A Revolver for SD/CCW?

ColColt · #1 03-20-2011, 11:16 AM

In this super technological era we live in, it's hard to believe folks choice of a SD or CCW weapon would be a revolver. I love them, have several but I just can't shoot them like an auto. I've tried the petite SP101 and while it handled superb, I just couldn't shoot it, or any other revolver, rapid fire and stay on target like with an auto. What's the secret to this? In all actuality, I'd prefer the revolver due to it's simplicity and in my experience, more reliable than "most" autos 100% of the time, not taking into account reloads where there may be high primers not permitting rotation of the cylinder or bullets that may have jumped the crimp tying it up.

I think the amount of time required by most to master the revolver is fourfold what an auto requires. They just seemed a natural for me and although I've owned the M28, M25-5, etc., over the years and loved shooting them, I'd have to consign them to the range and not really consider them for SD when follow up shots could be called for. Does anyone else feel like this or is it just me? In short, I'd never become anything close to a Jerry Miculik.

OKFC05 · #2 03-20-2011, 11:23 AM

Different stokes for different folks, but don't lay it on the gun: it's you.

When I'm serious about winning an IDPA match, I put on the revolver.
I shoot the same scores with a semi-auto and revolver, extra reloads and all.

My son in law with his Glock against me with an M&P beats me every time. Switch to revolvers and I've got him going away.

Maximumbob54 · #3 03-20-2011, 11:25 AM

I may get slapped around for saying this, but I can't deal with most double action trigger pulls no matter how sweet they are. No amount of tuning, light springs, polishing, or whatever will compare to a 1911 trigger and I was spoiled early on with one. Lord protect me for saying this but I even prefer a Glock trigger over any double action trigger pull. I used to carry a 637 around the yard and house but if I ever get serious about a CCW I will either carry a Commander sized 1911 or a Defender. i just wish Colt would bring back an all steel Officer's model size gun. So while I love my N frames, my combat magnums, my GP-100's, my SP-101, and my J frames... I would carry a 1911 over any of them.

ColColt · #4 03-20-2011, 12:34 PM

People are different in many ways. I'd love to be able to shoot the revolver like my Glock 19 or 30 or the various S&W 3rd Gen pistols I have but, it don't look like it's going to happen. Odd, in that I first started out with the revolver, the first being the Highway Patrolman, M29 followed by the M25-5 45 Colt -great gun and I love the cartridge more than all but, it was a big gun then at age 28 and even bigger now it seems at 65 when I last handled one. With the exception of my 4506, I actually trust the revolver more but just can't shoot it as well. My GP100 is a tack driver but I wouldn't' use it in a home defense situation with the 4506, G30 or 4566 handy.

ContinentalOp · #5 03-20-2011, 01:21 PM

I shoot my revolvers in DA consistently better than any semi-auto I've tried (Glock, Beretta, 1911). I've always thought the feel of the DA trigger pull gave me a better surprise-break than the other guns. Plus they fit my hand better, they point better, and, while I haven't been able to time it yet, I seem to be quicker out of the holster with a revolver.

There are several other reasons why I prefer a revolver. Here's an article that lists a lot of good points (if you can get past the writing style

), although I don't necessarily agree with all of them:

http://www.snubtraining.com/pdfs/Why...sBeatAutos.pdf

However, everybody has to figure out what works best for them, in their situation. If my situation were different, I might prefer a Glock or a 1911.

Badkarma 1 · #6 03-20-2011, 01:42 PM

Know what your saying ColColt! I spent my early years shooting mostly sixguns and never got good at the double action aspect.
Upon joining the Navy my first few years were behind either a Colt 1911A1,M-14, or 12 Gauge pump for standing watches.
Then it was on to SEAL duty and I spent God knows how much time mastering the DA too SA transition of the SIG 226! Yeah I was really messed up by then!

Upon retirement I once again wanted to get back into wheelguns and bought am old Smith model 10-7. I started out just shooting SA then thought "hey try DA stupid!" So I did, and yeah my groups looked like 12Ga. buckshot patterns. But this time I fell back on my training from the service and I started a dry-fire routine of rolling the trigger straight back while concetrsting on that front sight! My next trips to the range found me shooting a lot tighter groups!!
Personally I think it has a lot to do with rythem. That is a smooth, straight back pull and watching that front sight intently! Also I find the K frame trigger more manageable than the N, but thats just me.
So you might want to tack a target on your wall, clear your sixgun of choice (and remove said ammo from the area!) and try this exersise, it might help. Dale

ColColt · #7 03-20-2011, 04:32 PM

Actually, I prefer a revolver-just can't shoot to my satisfaction with one rapid fire, DA mode. Slowly, yes but, I find myself staging the trigger. My first introduction to any handgun was in the Army doing courier runs from Hanau, Germany to Frankfurt and Stuttgart. I had a satchel full of classified documents to deliver to various places and was given a Remington-Rand 45 to carry with seven rounds. They were accounted for when I left and when I got back to the "war room". I liked it but, it did rattle a bit.

