Considering switching from Semi to Revolver for CC....

There are those who actually can make the hits under pressure without losing their nerve. That they are in the minority is no reason that shot placement need be disregarded.

Many thousands of rounds from both autos and revolvers have taught me that under realistic conditions the chances of having a stoppage are far greater with the reciprocating slide than with the revolving cylinder. I choose the revolver every time.

Dave Sinko
 
I have had three revolver problems (I won't say jams) in the last ten years: the hand snapped off my brand-new 39-2, the hammernose snapped off my 629-4 and the tip of the crane cracked (where the cylinder screw meets it) in my 66-5. Each of these malfunctions could have gotten me killed if it hadn't happened at the range. (The 66-5 malfunction happened during a local IDPA match.) Having said all that, at every gun class and every IDPA match I have ever attended I have witnessed a fair number of semi-automatic malfunctions, mostly with 1911s (but never with Glocks). I carry my 640 no-dash with confidence that however unreliable revolvers can be at times, they are generally more reliable that semi-automatics.
 
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I carry both interchangeably.

Yesterday, I carried my Model 36 in a pocket holster. Today I carried my Glock 19 IWB.

I frequently carry my 3" Model 65 IWB.

I don't expect to run into any problem that I couldn't deal with with either a revolver or a semi-auto handgun.
 
Generally speaking, I usually carry a 5" 945, but I occasionally carry my 4" 686 loaded with .357; and tote a couple of speed loaders.
 
Hello. I am a carpenter in my mid 50's. Work can be very physical and require some agility. Being less physical and agile than I once was, I need to simplify. During summer, I carry a J frame during the day and at home. It is always "on" AIWB. This method of carry took a lot of getting used to, but it very fast, concealable, and accessible to my support hand. The threat level where I work is very low. Whenever I leave the house for shopping or whatever I carry a G19 or M&P 9c IWB in addition to the J.
Cooler weather and a cover garment usually find me with the Glock IWB and a J frame in an ankle holster. The M&P may replace the Glock for carry someday, but I have been shooting Gaston's plastic marvel for years in IDPA and 3 gun and trust them implicitly.
I also tend to carry a box of .38+P and 9mm and hearing protection in each vehicle, as opportunities to practice sometimes arise.
Carry what you are comfortable with. I have no problem trusting my
bacon to a revolver on a daily basis, but when out and about I like to have a higher capacity option.
 
Obstin8 said:
Hello. I am a carpenter in my mid 50's. Work can be very physical and require some agility. Being less physical and agile than I once was, I need to simplify. During summer, I carry a J frame during the day and at home. It is always "on" AIWB. This method of carry took a lot of getting used to, but it very fast, concealable, and accessible to my support hand. The threat level where I work is very low. Whenever I leave the house for shopping or whatever I carry a G19 or M&P 9c IWB in addition to the J.
Cooler weather and a cover garment usually find me with the Glock IWB and a J frame in an ankle holster. The M&P may replace the Glock for carry someday, but I have been shooting Gaston's plastic marvel for years in IDPA and 3 gun and trust them implicitly.
I also tend to carry a box of .38+P and 9mm and hearing protection in each vehicle, as opportunities to practice sometimes arise.
Carry what you are comfortable with. I have no problem trusting my
bacon to a revolver on a daily basis, but when out and about I like to have a higher capacity option.
Click to expand...

Also remember boys and girls, the more shots you have, the more you will fire.

If you have a 5/6 shot revolver, your chances of hitting your target with all 5/6 of those rounds is better than with an auto that holds 13/15 rounds of ammo. Why? Because of the good ol' concept known as spray and pray. With that comes the game we all like to play called, "Where's my projectiles?"

YOU are responsible for each and every round you fire from your weapon. Not the the handgun manufacturer, not the ammo company and not the mayor or chief of police. You. If you fire a full magazine (oh...say a 15 rounder) and you only hit your target 4 or 5 of those times...uh...where are the other 10 or so rounds? Not to mention, 5 hits out of 15 shots is what...33% hit/miss ratio?

Go ahead...you guys carry 40/50 rounds on you. When you miss your target and hit some old lady in the ass, you're gonna buy her a new Cadillac every year for the rest of her life.

Are you ready?
 
Glock 'em down said:
Also remember boys and girls, the more shots you have, the more you will fire.

If you have a 5/6 shot revolver, your chances of hitting your target with all 5/6 of those rounds is better than with an auto that holds 13/15 rounds of ammo. Why? Because of the good ol' concept known as spray and pray.
Click to expand...
Not everyone is like that. Some people have cool heads and/or good training.
 
Glock 'em down said:
Yeah, but that list of pistoleros is like my hair...short and getting thinner by the day.

It takes more than just punching holes in paper.
Click to expand...
True, but we can decide and train to be one of those guys that rise above the mediocrity that the average gun carrier is mired in.

My point is don't switch to a revolver from an auto because you don't want to be a spray and pray guy. One should train properly so as not to be one.
 
