Everyone Should Have At Least One Revolver

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L

left hand

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First off, let me say that I have been a lurker for a bit and have appreciated all the insight on various topics that various forum members have offered. Thank you. In this time of political uncertainty, it gives me comfort to know that there are like minded individuals out there. Now, on to the topic of the thread...

Last week i had surgery on my dominant shoulder, leaving my left arm totally useless. It is amazing how helpless one can feel when you lose the use of a limb. I am 5 11, 210, well built, and trained in martial arts. All of this goes out the window when you can't use your good arm.

While I enjoy firearms of all shapes and sizes, I am awfully glad I have my trusty Colt Trooper 357 for home defense. Easy to load and shoot with one hand, and since I knew this surgery was going to happen, I practiced shooting with my weak side regularly. It's amazing how quickly the body can be trained with just a little effort.

I would encourage everyone to add a revolver of some sort to their collection for this reason. So if you don't have one, get one!
LH
 
Everybody needs a cowboy gun. They are fun to shoot and reloading isn't expensive at all if you cast your own bullets.
 
I would love a S&W in .357 mag but keep purchasing C&R rifles for some reason. I love my friends and keep saying I will get one.
I hope the healing process goes well and fast. Great advice.
 
I'm not really a fan of wheel guns, so the title caused an immediate thought of "no thanks", but darned if you don't make a real good point.

I have a BP 44 and a 22 lr/mag comboy single action. I may have to rethink having a 357 available. Hmmm...
 
I've been eyeballing various 686 4"ers for the longest time but funds always have limited my collection especially at my age and student status. I can agree with you about how helpless and defenseless a person can feel while disabled, three years ago I broke my clavicle(collar bone) and my entire left side was useless for what seemed like forever. I still had my shooting hand for at home situations but when I was half way healed, just going out with the girlfriend shed light on how much she depended on my ability to fight which was all out the window for now. I think loosing the use of my left arm/shoulder for those months was one of the best things that has happened to me, since then I'm in the best shape and have the best shot I've ever had with my weak side. ;)
 
Welcome to THR! I've only been shooting revolvers for a few months now, and my only regret is that I didn't get into one sooner. I have to ask though, how does one quickly reload a revolver with one hand? ETA: Here's wishing you a speedy and full recovery.
 
I've been on the hunt for an Interarms Virginian Dragoon in .44 Mag, brushed stainless with the 8 3/8 inch barrel for quite some time.

My dad had one in his collection and my mother (aka Mommy Dearest) sold over 20 firearms for less than $1500 bucks in their divorce. It was a nice piece and one I truly enjoyed shooting.




Kris
 
I've got two revolvers, and I want a 3rd one badly...

A Ruger Super Redhawk in .45LC with a spare cylinder for .45acp loaded with half moon clips...handload some stout .45lc for some big bore thunder, shoot .45acp for fun/plinking/ammo compatability with my 1911.

I like the OP's idea for weak hand shooting with an injured strong side arm...no worries about limp wristing the gun/malfunctions with a revolver.

My wife loves her J-frame .38snubbie for CCW. We also have a 6" Security Six .357 mag for a home gun/hunting firearm. I love wheel guns.:evil:
 
I'm with you. I'm left handed as well, I recently started shooting right handed to try and even out my dominance. Rifle is no problem for me, hand guns are a little harder.
 
A sure sign of middle age is that you are not surprised to find that the revolver makes a fine defensive sidearm. It seems many young people today have grown up in the age of the self-loader and are genuinely shocked to learn that a revolver will do about 99% of what the average person needs done with a handgun... and a few things it actually does better than the auto pistol.

No doubt the auto, with its faster reloading capabilities, is a better choice for combat. But few of us ever find ourselves in a combat situation. I have relied on a variety of revolvers for personal defense and never felt handicapped in the least with any of them.

I exploited the situation a few years when revolvers were dumped in favor of auto pistols by snapping up many good revolvers offered at dirt cheap prices by owners trading them in for Glocks or whatever. I bagged a Model 13 357 Magnum for $135 (gave it to a friend who ws looking for something to carry while packpacking). Paid the same for a nice pre-model Combat Masterpiece. Grabbed a Colt Official Police for $165 and an early 357 Trooper for $200.

I'm sure all the sellers enjoyed their new auto pistols made of plastic. I prefer real guns.
 
im gonna have to agree with Aw4g63. im a lefty pistol shooter and a righty rifle shooter. i should probably try to get my right hand a little better trained. i recently got rid of my s&w 38 snubby, and have regretted it ever since. maybe ill get a .44 mag soon. hey saxonpig: thats some really good deals you picked up BTW.
 
SaxonPig, no need to bash other peoples choices. They're all real, all good, all fun, and all deadly.

I like everything, from c&r revolvers to high-cap polymers. Different gun, same fun.

OP makes a great point, best not to get stuck on the idea that one type is universally better. One handed reload of my 1911? That wouldn't be nearly as easy as a revolver but now I need to try!

Just tried, easier than I thought but not as easy or quick as a revolver.
 
It is simply a matter of getting the cash together for myself. Dad and I are both planning on picking up two decent .38 specials.
 
Excellent point. You also have inspired me to go work on my off-hand shooting.

