Well I've carried both as a civilian and as a sailor. The reason I prefer a revolver in general is I can shoot better with them. I can't shoot a Glock straight to save my life (so hopefully I will never have to) and I am less accurate in general with autos than with a wheelgun. Ironically I shoot heavier autos better than light autos which really goes against the biggest advantage they have as a carry peice.

I don't exclusively carry revolvers, I have carried a variety of autos, I still carry a sig P229 at times (moslty in the winter) and I still carry a CZ82 at times (mostly when I want something small). But the pistol under my bed and the one with me every day in my car and primary carry gun are both revolvers.

My wife has never shot a semi-auto and doesn't want to learn to. That makes a revolver the only safe choice for her.

I think the opening thread was a great view point. I am comforatable with both. I understand the reality vs. romance. I believe dwever is thinking with his brain and not the nestalgia. I am just grateful that regardless of what we like, that we all have one thing in common and that's the love of shooting. Also, I have not taken anything posted here as defending. Good thread.

Jim

I know your letter was an old post, but I am a newbie, new to shooting and to having a CWP, and your post interested me.

My spouse carried SA's and has been scratching his head over my wanting to carry a revolver. I tell him it's because of theold the old Jean Autry and Roy Roger reruns that they showed at 5:00 am on Saturday morning when I was little.

Actually, it has been more a result of the trouble I have had handling SA's in my introductory course work. I struggle to operate them correctly. I wonder if I will want to switch over in the future, too. Right now I am concentrating on developing proper technique during my time on the range and getting somewhat comfortable with the S&W revolvers.

LL617, my wife also switched from semi-auto's to revolvers but I beat her there by almost a year.
For me it was simply a case of going back to my roots, her's was more out of necessity.
I don't know if it's because we are both getting older but she started "limp wristing" her S.A's
and no matter what she tried, grip-wise, she couldn't get away from it. This was frustrating
because these S.A's were guns she had fired many times over the course of a number of years without any problems whatsoever.

At least she's still able to reliably fire her Kel Tec P3AT so she's still in the semi-auto game, in a "small way."

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Ogy

Couldn't agree more.

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M66, M&P 360, 642, M85 UL/Ti

+1, Old Cop. Well said.

I love revolvers and have kept a Ruger Alaskan loaded with .44 Spl at the bedside for years... soon to be replaced with an 8-shot UDR with DPX .38 +P. (Full bore .357 mags will be reserved for range fun.)

BUT I am not a LEO, and when I am out and about, I carry either a 9mm EMP, a Kahr P380, or a Seecamp .32 - depending on dress and time of year. My selection of carry options is based on what I can shoot well and carry comfortably. A LEO does not have the options that I do, and I do not have the responsibility or the target on my back that LEOs have. Thanks for sharing dwever... and hat's off to all LEOs!!!

I love revolvers, and I get my feathers ruffled when I see some young punk trash talking them on internet forums. The OP makes a good case without slurring anyone else's choice. Anyway, as much as I love the revolvers, I confess I sit here with a Ruger LCP in my pocket. The flat profile is just so much more comfortable than any revolver cylinder.

Good thread, great points and discussion. I'm a civilian with a CCW permit. I open carry on my farm and discreetly carry concealed more and more. I choose a 3rd gen auto most of the time and am carrying a M60-7 as either a BUG or primary CC for short trips about town, so I am aware of the points, advantages and disavantages of both. I well recognize my limitations and am cognizant of the repercusions in the event I am ever involved in a self-defense situition. The way I figure it, I need to be intimately familiar with whatever I choose to carry. Now, if I'm home, I'm gonna grab my Benelli M2 loaded with 000 buck. It's pretty hard to miss with that, even for a half blind old fat man.

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Isaiah 55:8-9
Phil. 4:13

As OldCop and others have said, it makes absolute sense to carry the same or similar gun to that which you carry on duty. It would be a shame to waste all the muscle memory & confidence you develop with your duty weapon!

I've tried a number of autos and found the ones I chose too bulky for me (Beretta Px4); bulky and not fully reliable (Beretta 84); and a variety of classic pocket autos. The only one of the latter I've found reliable is a Remington 51 in .380, but occasionally even it has hung up due to ammo, aftermarket magazine, or whatever. Not a great feeling with either reliability or power level, but rates occasional carry when its flatness seems indispensable.

