Old Guy Making The Case For Revolvers

[sonofeugene]

One of my brothers has a 686. It’s simply harder to keep on target than my Glocks, no matter how much one trains. If I’m going for an HD handgun, I want one that is easiest to use accurately.

 

[Baldy333]

One of my favorite S&W revolvers is this 4” 686, as pictured.

My brother loves his 686 too. I'm mostly a 1911 and Glock guy, but I like my 648 in 22 Mag for plinking.

 

[Enfielder]

My 686 was a retirement gift from the company I worked for along with 1000 rounds of Speer .38 p+ . Better than a watch any day!

 

[Baldy333]

Boy I'll say. All I got was a little gold pin and a gift certificate I didn't think was worth cashing in. I always like shooting 38s better than 357 anyway. I'm not one of those hand-cannon types.

 

[mikeyr]

a question for those who say the trigger is too hard to master on a revolver...are you shooting single action style or double action ? when training of course I shoot double action, but target is always single action. My SAA is only single action and I do train with that. My mod 66 is of course double but I still target in single action. I grew up back int the late 60s and 70s with revolvers maybe that is why I prefer them over semi's and for me they shoot more accurately then semi's. My HK 45 USP Expert being the exception, I can't seem to miss with that baby.

 

[pit fighter]

I definitely don't consider myself old (probably about average around here), but my 2 cents as follows.

For range fun, and practise, or "meditation by munitions" the revolvers are GREAT!

I've been shooting revolvers for 30 years, haven't changed springs on any of them, never failed to bust a cap yet.

I will say; try to always practise shooting in double action, limit the use of single action (except with the SAA's) double-action becomes second nature and it is undeniably accurate and efficient in the hands of someone with any level of practise.

If you find the trigger pull of a revolver too strenuous there are other hobbies.


For home defense, the higher magazine capacity of an automatic, with better sights and easier reloading wins out.

I keep an HK MK23 in .45acp for home defense, but I have at various times, used the 629 or the Model 19, in that role.
I can see the MK23 sights without glasses, so it won the vote here, lol!
(I also want 12 rounds, 10 rounds at my fingertips.)

Moral of the story - practise, practise, practise and cross train when possible - it's a great sport and revolvers aren't going away if they were, the SAA's (1873) would no longer be selling as they represent the most basic of all revolvers.

 

[Toast]

HELLO YSR!!!!

 

[AugustWest]

I have a GP100 4" with the most amazing trigger. The gun is a beast! I also had a ruger LCR that was pretty painful to shoot with +p ammo so I traded it for a new Kimber K6XS and am very pleased with that one. Little revolvers are the perfect carry option in my opinion. Also no brass litter when I am shooting around the farm.

 

[sonofeugene]

I don’t think the pull is too strong for me. I have large, strong hands. But anything that interferes with my aim is a hard no for me. Yes, if I trained more, I would get better. But I still wouldn’t be as good as I am with my semi autos. Simple fact. I much prefer a smooth light trigger that has minimum impact on my aim.

 

[NASAcollector]

Revolver has its place. It’s what I recomend if a new shooter ask what gun to get. You pull trigger it goes bang if it don’t pull again. If it doesn’t by then then you F-ed yo forgot to load it.

Another my uncle told me who was Leo for 30 years carried an old smith 38 said you could put it against someone and it will fire vs an auto where it pushes slide back slightly and won’t fire.

IMO autos are great but at times simple is easy and I still like an auto but again like alot here we are familiar with our guns.

Sorry but I disagree with your comparison and I'm a 67 year old gun whore who's owned just about everything ever made. I love my Pythons, S&W 19 & 27, 29, 1917 and others, but while revolvers are reliable, accurate and fun, in today's world of self defense, they're marginally better than pepper spray in CQB.

Like any gun, training in real life situations is key to making sure it functions when needed and it's limitations. Trust me, when bullets are flying, you're gonna wish you had a belt fed revolver, instead of 6 rounds. As far as hitting the slide of an auto pistol and disabling it, that's part of your training.

When the Beretta 92, S&W autos and Glock 17 were approved for LAPD, LASD, Vegas Metro and other departments, I would train law enforcement how easy it was to disassemble a 92 with an officer holding the gun on me. We made recommendations to LAPD to cover the takedown button, they refused, even after I removed the slide off of an Officers 92. We came up with a pull / shoot motion if a bad guy got his hand on an Officers gun. Train train train, but in a real shootout, give me a 100rd mag for my pistol.

