For those who carry a revolver ???

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Been carrying (CCW and open/woods), hunting, and competing in USPSA and IDPA with a revolver for over a decade. The revolver is what it is and nothing more, nothing less.

I carry a revolver because I compete with a revolver, when I competed with a semi-auto I carried a semi-auto. When and if I go back to competing with a semi-auto I will likely change my carry to match.

In competition I beat way more bottom feeders with the round gun than is good for some egos. It is the Indian not the Arrow. Yet when I compare my revolver scores to those of equal skill (or my own scores when) utilizing more modern higher capacity handguns I am reminded: When the Indians are of equal skill the arrow can make the difference.
 
ArkieVol said:
My first handgun was a High Standard Double Nine, a double action .22 LR that I learned on. My second was the S&W Model 10 I was issued when I joined the PD. Semiautomatics were not allowed and only revolvers in .38 Special; no .357s for fear of over penetration in an urban setting. I carried the Model 10 on duty and a Model 36 for plain clothes and off duty carry.

15 years later about 1980, my department decided to allow semiautomatics but required a full day of training and qualification. So I decided to try one and bought a S&W Model 59. After a full day of fumbling with the safety, racking slides etc....time to qualify…50 rounds or so modified PPC. I had been shooting the regular PPC for 15 years and always qualified as expert.

When I shot the 59 for qualification I barely qualified with a 70 and had two stovepipes to clear along the way. I noticed some of the other new semi auto owners had malfunctions too. I found the weight distribution totally different from a revolver and I felt like, with all the weight in the grip, the muzzle was too light and hard to control. I sold the 59 about a week later. Too much fuss with slide racking, safety flicking and clearing jams was more than I wanted to deal with. Revolver = KISS.

Motorcycle crash after retirement rendered my left hand useless so I’m glad I had my revolver background because now that’s all I can safely use.
View attachment 949616

"Because when the cops finally show up, I don't want to have to explain 1) where I was standing for each shell case laying around,..."

At one time I investigated officer involved shootings and on one occassion I asked the officer where he was standing when he fired his weapon. He pointed to a big "X" he had made on the pavement with a lead bullet...thoughtful. :)
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Since you used 38sp at the professional level, can you comment on the caliber's real-world performance?

There's an attitude these days that 38sp won't reliably stop a threat. 38sp is what I carry, and my attitude is, "Gimme a break." But I don't have any real-world experience to go on.

Getting hit by well-aimed 38sp rounds and keeping on going... is this really a thing?
 
UncleEd said:
Mas Ayoob wrote that revolvers have a
greater potential to strike fear in a baddie
who is looking at it than an auto.

Reason is staring at the business end of
a revolver allows you to see what might
be coming at you. :eek:
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So true.

Lately I've been working on "decorating" the business end of my revolvers by reloading spirepoints, full wadcutters, and reversed hollo-base wadcutters (from Matt's Bullets). I even polish the surface of the lead to catch the light.

I know it's ridiculous, but it's fun, and the result is terrifying. I'll post pics later.
 
I have some fast wadcutters from Underwood that have a red coating on the bullets. So when you look into the front of the cylinder, you see these big red flat nose bullets shining at you.

These are my speedloader reloads, because they are hard cast, and slick and smooth on the nose. My preferred SWCHP's are dead soft lead, and the hollowpoints GRAB the rear of the cylinder and don't like to move if I don't happen to hit the chambers right on. The hard wadcutters slip and slide more easily.
 
Stophel said:
I have some fast wadcutters from Underwood that have a red coating on the bullets. So when you look into the front of the cylinder, you see these big red flat nose bullets shining at you.

These are my speedloader reloads, because they are hard cast, and slick and smooth on the nose. My preferred SWCHP's are dead soft lead, and the hollowpoints GRAB the rear of the cylinder and don't like to move if I don't happen to hit the chambers right on. The hard wadcutters slip and slide more easily.
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Thank you for this advice. I know that the hollow base won't go in the cylinder easily, but will it hang up going from the cylinder into the barrel when fired? That seems like potential disaster.

