Revolver or Modern Hi-cap Pistol?

Yeah, advise him that he'd really need a handgun safe to secure any handgun that isn't under his control. Other than that, this is just another revolver vs. semi-auto thread.

I would start by asking him why he's worried if his wife stumbled across it....is he buying one without telling her it?

Because if it's just a home defense thing she should be involved and at least know how to use it

Have him take a class or take him shooting

^^^^^THIS!

Charlie Martinez said:

This morning I received a call from a friend who wants to buy a handgun for SD & HD. He will not CC but wants to keep it at home or in the car for long trips. He asked me which 38/357 Magnum revolvers I recommended. I asked him why he wanted a revolver. He responded that he thought revolvers were "safer" to have around the house in case one of his grandkids or his wife happened to stumble across it.

I am a revolver guy because that's what most people used when I started shooting in the early 70's. However I recognize the value of a modern hi-cap pistol for SD & HD especially in 9mm because factory ammo is relatively cheap. .

I recommended that he seriously consider a modern 9mm hi-cap pistol & added that a revolver would be as unsafe under those conditions as any pistol.

Am I wrong?

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Revolvers have much simpler manual of arms and are less dependent on constant training to maintain familiarity.. If you can shoot a revolver OK, you can stick it in a drawer for a year, pick it up and shoot it and you'll still be OK. Semi autos I find require more attention to retain competency, but the rewards are more capacity and faster reloads, For SD/HD I think a revolvers can still be an excellent choice but the tipping point should be which handgun your friend finds easiest to shoot accurately. He should try as many different makes and models as he can before making up his mind one way or the other.
Whichever he chooses don't discourage him. Him having confidence at this stage of the game is everything.

+1!

Charlie Martinez

First off if there are grandkids around he's going to have to keep it locked up and not just hidden inside the nightstand. Secondly his wife also has to know about it and both of them will need some kind of training into how to use it. And they're going to have to develop some sort of plan in the event their home is broken into while they're there.

I would be more in favor of them getting a quality double action .38 Special revolver (or 2), with a 3" or 4" barrel as well as a couple of decent flashlights and some speed loaders. Then practice, practice, and more practice and none of this:
"show me how to load this thing and then I'm going to throw it in a drawer and think that I'm well protected now".

Might not be a “modern high capacity” 9mm but if it is something to be left at a strategic spot and still be safe, consider something like the Browning HiPower or 2nd Generation S&W 9mm. They can be left with one in the chamber. Removing the magazine renders them unfireable. Wear the magazine on your belt and if you can actually get to the pistol you are good to go.

I prefer a revolver on my belt.

Kevin

Charlie Martinez said:

I recommended that he seriously consider a modern 9mm hi-cap pistol & added that a revolver would be as unsafe under those conditions as any pistol.

Am I wrong?

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If he's the kind of person who isn't going to pay for some good training and practice regularly (and it sounds like he is that type) then a revolver is a better option, IMO.

At this point it going to be what he can find for sale. As a rule though I believe that if someone has to ask for advice they probably will be better off with a revolver. I much prefer a modern semi, but I'm a gun guy who shoots enough to be comfortable with a lot of different guns.

If he does decide on a semi I still like a manual safety and think one is especially important for a new shooter. There are several options from Sig, S&W, Ruger and others for modern striker fired guns with a 1911 style thumb safety. Glocks and similar designs are perfectly safe carried on your person in a holster. But for what it appears this person wants to do that isn't the primary use. For glovebox or nightstand use I want a semi with a safety, a DA revolver, or DA/SA semi. Otherwise I'd not keep a round chambered.

Antihero said:

I would start by asking him why he's worried if his wife stumbled across it....is he buying one without telling her it?

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I'm curious about this too. Worst case, she should at least know he has it and not to touch it. Ideally they should both have their own and get some training on how to fight with them (not just learn how to make noise with them without shooting things that shouldn't be shot, which is as far as most basic CCW classes go).

Honestly, based on what you've told us, my recommendation to him would be to just forget about it and spend the money on better security for his home.

Charlie Martinez said:

You're probably right but he's going to buy a gun, there's no doubt in my mind.

