Well I always carry 7 rounds in my 5 shooter
Actually when a 686+ is too big to pack, I have no qualms carrying *just* a .38 Undercover. It may not be enough, but sometimes I just take those chances.
I have never fired a gun at anything that wasn't made of paper or a badly mangled road-hit deer. The deer was done in with a 30-30 at 2" not a revolver. Coincidentally, the only time I have drawn my gun bump-in-the-night was years ago when I thought i heard someone rustling in our suburban backyard around 1am. I snuck out the front door armed with a 686 (what I owned before my +). No reload. Just the 6 beans in the wheel. I never even thought about grabbing my speedloader.
I found nothing out there. Not even a raccoon or stray cat. The weight of the 686 in my hand along with the hundreds and hundreds of rounds I had put through it felt pretty good. It may not have been enough if there had been an actual intruder(s), but i usually only carry a reload with my wheelguns out of habit and not perceived necessity.
My honest assessment of myself is that if I found myself in a prolonged firefight, I'd probably be toast regardless of the reload.
Actually when a 686+ is too big to pack, I have no qualms carrying *just* a .38 Undercover. It may not be enough, but sometimes I just take those chances.
I have never fired a gun at anything that wasn't made of paper or a badly mangled road-hit deer. The deer was done in with a 30-30 at 2" not a revolver. Coincidentally, the only time I have drawn my gun bump-in-the-night was years ago when I thought i heard someone rustling in our suburban backyard around 1am. I snuck out the front door armed with a 686 (what I owned before my +). No reload. Just the 6 beans in the wheel. I never even thought about grabbing my speedloader.
I found nothing out there. Not even a raccoon or stray cat. The weight of the 686 in my hand along with the hundreds and hundreds of rounds I had put through it felt pretty good. It may not have been enough if there had been an actual intruder(s), but i usually only carry a reload with my wheelguns out of habit and not perceived necessity.
My honest assessment of myself is that if I found myself in a prolonged firefight, I'd probably be toast regardless of the reload.