Sometimes You Just Need to Shoot a Revolver

[Tallball]

Yesterday I went shooting with my friend. He's 50 and I'm 57. We haven't been shooting in a while because he had foot surgery and I had abdominal surgery. We both limped out to the range, got our handguns spread out on the table, and started shooting at our usual seven yards. His targets were black and I couldn't really see how well he was shooting.

It turned out he'd been shooting poorly and was getting frustrated. He'd gone to a lot of effort to arrange the trip, and then he couldn't shoot worth squat. I pointed out that having one foot in a walking boot was not giving him a firm base, so maybe he was being hard on himself. He showed me what he'd been shooting: his Glock 43, S&W EZ, and Ruger P85.

I told him, "Brother, you have strayed from the path." Then I handed him a 3" K-frame 38 special and a handful of shells. He couldn't help smiling. He shot his first six DA and they were all touching. The second group was SA and they all went into one hole.

He shot his 9mm pistols okay after that. Pretty good for a tired guy with a wobbly foot. He had his confidence back and knew he could do it. He didn't shoot them as well as he shot the 38, but he did fine.

The lesson I learned from this is that if you grew up shooting revolvers, as he and I both did, you are just going to shoot them better and be more confident with them in general. This probably doesn't apply to very many people much younger than we are. Most younger shooters are exposed to semiautomatic pistols a lot more than we were. We grew up in a barbaric region (Texas) where we shot 22 single-action revolvers as young men, and our dads had 38's or 357's, and that's what there was. Even though we've both been shooting semiautos for ages now, I don't think they're hardwired into our nervous systems like revolvers are.

So if younger people sometimes wonder why older people "irrationally" stick to revolvers, that's one reason. I don't think I have enough time left to train my semiauto muscle memory up to where my revolver muscle memory already is. I know for sure that I can't afford that much ammo.

This was the revolver. Nothing fancy. A police surplus 3" Taurus Model 82 with fixed sights. I got it for $300 OTD or something like that, within the past year or so.

Taurus82

• Tallball
• Mar 8, 2023

 

[NorthBorder]

I haven't shot in awhile, recovering from a rotocuff surgery. Still wearing the shoulder bag. I got a new CA Bulldog 45LC that I'm itching to try
There may be another pistol or two in the safe that I haven't ever shot.
That's how my summer is going.

 

[Mark 40]

Nice you could show your buddy the way and turn his day around. I hear you about revolvers and staying with them for being familiar and comfortable. I've been paring down and sold off my last semi-auto. Its wheel city for me from here out.

 

[ms6852]

I normally go twice a week but lately I have gotten lazy. But in my defense going to medical appointments 3 or 4 times a week just takes it out of me having to drive 30 miles to the range.

 

[MrBorland]

Sometimes You Just Need to Shoot a Revolver

Sure does feel good sometimes. I used to shoot revolvers a bunch, but stopped shooting almost entirely about 6 years ago. I just started making it to the range again here and there (with our 15 year old), and my trusty 617 .22LR was my go-to.

 

[.45Coltguy]

Revolver shooting; THERAPY! Won't give up on 1911-A1[.45 acp], but, the wheel guns get a lot more attention.
Good on you guys for getting to the range.

 

[jar]

My introduction to revolvers was an H&R 923 in the late 1950s.











Then people started telling me that the DA trigger on revolvers was heavy.

 

[2ndtimer]

I know what you mean. Yesterday I left the Glock and CZ 9mm “wonder nines” at home and just took my 6” GP-100 and a selection of .357 Magnum handloads to run over the chronograph. My rested group at 7 yards was a lot smaller than the 9mm groups from a similar exercise a couple weeks ago. I also grew up with revolvers and still enjoy shooting them. I agree that age has a lot to do with it (I’m 68).

 

[Pat Riot]

I have been here ing rumblings from my gun safe. I think my revolvers are upset at me.
Since I moved here last August I haven’t been reloading so that means less revolver shooting. I have been shooting my semiautos a lot. I need to remedy that. I actually enjoy shooting revolvers more.

 

[alfsauve]

My intro was an HR 999.

Revolvers are not a division. They are a cult.

This is the way.

 

[halfmoonclip]

It's nice to go back to revos from time to time. I like them at camp, because there is no brass to police.
Moon

 

[Thomas Mayberry]

On my range trips I alternate between revolvers and semi-autos. Though semis are my preference for defensive carry, I enjoy shooting my revolvers more.

 

[weregunner]

I still love my revolvers and came up on a H&R 604 and 603.
There is just something about shooting a wheel gun that is pure fun and enjoyable.

 

[dh1633pm]

I think I will take the King Cobra and Kimber K6S out this week. Won’t leave the HK45 at home, but the revolvers are coming with me. Better check my ammo supply.

