The Revolver vs. the Pistol for self defense. Which is better?

[cwo4uscgret]

At work it is an HK USP2000 chambered in .40 S&W - the agency issued/mandated service pistol. I works; I know it works not a problem.

Off-duty, last night for example, it was a Colt 1911 Commercial model from 1952 - same age as me. For a backup I had a S&W Model 38.

Other days it could be a totally different set of handguns.

The important thing, more important then pistol/revolver carried is the reliability of the individual gun you are carrying and your proficiency with it. Equally important is your ability to clear a malfunction and continue to shoot...

 

[1 old 0311]

That's the sixty-four dollar question...I was in this little shootin match one time, seem like a bunch of times.

Anyhows, this cat opens up on us in a stairwell.
The two fellers with me, an I.C.E. Marshall and a Trooper shoot back with their Glocks.

Im here to tell ya, 'em boys was a layin down sumkinda return fire. Neither side drew any blood.
I just held my ground, didn't want to waste my revolver cartridges.

We hemmed this guy up and I got an opening, put the front sight on him, squeezed one off and that was that...As they say.

So, I reckon by fire may or may not work.

Si Amigo,
Dave

EXACTLY!!!!!!!!!!!!!! That is why they they put sights on a firearm.
I am not sure where some of these people learned to shoot but in Boot Camp we were taught to shoot AT a enemy not CLOSE to an enemy.

 

[keith44spl]

Oh, one more little thing...When using a revolver, nobody
gets mad at ya for not sharing ammo with that guy that
missed with his first 45 rounds of sprayin' & prayin'.


Su Amigo,
Dave

 

[jbull380]

It isn't so much WHAT is in your hand as it is how you TRAIN with what is your hand. If you can't detect, assess and engage the threat from the standpoint of being behind (BG has already begun the attack) with your choice of weapons system be it auto loader or revolver it's a moot point. This includes getting out of the holster and delivering rounds on target while moving to cover or getting some distance from the attacker. Being able to engage threats from under a vehicle, through a windshield etc. The possibilities are endless. We spend too much time choosing "the best weapon" and use too little time training with it. I include myself as well. I should be out shooting now. As a matter of fact I think I will.

 

[18DAI]

These last few posts bring to mind what our old mossback instructor use to tell us.

"Having been trained by me I don't expect to read in my morning paper that any of you were involved in a gunfight. I expect to read it was simply a shooting." Regards 18DAI

 

[Chuck1217]

What's that saying about experts? Some folks practice to see how many times they can hit the middle- experts practice never missing the middle? Something like that...

 

[WR Moore]

I don't recall 'expert' being used, could have been...the line I remember was something like: "Most folks practice till they get it right, pros practice till they can't get it wrong".

 

[Practical]

There must be studys and statistics somewhere. I think far too much is made of how many rounds the gun has. We are talking civilian encounters here arent we? I would like to hear just how often if at all any gun fight between a civilian and a BG went past a couple rounds!
I know the possibility never cross`s my mind. This aint like a grade B western where we get behind a water trough and try to hold out for the cavary or hero shows up! I cant say when I ever read of a shootout like that! So takeing away THAT senerio, I see no advantage at all with a auto.
Now I know there is also romantics out there with a 12 year old mentality that think they need a backup besides, and a fighting knife to gut the remaining aggressers. Maybe I would be half that bad if I lived in bagdad or detroit myself.

I agree with your assessment of the threat level. Most situations, simply having a gun and getting off an accurate shot or two will resolve it or you will lose.

The problem is that revolvers are NOT what they used to be and gun fights are not always simple one on one altercations.

1. Revolvers are now NOT typical police guns. They are COMMERCIAL consumer products. Companies are NOT going to work hard to keep the Mean Time Between Failure down on their designs. Costs are now a bigger concern than MTBF because a problem in revolver reliability won't decrease police sales.

2. You are likely to encounter a long gun using criminal with greater restrictions on handgun sales than long gun sales in many states. In my state long gun sales between individuals are allowed, handguns are registered. A criminal can more easily get a long gun. You may need more rounds to compensate.

