carry revolver

Contrary to popular opinion, revolvers are not inherently more reliable than automatics. For every automatic you can hold against a particular revolver as inferior, there are a dozen more that would crush it. This ain't even considering the fact that, for most mere mortals, upon any reload, the auto has got 2x - 3x the ammo on-tap, in anywhere from half to a tenth of the time of that to reload a revolver. Popular opinion is based on popular choices. Most people don't spend a premium on any gun. And, some particularly inexpensive automatics (particularly Hi-Point, when pushed to the limits) are not particularly reliable. Whereas, almost any inexpensive revolver may shoot 1,000rd without any kind of problem. Regardless, if you own a particular revolver that has not failed you ... you need to consider that is has not failed you ... yet. As it is, I shoot both DA and SAA revolvers quite a bit ... and the only problem I've ever had with any of my eight Ruger SAA's is when the ejector-rod-housing came flying off my Bisley Hunter ... which, as it was, did not interfere in any way with the gun being able to fire all six ... just that reloading all six suddenly took a great deal more time. Whereas, I've come to learn that, when firing, even target-grade ammo, thru S/W DA's, once you get past the first couple thousand rounds, you'd better have some loc-tite on-hand. In the end, when an automatic typically fails, it will still fire ... you just need to take a second or two between each shot. When a revolver fails, unless you're intimately familiar with the inner-workings of a revolver, you may need minutes just to diagnose the problem ... and even then, if your cylinder locks up (which is the typical failure), you're usually done shooting for the day.

Having said all that, I would carry a revolver. Specifically, I wouldn't feel particularly vulnerable carrying a revolver. Of course, part of that has to do with my skills with a revolver ... vs. those of most folks with an automatic. Frankly, no one is ever 100% safe ... everyone dies ... you can't live in a padded rubber room the rest of your life. Revolvers are cool ... at least some of 'em are. And having had revolvers fail on me, and learning how to prevent such failures (at least for a period of time), and having fired thousands of rounds thru them, I feel particularly confident with a revolver that I've personally addressed such issues with. Point being, if you want to carry a revolver, because it's cool, or just because you want to, that's fine. But don't try to say you're doing it because it's simply more reliable than an automatic. If I'm carrying a 1911, and a bad guy engages me with a revolver, I don't know that I'd survive ... what with all the shaking ... from me laughing incontrollably.

As I eluded to earlier, there are two basic types of revolvers ... DA ... and SAA (single action army). I refer to SAA for two reasons ... 1. any SA revolver which is not of a basic SAA design does not usually qualify for what I'm referring to ... 2. with no more said about it, most reading SAA know precisely what I'm talking about (specifically, that I'm not talking about a SA automatic).

Also, as I eluded to earlier, for reliability (at least based on my own experience), I prefer a SAA. The one thing to watch out for there is when shooting cast-lead bullets ... if they are not properly crimped, and the gun is particularly light (vs. larger SAA's), and the rounds are particularly powerful, the bullets may jump the crimp and be caught outside the front of the cylinder and against the frame ... thereby preventing the cylinder from turning ... thereby ending your shooting for the next several minutes. Beyond that, I personally find a SAA handles particularly powerful loads much better than S/W DA counterparts ... particularly with regard to my ability to handle recoil ... and consequently avoid flinch. Some say the grip of a SAA is designed to allow the pistol to roll up in your hand ... thereby reducing felt recoil. I don't know if that's the reason for what I've experienced or not. Ideally, a carry SAA will have a bbl closer to 3.5in and a non-Bisley grip (preferably, a bird's-head). .357/.38spl will be far more cost-effective (as typical factory .38spl ammo is usually half of that of comparable .44/.45) ... as un-holy as that may be. In fact, the 3.75in Ruger bird's-head .45 Vaquero is probably the best choice ... if you can find one. Please understand, this particular pistol probably weighs close to 2# ... this is meant to be carried in a holster on your hip ... not in your pocket. If you don't invest in a proper holster, and/or you absolutely cannot let anyone discover you're carrying, this would not be a good choice. Lots of luck finding an otherwise small and lightweight SAA.