I've standardized on S&W revolvers and am trying out a couple of Charters, since their cylinder release works like S&W's & in most CCW respects they're functionally interchangeable. (True, cylinder rotation is opposite direction, which could be a problem in a partial reload situation.)

Bedside, I have an S&W N-frame and a 1911 that it took me 500+ rounds to break in fully and make it reliable--at least with one specific load :-) The N-frame is my "go check the noise" gun; the 1911 is the "lock & load, they're coming!" gun. Familiarity through service use and recent/ongoing practice with this 1911 example leads me to accept the tradeoff in slightly reduced muscle memory in exchange for firepower & rapid/handy reloads.

If I were an LEO with the duty to confront, pursue, and capture, I would want an auto for service and concealed use, just like the OP. As a civilian now, the lower firepower of the revolver seems adequate for my needs.

How about a combination of both revolver and semi-auto?
Hate to admit it....but I sold off my pristine 66 snub in order to purchase a new Glock 26...
Still love the S&W 340 for carry though...

also think its where you live or go too often as how hight the preceived danger is... when im off duty i have no intentions of getting into a gun battle or i have a bando of mags around me like ponch villa..... i carry a new dept issued s&w m&p 40 now cause i have too but off duty out with fam its the ol pre 27 3.5 357mag gets the carry nod just thought as said eariler its what ever YOU feel most comfortable with cant see firing more than afew rounds anyway a pistols is used for me only to buy time till i can get to my m4 then the party starts

Don't let facts and figures get in the way of your opinion.

My father gets that way.

Auto's have been manufactured in greater quantities since the 1980's by US manufacturers I believe.

I can look at ANY gun store and see Autoloaders outnumbering revolvers by 3 or 4 to 1 or MORE in the tactical stores where it is 10-20 to one.

JUST REMEMBER--------- Every Round is attached to an ATTORNEY SOMEWHERE!!!!!

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NRA Pistol/Rifle Inst. RSO

Choose what works best for you. Nothing wrong or provocative about your decision. It just isn't the right choice for everyone else. Just as my decision to carry a four inch S&W model 13 isn't right for everyone. I do appreciate your thought out reasoning behind it and consider it educational.

dwever,

You obviously chose correctly, for good reason, and shared those reasons with us. My results are a little different, for various personal reasons, but they have nothing to do with the wisdom of your choice. Thanks for sharing your information with us.

520

I totally agree with this. Same goes for this old man.

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GA Carry member
Vietnam Vet

Wheelguns will never be "outdated" or "replaced" for defensive carry.
As long as there are people who can shoot them straight and hit what
is being aimed at, they are here for keeps.
Carry what you can shoot well. If that's an auto fine.
But we all owe it to ourselves and others to carry a weapon
that we can, and do shoot well.


chuck

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They hold no Quarter

I would like to see you carry a concealed auto slider in your coat pocket and shoot through the front of your pocket, without ever taking the gun out of your pocket, if you have to, like I can with my 642.

I recently was able to return my issued Glock 22 .40 S&W to my current employer and draw a 4 inch .357 Magnum revolver. Some of my younger coworkers were horrified that I would do such a thing. Some of my older coworkers are jealous. I also got rid of an intrusive, awkward, and just plain inconvenient issued nylon duty holster and put my own high-ride black basketweave thumbbreak holster on my duty belt. Now I can sit in a chair or vehicle without feeling like the holster is going to tip me out on the floor or cause the sidearm to hang up. My back-up remains a small .38 revolver in my weak-side pocket.

For concealed carry, I almost always carry two revolvers. One rides in exactly the same place as my duty holster. It's the same size as my issue gun with a shorter barrel. My second revolver is my on-duty backup in my weak side front pocket or in a weak-side belt holster.

If I need more rounds than I carry in and for my revolvers, I probably should have brought a rifle.

ECS

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CPT, Armor (Ret)
Luke 22:36

The first shot would be no problem, but a second may not be possible....

dwever: you have made some very good points but when it comes to a ccw i personally would prefer to carry a revolver instead of a semi automatic pistol but that is just my humble opinion.