 

[johncoffee]

EDC goal:

 

[Baldy333]

A couple of issues:

I definitely don't consider myself old

Pit fighter may not consider himself old, but according to statistics most California gun owners (93%) are 45 or older, which I think portends bad things for the future, because we're not bringing up the next generations with the same passion for the shooting sports that most of us here share.

Another statistic I think is interesting is that of the 5.5 million Californians (14%) who own a gun, only 10% or about half-a-million own more than 10 firearms, and we own about half the guns in California.

This is from a NIH study and I'm not willing to pay $64 for a PDF, so I'm relying on excerpts I found with a Google search.

Pit fighter's got a point, particularly for home defense which the vast majority of us will never have to do in any practical sense with a firearm, a revolver or a semi-automatic can be useful.

I love my Pythons, S&W 19 & 27, 29, 1917 and others, but while revolvers are reliable, accurate and fun, in today's world of self defense, they're marginally better than pepper spray in CQB.

But I'm inclined to agree with NASAcollector too. I've enjoyed shooting revolvers, but mostly in the role of long-distance hole punch. A Python is a great firearm at the range, but my EDC is a good old Glock 19.

Below a photo of my last surviving revolver, a fabulous plinker.

 

[kdub1290]

I like very small revolvers because they’re great for pocket carry. They’re certainly harder to shoot well than an auto due to a variety of factors (short sight radius, trigger weight to gun weight ratio, limited grip space, etc). However, I’ve found that working to overcome these shortcomings of the small wheel gun has helped me immensely as an auto shooter too. If you can pull a 14 lbs trigger straight back on a 14 oz gun without disturbing the sights, then pulling a 5 lbs trigger on a 2.5 lbs gun is a cake walk.

 

[Chattypath747]

Revolvers are great tools to teach trigger control and to build hand speed.

The person that can master a revolver trigger can master any trigger. Same with speed loading revolvers. It creates an extra layer that enhances a shooter's technique/dexterity in ways that semi-autos can't.

 

[NASAcollector]

Revolvers are great tools to teach trigger control and to build hand speed.

The person that can master a revolver trigger can master any trigger. Same with speed loading revolvers. It creates an extra layer that enhances a shooter's technique/dexterity in ways that semi-autos can't.

Absolutely, revolvers are excellent and better than semiautos at teaching trigger control, marksmanship and proper handling, but not better at self defense in today's world. One of the things I've learned is, the amount of lead coming out of your gun, has a instant impact on the amount of lead coming at you.
When you're in a gunfight and hear your hammer drop on an empty chamber, that's the loudest click you'll ever hear. I keep thinking about the FBI agents in Florida who caught 2 bank robbers, who were VN vets and how the agents with revolvers were slaughtered.

I was down the street from the North Hollywood Bank robbery and was shocked how worthless the LAPD 9mm & 12g was against them. A buddy of mine was one of the SWAT cops that came from training in Venice and lit up the MF'er behind the pickup with an M4. In a gunfight, you can't get enough ammo in your gun because it disappears quickly.

 

[sonofeugene]

Which is why full auto is usually a waste of one’s ammo.

 

[Joker67]

Absolutely, revolvers are excellent and better than semiautos at teaching trigger control, marksmanship and proper handling, but not better at self defense in today's world. One of the things I've learned is, the amount of lead coming out of your gun, has a instant impact on the amount of lead coming at you.
When you're in a gunfight and hear your hammer drop on an empty chamber, that's the loudest click you'll ever hear. I keep thinking about the FBI agents in Florida who caught 2 bank robbers, who were VN vets and how the agents with revolvers were slaughtered.

I was down the street from the North Hollywood Bank robbery and was shocked how worthless the LAPD 9mm & 12g was against them. A buddy of mine was one of the SWAT cops that came from training in Venice and lit up the MF'er behind the pickup with an M4. In a gunfight, you can't get enough ammo in your gun because it disappears quickly.

The technology in 9mm bullets effectiveness has changed dramatically since then. It wouldn’t make much difference against body armor though. Neither would most calibers, magnum or not.
The other difference in the last 30 years is the volume of training available. Looking at old training videos , it’s very Fuddy back then. A lot has changed. But just because you took classes with Special OPs people doesn’t mean you are a Navy Seal.

In the Bay Area I have a choice of multiple defensive pistol , shotgun and rifle classes , one on one training and force on force . There is even more available for competition shooting. It costs money and free time and is a high maintenance, perishable skill.

It’s rare and quite a treat to watch people run a revolver in USPSA with speed loaders and moon clips. The reloads aren’t lightning fast, but they aren’t slow either. For home defense , I want 17-21 rounds with a back up mag. Chances are rare that you need more than 3, but what if you do?