Basic Revolver Questions (newbie question)

[gscrasher]

A lot of good info here. For a real-world round-count in civilian encounters, have a look at the "the armed citizen" column in the NRA's
magazine the American Rifleman. This months issue cites 6 examples. In one case the defender fired 4 rounds. Several of the rest were solved with 0 or 1 shot. Two incidents were unspecified number of rounds; one
though was using a revolver. I've been reading this magazine for 40 years and don't actually remember any high round count shootouts.

One more thing, if you get interested in revolvers, check out a new book
by Grant Cunningham, "Gun Digest Book of the Revolver".

 

[corgiS&W]

Another excellent snubbie, if you can find one, is a Colt Detective Special or its lighter cousin the Cobra. They're the same size & weight as a J frame (about) and hold six rounds instead of five. Not a big deal, 6 vs. 5, but something to consider.

But they do get expensive [because they don't make them anymore]. The 3rd generation DSs can be had for $500, but I think only in a blued version. I traded one about 14 years ago and have regretted it ever since. I have a 642, which is good for CC, and a Colt Magnum Carry which seems bigger than the DS, but I think it's supposed to be the same size.

 

[shawn mccarver]

Hello everyone. I am new to guns in general and I have been reading about guns, ballistics, have taken my CHP class, etc. I am seriously considering the SD9VE as my first "do it all" handgun for concealed carry, car defense, and apartment defense. That being said however I am not against a revolver. I have some newbie questions.:

Why pick a revolver over a semi auto?
Why are revolvers so expensive compared to a semi auto?
The SD9VE hold a lot more ammo than a revolver, is this really an issue in the real world?
I tried a Taurus 85 snubby and it was hard to shoot, so can you still conceal a 3-4 inch revolver for EDC?

Help me to learn, why would you pick a revolver over a semi auto in this day and age? I am not a collector, it will be carried and used. Thanks for the help.

In short, I would not pick a revolver over an appropriate auto for self-defense. The mid-size Glock in 9mm or .40, the M&P in 9mm or .40, the SDVE in 9mm or .40, as well as others are all fine for the uses you mentioned. You will find the trigger on the Glock and M&P easier to manage than any revolver or the SDVE. The SDVE has a heavier trigger than the M&P or Glock, but lighter than a revolver.

That said, if you just WANT a revolver, then the main reasons are - well, nostalgia, alleged ease of operation for someone not inclined to much familiarization (I do not believe anyone unwilling to learn and stay up on skills should really have a gun, but I cannot change the world). Against a revolver are a generally heavier trigger, which may be a good thing if the user cannot "keep his trigger finger off the trigger until the sights are on the target."

Yes, assuming a proper holster, a 4 inch barrel is just as easy to conceal as a 2 inch, assuming an inside the waistband holster. A nice compromise is a 3 inch barrel, such as S&W Models 10, 64, 13 or 65, but all of these are out of production and you will have to find a good used one.

If you are at least as intelligent as the average police officer, and willing to spend an hour at the range every month, you will have no trouble with an auto.

 

[JFootin]

I am genuinely curious as to how he accomplished a 4.25# trigger on a J frame, or any revolver for that matter, while retaining ignition and trigger reset reliability. If he can do that, I'd be more than happy to build in a healthy margin of safety and "settle" for a 5-6# trigger!

Agreed. I needed it lighter because of the profound weakness of my trigger finger.

I was wondering about that too. If he has reliable ignition out of a snubby with a 4.25 pound trigger, I'd like to know the secret. I have degenerative motor neuropathy and have weakness in my right hand and wrist, a trigger that light would really help. I'm thinking maybe he meant 8.25.

No. 4.25 lb measured carefully with a trigger guage.

I had sent the gun off to a nationally well known gunsmith shop for the custom work, including a trigger job. I had explained that I needed it very much lighter because of my crippled hands. They polished everything in there for 3 hours. (It was already very smooth from the factory, so...) Then, they started swapping in springs from a spring kit, but got light strikes. So, they put the old springs back in and contacted me for payment, which included $65 for the trigger job and $9.95 for the spring kit. Did they contact me to tell me the results and see what I wanted them to do? No. They told me the gun was ready and what the charges were. I paid and they sent it back to me. When I got it back and tried the trigger, it was smooth but every bit as stiff as when new! Needless to say, I raised H H! They refunded the $65 for the botched trigger job, but didn't refund the spring kit or include it with the gun.

This is a typical level of expertise for many gunsmiths today. They can polish pieces and swap springs, but that is the limit. This bad experience spurred me to renew my search for a good local gunsmith who knows the finer art of a real trigger job, and I found him! He did not use a spring kit. He started cutting a little off of the hammer spring and the trigger return spring, test firing it, looking at the firing pin impressions and measuring the pull. He called me when he had it about where you guys are talking about, but I told him I needed it lighter. So he continued the process and I think he was proud of the result! He said this was the best trigger job he has ever done!

I haven't shot a whole lot of rounds with it, but it has never failed to fire every round. It is easy to be accurate with it at SD distance because I can pull that trigger without pulling the sights off target. And it is my favorite carry gun in my rotation.

