[Geronimo45]

May get a Smith Model 10-5 soon... and I've thought of taking one of those Defensive Handgun courses with it eventually. I think I'd get a lot of malicious pleasure watching all the other folks practicing tap-rack-bang/stoppage clearing while I merrily blast away. :evil:
Just curious as to whether it would be feasible to use a sixgun for such a class - and if anybody has experiences with doing such.

[Black Snowman]

If you do take a revo, bring LOTS of speed loaders and have one of those handy loading racks. Make sure the instructor will let you use one too. I've never taken a course with a revolver, but I don't see why you couldn't. You'll probably just be practicing reloading while everyone else is clearing jams. You might want to take a backup gun though. If anything does cause the gun to malf, it's likely going to be a lengthy fix not a tap-rack-bang recovery. All it takes is one bullet to pull loose to jam the gun completely.

[Geronimo45]

You'll probably just be practicing reloading while everyone else is clearing jams
Practicing my evil cackle, too. :D

[pax]

You'll probably just be practicing reloading while everyone else is clearing jams.

That is the way it is handled at FAS (www.firearmsacademy.com). Probably the same for most other schools as well.

Probably one out of every 10 or 12 shooters brings a revolver to class at FAS. That is a really rough guess off the top of my head, not an "official" stat.

Anyway, revolvers on the line are hardly not unheard of or unusual here. The individual drills are designed to be as revolver-neutral as possible. The only time the instruction differs is that when the semi-auto shooters are practicing tap, rack, assess, bang, the revolver shooters are practicing proper reloads. (And buggering them up, too, as often as not ... at least until they get the skill down.)

I believe most of the above will also be true at most professional firearms training schools across the country, but if you're in doubt about a class you want to attend -- ask.

pax

[berettashotgun]

A defensive pistol is only there to allow you to retreat (in this day of lawsuits) and to defend you path to the shotgun.
6 IS PLENTY.
My comfortable handgun happens to be a P-14, but the 65 and 66 ( in 41- oh yeah!!) would work just fine, thank you.

[TonyB]

"Dance with the date that brought you"
Shoot what you carry or what you'd grab first.
I took the NRA defense in the home course and shot my 2" revolver.....I was fine.Although the guy running the course was surprised.

[crebralfix]

There is a course called "Revolver Gunfighting Concepts" running in Maine this September. It runs after "Close Range Gunfighting". He's also running a full two day course in October 2007.

Email Mike Freese for details: dvc45@adelphia.net

Thanks for the interest in the CRG Wheelgun class.

A number of folks have related that they would like to have trained either with a duty style revolver or even more often with a BUG/concealment wheelgun. Unfortunately when the time came for them to actually attend a course, they defaulted to their favorite auto.

The reasons usually were something like this, so they could "Keep up" or because they had no previous "speedloader experience", or they were bashful about carrying a controversial weapon perceived by some as being obsolete.

Over time it has amazed me how many people, trained with guns that they rarely actually carried. Further a large number of these folks are carrying snubbies as their most common carry gun.

I myself carry snub revolvers more often than anything else even though I have an extensive selection to choose from. Maybe not as tactically sound as carrying my belt fed, triple loaded, belch-fire magnum 24/7. But I am a realist!

And I have also seen too many students training with gear they are unlikely to use on the street and not training with what they are actually carrying.

The classes are not simply "Revolver Only" by mandate. Each class has been tailored to train to the strengths and weaknesses of using a revolver.

There are many shooters out there who have zero time on a wheelgun. Believe it or not I recently ran into a couple of rookie cops that didn't know how to "clear" a revolver.

So to sum up, this course is good for ...

*Anybody who carries a revolver on a regular basis.
* Carries a revolver as a back-up
* Has no previous revolver experience but would like to diversify their training.

Also I have a selection of K-frames,(sorry Colt & Ruger fans) and their support gear for those that need equipment, for a small rental fee.

[45crittergitter]

Anybody use a Revolver at 'Defensive Pistol' Courses?

Yeah, Clint Smith does. :)

[skeeter1]

I've taken the Practical Police Course (PPC) with a revolver and some speedloaders. I was there with a bunch of "spray 'n pray" autoloader-types and beat most of them with the revolver. Yes, revolvers work just fine.

[Dr.Rob]

Speedloader handling takes a LOT of practice to do deftly.

[DawgFvr]

Anything and everything "doing deftly" takes a lot of practice IMHO.

[bigmike45]

I would really like to take back to back revolver/semi-auto courses one day.

[Robo_Railer]

Thanks for the tip on that course, crebralfix. I hope I can get my old Python and/or Det. Spl. fixed up in time for that.

Maybe not as tactically sound as carrying my belt fed, triple loaded, belch-fire magnum 24/7. But I am a realist!Good one. :D