I must admit, I'm a S/W DA revolver addict. I own several ... of varying sizes and calibers. I've also gotten rid of several. When talking about carrying S/W revolvers, two very important points jump out ... 1. Scandium is not your friend ... 2. J-frames (smallest) are made only for people who wear S or XS gloves. If you are both sadist and masochist, feel free to combine those two with just about any ammunition available and head for the range. Personally, I don't blame S/W for these types of pistols ... they help us all understand that there is a limit to both small and lightweight ... and that both are very important factors, not only for carry, but particularly for actual shooting. Ok, so you've heard the rule "a .22 in your pocket beats a .45 in your safe" ... pay very close attention, a .22 would not be a problem ... do not infer that to suggest that any pistol which is particularly easy (small and lightweight) to carry is preferable. There is a limit there. First and foremost, regardless of caliber, that limit is 15oz ... never buy any carry pistol which weighs less ... period. Secondly, unless you can walk into a store today, and squeeze your fingers all the way into a pair of small gloves, never buy a J-frame-sized pistol ... period. Unfortunately, S/W has discontinued the one and only defensive revolver they ever made that's worth a damn ... the K-frame (m65 or m66). One mistake many shooters make with the K-frame is to try to squeeze all three remaining fingers around the grip ... it is meant to wear service-grips and it is meant to be handled like a non-Bisley SAA (with your pinky underneath the grip). In stainless (regarding carry revolvers, never choose a lightweight alloy frame), a K-frame may be somewhat violent with full-house .357 loads ... but worlds more tolerable than any J-frame or any lightweight revolver. But all is not lost. In fact, you can kill two birds with one stone. S/W, in possibly the biggest chicken-sh!t move of all time, added an integral lock to all their revolvers around 2001. I didn't ask for it. Did you ask for it? I own several S/W revolvers and only one has it ... and I don't use it ... I made sure it was unlocked and threw out the key for fear it might otherwise end up locked. The people who demanded it, never bought one with it ... and probably never owned any S/W revolver. For decades prior, 99.999% of all S/W revolver owners managed not to shoot themselves. Worst of all, these locks are particularly unsafe. They invite assumption ... something that, when mixed with firearms, typically does not end up well. The assumption is that the gun is locked, and therefore safe ... but, this assumption cannot be made visually ... it can, in fact, only be made by actually attempting to operate the pistol to some degree. Whereas, a pistol wearing a traditional (Master) trigger-guard lock is undoubtedly safe ... as is a pistol locked in a gun-safe or some other type of strong-box. This is all besides the fact that there is nothing preventing your 15yr-old kid (who probably knows nothing of self-control, let alone discipline) from obtaining a duplicate key. This is the result of allowing those, with very little to no experience and/or understanding of firearms to assist in the engineering of them. This would be equivalent to myself dictating changes to ABS to the auto industry. Anyone who claims firearms are so simple that very little experience or understanding (beyond that of watching CSI:NY or Law/Order), is all that is needed, is a testament to their own ineptitude.

But I digress. Back on the K-frames ... many former K-frame owners either don't know, or simply don't appreciate what they had ... and those pistols end up on used-shelves ... priced nearly half of their brand new counterparts ... most in at least 99% condition ... no doubt, a result of having been fired all of maybe six times, and left on a closet shelf for the last several years. And the bonus? ... they don't have the integral eye-sore. It's a win/win/win situation for you.

Of course, the new 7-shot .357 L-frame Scandium pistol, as the 8-shot .357 N-frame Scandium pistol, are very tempting ... if for no other reason, than their 17% - 33% increase in firepower ... which sounds preferable for a self-defense encounter. First off, if you prefer more firepower, you really should do yourself a favor and go to an automatic. Secondly, these pistols are usually closer to $800. If that's not a lot of money, keep in mind, they really have only one use. You would be far better served to spend the balance on extra ammo and range-time with a used K-frame.

If, and only if, you happen to have raccoon-hands, your pistol of choice may very well be a S/W 642 .38spl (possibly carried in a Mitch Rosen #18 in your pocket) or a S/W .357/.38spl 60 or 640 (too heavy for pocket-carry). Some may insist that the concealed hammer of the 642 or 640 is mandatory. I agree only when carried in a pocket. When worn on your hip, you need to clear your cover-garment with the entire pistol ... if an exposed hammer is catching anything, you need to practice more, or the hammer isn't really the problem, your cover-garment is ... and a concealed hammer may not necessarily resolve that particular issue. Should you be unlucky enough to find yourself in a self-defense encounter, you may very well not have time to cock a hammer. As such, you would be well-served to have a gunsmith tune your DA-trigger-pull to be much closer to 5# ... this is almost mandatory with a DAO pistol such as 642 (even moreso with a lightweight) or 640. Regardless, most self-defense revolver owners do not practice with them to the extent, or in the manner, that they should ... not even close. As such, when push comes to shove, most such revolver owners will be far more accurate should they find themselves lucky enough to have the time to cock the hammer. Considering the possibility of such an inexperienced shooter firing a shot where the likelihood of a miss is high, and the likelihood of hitting someone they never intended to, is much higher than most would prefer, my preference would be to afford them every advantage to hit their intended target instead. And, while no one should ever rely on such an advantage, the simple fact is, most would benefit from it nonetheless. This is, by no means, meant to suggest that anyone should choose a revolver with an exposed hammer, and furthermore, not practice with it ... only that the only issue with a concealed hammer is pocket-carry.

This brings up another interesting point. If you accept the fact that an automatic is no less reliable than a revolver, consider the speed, shot to shot, of your trigger pull ... and moreover, the accuracy of that trigger pull. Manually cocking a hammer on a revolver takes time ... it also changes your grip from what you might otherwise use to actually fire the pistol. Unless it's a DAO, an automatic will afford a particularly short, light trigger pull (like that of a cocked revolver) with absolutely no effort on your part ... such a trigger pull is available as fast as you can actually pull the trigger. Personally, I prefer an automatic first and foremost because it is more reliable. Second to that, as fast and accurate as I may be firing a DA revolver without cocking the hammer shot-to-shot, there is simply no contest vs. firing an automatic. As such, given the choice between a 6-shot (or even 5-shot) automatic vs. a 6-shot (or even 8-shot) revolver, I'd choose the automatic ... hands down. That is, unless it happens to be a particularly beautiful revolver.