I notice now most of us older guys (50+)

I have autos and wheel guns. Like them all, shoot them all. Pack what you like and don't be a hater of either kind.

Choices

Speaking as a 71 year old, Army surplus (Viet Nam) type, I suggest that you try all of the wonderful choices noted previously, and then make your own selection....and practice....My personal bedside arm is a reliable S&W Model 67, which suits me very well. I can easily put all the rounds in the circle at 15 meters, and it goes,"bang" every time I squeeze the trigger....I like the M1911, (have a Commander and a full size clone) but neither works every time, all the time...That is why the Army taught us "immediate action"....(for those who do not understand MILSPEAK, it means that you pump the action when the arm does not go "bang" when you did the trigger thing...) I also have a nice little H&K P7 which is extremely reliable (no failures of any sort for me yet) and wonderfully accurate. It is a nice sidearm for carry, and modern hollow points are very effective. Also, i recently picked up a CZ 82 for a very reasonable price, and this is also remarkably reliable and accurate.... But, the bottom line is, "Practice"....Reliability and accuracy are my primary selection criteria...

I'm 63 and my ownership is about 50/50 revolver/autoloader. Personally, I prefer autoloaders but I'm also very fond of .38/.357 snubbies.

outlook ranch said:

I have autos and wheel guns. Like them all, shoot them all. Pack what you like and don't be a hater of either kind.

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That new Rhino might qualify as one I'd personally not prefer to have in my arsenal. I mean, have you seen that thing?

Older'n dirt

John "Duke" Wayne is my cowboy movie actor. I love the way he walked.
Yeah, we played 'cowboys and Indians' and 'cops and robbers'.
When I walked into a local gun store, the dealer said, "A fella your age should have this snubby revolver with its laser sight." I was too interested in how a semi works to buy one but after a while I did. I didn't like it and traded it for a S&W 60-4 Chief's Special. Now, there is a proper gun for a mean old b-- guy like me.
Old? I got earnestly shot at and blessedly missed in WW II.

I'm 55 and I remember when the wonder 9s boom started. I was in my early to mid 20s. I got on it and did not look back.

I'm 64 and enjoy shooting both revolver and semi auto. From a reloading stand point, the revolver is nice since I don't have to find and pick up by brass. However, I cannot imagine not shooting both on a regular basis.

JohnBiltz, I remember when the wonder 9 thing started also. But I was still lovin' revolvers...except for the Ruger MkII pistol I still have. It took a few years to really get going on the semi auto trail.

Never met a gun I didn't like. Have wonderful guns of both types, Most of the time though, when carrying I carry a S&W 242.

A revolver is inherently capable of being left loaded for about forever, and performing as expected when needed. My autos I watch the springs, leave them unloaded and use them clean. Revolvers don't care. The 6" 686 is the HD gun, the 242 for carry, the LCR for the wife, all are constantly loaded. I do carry auto's, but they take a little more care, the right ammo, and I have to have had the ammo/gun combo at the range enough to confidence in them. Revolvers are whatever ammo, whatever cleanliness, whatever I have time/feel like to prepare, but I have no worries it will go boom.

Well, I've read enough of these... I have to comment now. I have been a general handgun guy leaning to the auto side. (I'm 24) I have seen the light now though, I just got a S&W 64 and I'm hooked on em now. That thing is an extension of my arm. I want a Vaquero next and I'm a Ruger guy but that S&W is going to give my Rugers a run for their money I think. I have honestly considered trading all my auto towards wheelguns. With the exception of my tricked out G17 nightstand gun.

Yep.... 53 here, have revolvers that get shot often and autos that collect dust. I don't have to crawl around for my brass with the wheelguns.

Hungry Seagull said:

I'll take anything I can aim and make go Boom at my age these days.

The younguns dont know what easy is. In my day you ate paper, spit it out, blew powder down the bore and hoped you remembered to take the rammer back out after loading shot. After a day of shoot and smoke we're happy.

Im beginning to hit that point in life where those young ones have to have hit movies explained to them. I had one recently tilt the head and asked who and what sort of act I was doing when I imitated the "I'll be Back" from the Movie Ternimator.

But down at the VA, I hear the whispered stories from the Rock and Sand overseas from those half my age and barely out of learning school. As far as Im concerned they are Men and Women now. But with a future much different than what we faced during the old Cold War...


"We will bury you." Kruschev USSR to the American People on TV in the 60's MAN, that was living!

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These younguns know nothing about Kruschev banging his shoe on his table at the UN saying they would "bury" us....hehehehe.......

THANKYOU RONALD REAGAN!...........now there's a "shooter"!

I am only 33 but I was named after a character on Big Valley, the first gun I ever shot was a .41 Mag. So I guess it's just in my blood to lean this way.

