The CCW 'Pistol vs Revolver' Thing Revisited

My take.... (* = my first considerations)

size advantage.............semi *
reliability.......................revolver *
sight picture..................semi
ammo capacity.............semi * (even in my application)
reloading......................semi
follow up shots.............semi
caliber choice...............even *
price.............................even (I'll pay for quality)
safety factor.................semi *
product variety.............semi

Right now, I pocket carry for SD with an inside the pocket holster. That pretty much eliminates revolvers. I think revolvers probably make a better choice for a camp or hiking gun. Also, in my state you cannot hunt with a semi handgun. You can hunt legally and ethically (my opinion) with a .44 or larger revolver.

NOTE: I am no expert and don't pretend to be. Most of my handgun shooting is at the range with two or three hunting trips afield. My enumerations are supported by my opinion as opposed to empirical data. THANKS...

In other words, take it for what it is worth. I HAVE been shooting a l-o-n-g time.

Hokkmike said:

Right now, I pocket carry for SD with an inside the pocket holster. That pretty much eliminates revolvers.

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I wouldn't say that it eliminates revolvers. Even though I now pocket carry a Kahr PM9 w/CT, for many years I pocket carried a S&W 642, also equipped with CT grips. It was just as easy to carry the wheelgun and a couple of speed strips in that manner as it is to carry the semi and a spare mag.

Sistema1927 said:

I wouldn't say that it eliminates revolvers. Even though I now pocket carry a Kahr PM9 w/CT, for many years I pocket carried a S&W 642, also equipped with CT grips. It was just as easy to carry the wheelgun and a couple of speed strips in that manner as it is to carry the semi and a spare mag.

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Yes, thanks. I would be curious to see how the 642 matches up size-wise with my P-238.

Use what you are competent with. My wife likes a 642 and shoots it well. She can not manage the slide of most pistols. Between the two of us we have more revolvers than pistols and I carry a 44 most of the time, but I live in a rural area. If I dress up I most often carry a 1911. I always have a NAA 22mag Black Widow in a pocket.

I started handgunning with a 1911, in 1982 or 1983, when I though revolvers were quaint. I started a police academy in late 1983, however, and had to learn the DA revolver, and then carry only DA revolvers, on and off the clock, from graduation in March 1984, until my first year on the street was completed in March 1985. Wanting to survive my rookie year, in a city that was then competing for the title of Murder Capital of the USA, I made it a point to really learn DA six-gunning. I did briefly switch to duty autos in 1985, but before 1986 had started carrying an S&W Model 58 .41 Magnum revolver on duty, and during much of my personal time, too. I had learned to not only shoot a revolver "well enough for government work," but had learned to love revolvers.

Well, to make a long story short, I then voluntarily carried mostly revolvers on duty, in uniform, until 1991, then carried a P220 on and off the clock until 1993, reverted to revolver in 1993, and finally transitioned permanently to duty autos in 1997. Until about 2006, I still often brought a 4" GP100 to work with me, for special situations that might require deeper penetration or flatter trajectory. I never totally abandoned five-shot snub-guns, mostly S&W J-Snubs until the late Nineties, and the SP101 since then. My favored medium and larger revolvers are an S&W Model 19-5 and several GP100 sixguns.

I tend to actually carry G19 Glocks as "primary" most of the time, on and off the clock, in urban areas, while my full-sized 1911 pistols, and large and small revolvers, still have important roles, but my frustration with the Glocks' ultimate long-range accuracy, compared to my accuracy with my 1911 and revolving pistols, might mean I largely revert to the 1911 and revolver when I retire from LEO-ing.

The black guy that shot and killed three whites today in Cali was using a .357, it did the job.

Over time, overall, I tend to suspect that a reasonably skilled revolver shooter is probably a better all around handgun shooter than someone who learned their handgun foundation skillset only using a pistol. It requires a bit more comprehensive skillset to properly and effectively use a DA revolver.


