The Modern Combat Revolver

[SwampDweller]

Well...I had the unfortunate opportunity to smack a whitetail with my truck on Tuesday evening. First time in 30+ years of driving up north. Poor guy ended up busted up really bad in the opposite side road culvert. I did the humane thing and finished him off. However, my SP101 loaded with Short Barrel Gold Dots DID NOT IMPRESS ME. I’m rethinking a bunch of stuff now, including what I carry on the road. I was certainly impressed with the bull bar on the truck however. When it’s said and done I’m sure the damage will be $3K+, but it’s still drivable. Without the bar, the front end would have been toast.

Sorry to hear. Question: Were the Short Barrel Gold Dots the .38 Special variety or the .357 Magnum variety? Care to elaborate on the results? If not that's understandable.

[SAWBONES]

Were the Short Barrel Gold Dots the .38 Special variety or the .357 Magnum variety?

Also, was the SP101 the 2.25" or 3.0" barrel?

I favor Buffalo Bore 158gr .357 Magnum Jacketed Hollow Cone HPs in my Sp101s, mostly because they shoot to POA.

[entropy]

Wow Rosanadana you ask a lot of questions!

I’ll try to cover them all...

It was the .38spl +P version. I don’t have the box but IIRC 135gr?
Gun was the 2.25” model.

It required (2) rounds (actually used a third for assurance). Deer was a medium sized spike buck that weighed approximately 175lbs Max I’d guess. I shot him at the base of the head/neck/spine from approximately 6’. I was unable to get closer as the poor guy was thrashing about with his hind quarters busted up pretty bad. I didn’t want to get injured. It was a rural area with fairly limited traffic. Due to the extent of the vehicle damage, I called the County Sheriff and they dispatched a deputy which took approximately 40min. Immediately after hitting the deer, I exited the vehicle and removed the debris from the roadway (various parts of my front end...) I found the deer about 15’ off the roadway.

I guess I was expecting more immediate results. I’ve hunted deer since I was a kid (in fact this trip was to do just that) so I am not a stranger to the effects of (rifle) bullets on deer. I have never hunted with a handgun. The first shot initially did not seem to have effect although I clearly hit him. A second shot was administered from the same range. There was still a bit of movement (involuntary?) and I administered a third shot for assurance.

In retrospect, I had 2 speedloaders of .357mag in the center console which would have been better suited. I honestly did not expect the animal to still be alive. Impact was at approximately 55mph. I would have had to walk back to the truck 200yds+, retrieve the ammo, exchange the ammo, and return to the deer. The poor fellow deserved better than to suffer any longer.

Thoughts? I need to be carrying something more than a .38snub in the winter...no matter how lazy I am. Especially up here. (Michigan UP). The deer could have been easily much bigger, and/or less injured. On the defensive side, your typical yooper clothing would most likely slow that .38 down a whole lot. My .44spl GP100 is looking much better the past few days. I also need to rethink my load out of a single speed strip (also .38) as a reload.


There ya go....

The most valuable item I had at my disposal once again was the bill bar/brush guard on the front end.

[Duelist]

Well...I had the unfortunate opportunity to smack a whitetail with my truck on Tuesday evening. First time in 30+ years of driving up north. Poor guy ended up busted up really bad in the opposite side road culvert. I did the humane thing and finished him off. However, my SP101 loaded with Short Barrel Gold Dots DID NOT IMPRESS ME. I’m rethinking a bunch of stuff now, including what I carry on the road. I was certainly impressed with the bull bar on the truck however. When it’s said and done I’m sure the damage will be $3K+, but it’s still drivable. Without the bar, the front end would have been toast.

What didn’t impress you?

I’ve had to do that with a 9mm before. 124gr Speer Gold Dot, standard velocity, 3” barrel, bang-flop - spine right below the base of the skull. 147 gr HST, same thing. 124gr +p HST pulled the insides out of a rabbit with a chest hit.

ETA- you answered while I was writing. Cool.