I never carry just one gun, except when I have to fly somewhere (then I only bring one with me in case the airline "loses" my suitcase). My backup is now, and has been for years, a Airweight J-frame. For the last four or five, its been a 37-2 DAO Airweight. Generally speaking it has backed up an auto of one form or another. I have always found service size revolvers to be less than ideal for CCW.

However, last year I bought myself a Ruger SP101 2 1/4" DAO. Being slightly larger and heavier than a J-frame, I found it much easier to shoot well and control than the S&W 640-1 I used to own. It is also easier to carry than a K or L frame for me (yes, it gives up one shot).

I'm moving to carrying revolvers off-duty now. I also got myself a 3" SP101, and I find it to be the perfect belt revolver, longer barrel for more velocity and sight radius, still compact enough to be easy to conceal. While the DAO SP is a lot heavier than my Airweight, it does fit nicely in my pocket. If I add an ankle holster I can comfortably conceal three revolvers: belt (IWB or OWB), pocket, and ankle.

I've shot a couple of IDPA BUG matches with the DAO SP using full-power magnum ammo and done quite well. I might try the 3" one next time.

While I am still carrying autos on duty, required at my full time job and by choice at my part-time one, I always carry the Airweight as a BUG, and I am a lot more comfortable with multiple revolvers off-duty. YMMV.

What I really want is a SP101 size and weight revolver chambered for .44 Special. Either S&W (sans lock) or Ruger would be fine. That way I could have my revolvers and my big bullets together in an easy to carry package.
 
My choice of weapon has been a 1911 until the last few years. Arthritis has forced me to go to the revolver. Just to painful to manipulate the slide. Would hate to have a failure to feed or somthing along those line at the wrong time. I have a CCW and carry my S&W 21 always. I can shoot revolvers all day long, even the magnums . I don't feel under protected with a revolver.
 
Its a Ford vs. Chevy question and argument; everyone will carry (and defend) what they like - doesn't make one more right or better than the other; its a personal preference.

You'll find most people who own both will carry both; variety being the spice of life.

;)
 
Glock 'em down said:
Also remember boys and girls, the more shots you have, the more you will fire.

If you have a 5/6 shot revolver, your chances of hitting your target with all 5/6 of those rounds is better than with an auto that holds 13/15 rounds of ammo. Why? Because of the good ol' concept known as spray and pray. With that comes the game we all like to play called, "Where's my projectiles?"

YOU are responsible for each and every round you fire from your weapon. Not the the handgun manufacturer, not the ammo company and not the mayor or chief of police. You. If you fire a full magazine (oh...say a 15 rounder) and you only hit your target 4 or 5 of those times...uh...where are the other 10 or so rounds? Not to mention, 5 hits out of 15 shots is what...33% hit/miss ratio?

Go ahead...you guys carry 40/50 rounds on you. When you miss your target and hit some old lady in the ass, you're gonna buy her a new Cadillac every year for the rest of her life.

Are you ready?
Click to expand...

The flip side to spray and pray, is that sometimes it is called suppressive fire. The idea is that you make the other guy keep his head down or stay in one spot rather than focusing entirely on killing you. Doesn't happen very often to most folks, but does happen from to time where that's an issue.

Also depends on what is going on and what's behind your target. Sometimes it'll be nothing, other times it'll simply be more targets that are equally hostile.

Mr. Beckwith had to fire 105 rounds in three minutes, which was the most I'm aware of in a defensive shooting. He emptied his AR twice and fell back on his S&W 76 which he also had to reload. He beat seven to one odds and survived.

Lots of rounds fired doesn't always equate to either spraying or to wasting ammunition.

Weird things happen like that sometimes.

If someone loses their head, or gets a through and through, they can hit a bystander all the same whether they've got one round or a hundred in the air.

If you hit 33 percent of the time, that gives you two hits from a six shot revolver, one and a partial from a J frame .38. Bad odds if there is more than one guy or if he doesn't feel like going down.

Bystanders getting hit is actually rather rare. Playing with the numbers to have "only" three or four errant shots in the air doesn't manifestly affect the risk factor.

Ideally someone won't panic. Training or constitution, either/or, go a ways towards making sure that it doesn't happen. I never lost it getting shot at (twice), attacked (couple times) or even car accidents. Some people just don't. Shrug. For those that don't have a synapse or three firing differently (improper affectation was the fancy word my shrink used), there's training until certain things become so rote that even a massive IQ drain related to stress still allows for a proper response. (Stress can drop the average person down to Forrest Gump in a hurry, though I suppose if you're Einstein to begin with, it'd be less severe. The literature on the topic was never entirely clear on that.
 
"Mr. Beckwith had to fire 105 rounds in three minutes, which was the most I'm aware of in a defensive shooting. He emptied his AR twice and fell back on his S&W 76 which he also had to reload. He beat seven to one odds and survived."

He was also using a full auto sub and two mags from a semi AR. It's pretty easy to burn up a lot of rounds that way. I'm also not defending a gun store full of weapons from a gang of thieves in a rural area where missed shots don't matter..