Eh to each his own, we all have our own personal reasons for sticking with what we're comfortable with let it be in cars, guns, watches, clothes and music

for me though I was an auto guy first and I moved over to revolvers after some incidents with my semi autos.


Namely with a 70 year old 44 CYQ walther P38, I had a safety break on me after I dropped in on its side a week earlier by accident

it was only about maybe 6 inches above a carpeted floor as I was cleaning it while watching TV and it landed on its side, not on the hammer but I guess that was enough to break it

which causing it to go full auto with the 3 rounds I had in the mag at the next range session

thankfully I had it poined perfectly down range when I closed the slide and the jammed in place firing pin hit the first round causing the next two to go almost instantly, just dumb luck I was using the slide stop instead of pulling back on the slide to release at that point otherwise that would have really hurt!


and then that cause a fracture in the slide which I only found out about only latter after having the gunsmith replaced the safety with another one, causing the front strap over the barrel to warp off of the gun on the right side during the next range session after the repair.

I mean it kept working but it probably would have been a catastrophic failure if I hadnt noticed it.

and then after getting it back after finding a new slide I found it needs a trigger job and needed new springs that whole time and now the slide isnt being held open by the slide stop when the mags empty because of a fitting issue with the slide

I mean I dont blame the gun and I love the damn thing as it was my first semi auto and an old beat to hell one from the getgo to begin with but has anyone ever heard of a revolver cylinder needing new springs to work right or a cylinder developing those kind of stress fractures?

or a revolver going full auto from a broke safety?

I dont think so.

and that gun is now going to be just a keepsake, I'm not going to shoot it anymore atleast until its a 100% checked out at some point but I'm just glad to have in the locker regardless of its condition.




Then I had odd little incident with a brand new beretta 85 where somehow I pulled on something with the grips off during a field strip that undid the trigger spring, had to go to a gunsmith to get it back in and then a few months latter the damn spring broke on me during snap cap practice as there had been a stress fracture put in it by my attempt to put it back in in the first place.

and then I found out someone else had had exactly the same damn thing happen with there beretta cheetah from that very gunsmith

So moral of the story is if you've got a beretta or a browning with alot of stuff hanging under the grips leave the grips on during the field strip and to make sure if its an old beat to hell gun, replace the springs and have a gunsmith go a 100% through the thing before shooting the hell out of it.

but after that I started purely going the way of the revolver as well theres a lot less that can go wrong with a revolver thats built right than a semi auto and I have never had any issues like that since.

and hell if capacity is an issue just use an auto as the primary and the revolver as a backup and if you like the .40 they do make atleast two revolvers that will take that cartridge now with moonclips

the 610 and a new charter arms that doesnt even need them supposedly.

I love my SS S&W 67-1. I love the way it looks, the way it feels, the way it shoots. But I carry a Bersa .380 acp auto 8 rd clip with a 7 rd clip backup. plus a 7 shot .25 auto in my back pocket just in case I cannot get away fast enough...

Everyone should carry whatever handgun type/model they are comfortable and proficient with. If it works well FOR YOU that is what you should use.

With whatever one chooses, you should be capable of getting a fast, accurate, first shot off. Because whether your gun has five, six, or seventeen shots, you will be out of time long before you are out of ammunition. Regards 18DAI

In a nutshell, there you are ...

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Ret LE Firearms inst & armorer

Here is my stupid couple of cents...

I am a younger man (mid twenties). I have been shooting since about the age of 3. I suppose you can consider me a "modern" shooter. I prefer the more aggressive/modern stances and grips that have come to prevail in the recent years (my handgun grip is VERY high on the gun...dad's 1911 does not have an extended beavertail and it cuts me...he says my grip is too high...I tell him to get a beavertail like everyone else)

I love my semi-auto handguns. My Beretta, M&P9, Kimber, Sig, etc... And I would bet my life and the lives of my family on them. More importantly, I would bet my life and the lives of my family on MY skills to use them properly. I know for a fact that I can put more of a hurting on one or more people with a higher capacity handgun, and a spare mag or two.

