Have you switched to become a revolver guy?

[Vodoun da Vinci]

I started as a revolver guy back in the late 1970's shooing Dan Wesson .357 mag and Ruger .22 single action revolvers. Working on the road as a professional musician and playing some very tough bar/nightclub gigs in Detroit, Chicago, St. Louis, and beyond could be a very scary proposition in those days as usually we were paid in cash at the end of the weekend at 2:00am. Most of the bars were pretty rough and basically a lot of people knew that one of the band members was being handed a significant amount of cash very early Sunday morning.

So some form of personal protection was always in place for various band members....usually firearms.

Over a few years my gig tack came to include various revolvers and later various pistols as they carried more rounds and allowed a second mag to be stashed somewhere just in case. I graduated to carrying Colt 1911's, Browning BDA .380's, Beretta model 70's and 81's in .32 ACP and generally favored and practiced with automatic pistols.



Now, years later, with concealed carry being ready here in Illinois after the first of the year, my Wife and I have renewed regular shooting and working very hard on proficiency and in finding "soul mate" platforms for ourselves. Getting her comfortable with pistols has been difficult until we put her late fathers S&W model 19 in her hands and for the first time she was confident and proficient right off the bat....the natural tightening of the grip and stabilization of the wrist and forearm in DA fire produced fine groups right off the bat and the simplicity of the revolver speaks to her intuitively. No levers, catches, or releases and no safeties to remember. Simple and effective. She has a hard time with stiff recoil springs and reaching magazine releases and operating stiff slide release levers and remembering the location and function of all of these. Revolvers? Not so much hence the confidence which has lead to being comfortable shooing even when I'm not able to get range time...more practice has really got hr blossoming into the comfort and proficiency level she needs to be at to carry concealed.

In helping her find her soul mate I have renewed my interest in revolvers and find that while I shoot all of my autos well (with the exception of my new Beretta Px4 subcompact which is good but not as good as my Glock 26 or Colt 1903 .32 acp) I shoot the revolvers "like the old days" which is tack driving accurate at 21' - 30'. So, I'm back to considering a revolver as an EDC and loving the journey. I never stopped being a "revolver guy" so much as I have been playing the field and finally have enough disposable income to handle and buy anything we feel might scratch the itch and practice with it.

So, I'm both a Glock-O-Phile and lover of my Glock 26, my Colt 1911 Officers ACP, Colt 1903 model M's, and Beretta Storm and a lover of my Dan Wesson, Colt, S&W, and Ruger revolvers.

VooDoo

 

[USGuns]

The Revolver: Unappreciated Advantages

Thought some folks here might find this article interesting:
http://www.personaldefensenetwork.com/the-revolver-unappreciated-advantages/

 

[orionengnr]

I wouldn't classify myself (exclusively) as a "revolver guy" but I have an appreciation for both types of handgun.

These days I own about an equal number of revolvers and semi-auto pistols. I shoot and carry semi autos about 90% of the time, but I definitely enjoy shooting the revolvers.

Thought some folks here might find this article interesting:
http://www.personaldefensenetwork.co...ed-advantages/

Predictably, an utterly one-sided presentation of the argument...does not talk about the hard stoppages a revolver may experience, or, perhaps more importantly, the ability/necessity to reload at what some would consider an absurdly low number of rounds...and the time required to do so.

Again, I own, enjoy, carry and shoot both. But I can at least try to be objective about the discussion. Others should at least attempt to do likewise.

 

[marv]

I'm 81. I started with revolvers because there weren't many choices of autos in 1950-something. Later on I switched to auto. Now due to physical limitations I've come back to revos. Love the Kay frame but I carry the Jay.

 

[gym]

Started with revolvers in the early 70's, carried one for 21 years. Last 22 I carry an auto pistol, either a Glock or Kahr, Or the XDS "before recall. Usually 2 guns. There are just too many instances of multiple attackers now, than 20-30 years ago. I sure don't want to die, because I ran out of ammo, or took too long to reload. That's just a fact of carrying 5 rounds. You have to allow for 30-50% misses, when firing at moving targets, "when you are also moving. Which leaves you with a gun that is ok for 1 or possibly 2 bad guys, but they will be shooting back, "more than likely" and what you practice will be hard to effectively use under fire.
Just ask guys who were in "real" gunfights how many shots were fired. This in no way demeans the revolver, they are wonderful guns, for hunting, and for target shooting, and if that's what you have, then for carry. I choose a different road. Most people require 2 to 4 shots to put them down.If I were to carry a revolver again, it would be a 7 round 686, with 357's only.
At my age with a very bad back, it's just getting to hard to carry multiple guns. With a Glock or even the Kahr PM9, I can get 3 Kahr mags or 1 Glock19 mag in my pocket with no strain. Each persons needs are different, I had 5 armed men come through my front door about 30 years ago, so I know it can happen. That's not the only time I was faced with several bad guys. So you make your own choice as to what you carry, but don't think that because you live in a good neighborhood that nothing like that can happen to you. I lived in a secure building, with 24 hour doorman security, 2 man garage etc.
It can happen anyware. Especially now with the economy tanking again. Much of what goes on is not even being reported in the news. Mine never was.

 

[oldcelt]

I have never changed but at times I will switch. I like revolvers, been around them as far back as I can remember, Sometime I will carry a 1911 45acp or 38 super or glock 19. Most generally I carry a S&W combat 357 4 in. or Ruger sp101 327 fed. At tomes when I go to the range I will even carry my old Colt 38/40. Ya know the one that spells its name when you cock it.

 

[saturdaynightpolitics]

I'm 75 years old and a former LEO. I left the OSP in 1973 and started my own security company, retiring in 2006. When I worked as a trooper, off duty I carried a Model 19 S&W for sometime, then switched to a Model 60 and used that until I switched to an Officer's Model 1911 Colt. After that it was a Kimber ultra Carry until last July when I bought a used 386PD S&W in 357 Mag. That has been my carry gun since July. The pro's are that it is reliable and will go bang anytime the trigger is pulled, the con's are it is not as easy and fast to reload as my Kimber and speed loaders don't work well in all pants pockets. This firearm is very light weight and comfortable to carry, it doesn't have the Crimson Trace Laser grips on it like my Kimber has, but I wish it did have laser grips. Thin compact laser grips are not made that fit this gun. I like 357 Mag almost as well as I like 45 ACP. I would not use 9 MM or 38 special again after listening to a medical examiner.

What did the medical examiner have to say?