Originally Posted by Doug.38PR

The problem in the Miami-Dade shootout was not that they used revolvers, but that they took handguns into a heavy artillary fight. It's shot placement that counts in the first place, in the second place, as you noted, policemen have faced killers even more deadly and heavily armed than those two guys such as Bonnie & Clyde, John Dillinger, Baby Face Nelson, Machinegun Kelly, Prettyboy Floyd (who were armed with even more effective weapons like the BAR or the 50 round Thompson). When police went after these guys, they used their .38s to shoot their way to their Thompsons, .30-30s, Shotguns or BARs and engaged with longguns if they didn't already have their longguns out and ready. (I.E. Texas Ranger Frank Hammer and his Louisiana possee made swiss cheese out of Bonnie & Clyde with BARs or Colt Monitors. Also, the FBI didn't go after Ma Barker and her boys with .38 Official Police revolvers alone they took Thompsons, shotguns, BARs)

I don't personally believe the gunfight would have turned out any different (maybe worse) if they had all been armed with .40 S&W high capacity automatics. It's shot placement that counts, not how many you have.