Sounds like it did the job.

[TGS]

No, thats part of my point. We're talking about a combat revolver and who here is in combat currently. And if they are how much are they using their handgun. If I had a m10 back in Fallujah i have no doubt it would have sat in my holster juust fine and fired the few times i pulled the trigger of that m9.

Thats an interesting assertation given pretty much every military power in the early 1900s specifically going to semi-autos even when semi-autos were still pretty janky, with one of the reasons being field reliability of revolvers in dusty and muddy environments.

I mean, think about that; revolvers were less reliable in the field than even 1st Gen combat autoloaders, and were only used as a substitute standard. That's a pretty powerful fact. I highly doubt that a gun with what is basically a hand-fitted watch mechanism inside it would have done just as well as a modern service pistol when exposed to talcum-like sand 24/7. I mean, come on dude....it's a revolver. We can like them however much we want, but that's getting a bit absurd given the actual performance of revolvers as military sidearms in the field.

[03RN]

Thats an interesting assertation given pretty much every military power in the early 1900s specifically going to semi-autos even when semi-autos were still pretty janky, with one of the reasons being field reliability of revolvers in dusty and muddy environments.

I mean, think about that; revolvers were less reliable in the field than even 1st Gen combat autoloaders, and were only used as a substitute standard. That's a pretty powerful fact. I highly doubt that a gun with what is basically a hand-fitted watch mechanism inside it would have done just as well as a modern service pistol when exposed to talcum-like sand 24/7. I mean, come on dude....it's a revolver. We can like them however much we want, but that's getting a bit absurd given the actual performance of revolvers as military sidearms in the field.

I think its interesting assertation that you think I think the military should adopt revolvers.

All I said that if I had a m10 instead of an m9 would have had made zero impact on anything I did.

[TGS]

I think its absurd that you think I think the military should adopt revolvers.

Nowhere in my post did I state that.

The entirety of my post was responding to your overconfidence in revolvers in that they would perform just as well as an M9 in field conditions, which if you want to act stupid at this point I'll just go ahead and say it: it's fucking retarded.

[03RN]

Nowhere in my post did I state that.

The entirety of my post was responding to your overconfidence in revolvers in that they would perform just as well as an M9 in field conditions, which if you want to act stupid at this point I'll just go ahead and say it: it's fucking retarded.

Im not sure what your experience is with using handguns overseas is. Mine was used but mostly to try to chalk up a m9 kill by a 20 year old. I would have been better served by another belt of 556 or a few more frags.

A revolver most likely would have been just as effective. My m9 was hardly used at all.

[TGS]

Im not sure what your experience is with using handguns overseas is. Mine was used but mostly to try to chalk up a m9 kill by a 20 year old. I would have been better served by another belt of 556 or a few more frags.

A revolver most likely would have been just as effective. My m9 was hardly used at all.

So your rationale is basically that a brick would be just as good as a combat service pistol since you didn't use it.

Got it. I'm out of this thread.

[camsdaddy]

Well...I had the unfortunate opportunity to smack a whitetail with my truck on Tuesday evening. First time in 30+ years of driving up north. Poor guy ended up busted up really bad in the opposite side road culvert. I did the humane thing and finished him off. However, my SP101 loaded with Short Barrel Gold Dots DID NOT IMPRESS ME. I’m rethinking a bunch of stuff now, including what I carry on the road. I was certainly impressed with the bull bar on the truck however. When it’s said and done I’m sure the damage will be $3K+, but it’s still drivable. Without the bar, the front end would have been toast.

I'm glad you were ok. I don't know if they are available in your area but look into a ranch hand to replace your bull bar.

I see shooting a deer and man as two separate missions. I would be shooting the deer to kill it and want immediate death. The man I want to change his mind about attacking me. I wonder if a shot to the skull would have stopped him quicker? I know it's hard to hit a head that's moving.

Were you able to recover any of the bullets? I would be curious how they penetrated and if they expanded.