I bought a Colt Commander(satin nickle) when I got back to the states followed by a Mark IV. Then, the M28 Smith came next. Quite a transition from the 1911. There are those that are fortunate enough to shoot either well and while I do as good as many SA with the revolver, rapid fire I go down hill quickly. I find myself concentrating on the target more than the front site and more or less do point shooting with it. It's hard to follow a barrel front sight for me with the barrel rises and falling-I look like a chicken in the barn yard...or Mick Jagger, if you will.

That article was super but it got cut off after No. 22.

ContinentalOp · #8 03-20-2011, 04:52 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ColColt

That article was super but it got cut off after No. 22.

The formatting on that is a little bass-ackwards. The rest of the points are actually on the first page, all the way to the left. Why it's like that, I don't know.

Cheyenne WYO · #9 03-20-2011, 06:45 PM

I like carrying a .357 revolver because I can load it to fit my environment, whether in the city, a trail gun, or a backup while bowhunting in the mountains. That said, my 3 inch SP 101 is not conducive to shooting a lot of 180 grain Buffalo Bore hard cast Heavy Magnums. As a training aid, I bought a 3 inch Model 317 .22 LR last year. My range has a steel range with round and square targets of various sizes at ranges of 20 to 40 yards. Since the weather started turning nice, I have been burning up the bulk packs of ammo. It is great practice for trigger manipulation, rhythm and center mass accuracy without much expense (besides the expensive gun) and without any recoil. It has improved my shooting with my centerfire revolvers tremendously, and it is a lot of fun.

JohnnieB · #10 03-20-2011, 07:57 PM

A reason not mentioned so far is physical limitations.
Due to the effects of aging on an injury I received nearly 40 yrs ago, I can no longer quickly, reliably and safely clear jams on most light weight and/or compact semi-automatic pistols, so I've had to transition to revolvers.

I still take my Remington-Rand 1911A1 to the range occasionally and it rattles when shook, but it is too heavy to carry and if it jammed all I've got is a rock to throw since it takes me forever to clear a jam. With my 637, it is simply a matter of pulling the trigger again.

For me, the transition to revolvers wasn't a major issue since I wasn't all that good with a pistol either.

canoeguy · #11 03-20-2011, 08:18 PM

I have cairried a revolver for defense exclusively for the last six years or so, I appreciate the accuracy and dependability of a "K" frame revolver.

I've gotten pretty good at double action shooting, what helped me out was getting a .22 revolver (a well used $250 "Pre-Model" 18) and shooting thousands of rounds double action through it. Got pretty good at point shooting with it too, found a "K" frame revolver points better for me than any handgun I've ever owned before.

I've had Glocks and 1911's, Smith and Weson Model 59, Steyr GB, none of them gave me the confidence of a K frame revolver. So I sold all of my auto's save a Ruger .22/45 pistol, and now carry either a 4" Model 66, 4" Model 64, or a 2" Model 64. The 2" Model 64 gets cairried the most, except in the Winter, when the longer barrel revolvers come out.

I use my 4" Model 64 for all competition, IDPA and IPSC, ICORE, Bianchi Cup, anything that is revolver friendly.

Leatherman-Cowboy · #12 03-20-2011, 08:29 PM

I shoot both auto and revolver.The 1911 has a sleak fit and is easy to reload.The revolver's I shoot are 45lc,and single action.Just love the way a revolver fits and look's in a holster.Also the sound and feel when the hammer is pulled back and ready to bark is wonderfull.I shoot SASS,and a easy way to get rapid fire is to hold the trigger down,and just advance the action with your thumb.When you are ready to shoot,just drop the hammer and you are ready to rock.
Thank you,
Henry

stantheman86 · #13 03-20-2011, 08:30 PM

None of my Ruger or S&W revolvers has ever failed on me, but several of my bottomfeeder pistols have. I know this will be "blasphemy", as much as I love S&W revolvers, I trust my Rugers more often for Concealed Carry. I do carry a Model 10, but more often these days it's the Ruger Service Six I end up tucking in my waistband. I know that gun, 100%, barring defective ammo, will go bang 6 times. I have fired it enough with 0 issues to trust it completely.

My need for a gun that will fire when I pull it out, is more important to me than having a big mag capacity. There is just more that can go wrong with an autoloader, it's simple mathematics......more stuff to jam,break, fail on an auto.

And I don't mean cheap garbage revolvers like Armscor, Wiehrauch, even Taurus......I mean proven, effective revolvers with proven quality and reliability like Ruger and S&W, maybe even Colt, I don't know I don't carry one.

