Goodbye Revolvers for Defensive Carry

[akjaeger]

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!

 

[smithman 10]

Carrying a wheelgun

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.

 

[SpectrePilot]

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.

 

[whw]

Still carrying revolvers.

Keeping it simple as possible the older I get.

I'm with you 100%.
Whw

 

[badge 851]

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

 

[GKC]

Over the years I can count on one or two fingers the times I've seen a revolver fail.

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.)

 

[dwpmusic]

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.

 

[Stu Honea]

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.

 

[DonDee]

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.

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.

 

[joespapa]

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.

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

 

[DonDee]

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

That must explain my fondness for Glocks then...

 

[Catalysis]

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.

 

[STCM(SW)]

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.

 

[BuckeyeChuck]

i sell 10 .380's for every small revolver. The big reason is because the new generation plastic frame guns are much smaller than the revolvers.

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

Now as many of us know it's not real hard to carry a bigger gun like my .45 SIG or my Glock 19 but many people don't want to put forth the effort to carry a larger handgun or they are like my nephew. He's a traveling salesman and he has to observe something I don't called a "dress code" so he can't wear untucked shirts or what i call cover clothing...

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.

 

[MTKTM]

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

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!!

 

[DDDWho]

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.

 

[Lost Lake]

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....

 

[LL617]

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.

 

[ContinentalOp]

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....

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.

 

[Stu Honea]

Good post,Cyrus.