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At least you can say you tried.

I bought my first high cap Semi in Europe. I was an Army officer and not issued a rifle and I wanted "more bullets on board" even though I was a big 1911 fan. Also the Army was in the midst of the change over from .45ACP to 9 sillymeter and a CZ75 was then a new and neat thing and feed able ( and sorry Beretta guys a lot easier to shoot). I do however see a big difference between a thug or two attacking a home owner and a pair of Hind A helos strafing and rocketing your HQ unit then disgorging a score or so of Spetznaz troopers intent on mayhem to remove a command and control element.

Here is a clue, on civie street the average gun fight/ self defense shooting is over in under three shots. Back in the world I felt comfortable with even a five shot J farme sized .38 Special close to hand in the house or car...in fact that is what is locked in the car now. BTW my wife has some training though long ago for formal training. Like myself she shot Ayoob's LFI-1 class. While she likes her big old Browning BDA marked SIG (not to be confused with the .380) .45 ACP her carry and car gun is (wait for it) a J frame sized five shot .38 Special.

Glad to hear the OP is thinking "wheel gun"

-kBob

mcb said:

View attachment 940820

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Yeah man! There certainly are more complicated tools that can help you get the exact same answer.

Pudge said:

Yeah man! There certainly are more complicated tools that can help you get the exact same answer.

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Your friend has fallen into a common logical fallacy trap. Having an unsecured gun around under-educated people is two failures, and it’s ignorance or idiocy to pretend a revolver is more mitigating in that situation than a semiauto.

Your friend isn’t mentally prepared or sufficiently educated to own a firearm.

Secondarily, pistols are demonstrably better options for new shooters are better options for personal/home defense. I’m a revolver fanboi if there ever was one, but a guy has to either lie or bend half-truths almost to the point of breaking to depict a revolver as a better choice.

Just to follow up my whimsical photo in my first reply.

First up I can use the slide rule despite having not been born until after they became obsolete. I used it to do all my homework second semester of physic in college to the ridicule and chiding of my classmates and to the delight and humor of my professor. I also carry a revolver more often than a semi-auto for the past few years... My I am a novice with neither.

But... it is my opinion that if a new shooter has X amount of time to spend training/learning, whether X be an hour, a day, or a week of time, that at the end of that time period they will have gotten more out of the training and be more proficient and more effective using a modern double stack semi-auto handgun than a revolver in a self defense situation.

I agree that the manual of arms for a revolver is simpler than a semi-auto in concept but in practice it is immaterial. If you are unwilling to spend enough time training that the conceptually slightly simpler manual of arms of a revolver actually makes a difference to your effectiveness you probably should be looking for other self-defense strategies.

Capacity is King, you can never have too much ammo, unless you are drowning, or on fire.

Operation of a revolver is simpler, so they make a good choice for folks new to handguns. While they are simpler to use, they are harder to use under most scenarios than a semi, in the hands of very young children, to just pull the trigger and have it go bang. Revolvers do not have safeties and most folks don't think they need them, because of their actions.. So, your friend does have a legitimate argument. As for cost of ammo, is this a concern of your friend or just you? So many folks new to firearms that buy a handgun for the nightstand never shoot enough ammo to make the cost of it much consideration. Good SD/HD 9mm ammo costs as much per round as does good SD/HD in .38/357. Availability for the most part is about the same anymore. I would help my friend get the best deal on the best gun he can afford, in the platform he wants, not steer him towards something I want. This way if he has any regrets or second guesses, the fault would be his, not mine. And.....if and when he turns into a gun nut later down the road, he will know the advantages and disadvantages of the various platforms. But that's just me.

I would have no problem recommending a quality DA/SA revolver for home defense. But yes, that recommendation includes time to be competent in it's use, care and feeding.

There are inexpensive lock boxes. The cheapest Liberty Safe lock box is $20. Cheap insurance for keeping a handgun out of the hands of young children.
There are also plenty of cheap lock boxes that can be easily defeated (check out You tubes) so due diligence is necessary.
Fas-1 makes a really good pistol safe and well worth the $$ IMHO