I have a couple Glocks but only in calibers I don't reload. So I don't have to pick up the brass. ....Or is it I dont reload the calibers, because I don't pick up the brass? I don't remember,why. That's it I dont Remember to pick up the brass, either! Memory went, right after the lower back. What were we talking about?

Still wet behind the ears at 21 here and I'm I'll admit I'm a plastic gun fanboy but I blame my instructors I had 3 instructors in my CHL class, they were all over 50, and the senior instructor carried a Glock 21 while the other 2 carried M&P40s. Don't have much experience with revolvers but I'm not bigoted and I definetly plan on owning a couple. (or ten )

Im a youngster. Only 22 and i love revolvers. Ruger blackhawks are on top of my list of best guns ever made. I love them because you can have higher powered rounds. (357, 44, 45 colt) I enjoy the back country where alot of the bears are and i always feel more comfortable with the 357 on my hip. With that said, my next purchase is still goin to be a Beretta 96A1. I love all guns. Im no respector.

I like them both, but have always been a huge fan of revolvers. I'm 41 and waited until the late 90s to buy a hicap semi. When I carry an auto, I hope it will work, should I need it. When I carry a revolver, I know it will work. If I could carry my 20 gauge Howdah pistol, I would, but it's too big/beefy.
I'll probably just start carrying my Judge everywhere, because the commercial shows it as being the be all, end all of self defense guns. And we know that commercials NEVER lie. (sarcasm)
I actually do own a Judge, and like it a lot. Great car gun. Not as great for EDC as a Charter Bulldog or J frame sized snub.

As I have posted on other boards, gun carrying started with the purchase of a Smith 36 in 1968. Then came the 70's and I too needed a gun with more bullets! Hence, the purchase of a Smith model 39. All was well till the Miami shootout in the 80's. That's when I also decided I needed a larger caliber gun. A Kimber pro-carry filled that need perfectly. All was right with the world for a number of years and one day at a time the Kimber became more of a burden than a help. So now 45+ years later I've come full circle and carrying that little Smith once again.

I have both and can do pretty well with either, but the feel and accuracy of my S&W 60-4 is heart-warming.

As for age, I call my 60year-old daughter 'child'.

I can put 8 out of 8 in the black @50' with my colt .45 and can put 4 out of 6 in the black with my 6" S&W 586 at 125 yards. In town for protection I carry a Kimber ultra carry 45 acp, with 2 mags in a pouch. In the woods it is the 586, or ruger blackhawk in 45LC, which is also a 100 yard caliber. I own 10 revolvers and about a dozen semi-autos. They each have their place, and purpose. ( I used to carry a full size .45 colt, but by the end of the day my wife called me eileen (i Lean) to the right.
I have been teaching the Oregon concealed carry class is Oregon for over 10 years, and marksmanship classes for longer. More new shooters are women, and most of them prefer revolvers for their first guns, because of ease of use and less moving parts, later they come back to get their semi-auto guns. I had one young lady that lover her .22 hi-standard, she practiced regularly and took second in a state competition, and went to nationals. Haven't heard if she placed yet.
Point being everyone is different and chooses differently. If we all chose the same it would be very boring.
David

I've had a powerful Single action revolver since I started shooting. I've had all kinds of autos, and settled on Detonics .451.

Here is my view. If I ever have to protect myself in my house, I don't want to have to shoot a lot. Therefore I want something that with one round, is going to end the conflict. Also, I have a vest, why won't a bad guy? I know my back stops, and, with the revolvers I have around me the structure does not provide anything powerful enough to stop any of the rounds, except, maybe the refrigerator, but, I doubt it. There is dirt outside, that if this was another state, we could setup targets on and have our own shooting range.

When they make a double action, or auto that is as powerful as a .475 Linebaugh, or .500 Linebaugh, or .500JRH I might consider it, but, probably not.

If I need something smaller, and more CCW, I have a variety of guns, from DA revolvers to the Detonics, Kahr PM9, etc. for that kind of stuff.

The 500 S&W doesn't get it done for a double action??

Greg

X-frames are in the long cylinder BFR range for me, freaks, to heavy and, the weight or recoil is too much for most to handle or carry. I like sometime in the 3.2-3.6 pound range that goes in a regular holster.

I have had my hands on some very nice custom snubs in .500JRH, 500 S&W...
If I could get them for the right price, and not pay 2000-2500, I might be a convert.

That said, I do have this laying around:

As a backup to the lighter calibers, like the .500JRH...

That is outstanding. What a nice piece of hardware.

Greg

Thanks. What I don't get is why people don't use these more, or get stuck in the service caliber box.

If everyone says if you are going to a firefight bring a rifle, and we have handguns now as powerful as .375 H&H rifles, why not have a handgun that is powerful as a rifle in a firefight?