Recently, I have been wanting to buy/carry a revolver. I happened to pick up a VERY LIGHTLY used 2.5 inch 686-5 plus. I like it.

What has drawn me to my recent revolver love is that I can see the art in them. I can see the beauty in them. I can see the illusion of delicacy in them. I can see the charm in them. It's a seduction, is what it is.

I cannot say that I have ever been seduced by a semi-auto that I own. Attracted? Yeah. But never seduced.

Where in the world am I going? I like the feeling that I have when this thing is near me. It makes me feel good. It makes me feel clothed.

In closing-- I am a realist...I realize that 7 rounds in the gun and a speedloader or two will be PLENTY of ammo for most purposes, and it does not concern me.

Im sorry ..but I have to many of both Semi's and revolvers..I have a G23C ,G20 and assortment of other semis...But my primary carry guns...thats the guns that I carry most.....are revolvers


S&W 642

Ruger Speed Six 357

Dan Wesson 357 mag

Charter 44 spl.

Charter 44 and 357 mag

Brazilian contract S&W 45 acp

These are some of my carry revolvers...simple to use ... & powerful
In my state you can conceal or open carry...

Someday I hope you wake up from your dream.

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Hook686

Wakey ,Wakey Eggs and bakey .....

This bears repeating.

I bought one of those ugly Glocks two months ago, my first one, I wanted to try out the 10mm and the Glock.
I'm a revolver man, always have been thought I always would be.....
I somehow have a bunch of Glocks now, how did that happen????
The Glock 20 is an impressive handgun, powerful, 16rds on tap, shoots flat and mine will hold into about 8" @ 100yds.
No safety and don't have to carry it cocked and locked.
At $500 it's comparatively inexpensive, has a tough finish and seems reliable.
Anyway it's so ugly a person wouldn't even notice if it gets beat up.
I bought a a 23 for concealed carry and a 19 for the wife.

NO REVOLVERS WHERE SOLD OR TRADED TO FUND A GLOCK!

Still carrying revolvers. J and K frames.

Over the years I can count on one or two fingers the times I've seen a revolver fail. One was a trigger stop that came loose on a Model 15 snubby. I took the part out - problem solved forever.

On the other hand, jams, ftf, you name it, I couldn't tell you how many times I've seen shooters have trouble with semi-autos. What's that thing they all practice doing called? Tap, rack, bang or something?

I even had a Glock 19 myself that would stovepipe with one brand of factory ammo. Sold it.

Never had a stovepipe with a revolver. If a .38 Special round will fit in the charge hole the hammer will fall on it. Bout the only thing that can happen is the primer is bad, so go on to the next.

I like that. Particularly for a civilian concealed carry holder, I will always favor the revolver.

Keeping it simple as possible the older I get.

I am a hopeless romantic revolver guy with a 10 and 64 with 2" barrels, a 15 with 2", a 66 with 2 1/2, a 640, 642, 60...confirmed revolver guy.
I also have arthritis in my hands that make double action very painful so my little Glock 26 has become the go to gun of choice. Ten rds, night sights, amazingly accurate, and easy for me to shoot. It takes nothing from my love of revolvers.

I'm with you 100%.
Whw

Well for me, I will always carry and use revolvers. My wife says; "revolvers are so simple a man can use them." LOL!

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David
CW3 USA (Ret) 1968-1990

I used to be a revolver-only type...but I learned that revolvers can fail. And, if they do for other than ammo reasons, it is usually something that can't be cleared in the field. Of course, there are always exceptions and differences, and YMMV.

I think there is room and a use for both in any man's arsenal...I find some guns to be very "sexy" (like a fine old S&W revolver from the glory days, or a 1911 of just about any kind) and then there are guns that are tools, and their beauty is in their function (like Glocks, or many polymer guns.)

Great comments. Great forum. I say, to each his own. I love my Glocks. I love my Smiths. I love my Rugers. I think what you carry is dictated by where you are, what you're likely to come up against, the ease of concealment, etc., etc. I think if I could put up with the bulk, the weight, the size and so forth I'd carry my Glock 21. 14 .45ACP rounds. BUT, the truth is I'm carrying a .380 Ruger LCP. Smith 642 in the center console of the vehicle and the Glock 21 on the nightstand. It just depends on your situation. Good discussion here. I will say this and it's really not in line with the original post but guns are guns are guns but Smith revolvers are a piece of Americana and a thing of beauty, at least for me.