Red coated WC: That was literally the very next thing I wanted to load for "beauty" purposes. Red coated lead 200g 44 SWC in a nickel case, loaded in a black nitride Charter Boomer.
 
The backwards hollow base wadcutters have been used for many years, and they do some frightening expansion when fired into water or maybe gelatin, BUT, people report penetration to be seriously lacking. They just expand too much, too quickly, and peter out.

I like the idea of the regular wadcutter (at a bit more than the regular S L O W target speed). A hammerhead. Hammering and cutting its way through. These have been recommended for defense for a LONG time.
 
Stophel said:
The backwards hollow base wadcutters have been used for many years, and they do some frightening expansion when fired into water or maybe gelatin, BUT, people report penetration to be seriously lacking. They just expand too much, too quickly, and peter out.

I like the idea of the regular wadcutter (at a bit more than the regular S L O W target speed). A hammerhead. Hammering and cutting its way through. These have been recommended for defense for a LONG time.
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So, I take it that the hollow base will NOT generally slam into the forcing cone and wreck the gun? Assuming the gun is in working order.
 
pairof44sp said:
So, I take it that the hollow base will NOT generally slam into the forcing cone and wreck the gun? Assuming the gun is in working order.
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No. The lead is SOFT, and the "hollowpoint" is pretty thin at the edge, so it should easily squish itself into the forcing cone.... more easily than the solid head if the bullet were turned the right way, I imagine.

I've not ever done this, myself. The idea of it never really tripped my trigger.
 
mcb said:
Been carrying (CCW and open/woods), hunting, and competing in USPSA and IDPA with a revolver for over a decade. The revolver is what it is and nothing more, nothing less.

I carry a revolver because I compete with a revolver, when I competed with a semi-auto I carried a semi-auto. When and if I go back to competing with a semi-auto I will likely change my carry to match.

In competition I beat way more bottom feeders with the round gun than is good for some egos. It is the Indian not the Arrow. Yet when I compare my revolver scores to those of equal skill (or my own scores when) utilizing more modern higher capacity handguns I am reminded: When the Indians are of equal skill the arrow can make the difference.
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I just saw my first video of Jerry Miculek shooting an ambulatory course with an 8-shot revolver. He blew me away. I didn't know that's how they did it.

Basically, every time Jerry is moving to a new spot to stand and shoot from, he is reloading. Even if he has 5 rounds left.

If you have any links to a vid of shooting a course with a revolver, I'd watch it.
 
pairof44sp said:
Since you used 38sp at the professional level, can you comment on the caliber's real-world performance?

There's an attitude these days that 38sp won't reliably stop a threat. 38sp is what I carry, and my attitude is, "Gimme a break." But I don't have any real-world experience to go on.

Getting hit by well-aimed 38sp rounds and keeping on going... is this really a thing?
Click to expand...

I’m afraid I can’t offer any personal accounts because in my 30 years I never had to fire my service revolver except on the range. I drew it many times and have been involved in many situations that could have gone south but all were resolved without shots fired. More than a few were resolved by the mere sight of one or more guns pointed at the bad guy.

The effectiveness of a .38 can be debated ’til the cows come home but I didn’t feel under gunned with one back then. I retired 25 years ago and the streets of today are a different story. My son just retired form his 25 years of PD service and he carried a department issued Sig .40 during his time, he didn’t shoot anyone either. My grandson carries a Glock 19.

Unless you hit something vital or disabling, adrenaline and drugs can keep an injured person going far beyond normal capabilities. Happens in war, happens on the street. Carry what you trust and train with.
 
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ArkieVol said:
I’m afraid I can’t offer any personal accounts because in my 30 years I never had to fire my service revolver except on the range. I drew it many times and have been involved in many situations that could have gone south but all were resolved without shots fired. More than a few were resolved by the mere sight of one or more guns pointed at the bad guy.

The effectiveness of a .38 can be debated ’til the cows some home but I didn’t feel under gunned with one back then. I retired 25 years ago and the streets of today are a different story. My son just retired form his 25 years of PD service and he carried a department issued Sig .40 during his time, he didn’t shoot anyone either. My grandson carries a Glock 19.