I agree, generally speaking. Many are light trigger dependent such that they can't shoot anything with over a 6 lb pull - to me, that would be a sad place to be. It's like being scope dependent on a rifle (granted, one's eyesight may dictate this). Shooting DA revolver in DA has definitely improved my skill across the board, which is why ever gun enthusiast should have at least 1 decent DA revolver. Even if you aren't going to rely on it for serious purposes. Plus, they are fun!

I think your carry gun should be fun to shoot and something that you should be 'unconciously competent' with.

For me, the abilities of a heavy caliber revolver, matched up with the enjoyment of feeling a revolver buck and roar when out target shooting means that they are usually what I carry.

loneviking said:

I think your carry gun should be fun to shoot and something that you should be 'unconciously competent' with.

For me, the abilities of a heavy caliber revolver, matched up with the enjoyment of feeling a revolver buck and roar when out target shooting means that they are usually what I carry.

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I highlighted the phrase - well said.

The alloy framed or plastic framed five or six shot revolver is superior to 1911 type as carry gun, but it falls short when stacked against gold standard for carry handgun which for years now has been the G26. Small light .38 special good alternative as carry gun to somewhat pointless single-stack sub-compact 9x19 pistols.

I like to make sure I have a carry semiauto and a carry revolver for when I go back and forth on this argument.

There's no argument that capacity and reloading speed go to the semiautos, and that's really probably enough to win the fight objectively.

But for design principles possible for a revolver, but not a semiauto, I draw revolvers faster than semiautos from any holster or carry method I have tried so far. It's because the grip is rounded and can be scooped up, and because when holstered, the grip of a revolver is the most prominent part of the gun protruding. It is difficult to fumble on the draw. For me, anyway. With semiautos, the back of the slide can be just as prominent as the grip. Even when pocket carried, semiautos carry flatter, but it's much easier to grasp the grip of a compact revolver on the draw.

Hopefully that's understandable, I have a clear idea in my head of what I mean, but in all these years of occasionally going back to carrying revolvers for that one reason, I've never been able to explain it to my full satisfaction in a post.

Madcap_Magician said:

I like to make sure I have a carry semiauto and a carry revolver for when I go back and forth on this argument.

There's no argument that capacity and reloading speed go to the semiautos, and that's really probably enough to win the fight objectively.

But for design principles possible for a revolver, but not a semiauto, I draw revolvers faster than semiautos from any holster or carry method I have tried so far. It's because the grip is rounded and can be scooped up, and because when holstered, the grip of a revolver is the most prominent part of the gun protruding. It is difficult to fumble on the draw. For me, anyway. With semiautos, the back of the slide can be just as prominent as the grip. Even when pocket carried, semiautos carry flatter, but it's much easier to grasp the grip of a compact revolver on the draw.

Hopefully that's understandable, I have a clear idea in my head of what I mean, but in all these years of occasionally going back to carrying revolvers for that one reason, I've never been able to explain it to my full satisfaction in a post.

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I understand, and IMO, speed in drawing is where revolver beats semiautomatic. And as for capacity, learn to shoot with both hands and carry two guns if your 'hood is that rough.

I carry a 4" K-frame in .357 mag with two extra moonclips. I just do not feel comfortable with semi-autos and have one only for new shooters--a Ruger MK512. I like that revolvers are not finicky about ammo among other things.

Some of the failures mentioned in the video sound like very worn or beat up revolvers. The failure rate mentioned in the classes is suspicious. Personally, I've had an ejector rod come loose and a main spring tension screw back off. Those were in the same revolver and easily fixed. Beyond that, I've put over 35,000 rounds on that same revolver with no further problems. I've competed in revolver only matches with ICORE and the International Revolver Championship and seen only two failures out of thousands of rounds being shot.

My thought is that the primers backing out is an ammo problem. Happens with well used cases in reloads and I think perhaps light weight guns with brisk ammo. I have never had a problem with a dirty star even after hundreds of rounds. Might be because I intentionally use clean ammo--copper plated bullets and clean burning powder. Using lead bullets with dirty burning lube might be another thing.

And as for the slow reloading...

For a close encounter I would pick a revolver it will stay in battery when pressed against something.