I have seen well-used Glock 22's spit pins out of the frame at one of my previous jobs, have seen them jam. Not that they are bad guns, but one jam in a self defense scenario can cost you your life.

As a civilian CCW holder, do you really NEED an autoloading pistol? I don't mean want, but do you need it? Even against multiple attackers, most civilian involved defensive shootings are over in the first 4 or 5 shots. I know someone will ask for my "data", I read it somewhere, the FBI says the average for HD and CC shots fired by the "law abiding" gun owner is like 3.2 per incident. If you've fired more than 6 shots I hope by then you are running for your life, or the bad guys are, or the threats are dead/incapacitated. After you've fired on them, if they have guns and they aren't dead, they will be shooting back at you by then. The truth is you will probably not have time to empty that 17 round mag before the situation is over, one way or the other.

A good example of a jammed auto pistol working out well was the coward who fired on the unarmed Air Force personnel in Germany.......he had an FN pistol and thank God it jammed after he shot several people, he entered the bus and would have kept shooting if his gun hadn't jammed. Like I said, this is a good jam for us, since it saved lives. Good thing this idiot wasn't using a .357 revolver......

I talked to a Korean War vet a while back, he said the first enemy he shot face to face was a Chinese soldier with "some kind of auto pistol, a little pop gun"(probably some kind of .32 Auto) and he was firing at the US soldiers at close range as they advanced....the guy I was talking to said he recalls seeing this Chinese soldier "messing with the pistol like it was jammed up" and he put a couple 30-06 rounds into his chest with his Garand and dropped him "like a sack of potatoes".

Steve in Vermont · #14 03-21-2011, 10:56 AM

I started shooting revolvers in 1964 with a Model 28. I own several S&W revolvers and have never had a failure to fire. Never. When it comes to a life and death situation I look at my revolver as I would a parachute. One failure is to many. I've shot with friends who had automatics and they occasionally have a jam. Not so with those with revolvers. It all comes down to ABSOLUTE TRUST. Either you got it or you don't, there's no such thing as 99% of the time.

Hovnnes · #15 03-21-2011, 11:51 AM

My carry gun is a Centennial because I can shoot it out of a pocket without a slide or hammer fouling on the second shot. I went to the Centennial after a real world tragedy in a shopping mall at Christmastime convinced me of the genuine usefulness of such a feature.
The advantage of a revolver over a derringer is having a 3rd, 4th & 5th shot.

C Islander · #16 03-21-2011, 07:09 PM

I carry a 66 2.5 everyday and have never felt undergunned. I prefer revolvers so I tend to practice more with them.

wnr700 · #17 03-21-2011, 11:29 PM

My thoughts changed when I read a NYPD report of police involved shootings over 100+ years. Dated to some extent, but average shooting was something like three rounds and six feet....

OK... so lets double the volume of fire for this modern era.

The key to their survival... generally distance, cover, and shot placement.

The key to their demise... their duty to serve and protect sent them into dangerous situations.

My personally drawn conclusions... In most cases, the BG knows his intentions, has drawn his weapon, and doing his business at hand.

The GG... racked with disbelief, saddled with indecision, is likely to be the victim. Hopefully all he loses is his wallett.

To me... Self defense is more than what firearm I carry.... many times I don't.

It's how I think, how aware I am, where and when do I travel to work. It's why I stress some level of physical fitness.

I changed my habits, by looking at where I might be lazy.

No late night runs to the store for lottery tickets or junk food.

Gas in the mornings.

Head on a swivel when in parking lots, comfortable shoes and enough wind to run a couple of miles.

I just don't choose to live in fear. I have enough sense to observe and avoid trouble. If I lose the lottery and face three armed bandits... because I didn't carry a Glock 17 with a reload likely won't have been the deciding factor in my demise.

MotorCityGun · #18 03-21-2011, 11:39 PM

In addition to your excellent awareness techniques, now that I CCW, my thoughts have changed too. For example how I keep my jacket open or the bottom unzipped, no matter how cold it is outside. Unless it's below zero, I'm gloveless. When I'm carrying my briefcase, groceries or whatever, my strong hand is always free. I ALWAYS face the door in restaurants, etc. (it took a while to "train" the wife on this one). "Scan the land" not only in parking lots but when in grocery stores, gas stations, etc. No dawdling with keys when I get to car, then immediately lock doors, etc.

GKC · #19 03-22-2011, 12:03 AM

I went into my local gun shop today to buy some extra magazines, and they had a pristine M29-2 in nickle with a 6 inch barrel...it looks as if it has never been fired. Of course, I couldn't leave without it.

Now I'm wondering if I can use this as a CCW...maybe with a shoulder holster a la Dirty Harry.