3. Criminals attack in groups. IDPA teaches you to deal with several targets. Beat downs happen on 2, 3, 4, or more to one.

4. Pistols especially LEO popular designs have better reliability, equal combat accuracy and are easier to shoot well and fast.

The BIG advantagee revolvers have are SAFE ADMINISTRATION and ease of seeing the loaded state. This is a big advantage in the home and with less skilled users.

I feel a lot safer if my poorly skilled neighbor owned a revolver rather than a semi-auto he dry fires pointed at the wall facing my house.

 

[everReady Rob]

Good post Practical, lots of good stuff. I am a revolver guy and have in the past been fast to belittle the semi's loving that gun because they could carry many more rounds than me. I started w/a 5 shot J frame, still got it, still love it, fits my need at times. AND at the same time have gone out of my way to acquire a 8 shot N frame. Love it, wouldn't trade it for anything, fits my needs at times. And thats okay.

Lesson for me, different guns for different times. Some like apple pie, some like cherry pie, but most of us like pie.

You can like any gun you want, just have a gun.

Methinks.

 

[slappy27]

I retired from NYPD in 1988 after carrying a model 10 and a model 36 in an ankle holster and model 49 weakside pocket carry on duty. I prefer Smith revolvers for CCW especially since my Glock 27 has been back to Smyrna so often it should have frequent flyer miles. I am considering the M&P .45C but I will always have one of my J frames as a BUG.

 

[Reevolvers]

Holy smokes! Best thread ever!!! I just read all 22 pages and I think I cracked a rib laughing at least 5 times. Boy guys sure are testy about this one. Personally I own and carry both. Truthfully I prefer a wheel gun, but that's just me. I think they are both great choices, I just feel all around more at ease with the double action revolver for self defense purposes. I was at the range today, and saw prolly a half dozen guys there that couldn't hit the broad side of a barn door. The guy next to me had dreadlocks, a glock and a 33 round stick fully loaded. I watched him empty it multiple times. He hit all over the place, and at 21 feet whomever would have been on the receiving end wouldn't have needed so much as a band aid! Its times like that when I truly feel comfortable in my choice of weapons. He and his party remarked at the effectiveness of my antiquated wheel gun. He said he thought those were for old dudes. I shook my head and said watch this. When I had my fill of the revolver I got out my 1911, and produced the same results. They left shortly there after. The point is it matters not what I choose! If I practice with it, know the manual of arms backwards and front, and am comfortable doing so with both bottom feeders and wheel guns then either is a good choice. I am by no means an expert on the subject. I simply approach it with the mind set that this is a deadly weapon. I must MASTER it, or get rid of it.
Firearms are tools! The kind that don't suffer fools! As had been said here to each his own. I prefer a good double action Wheel gun mostly. Then again I am not in combat!

 

[Bratastic007]

Gun Digest has a recent article on this very topic:

CCW: Revolver or Autoloader? | Gun Digest - The World's Foremost Gun Information Authority

 

[jimmyj]

The age old question of revolver or semi-auto:
I settled this by CCW both at the same time.

 

[Mphstiger1981]

The age old question of revolver or semi-auto:
I settled this by CCW both at the same time.

This. Glock 19 IWB and 642 on the ankle. Life is good.

 

[shep854]

Whew! All 22 pages!
Anyway, here's my story and I'm stickin' to it...
Pocket carry works best for me, so I use a revolver (M49, a real Bodyguard ). With the Kel-Tec pocket 9mm, I need constant practice to avoid limp-wristing the gun.
With pleated slacks or cargo pants, the gun is not noticeable, yet easily and discreetly grasped if needed; I simply slip my hand into my pocket.

 

[imjin138]

I just read all 22 pages and here is my answer, carry what you feel comfortable with. practice, practice practice.

Practice firing, practice reloading, practice drawing.

I have lots of handguns, I shoot most of them I will carry a 642 and either a an auto or a revolver whatever I feel comfortable with. normally that is a K frame revolver but sometimes if I feel like it it will be a Glock 30 or a Browning Hi power or a 1911.

