I keep hearing how revolvers are obsolete and how they just don't cut it anymore. Most of the guards I work with are pining for the rumored switch to semiautos next year. I guess they feel underarmed with our Model 19s and only six rounds (plus two speedloaders). The fact that not one guard has ever needed to fire a shot in anger at my work site is entirely irrelevant, of course. Gotta have those extra rounds!
Other people say revolvers are no good for service use. I would've happily carried a good (preferably seven shot, just to get the most out of the L-Frame size) .357 in Qatar. Again, it was pretty quiet there, but a revolver would've worked well enough for my needs. I'd've been much happier with seven rounds of .357 LSWC over 15 rounds of 9mm ball. In any case, the handgun was but a backup to my rifle, for which I had plenty of ammunition.
If I were a cop on patrol...it'd depend on the nature of my beat. If your ONLY weapon is a handgun and your job is to go right into harm's way, the extra ammo would be nice. But for most situations, I think a .357 would suffice anyway. What's the national average for shots fired in a police encountered? Two or three? Maybe ten or eleven now; you always seem to hear about the ones that just go nuts on the trigger, but I'm sure they're a minority and get undue press.
If I were to take another contracting job in the Middle East, going to someplace hazardous, like Iraq, this time? I'd still be intersted in taking a .357, personally. A fine cleaning regimen would be necessary, but if the M16 can be kept running in the desert sand a S&W certainly can.
But that's ME. For large militaries, where parts commonality and ease of training is a necessity, an autopistol is probably better. Since the military is considering switching from a 15+1 9mm pistol to an 8-10+1 .45, high capacity doesn't seem to be their primary concern.
Revolers are simpler to learn, but are much more difficult to master. (The main reason, I think, most of my fellow guards don't like the M19s is because they can't shoot them for crap, on average. There're only a couple of us that shoot revolvers frequently. LOL)
The revolver is one of those things, like zippo lighters and manual transmission cars, that just hangs in there despite newer things coming along. How many drivers swear by manual transmissions? "I like the control!", they say. Then they can't maintain a steady speed on the Interstate because they don't have cruise control. (Utah drivers, I swear...
) The average driver probably can't shift a stick more efficiently than a modern automatic transmission can change gears, but lordy, don't tell the motorheads that! LOL
But the stick shift isn't going away, and neither is the revolver. If you like one, buy one, shoot it, and to hell with what's on the cover of "COMBAT HANDGUNS" or "GUNS AND WEAPONS FOR LAW ENFORCEMENT" magazines. If you don't like one, there's a plethora of fine self-loaders out there, so you've got your pick!
Personally, I'm glad that being a revolver shooter makes me part of some sort of counter-culture movement. It's like being a beatnik or a hippie, but with more bathing and less communisim...