So, I don't consider that a valid argument for defense of an average person in an urban setting. It's not just that a high volume of missed shots is dangerous, you're gonna be paying for the property damage they cause even if you don't hit anybody. Even the old west gunfighters were documented on several occasions as fearing the man who could make a few well aimed shots far more than the guy who could shoot fast but wild.

I still don't feel undergunned with a J or my 1911!
 
GatorFarmer said:
The flip side to spray and pray, is that sometimes it is called suppressive fire.
Click to expand...
Great for movies and sometimes on the battle field, but in a situation that can easily include innocent bystanders, a dangerous tactic. You may end up scaring away the bad guy, but killing an innocent person in the process with wild shots.

Also depends on what is going on and what's behind your target. Sometimes it'll be nothing, other times it'll simply be more targets that are equally hostile.
Click to expand...
In a situation where you are faced with a hostile, your adrenaline is pumping and you can easily tune everything out except for the enemy. What's going on behind your target? Sometimes it nothing, sometimes it more targets, other times it's a woman carrying a baby while walking a puppy.

Spray and pray is not the best response. The desire for more rounds is completely understandable, but not for the aforementioned reason.
 
Due to a freak FTE/FTF problem on an auto, I switched back to wheel guns for about 10 years once. It's still as valid reason now as it was then. My pride got in the way 35+ years ago too much to allow me to realize the only reason the gun failed to run was operator error, however?
 
Starting in the 1970,s it was a Colt detective and M19 2.5 nickel. Then 3.5 decades of auto,s 1911,Sig,Glock,s. But near 60 years old and wiser now its a SW 642-1 and a M-19 2.5". A full circle and back to the basics of effective selfdefence.
 
I have carried hi-cap. semi autos off and on for many years, now I am in the golden years ,I am back to a Mdl. 60 2in . no bells or whistles to take off or put on to carry or shoot.
 
This one worked well for me in LA for over 20 years, but hey, what do I know?
Bob
3.jpg
 
Those stocks were made by the late John Hurst, of Los Angeles. I think they're Coco Bolo. I don't carry this one much in retirement anymore; too much sentimental attachment and it's a little heavy sometimes. My favorite carry piece now is a 442 Airweight. Even though I don't carry 3 guns, 40 spare rounds, a knife, tactical light and spare batteries, I feel well-armed. But maybe I'm fooling myself! Bob
 
OIF2 said:
Those stocks were made by the late John Hurst, of Los Angeles. I think they're Coco Bolo. I don't carry this one much in retirement anymore; too much sentimental attachment and it's a little heavy sometimes. My favorite carry piece now is a 442 Airweight. Even though I don't carry 3 guns, 40 spare rounds, a knife, tactical light and spare batteries, I feel well-armed. But maybe I'm fooling myself! Bob
Click to expand...

Looks like he made a fine set of grips. I have set of the extended Altamontes on my 638 Airweight but his design looks beefier. Funny how one becomes attached to things sometimes.

Oh, unless the zombies come out I doubt you are under armed.
 
I'll admit I didn't read all of this thread before replying, so if anything I say seems redundant, there's a reason for it.

I'm not one of the "revolver generation" so to speak. I'm all of 28 years old, so I'm dead in the middle of the average age of the plastic auto crowd. I do own a plastic auto too, along with some of those big, heavy all-steel autos, too. Most often, I can be found carrying one of those heavy steel autos that holds 8 or 9 big bullets. However, I've been a revolver fan for several years, and have owned my share of them, though only a couple right now. I've practiced a lot with them, and if I do say so, I shoot them pretty well.

I live in a rural county, around 30k people in the whole place. Most nearby areas are even less populated, and crime is on a level that many big city people just couldn't understand. I think that under those sort of conditions, a low capacity, powerful handgun wouldn't bother me, regardless of whether it's a bottomfeeder or a roundgun.

Now, while you may find a 1911 on my hip, it's just as likely that, unless I'm headed into the "big city", I'll have my 5 inch Model 27 in it's place.

wood017.jpg
 
I love diversity so I carry both at different times. One thing is common, I carry more than one gun every day. I have never had a K or L frame fail to fire but have had a J-frame bind up on me.

Examples of what I carry.

This weekend, I carried my 66-1 2.5" as primary and my Model 60 as backup on weak side. Did I feel under armed? No way. My wife was also carrying one of her pistols.

During the last week, I carried my M&P40c and Kel-tec P3AT as a combo, I also carried my PF9 and P3AT and I also carried my 66-1 and P3AT. I did not feel under armed with any of the combos.

Today, I carried my Model 60 and P3AT.

Why the different guns each day?
1. I like diversity.
2. I dress differently every day.
3. I also test my holsters with different guns.

One thing you will notice is all my guns have no safeties. Just draw, aim/point and pull the trigger. So in the end, carry what feels right to you, you can shoot well and you will carry on your body always. Note my signature line... There is no one right answer for everyone.
 
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