Most of my police career was with revolvers and I love them and always will.Since I retired,my lifestyle is quite tame, kind of like slamming on the brakes at 100mph and screeching to a complete stop. I live in the sticks,rarely go into town unless it's an absolute necessity,and mostly pack a wheelgun.
Like jimmyj said,tho,times have changed and depending on the mission I'm often more comfortable with a higher capacity gun.
If the wife and I head out to parts unknown it's a Glock 19 with a nearby happy stick and a 17 round reload.
A Glock 26 sees a lot of carry also.It actually outshoots my larger Glocks and has for years. So I own and like,and train with both.But the wheelgun is my first love.

I agree with all of what you say here. Only differences are that instead of the Ruger when I can't pack a Glock or a Smith J-frame I go with a little Seecamp. A Glock 21 is my nightstand gun also, but I also have a G30 and a G36 (11 and 7 rounds of .45 respectively) that I find surprisingly easy to conceal well with the right IWB holster. I guess with the right shirt or coat the G21 would work OK in an OWB rig but that's just more than I want to mess with. I usually only carry one of the Glocks when I'm venturing what they call ITP (inside the perimeter) here in Atlanta. Ordinarily I go with some combination of one or more J-frame or Seecamp(s) IWB and in the pocket.

I never feel underprepared like this.

Glock is the " revolver-guy's semi auto JMHO .

That must explain my fondness for Glocks then...

A revolver will never die out as a SD tool. The reason being is:

1) old people (no offense to anyone here )
1) and women

I've seen both try to manipulate the slide on my M&P.40, use the mag release with ONE thumb, properly index and aim, etc and failed many times. The bulkiness is also an added problem to them. Thank god mine doesn't have the added complexity of a safety.

Now the only drawback to a revolver is capacity (minimal) and reloading (clumsy/slow), but for one of the smallest revolvers available, such as the J-frame in 2" barrel, not to mention the stopping power of a .38 (or even .357) in a quarter of the size of a semi-auto, it is, in my civilian opinion, THE best tool of defense for those two demographics listed above. Of course proper training and trigger work is needed, and in some cases a trigger job might be needed to lighten the trigger pull.

All-in-all just like with cars, computers, cell phones, etc there will always be a certain niche for certain people.

Both bottom feeders & revolvers have there place & use.
There is a small .380 in the work truck, but I carry a J frame, Cobra,1911 or my M21 in a holster most of the time. I have no trust in a .380, but is better then nothing, hides well in the summer.
Different strokes for different folks.

This is why I own, practice with, and carry a BG 380.

Dress code isn't simply a matter of compulsion, implying that the only reason people wear clothing in which gun concealment is difficult is because they are forced to do so. Some of us choose not to wear large, loose clothing at any time; it's not our personal dress code. In the winter I tend to wear long sleeve T's and sweatshirts. In the summer I wear shorts and T-shirts, and I do not presently nor do I intend to begin wearing a second shirt over my T-shirt just so I can -stick a gun in a holster. Also, I try to wear clothing that actually fits. I don't care for big and baggy clothing.

Body size plays into this as well. I'm 5'11" and 160 pounds on my way back to 150. If you're large and shaped like a lumberjack with broad shoulders and a small waist, perhaps concealing a gun inside the waistband is easy. If you're fat (and my trip to the local gun show last Saturday told me that this is an *epidemic*) then perhaps you already wear gunny sacks designed to cover your rolls. (I kid. I kid.) In such a case, concealing a larger gun may be "not hard".

But when you look like I do ("narrow" doesn't adquately describe my shoulder width), concealing a larger gun isn't easy unless you wish to change your entire wardrobe, and I don't. I recognize that this is a personal choice, that I could change my wardrobe. But many of us chose a semiauto .380 simply because of the tradeoff between its size and the caliber. I only pocket carry. Period. I'd *rather* carry an M&P9c, but I'm unwilling to change my clothing so I can stick a gun in my waistband so that nobody will see it.