The one time I needed a firearm badly I was fortunate enough to be an M60 gunner and I was very good with that too, but unless I mount one on my truck I will stick with a handgun right now sitting next to me is a 642 that takes moon clips.

I don't plan on running into a large group of bikers or criminals but that being said after recent events in Milwaukee that is not to far fetched so I carry extra ammo in speed loaders moon clips or magazines just to be careful, I also carry a flashlight and a sap and pepper spray and a good pocket folder.

 

[230therapy]

if you only knew how may times ive seen guns on the department range jam cause they were never cleaned??? tons. dont know if the civillian world would keep theres to eat off of, of course more rounds the better BUT off duty im not looking for a fight i i walk into a robbery in civ clothes ill bet i can put 4 out of 6 full house magunms in you really fast shoot approx 100 rounds every 2 weeks in this gun runs like a watch, heck on patrol all a duty guns good for is to buy me time to get to my ar in the trunk THEN the fun starts...

1) Most police consider the gun to be "something" they are required to have on their belt. They do not consider fighting skills to be a priority. My neighbor carried a Colt Gold Cup that was known to malfunction for two years before I sold him my SIG P220. His ammo was so cruddy that the P220 even choked on it.

His shooting skills were terrible too and he had no desire to improve beyond what guns and gear he could purchase.

2) Shooting at non-moving targets will not moving yourself does not prepare you for fighting.

You can build a simple moving target. Mount two 1x2 holders on a platform made from four 2x4's with four independently moving wheels. Put an eye screw on each side. Get four stakes, two 60' ropes, two 1x2's cut to six feet long and staple an IDPA target to it. Someone runs the target left and right while someone shoots.

You will find your hit ratio drops significantly.

 

[sirrduke2010]

Fighting skills and street fighting versus the use of a gun. What the officer runs into when he or she needs a gun is considered a possible street fight. What is a street fight? It is a fight where the attacker generally has unfair odds over the victim being that the attacker outnumbers the victim and/or he or she has a weapon. The logic that I am seeing here is that a police officer must be prepared for fighting. I agree you must be prepared for fighting if you are in a martial art fight in a ring with referees to stop the fight, EMT's, it is one on one, there are no weapons, there are the same weapons, and there is a one on one fight. Unfortunately for the police officer this isn't a Martial Art dual. His position is he is against an unknown assailant who could be armed and may have hidden accomplishes.

I have hear from reputable sources cases of Martial Artists in a street fight and the unfortunate thing that the advantage is to the attacker because of the unfairness of the situation. I know of specific cases where the Martial Artist is taken out from behind and wind up in the hospital or are stabbed in the scuffle. The unfortunate part is that a Martial Artist may see a fight as only against one person that is unarmed but people can move very quickly. People that are trained for self defense will try to avoid a street fight, escape for briefly punch and/or kick to escape. I have heard of Martial Artists coming out on top but a street fight isn't a ring fight. Nobody is going to help you if you are injured or wounded and are in a isolated spot. You either walk out alive or are killed or badly wounded. A street fight isn't about winning it is about surviving. Sometimes the smartest thing you can do is to walk away or escape.

The invincible Martial Artist doesn't exist. Everybody can be killed if shot, stabbed, beaten, strangled, etc. if the time and the location of injury are sufficient. I haven't into the legal ramifications of being arrested for assault or murder, having to hire an attorney, being sentenced to prison. The most complicated thing you can decide is to get into a battle with an assailant. Fighting skills are helpful but they aren't the only answer here. The best course of action with an unknown threat is to equalize. With an unknown threat the officers best option is the gun. Having to get to close to a suspect is risky especially if you are by yourself.

Martial Artists can be trained to defend against weapons and multiple opponents and these skills are valuable. However if he or she wants to survive you don't want to stay in this situation long unless you are defending someone else.

 

[Lost Lake]

^^^^^ I rest my case.

 

[shep854]

One problem with pocket autos (for me, anyway) is they are hard for me to maintain a tight grip on. It occurred to me that if for some reason, my grip was weakened, I might "limpwrist" the gun and induce a malfunction. With a revolver, if I can pull the trigger, I need not worry about a stoppage from a weak grip.