While I much prefer autos, my reasoning is much like many that prefer revolvers, as opposed to the obvious capacity / reloading advantage. I shoot them way, way better. After reliability, proficiency should be the priority.
While I much prefer autos, my reasoning is much like many that prefer revolvers, as opposed to the obvious capacity / reloading advantage. I shoot them way, way better. After reliability, proficiency should be the priority.
I've found that I can conceal a round-butt 3" K-frame better than a subcompact 9mm. (That isn't as much a hard line as before, though, as recently dropping 14# helped.)Originally Posted by awp_101
If I was starting from zero, not having a centerfire revolver and looking for a 3" for CCW, I'd seriously consider a 3" SP101 in .327 Magnum.
To be clear, I'm not in an urban area. I do my best to avoid running afoul of the triple-stupid situation.
If we have to march off into the next world, let us walk there on the bodies of our enemies.
I was doing car-based stuff in a more populace area the other day. Took a page from Dagga Boy's playbook and stuffed a Highway Patrolman under my leg, loaded with full power 158 grain ammo. It was a specific supplement to my belt 10 and pocket LCR that could eat from my 2x2x2 pouch in a pinch but initially be able to shoot someone off the car with a real muzzle blast and fireball to emphasize my side of the argument.
The buddy I was meeting liked the concept and immediately called a shop to order him a longer barreled K6S. He'd already wanted one and the possible application sealed the deal. Plans to run it a bit like the F.B.I. model 13s, standardize on .38 or +p with .357 available if the situation calls for it.
I’ll politely toss my .02 in as well. Some real sleeper points have been made. While I think the skill set for accurately shooting a revolver is more difficult to master, I too find that that set of skills lingers much longer. Odd as that may seem. Despite the fact that I have three grown kids and I’m not planning on more, a revolver is the only pistol I will carry appendix. The shape of a snub or 3” lends itself quite nicely to it as well. Spending long periods in a vehicle visiting the above three mentioned I find the revolver produces fewer hot spots and rarely find myself squirming down the interstate making adjustments and drawing odd looks. Versatility of ammo. Although the choices in revolver calibers may be more limited than that of autos, reliability is never a factor, and the ability to swap out on a whim has its advantages. I counter the capacity issue by lifestyle, pre planning, and either an 870 or AR/AK behind the rear seat of the truck.
Working diligently to enlarge my group size.
The fastest revolver speed-loaders, that I have used, are made by Ruger and S&W.
It helps that they have such large handles.
Retar’d LE. Kinesthetic dufus.
Don’t tread on volcanos!
It’s a shame @Dagga Boy is taking a break from the forum. This conversation would be right up his alley. I recommend listening to the P&S episodes about revolvers and non-standard defensive weapons for anyone that hasn’t yet.
My posts only represent my personal opinion and do not necessarily reflect the opinions or official policies of any employer, past or present. Obvious spelling errors are likely the result of an iPhone keyboard.
I am not the only writer/speaker who has pronounced the Bianchi Speed Strips to be “Slow Strips,” but, they are only slow when one does a complete reload. If one, instead, dumps the empties, then loads TWO chambers, in one move, well, THAT part IS fast.
One of the better-known real-life examples cited for adopting speed-loaders, was one of the troopers who died in the “Newhall Massacre.” One of the perpetrators sneaked closer, while the trooper was reloading, and then, as the trooper closed his fully-loaded cylinder, and looked up, the trooper was shot in the head. Had this trooper loaded two cartridges, together, and assessed, he might have seen the approaching danger, and saved his life with two shots. Ideally, of course, one keeps one’s eyes on the danger, but, it is a very human thing to looking while loading, so, “load-two-and-assess,” or “load-two-and-look” may be life-saving things to internalize, even as one strives to always scan for danger.
Edited to add: The trooper was probably equipped with cartridge loops, or a dump box, but the principle of assessing after loading two, or even one, applies to both loose cartridges, and cartridges in speed-strip-like devices.
Retar’d LE. Kinesthetic dufus.
Don’t tread on volcanos!
It’s all about the tradeoffs, isn’t it? Every firearm is a compromise. The small to mid-frame revolver hits a sweet spot in the compromises I’m willing to make.
The first criteria, for my personal threat assessment, is reliability. In my experience, mechanical reliability is about equal between revolvers and semi’s. But then there is feed cycle reliability. Today’s semi-autos are more reliable than they’ve ever been but feed cycle is still an issue. Most civilian fights are close range affairs. Add in the real possibility of entanglement and the revolver edges out the semi.
Holstering. With a long, heavy trigger pull and the ability to ride the hammer into the holster, hammer-fired DA handguns are probably safer than anything short of an unloaded handgun. Especially with AIWB this is a major bonus. There’s a reason Glock Leg is a thing.
Dry Fire. DA handguns allow you to practice off the range in the closest approximation to real operation of the handgun. Because DA is amenable to this I have more practice reps with revolvers than anything else. Shoot what you carry, carry what you shoot.
Grip tuning. Especially with Smith’s, there is a almost an infinite number of grip variations available to suit any hand.
Ammunition flexibility. With no reliance on the cartridge to operate the firearm in any given caliber you can tune ammunition to mission – very light to very heavy.
Now what are you giving up?
First and foremost, capacity. The question is do you need the capacity at your threat profile. If I was a LEO or a soldier I’d absolutely want the highest capacity handgun I could reasonably carry. Though, under those circumstances, my first plan would be a longarm. (Reading some Marine Raider guys I thought it was interesting they stopped carrying their M-9’s in Afghanistan pretty quickly to make room for more rifle ammo) I’m not a LEO or soldier though. While anecdotal, civilian shootings likely follow the rule of three – Less than three seconds, less than three shots fired, less than three yards range. Claude Werner has done some interesting analysis of NYPD off-duty shooting incidents that tend to bear this out.
Reload speed. Again if the rule of three holds this is probably not an issue anyways. It is something I diligently practice though I will never reload a revolver as fast as a semi-auto.
Weight. This is somewhat untrue. If you are willing to take the compromise of lower powered ammunition there are alloy framed K, L, and Colt’s that all come in under 20 ounces.
Bulk. This is mostly in the cylinder. K’s are definitely pushing it for me with the beltline bulge. On the other hand a round butt really doesn’t print the way a lot of semi-auto grips do.
Didn’t mean to write a book length ramble but there you go… 😊 At the end of the day it’s all personal choice and what you’re comfortable with.
Last edited by Half Moon; 06-22-2020 at 10:06 AM.
Dump Pouch. Just read this a couple weeks back:
https://www.amazon.com/Newhall-Shoot.../dp/144024099X
The book has flaws but still an interesting and easy read.
For me, the choice to carry a GP100 instead of a similarly sized semi-auto is entirely an affectation. It's not better, the gun doesn't hold as many rounds, etc. But I like GP100s, and I enjoy shooting them. So as a practical choice there's almost no reason in an urban environment to choose a six shooter instead of a modern semi-auto pistol.
But that's okay, because I like revolvers.
Reply With Quote