 

[CajunBass]

I'm heading for the range in a bit. I'm going to take my new (to me) Taurus Tracker in 44 with a box of 44 special reloads. Now that I think about it, I believe my Python will go along for the ride.

BTW. Another old coot here. 70.

 

[sparkyv]

I too, learned on and tend to shoot better revolvers, Tallball. Sadly in my youth, I didn't discipline myself on shooting DA, so today my DA POI is ~2" to the right at 15yds. Fortunately, my POI is consistent, so I can use good old Kentucky windage to hit what I'm aiming.

I don't shoot revolvers very often because they're so much more tedious to clean vs. semi-autos, especially this guy:

my trusty 617 .22LR

 

[LeftyRed]

Back in 2019-2020, was in a boot with a broken ankle (three tendons snapped and three bones crushed) due to the worker’s comp doctors saying it was just sprained. That did effect my shooting too. Weird, but leaning to one side sucks trying to keep weight off if one foot and have a stable shooting stance.

In 2020 got a full shoulder replacement, reversed joint, and that got me practicing with HAND guns for sure. Lots of dry firing/laser work one handed kept me sane and helped with rehab. My snubbies and revolvers were mush easier to use since I didn’t have to rack the slide after every trigger pull. And it smoothed out the triggers on my 856s!

 

[Tallball]

To be fair, he's 6'4" and I'm 6"6'. The G43 is really too small for our hands. The 9mm EZ is just big enough. The P85 has a sproingy trigger that's absolutely terrible, but it was his dad's and he always brings it.

That Taurus has a very large grip and it's heavy and it fits our hands well. Some nice LEO put enough rounds downrange through it that the trigger is quite good, and we're both used to revolver triggers. It's not super surprising that we both shoot it decently. It was a big deal for both of us when our dad let us shoot a couple of rounds through his 38 when we were nine or something. We've both been shooting revolvers ever since.

Thread drift: I really like his 9mm EZ. I shot it well and liked the sights and trigger. I think it's a little bigger than the G43. Maybe I'll get one to be my latest CC 9mm that I never carry because I carry revolvers instead.

 

[Tallball]

@LeftyRed my situation was a broken finger on my dominant hand. My left hand was so weak and clumsy that all I could shoot decently were a couple of 38's with good triggers - the one in my avatar and my LCR. All of my nice 9mm and 380 carry pistols were suddenly useless.

 

[pbearperry]

My S&W model 66 is more accurate than all of my semi autos.

 

[jar]

Again today it is my Highway Patrolman. I'm still trying to decide if the Simply Rugged Sourdough holster will be one I actually use.

 

[chaim]

53 (in less than a month), I also started with revolvers. I didn't start shooting handguns until I was nearly 30, so it was a very conscious decision. All my friends were renting (or had already bought) autos, but I insisted on renting revolvers the first few times at the range, and when I bought one I bought a revolver first (for about 3 or 4 months it was my only handgun).

Through the years, I've been back and forth over which I like better. To some degree it is caliber dependent. I much prefer shooting any auto over shooting .357mag in a small framed revolver. In a medium framed revolver, I love shooting .357mag more than nearly anything else. My favorite thing to shoot was a .41mag in the S&W 57 I used to own. I enjoy 9mm, .40 and .45ACP in nearly any pistol better than I do .38spl. In the past, I leaned strongly towards revolvers. About 10-15 years ago that started to shift, and I generally prefer autos today. There were a few years where I barely shot my revolvers. The last few months, things are starting to turn back the other way.

I shoot revolvers about as well as I shoot my most accurate (for me) autos: CZs, 1911s, SIGs. I am much better with them than I am with my Glocks. As for "pocket guns," I shoot my 2" snubs far better than my LCP. I actually like shooting my 1911s and CZs better than revolvers most of the time, and I certainly carry my SIG P365 more than everything else combined. However, as I'm aging I'm starting to really appreciate simplicity. I've always liked shooting my revolvers, but with my growing appreciation of simplicity, they are seeing far more range time than they used to and I'm carrying them more than I thought I would (my P365 gets more carry time by far, but my revolvers do get more carry time than my PCR and G19).

 

[Mark_Mark]

I'm heading for the range in a bit. I'm going to take my new (to me) Taurus Tracker in 44 with a box of 44 special reloads. Now that I think about it, I believe my Python will go along for the ride.

BTW. Another old coot here. 70.

.44 Tracker is a beast! especially with the ports. My brother brought down his, with warm .44 mag HC. I could not get enough of shooting that stout monster

 

[Plano11]

I love me my S&W

 

[Armybrat]

My visiting English lady friend had fired a mutual friend’s Sig 226 out in Nevada and didn’t care for it.
So when she came to Central Texas it was only appropriate to let her try my Ruger New Vaquero (but loaded only with .38 Special range fodder).
She loved it.
(and only hit the ceiling once)