I carry a S&W Model 38.
It's an airweight, yet comfortable to shoot.
I also have an SP101, but it's too heavy.
Even with (or on) a belt it drags my pants down.
(and that ain't a pretty sight)
Also have a very light weight 9mm.
That just hurts to shoot.
I'd want a heavier gun to help absorb recoil.
And then we right back to the pants thing.
I'm a good enough shot, that I feel pretty comfortable carrying 5 rounds.
It's an airweight, yet comfortable to shoot.
I also have an SP101, but it's too heavy.
Even with (or on) a belt it drags my pants down.
(and that ain't a pretty sight)
Also have a very light weight 9mm.
That just hurts to shoot.
I'd want a heavier gun to help absorb recoil.
And then we right back to the pants thing.
I'm a good enough shot, that I feel pretty comfortable carrying 5 rounds.
sidheshooter
Member
The revolver seems to have settled comfortably within it's niche as a concealed carry weapon. As an owner of many fine K-Frames, it pains me to say this: the service revolver has been totally supplanted by the service auto. This, for all sorts of reasons that we can all name.
But bring the tool out of the service arena and into the citizen CCW or LEO OD/BUG role, and the poles shift: the airweight J-frame, and the guns that orbit around it (e.g. LCR, SP101, S&W's own 640) strike the perfect balance between weight, size, power and ergonomics.
I've had/shot classes with several small .380s (sig p238, Kahr, Bersa) and they all fall just under the line where they can be run hard, IMHO. Take a J snub to a shooting event or class with moving targets, mandatory reloads, and any sort of reactive shooting under stress, and you are not going to like it... but it can sort of be done.
I've tried robotic targets with the Sig (probably the most ergonomic shooter of the current crop of micros) and I was in hell.
Add in reliability and proven defense loads, and the small wheelies look pretty good.
The guns closer to the J's envelope, like the pm9 or lc9 feel like hand grenades, IMHO, and the more shootable compacts (e.g. G26) are enough closer to service size for carry as to move into another category of dedication.
If you feel you need a serious gun, then get and carry a serious gun. If you just want to hedge your bets and have a "good gun for when not carrying a gun" gun, then may as well eliminate all the middle steps and get a no-lock 442 with the desantis clip-grips as an option; secure in the knowledge that it will actually pass for a decent gun should the need arise.
JMO (obviously)
But bring the tool out of the service arena and into the citizen CCW or LEO OD/BUG role, and the poles shift: the airweight J-frame, and the guns that orbit around it (e.g. LCR, SP101, S&W's own 640) strike the perfect balance between weight, size, power and ergonomics.
I've had/shot classes with several small .380s (sig p238, Kahr, Bersa) and they all fall just under the line where they can be run hard, IMHO. Take a J snub to a shooting event or class with moving targets, mandatory reloads, and any sort of reactive shooting under stress, and you are not going to like it... but it can sort of be done.
I've tried robotic targets with the Sig (probably the most ergonomic shooter of the current crop of micros) and I was in hell.
Add in reliability and proven defense loads, and the small wheelies look pretty good.
The guns closer to the J's envelope, like the pm9 or lc9 feel like hand grenades, IMHO, and the more shootable compacts (e.g. G26) are enough closer to service size for carry as to move into another category of dedication.
If you feel you need a serious gun, then get and carry a serious gun. If you just want to hedge your bets and have a "good gun for when not carrying a gun" gun, then may as well eliminate all the middle steps and get a no-lock 442 with the desantis clip-grips as an option; secure in the knowledge that it will actually pass for a decent gun should the need arise.
JMO (obviously)
I like the 45 ACP cartridge. So much so I rebuilt a M28-2 to accept that cartridge. Carried it for the last 3 decades and have had no problems. Awhile ago, I got a 1911 because I thought it was a good idea. After many months of range time, I never was as comfortable with the auto as with the revolver. Sold the 1911, still have the auto. I started shooting revovlers nearly 50 years ago. Never got into the self loading pistol as I was a reloader and preferred to pick up my brass.
For me, the preference for a revolver is because that is what I am most familiar or comfortable carrying and using. It is what fits my hand the best. Maybe not the latest and greatest, most fashionable piece in the world but it is what actually works for me.
Lawdawg45
Member
Cocked & Locked
Member
Yes, I can imagine that
2.5" actually and proud to own it!
One of the great things about revolvers is that if it goes click instead of boom just keep pulling the trigger and a new round comes under the hammer. NYC detectives used them as carry guns for many years and their lives were on the line. Nuff said.
CajunBass
Member
I like revolvers.
Guillermo
member
really?!?!?!
chicharrones
needs more ammo
I carry pocket autos and a pocket snub nose revolver depending what my pocket size is for the day.
The revolver is always a good choice for me because -
1. With its overall curved shape (as opposed to the "L" shape of an auto loader) it draws slickly from my pocket. (the no hammer spur models)
2. I can't limp wrist it, ever.
3. It can be fired if pressed into someone. Not all auto loaders can do that because they may come out of battery.
4. A variety of ammo types can be used without altering function.
5. If a Crimson Trace laser is mounted, it is under the cylinder which hides its presence (to a point) if the gun is not pointed up too high.
That's all I got today.
22-rimfire
Member
I think revolvers have become more popular for concealed carry in the last 10 years. So they certainly have a place in choosing a firearm for concealed carry. For me, if I were a LEO, I would carry a Glock or similar semi-auto due to more convenient reloads and the amount of firepower you can bring to a situation. Essentially, I believe the odds are higher for a LEO to have to use their weapon. But for civilians, for the most part they are unlikely to ever draw their weapon and revolvers work just fine.