 

[BaaBaa]

I'm new to handguns but I'll tell you why I selected a 640 for my gun. I wanted to be sure it would fire all the time. I needed something small because I can't even hold a mid size gun and reach the trigger. I have very small hands. I wanted steel to reduce the perceived recoil. Needed .357 because one of my major possible defense issues is bears. Needed something concealable because I do farm tours for tourists yet need the gun available to me all the time. That ruled out continuing to carry the shotgun loaded with slugs which is what we did all last fall. I was not able to practice with anything before I got my gun because no rental ranges locally. I like the reliability of the revolver compared to a semi-auto. Also the size ammo for the autos is not really good for bears.
I looked at several other small revolvers but the 640 fit my hand perfectly and felt great. Plus it's a lot of fun to shoot so I am enjoying the practice, something that is absolutely critical IMO.

 

[shouldazagged]

A revolver will not go out of battery and fail to fire if you are forced to ram it into an attacker. It will fire if in an extreme situation you are forced into a less-than-solid grip--no limp-wrist syndrome. It can if necessary be fired more than once from inside a pocket. It can't drop a magazine. There is no safety to fumble if you are taken by surprise (I know, you should never allow yourself to be surprised, but dung occurs). In the unlikely event that you have a bad cartridge that fails to fire there is no clearance drill--just squeeze the trigger again. Lubrication of slide rails is not an issue.

These aren't all the reasons I carry a J-frame EDC, but they're the main ones.

I've owned more pistols than revolvers in the sixty years I've owned handguns. I liked some of them very much, and modern autoloaders are usually highly reliable. But the only semi-auto I ever owned that never failed to feed or fire was a first-generation full-sized Glock .40. Even a Glock 19 failed once; and though that was almost certainly bad ammo, I sold the gun. I've never had a failure with a revolver. Ever.

But yankee mike mike victor.

 

[LimaCharlie]

The semi-auto versus revolver question will be debated forever just like the Ford versus Chevy debate. There are very good reasons for both. Semi-autos can have jams that have to be cleared. Very small light-weight revolvers can have bullet creep causing cylinder lock-up especially in .357 magnum or .44 magnum.

My wife doesn't train much or spend much time at the range. She goes to the range about once a year, qualifies and goes home. She prefers a revolver because you pull it out and shoot without thinking. She has been carrying an S&W 640 Centennial .357 magnum for over twenty years. For her, the revolver is better. She can carry it in her purse, pocket or holster. She can carry speed loaders in her purse. She doesn't have to remember to click the safety off or practice semi-auto jam clearing. She also has trouble racking the slide on more powerful semi-autos.

I spent twenty-two years in the military and am retired, so I go shooting and practice often. My primary urban concealed carry is a full size government model 1911 .45 ACP and two spare magazines.

My rural concealed carry is a Glock G20 SF in 10mm with 15+1 rounds and two spare magazines. With the six inch factory barrel installed and Buffalo Bore or Underwood 180 grain rounds in the Glock, I get high end .357 magnum or low end .41 magnum ballistics.

For woods carry where I may encounter a bear or cougar, I add a .44 magnum revolver. For me, the semi-auto is better for concealed carry but they top out around .357 magnum power. For more power, I add a big bore revolver and speed loaders.

 

[JFootin]

I'm new to handguns but I'll tell you why I selected a 640 for my gun. I wanted to be sure it would fire all the time. I needed something small because I can't even hold a mid size gun and reach the trigger. I have very small hands. I wanted steel to reduce the perceived recoil. Needed .357 because one of my major possible defense issues is bears. Needed something concealable because I do farm tours for tourists yet need the gun available to me all the time. That ruled out continuing to carry the shotgun loaded with slugs which is what we did all last fall. I was not able to practice with anything before I got my gun because no rental ranges locally. I like the reliability of the revolver compared to a semi-auto. Also the size ammo for the autos is not really good for bears.
I looked at several other small revolvers but the 640 fit my hand perfectly and felt great. Plus it's a lot of fun to shoot so I am enjoying the practice, something that is absolutely critical IMO.

My hands are very small, too. The standard Unkle Mike's grip on my 638 wouldn't clear for insertion of speed loaders, so I started looking for a solution. What I came up with is the Hogue Bantam one piece rubber grip. It clears speed loaders and is just a bit more compact. The rubber makes for a very sure grip on the gun and cushions recoil. Not expensive, either. Give one a try.

P.S. Why have S&W and Uncle Mike's let the problem of no speed loader clearance on the J-frames go unfixed for years on end?

 

[STCM(SW)]

My only reason for CC of a revolver is KISS & I'm a 1911 guy. Too many years in the Navy....
And a 1911 has less to go wrong then a PPK, P38, luger or most semi-autos.
M36-1 3" seems to be what I CC most, sometimes the Cobra for it's light weight now.

 

[357-RevolverGuy]

I prefer to carry a revolver because I shoot it more accurately than any of the semi-auto's I've owned. Have you ever held a model 19, 66 or 67? At one time they were as popular as the Glock 19's are today, and for good reason. They point like the finger of God. Even the stock wood grips give your hands a very secure and balanced handling of the gun. Shooting 158 grain .38s or .357 have a sort of smooth push out of the barrel and the recoil let's you quickly aim to target again.

Revolvers have been proven to stand the test of time. Even the old single actions which have been modernized today stand strong. I feel like they have a balance that is far superior to any double action revolver I've held.

There are so many other reasons too... I like an all steel gun, the shape, the intimidation factor it must give criminals (imagining a full lug bull barrel pointed in their direction), the history, craftsmanship, engineering, less rounds (which will make you a better shooter), speedloaders (much less weight than mags), the many different grip shapes you can add to just about any model ...