This dovetails well with the OP's explanation of why he stopped carrying revolvers for semiauto's. It was his *preference* and while there are pro's and con's on each side, he chose as he saw fit. So it is with concealment. If your highest priority is to conceal the largest possible gun, you will dress and act accordingly. For many of us, the priority is to have a gun in the highly unlikely event that we will need it, but not to change how we dress to accommodate the gun.

Regarding revolvers vs. semiauto's, I considered a revolver before buying my BG 380. In the end, I chose the semiauto because it is slightly thinner and that's what I wanted.

I cannot take issue with the opinion of an LEO in the performance of his duties. I also perceive that his statement was fairly narrow in focus and does not necessarily apply to the typical civilian CCW holder.

I recall reading that the typical personal-defense (non-LEO scenario) gunfight takes place within 3-5 yards and that 3 rounds are expended. I might be a little off on some of those figures, but recall short distance and very few rounds fired. While I realize that averages are averages, and my situation might differ from yours, what these figures tell me is that in the more typical one-on-one 'bump in the night' situation, I probably won't need more rounds than the gun will hold, even a 5-shot. In fact, I seem to also recall that there were no recent documented SD (again, non LEO) shootings where a reload was required.

So......I am not LEO and I'm just flat not interested in packing a gun and 70 (or any number beyond what the gun will hold) rounds of ammo around with me as I go to the grocery-store, sit at my desk, go to the bank, etc. Five or six will do. Indeed, I think a civilian who got into a shoot-out with a BG and was later found to be packing multiple reloads/mags/guns might find himself in a less-than-ideal legal spot.

Oh, and I almost forgot to add, trust me, I'm a lawyer!!

Concealed and carry are two of the words in "concealed carry weapon". Because I conceal and carry more that I actually use it as a weapon weight and size were important considerations for me.
Most high cap. semi autos require a lot of ammunition weight.... 9 ozs. extra when my Ruger SR40 is loaded plus the 27+ ozs for the gun itself. The result is a weight over 2 lbs. Compact semi's offer little in reducing the weight.
I've been able to cut the loaded weight nearly in 1/2 and a smaller sized weapon by going to an ultra lite 5 shot snubby. Believe me a 1 lb. less hanging off your belt is noticeable.
I'll probably be dead using any gun regardless of capacity if 5 shots wont do it.

Did everyone read the news story posted on this thread about the 90 year old man who was being robbed and grabbed his 5 shot .38 and had three rounds find a home in the bad guy?

The bad guy then attacked him and tried to shoot him with his revolver but it was out of bullets.

Now if the old man had a 17 shot auto would he have pumped 17 rounds into/at the BG and maybe killed him? Or would he have fired 5 and then the BG would have had the next 12 to finish off the old man?

I think if you ask the old man, he will tell you if he had more rounds, he'd have used them.

Of course better shot placement would have helped, but this is a real life situation so we have to take it as it happened. Fact is the old man ran out of bullets after 5 shots and then he was attacked.

Love to hear your thoughts on this, I own both....

I have always planned to train myself well using my revolvers and then to cross train on my husband's SA. However, I have now found an SA that peaks my interest--the S&W MP40. I saw this demonstrated on TV and my interest was peaked. So after I get my .357 or another .38, I may put the MP40 on my wish list. Different guns for different applications.

The problem is there is no sure-stopper when it comes to handguns. I know of one incident involving a female police officer who was shot in the chest (no vest, IIRC) with a .357 Magnum 125gr JHP, but she was able to return fire, stop her attacker, and survive her injury. I think I recall another story involving a carjacker being shot multiple times with a .45 and being able to escape. I've also heard of one-shot stops from a snub-fired FBI load to the chest. My own opinion is that time will likely be a bigger factor than ammo capacity.

There are way too many variables to say one round or caliber is better than another in every situation. I will say that I make my ammo choices based on what I've researched has worked consistently well in actual shootings, which is why I load my 642 with Speer's 135gr SB-GDHP. More importantly, it's a round I know I can shoot well in my gun. I also acknowledge that emptying my gun into an attacker(s) may not work and plan accordingly. But I would do the same even if I were carrying a double-stack .45 semi-auto.

Good post,Cyrus.

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Blessed be the Lord,my Rock