Creature
Member
Okay, enlighten us. What is the true average number of shots fired in self defense?
Lawdawg45,
I started witha 28-2. Removed the barrel and sent it to Dick Nickles (now deceased) for a rebore and rifling job. When it got back I reinstalled it and proceeded to install a cylinder and frame lug for a 25-2. I also rounded the grip straps and essentially got what became the Mountain Revolver, except I had it a decade or so before S&W marketed them. I had wanted a skinny barreled 45 ACP and the ones available at that time were rather pricey. So I built what I wanted and have never regretted it. Now, there are several similar revolvers available and the kind of build I did is not necessary. Too bad, it was a lot of fun! I carry it in a Bianchi 5BH or a Pancake style holster.
Revolvers are slim, except for the cylinder. Most autos are boxy, with straight lines and hard corners. i use both systems, and find most arguments about one or the other being easier to conceal, to be quite silly. Under some clothing, at some positions on the body, in some body positions, with differing folks's physiques, either can be more concealable, or not.
As for ammo capacity, there will always be a circumstance in which any number of rounds will not be enough. I prefer to carry multiple weapons, which makes the capacity of any one of them less important. The foundation of my ensemble is a Ruger SP101 snubby, the 24/7/365 gun. It does not always ride in the "primary" spot at 0300, and the other weapon may be a duty-sized auto or revolver, or another SP101.
I work for a very large PD, and in our shootings, running out of ammo never seemed to get anyone hurt, even back in the revolver days, but being hit in the hand or arm has caused some of us to lose our weapons. If this were to happen to me,
drawing a second weapon beats trying to find a dropped weapon so I can finish
shooting the rest of its capacity. Then, of course, a weapon can be lost or snatched in other ways, and a part can break. The latter happened to me; therefore my near-religious devotion to carrying two.
There is something about the way an SP101, or a K-frame with certain small grips, locks into my hand, that I find very, very comforting. The larger GP100 original-style factory grip, allows me to shoot in a hurry at my most consistent practical performance level. I can do almost as well with a
couple of autos. Almost.
As for ammo capacity, there will always be a circumstance in which any number of rounds will not be enough. I prefer to carry multiple weapons, which makes the capacity of any one of them less important. The foundation of my ensemble is a Ruger SP101 snubby, the 24/7/365 gun. It does not always ride in the "primary" spot at 0300, and the other weapon may be a duty-sized auto or revolver, or another SP101.
I work for a very large PD, and in our shootings, running out of ammo never seemed to get anyone hurt, even back in the revolver days, but being hit in the hand or arm has caused some of us to lose our weapons. If this were to happen to me,
drawing a second weapon beats trying to find a dropped weapon so I can finish
shooting the rest of its capacity. Then, of course, a weapon can be lost or snatched in other ways, and a part can break. The latter happened to me; therefore my near-religious devotion to carrying two.
There is something about the way an SP101, or a K-frame with certain small grips, locks into my hand, that I find very, very comforting. The larger GP100 original-style factory grip, allows me to shoot in a hurry at my most consistent practical performance level. I can do almost as well with a
couple of autos. Almost.
CajunBass
Member
Yep. And that's all the reason "why" I need.
Last edited:
Zaydok Allen
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My first and stil favorite carry piece is my Ruger SP101. I carry that all winter. I carry a Smith J frame in the pocket all summer.
Why? If I need more than 5 shots, I made a bad choice about where I am and a situation I've put myself in. Your brain is the ultimate self defense weapon. If something feels wrong, get out. The gun is a last resort, not a talisman to drive away bad guys.
Yes, many semiautos are easier to carry concealed. Aside from 1911's though, semiautos just don't really do it for me. Revolvers stir my soul, and it is the other way around for some other people. I just feel there is something really classy about carrying a revolver. I'm not knocking semi's though.
I only carry a semi if I will be hiking in the woods, as there are a lot of mountain lions here, and even a cow elk can be dangerous with a calf near by. I then open carry a FNP-45 with TAP +p's loaded. That's for when I mean business.
Why? If I need more than 5 shots, I made a bad choice about where I am and a situation I've put myself in. Your brain is the ultimate self defense weapon. If something feels wrong, get out. The gun is a last resort, not a talisman to drive away bad guys.
Yes, many semiautos are easier to carry concealed. Aside from 1911's though, semiautos just don't really do it for me. Revolvers stir my soul, and it is the other way around for some other people. I just feel there is something really classy about carrying a revolver. I'm not knocking semi's though.
I only carry a semi if I will be hiking in the woods, as there are a lot of mountain lions here, and even a cow elk can be dangerous with a calf near by. I then open carry a FNP-45 with TAP +p's loaded. That's for when I mean business.
There is definitely something more elegant about a revolver. Reminds me of a "gentleman's" pocket watch vs. a "multifunction" sports watch. Or a simple buck knife vs. a leatherman. The simplistic requirement of just knowing where the trigger is... I find that appealing. Kinda like reaching for your pocket watch and resting peacefully knowing it does tells time. The right tool for the right job, and done with a little more elegance and style .
Now if you were a bad guy.... wouldn't you rather be shot dead with a romantic old revolver or a boxy Glock pointed at you sideways.
.Now if you were a bad guy.... wouldn't you rather be shot dead with a romantic old revolver or a boxy Glock pointed at you sideways
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