Having 15 round do not mean you have to use all of them, but how can having it be bad?
I don't think any of us here are saying that having 15 rounds is a bad thing. All else being equal, having more ammo is a plus. But there so many other factors that must be taken into consideration, of course. So what is bad is selecting a gun only for it's ammo capacity. A gun is like a pair of shoes. It must be fit to the individual user. What works for me won't necessarily work for you and vice versa.
So some of us just shoot revolvers better, and therefore, we feel we are better served by them. It's as simple as that. So going back to the OP, I would say:
1. A
revolver IS a practical defensive weapon, so long as you are trained/confident/proficient in it's use.
2. A
semi automatic IS a practical defensive weapon, so long as you are trained/confident/proficient in it's use.
BTW, #1 includes both DA and SA revolvers. Few people are proficient with a SA these days, but from I've seen with my own eyes, those that are should
NOT be messed with
.
It has a heavily doctored trigger with about a one pound pull, and Miculek was using very light target loads that would be pretty much worthless in a self-defense situation.
Let's see ol' Jerry shoot that fast and accurate using a stock production S&W 686 off a dealer's shelf, with an 8 to 9 pound trigger pull and firing full .357 magnum defensive loads.
Actually, Miculek is on record stating that his guns have a 6 to 8 lb pull (or thereabouts, I'd have to break out my Ultimate Advanced Revolver DVD for the exact number). Sub 5 lbs, it aint. The actual pull length is unchanged as well.
And I wouldn't call such a trigger "heavily doctored". I reserve that description for Glocks and 1911s that have been "heavily butchered" and will fire a round if you pop a fart off within 10 paces of one
. A 6 to 8 lb pull is very much in the realm of possibility for a competent gunsmith without the need for replacing any internal parts. Simple smoothing and polishing of all the contact surfaces (particularly the rebound slide/side plate interface) are all that is really required. And the same treatment can be done to a revolver that is used for more "serious purposes" without sacrifacing a bit of reliability. What you basically wind up with is a revolver with the trigger quality of pre-war Smiths and Colts. An oh my, what fine slick shooting guns those were.
And I would venture that Miculek's times would drop a bit with a totally stock (non-tuned) 686, but I sure wouldn't care to venture down range to find out. Call me crazy, but I still think he'd kick my butt
. Jerry is a skilled shooter, so I imagine he can make the most out of whatever tools he is handed in such a way that he'd still embarrass most of us. Care to challenge Lance Armstrong to an endurance race on identical Wallie World special 10-speeds?
On the other hand, Ed McGivern used a stock S&W for his shooting feats
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ed_McGivern.
Auto's make it much easier for the average individual (and lets face it, I'm sure most of us are) to put lots of rounds down range more quickly while still maintaining accuracy compared to the same average individual with a revolver.
Plenty of us average people still can shoot a revolver more accurately at the same or better speed than an auto. We each have our own shooting rhythm/pace, and for myself and others that rhythm seems to better match with the wheel gun.
From a self defense standpoint though, I feel that comfort is a major factor and whatever firearm you feel most comfortable with is probably better in that aspect as you won't have to waste any time/effort operating the controls, adjusting your grip, etc. In a self defense situation I would no more wish a revolver on myself than an 'auto on a revolver guy so don't get me wrong.
Amen to that! Autos work for you, wheelies for me. As most of us are gun nuts, I think (well, hope) we can all respect that!
---
To someone earlier who mentioned revolver jams, yes, it can happen. Humans aren't perfect, so anything humans create is not going to be perfect either. Jamming in a revolver refers to the cylinder stopping it's rotation. This can be caused by a number of factors. Most of the time (not always), but it seems to either occur in:
- NIB guns that have too tight a cylinder gap or improperly fit hand. Every defensive gun should be tested for reliability, and this type of problem usually crops up in the first 50 rounds, so it becomes a PIA more than anything else.
- Guns that have been poorly maintained and neglected.
I test my revolvers for reliability when first purchased, then I clean/lube them after every range session. And the ones I rely on for self defense are usually cleaned more often. I do the same for my 1911 that I carry now-and-then. A well maintained and cared for revolver is highly unlikely (though not impossible) to sieze suddenly. Usually (in my personal experience) you can sense a stiffening in the pull long before a bind occurs, and can take appropriate corrective action
before it becomes a liability.