Just kidding...although I really did buy the M29. I prefer small semiautos for CCW. Right now, my preferred pistol is my Glock 26 for the car, and a Ruger LC9 on my person. I like large frame revolvers for range fun, but I just prefer a pistol for carry. It's funny, but it used to be the exact opposite for me.

ContinentalOp · #20 03-22-2011, 12:37 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by wnr700

My thoughts changed when I read a NYPD report of police involved shootings over 100+ years. Dated to some extent, but average shooting was something like three rounds and six feet....

OK... so lets double the volume of fire for this modern era.

The key to their survival... generally distance, cover, and shot placement.

The key to their demise... their duty to serve and protect sent them into dangerous situations.

My personally drawn conclusions... In most cases, the BG knows his intentions, has drawn his weapon, and doing his business at hand.

The GG... racked with disbelief, saddled with indecision, is likely to be the victim. Hopefully all he loses is his wallett.

To me... Self defense is more than what firearm I carry.... many times I don't.

It's how I think, how aware I am, where and when do I travel to work. It's why I stress some level of physical fitness.

I changed my habits, by looking at where I might be lazy.

No late night runs to the store for lottery tickets or junk food.

Gas in the mornings.

Head on a swivel when in parking lots, comfortable shoes and enough wind to run a couple of miles.

I just don't choose to live in fear. I have enough sense to observe and avoid trouble. If I lose the lottery and face three armed bandits... because I didn't carry a Glock 17 with a reload likely won't have been the deciding factor in my demise.

Excellent points. Situational awareness can often prevent something from escalating into a deadly force encounter. I took a class last month that was exclusively about situational awareness. While I had seen and learned bits and pieces here and there, it was good to have everything linked together in a structured format. Plus I learned things that I hadn't known before, which is always good.

BTW, I read about a study the NYPD did that involved analyzing 6,000 gunfights during the time that .38 revolvers were the "issued" weapon. It may have been the same as, or similar to, the study you mentioned. The study said that the average number of shots fired by police was 5.2 rounds within an average distance of 6 feet, if I remember correctly. All shots fired by police officers were fired using their strong hands. The point that I found very interesting was that the need for a rapid reload was determined to have never been a factor in the outcomes of any of these gunfights. 6,000 gunfights. Rapid reloads not a factor. Something to think about.

cmort666 · #21 03-22-2011, 05:40 AM

These days, my most frequently carried firearm is my 2" Model 36.

I frequently have to disarm. There's no semi-auto that simultaneously conceals well in a pocket holster, comes in a caliber I'd trust my life to and is easily controllable.

If I have to use a firearm to defend myself in the street, the odds are overwhelming that I'll need to do so at close range. That being said, I have no trouble keeping all five shots on a 50' NRA bullseye target.

There's nothing wrong with a revolver for self-defense.

Knightrider03m · #22 03-22-2011, 06:45 AM

I love the revolver..... I just don't like the 6 shots that the revolver have. In the world of people being attacked by 2-3 attackers its hard to overlook the fact that you are at a disadvantage when your packing a wheel gun. I know I know, I've heard it all before, "well that means that I have to place my shot better" or, "I have to practice to reload a speedloader faster" etc. That is all fine and dandy at the range but on the street nothing is predictable.

Now before everyone start to hunt me down with torches, I carry a model 19 and a model 437 as a BUG, its not my EDC (my 437 is a EDC BUG, not my 19) but I do carry it. I only carry it on a very limited bases, like a safer area or a bad area with a more controlled environment, or when I'm with other armed personnel.

I practice with all of my carry guns AND can do better with my model 19 than I can with my Sigma but its the round count that keeps my Sigma riding on my hip.

.357magger · #23 03-22-2011, 08:11 PM

This is a training issue, pure and simple, imo.

I started my working life as a copper carrying (over the years) a variety of J, K, L, and N's. It was "what I knew" looooong before I ever shot a 1911 or SA/DA auto. And not to be a weiner, but I got good at it, the "cadence" if you will of DA fire.

Here's a drill for you to master. Master this and you'll master the DA pull. Not the inventor of this by any means, it's been around with older "headknocker" coppers longer than I've been alive I'll bet.

Put a dime on the top barrel flat of your revolver. Learn to develop a smooth rhythmic pull while keeping your sights on target during dry fire. Do this over, and over, and over until you master a smooth DA pull. You're not working on speed yet, just the ability to keep your sights on target, and that dime on your barrel flat.

You'll be amazed what hours doing dryfire work and this technique will yeild with regards to making your groups smaller. Work on the speed later, get the cycle of firing down smoothly first. Then the speed will come.

Hope this helps, but while I do occasionally pack a G 19 or a 1911, you'll most often find me with a Smith in either J, K, or N somewhere near. They work. And I know how to work them.