Unless you hit something vital or disabling, adrenaline and drugs can keep an injured person going far beyond normal capabilities. Happens in war, happens on the street. Carry what you trust and train with.
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On an off topic note... I would like to thank you, your son, and your grandson for your service to your communities, cities, states, and country. You have a supporter in me.
 
Mr. Mosin said:
Might I inquire as to why you don't carry something like the old school LSWCHP ?
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That's what's in the gun. ;) Buffalo bore. But I don't feel bad with Remington either (fortunately, I bought quite a few boxes of it a couple of years ago at a shockingly good price, so I have some.... it may be a long time, if ever, that it becomes available again!).

They don't do reloads so quickly for me, since the soft hollowpoint bullets GRAB the rear of the cylinder, and they do not want to move if I don't happen to hit it dead on right with the speedloader. The hard cast wadcutters slip and slide easily, and are much quicker for me to reload with. I do carry FBI loaded speedloaders too.
 
pairof44sp said:
Since you used 38sp at the professional level, can you comment on the caliber's real-world performance?

There's an attitude these days that 38sp won't reliably stop a threat. 38sp is what I carry, and my attitude is, "Gimme a break." But I don't have any real-world experience to go on.

Getting hit by well-aimed 38sp rounds and keeping on going... is this really a thing?
Click to expand...

Besides the fact that .38 Spl from a Mdl 442 and .38 Spl from a 4" Mdl 10 may as well be two different cartridges; and the fact that factory bulk .38 Spl is not better than old .38 Colt, nor is most defensive .38 Spl much better than factory bulk. You want defensive .38's, fall back on the old FBI Load in a 4" gun, and the Treasury Load in a *steel framed* snub.
 
Stophel said:
That's what's in the gun. ;) Buffalo bore. But I don't feel bad with Remington either (fortunately, I bought quite a few boxes of it a couple of years ago at a shockingly good price, so I have some.... it may be a long time, if ever, that it becomes available again!).

They don't do reloads so quickly for me, since the soft hollowpoint bullets GRAB the rear of the cylinder, and they do not want to move if I don't happen to hit it dead on right with the speedloader. The hard cast wadcutters slip and slide easily, and are much quicker for me to reload with. I do carry FBI loaded speedloaders too.
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Cool. Thanks.
 
Stophel said:
That's what's in the gun. ;) Buffalo bore. But I don't feel bad with Remington either (fortunately, I bought quite a few boxes of it a couple of years ago at a shockingly good price, so I have some.... it may be a long time, if ever, that it becomes available again!).

They don't do reloads so quickly for me, since the soft hollowpoint bullets GRAB the rear of the cylinder, and they do not want to move if I don't happen to hit it dead on right with the speedloader. The hard cast wadcutters slip and slide easily, and are much quicker for me to reload with. I do carry FBI loaded speedloaders too.
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What Buffalo Bore load ? I know they manufacture equivalents of the old 125grn +P JHP "Treasury Load", and the 158 grn +P LSWCHP "FBI Load", but I'm unfamiliar with the details of their catalog.
 
The Buffalo Bore 158 grain SWCHP +P is what I carry in the gun. The red coated hard cast wadcutters (which, as I recall, are rated at about 1000fps from a 4" gun) are Underwood. I have like one little box of red coated FBI load from Underwood too, but haven't fired any of them yet.
 
Stophel said:
The Buffalo Bore 158 grain SWCHP +P is what I carry in the gun. The red coated hard cast wadcutters (which, as I recall, are rated at about 1000fps from a 4" gun) are Underwood. I have like one little box of red coated FBI load from Underwood too, but haven't fired any of them yet.
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I was warned by a fella that I trust and respect, member on here actually; to avoid loads that topped... 1100fps, I think it was, out of stuff like a Mdl 10. Said it would shoot lose in quick order, and if I wanted a Magnum, to buy a M19 instead of a M10. He sees this, he'll probably correct the fps I quoted. Can never remember if it's 1000fps or 1100fps he warned me...
 
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