I enjoy both of my revolvers, although for different reasons. I enjoy shooting manly feeling .357's out of my GP100, and I use it as my HD weapon. My Nagant is literally a toy to me and makes me laugh every time I shoot it. I still cannot believe anybody ever thought that gun was a good idea to issue to soldiers. It's surprisingly accurate though.
 
left hand,

Welcome to THR!
Thank you for reminding us all again, in the blink of an eye, we could find ourselves physically limited.
Sending best for a speedy recovery.

Re: Reloading.

There are many ways, still one is to to use a Speed Strip, with just 4 rounds.
It does not matter if the revolver, holds five or six rounds, just get the gun loaded, fast, and run the gun.

Four allows one a bit more "ease" or "control" in getting ctgs into charge holes, especially under stress, or physically limited, or both.

Colt revolvers, one pulls back the cylinder latch, in fact one "argument" was a Police Officer, could simple catch the cylinder latch on the sole of his boot ( or anything) and shove the gun forward, therefore pulling back the latch to open cylinder.
This was taught and practiced.

Smith & Wesson's latch, is moved forward, so one has to practice catching that latch on a shoe/boot sole, or other objects.

The gun can be placed under arm, or between knees, allowing one to hit the ejector, thus dumping spent ctgs. Speed Strip with 4, allows getting the gun loaded.

Speed Loaders work, as does having to load single ctgs.

One just needs to become one with whatever make, model of revolver, and spend time practicing how to run the gun, and how to keep it fed.

Dummy ctgs are recommended.
 
I like keeping in practice with my S&W Revovlers, as well as my 1911 and
the newest handgun experience to me, the DA/SA CZ 75B but getting back to revolvers.

I first started shooting handguns on a regular basis in my early teens with the loan of a Hi Standard Duratmatic .22 LR Semi-Auto. When his oldest son was ready for it I had saved enough for my own first hadgun. I had been
eyeing a P-38 in a sporting goods/pawn shop in a larger town the family would go to for shopping. I dragged my Dad over to the shop on a pre-xmas
shopping trip and showed him the WWII surplus P-38 - I think it was $35. The shop keeper took my Dad aside, and when they came back the shopkeeper brought out an NIB S&W Model 18 K-38 Combat Masterpiece.
My Dad matched my savings ( want to know how many lawns you need to mow in the mid-60s to save $35? Lots ) All these years later I thank
the shopkeeper for steering an inexperienced kid the right way. The Model 18served me very well on the farm my Dad bought about the same year - throughout my teens I carried it on my belt on the farm for cottontails, sankes and the occaisional headshot on a horned toad. My buddies at the time had cheaper top break H&R or import SA .22 LRs that Model 18 with
it's adj. rear sight and polished finish was the class of the field of my group of
shooting buddies back then.

Later, I carried the 1911 in the USN, but just after leaving the USN
in the late '70s I had a Colt COmmander along with a S&W 25-2

These days I have a 627 6" Bbl. 10 shooter that
complements my 625 5" Bbl. .45 ACP. The 625 in .45 ACP and the full moon clips would be easier to handle if I was limited to one arm than something
needing a speedloader. I also shoot the rimmed .45 Auto RIm.

The little Model 60 3" Bbl. .357 Mag is a handy relatively - 24 oz - lighter
option with great balance, I plan on getting a 63 to go with it - in about 8 or so years my grandkids will need something to learn on, and I'll start em out right with a wheel gun.

I think the top next wheel gun I get will be a Ruger Blackhawk convertible in .45 Long Colt / .45 ACP. It'll be a nice handgun to pair up with my Marlin
1894 in .45 Long Colt - Nothing like Late 19th Century Firepower eh?

I agree most of the younger gen. tend toward Semi-Atuos. Nothing wrong with that as they are my first go to, and it's good to have the next gen. in the handgun circle of pistoleros. Sometimes at the range I'll have a large ziploc bag of 12-15 loaded full moon clips, and the other lanes may have a few young guys with semi-atuos but they only have 1 or maybe 2 mags so you hear them pop off a full mag then silence while they refill the mag. Meanwhile I am banging away steady with fair use of the full moon reloading.
I've had a couple of them ask what make speedloader I'm using. I explain it's the same cartridge I fire in the 1911 - I usually carry the 1911 in an
owb but take the revolvers to the range in a case.

one thing about the longer barreled revolvers I have -I am shopping for a
good shoulder rig as both the 625 & 617 are 45 oz empty, and I think the best carry rig would be a vertical shoulder rig.

Enough for now....

Randall
 
I shoot both revolvers and auto loaders. I find it much easier and faster to operate and reload the autos than the revolvers using the one hand drill. I think anyone who has had training in this field would agree. All assuming one can shoot support or strong hand only without limp wristing in the first place.
str1
 
Sorry, have never been able to get into Glocks and other such monstrosities. You can protest til the cows come home about how much you love your plastic fantastic. Glad you're happy with them. I don't like them... never have... never will.

A 2x4 will also kill you. Doesn't make it a good gun.
 
I have one plastic gun, and I like it. That said, all my others are metal, and mostly all steel.

I have had both shoulders operated on. (At separate times). You find ways to do things with one hand/arm.

Auto's and revolvers can be used with practice. :)
 
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