Strengths and Weaknesses of a Revolver

[skoro]

Looked to me like the robbers in that video were headed for the door after the jeweler's first shot. The other 4 were "icing on the cake" so to speak.

 

[CTGunner]

Looked to me like the robbers in that video were headed for the door after the jeweler's first shot. The other 4 were "icing on the cake" so to speak.

No. I think he was empty by the time they turned to run. Watch it again, slow.

 

[rbohm]

the biggest weaknesses of a revolver are the limited capacity, slower reloads, and a generally thicker weapon to try and conceal.

the biggest strengths of a revolver are, the lack of a manual safety, the ability to pull the trigger again straight away if you have a misfire, and you dont have any failure to feed or failure to eject issues.

 

[loneviking]

Capacity is an issue, but that's why I carry two or three speedloaders. I often carry a .357, just because the round is so high powered. I want a round that has the potential to be a one shot fight stopper. Still, with a revolver, you have to get used to 'running and gunning' being very careful to not spray and pray.

And in that video, the first clue to trouble for me would have been the guy in the white hoodie. That hoodie is stretched out waaay to much for just having his hands in it. Also, when he took his hands out, the hoodie stayed stretched out---which suggests that there may be a gun in there.

 

[Leanwolf]

JOE SLOMO - " I recall another jewelry store encounter where the owner wanted revolvers for defense, revolverS being the key word here. He opted to stick with revolvers for their simplicity in operation and relative reliability, and he bought a few for the store and placed them in positions with easy access. His store was indeed hit, and he prevailed largely due to having access to multiple firearms, and a will to survive."

Sounds like a friend of mine, a jeweler, who owned a nice shop in Studio City, Calif. Bad guys tried to rob his store three different times, and he shot at them each time. Hit three, too.

He kept six S&W 4" .38 Spec. revolvers all over his store, behind counters, from one end of the counters to the other. He also kept a Rem. 870 12 ga. leaning against a doorjamb into his office, out of sight of customers but readily at hand.

Oddly enough, on one robbery attempt, he shot at a professional jewel thief (on parole from Folsom Prison), using his 870 and Magnum 00 buckshot. The thief, armed with a sawed off shotgun, had actually got some jewels, but ran out the back to where a van with his partner was waiting in a large parking lot. But before he could get in the van, my friend grabbed his shotgun and gave chase.

The thief started to raise his shotgun and fire but my friend fired first. He hit the thief, a really large man, in the left groin and lower left stomach, with two pellets coursing through his lower left arm. The thief dropped his shotgun, then ran more than two blocks before collapsing. The partner in the van took off! (Honor among thieves and all that.) The cops arrested the wounded thief and took him to the hospital, where he survived.

His partner was killed the next day in San Diego County, by S.D.S.D. deputies, and two Cal. Highway Patrol officers.

My friend showed me the pictures of the man, after he was being released at the jail ward of the hospital, to be placed in regular custody to await trial. The man was standing, nude, showing where the 12 ga. pellets struck him. The scars were very visible in the area I described. Pictures were taken by LAPD's No. Hollywood Div. detectives. The distance of the shooting was measured by the detectives as 63 feet, from good guy to bad guy. He was sent back to Folsom for a long, long time.

In two other robberies, the revolvers placed all over the store worked for my friend. These were in-store shootings. In the case of the shotgun, it definitely stopped the bad guy from shooting my friend, but it did not kill the thief. Sometimes, even a 12 bore ain't enough!

L.W.

 

[MachIVshooter]

If it were me, in a static location with high probability of eventually being robbed, it'd definitely be more than a J-frame hiding out. But it worked for him in this instance.

As far as carry weapons, I keep a speedloader when it's my J-frame, but typically not with the 3" 629. N-frame speedloaders are humongous in a pocket, and I really can't imagine a SD scenario in my world where 6 rounds of .44 mag doesn't get it done.

 

[rainbowbob]

My first thought watching the video was the horribly vulnerable position the jeweler was in when he took his eyes off them and kneeled to open the case. I hope he has considered that for future reference.

The second thing I noticed was the gunman never fired - at least not that I could see - even though he had plenty of opportunity to do so before being fired upon.

Thirdly, white hoody guy never draws his firearm.

It is likely these mopes were rank amateurs with no initial intention to shoot anybody.

Thankfully, the jeweler was not an amateur and was more prepared to act than his assailants.

The primary conclusions I would take from this video is that - even with a gun in your face and no gun in your hand - you can still win if you take immediate, effective, and violent action against criminals who expect no resistance. That...and NEVER stop fighting until it's over.

 

[Manco]

How did anyone ever survive a multi-person criminal attack back in the days before there were hi-cap pistols?

Answering your question in earnest, they had less of a margin and stood a slightly smaller chance of prevailing or simply surviving (they could and most often did, but were at slightly greater risk overall). Then again, this could be offset by the difference in reliability between revolvers and autoloaders. If you have a highly reliable autoloader, then higher capacity is probably the bigger win, and if you don't, then superior reliability is the bigger win.

For nightstand or concealed carry by the "average" person, a revolver is probably sufficient. There is probably a slight chance of a multiple shot scenerio but you're not looking for troouble and not doing anything to attract attention/trouble to you. IF you consider yourself more likely to be in that sort of situation I would carry (and do carry) a higher capacity auto.

Agreed, and the reason that I use a semiautomatic is that there is somebody I know who may decide to try to kill me (drugs often have strange effects on people, and in this case it's paranoid delusions with me as the subject--and no, I'm not the one taking paranoia-inducing drugs ). That said, even when a revolver would be acceptable tactically and preferable for its strengths, I would still recommend keeping at least one speedloader (or full moon clip) available and easily accessible for a reload. It's an inexpensive way to increase your odds by a small amount (for most people), although if you'd prefer to keep multiple revolvers at hand, then more power to you.

Capacity is an issue, but that's why I carry two or three speedloaders. I often carry a .357, just because the round is so high powered. I want a round that has the potential to be a one shot fight stopper. Still, with a revolver, you have to get used to 'running and gunning' being very careful to not spray and pray.

I would recommend against wasting ammo with any type of handgun. With higher capacity, one may have more options for things like cover fire, but unless one has a belt-fed handgun, wasting ammo by spraying and praying is out of the question, in my view.

 

[uspJ]

my only concern about keeping multiple guns in a business is if the bg's were to bust in and jump the counter. they would not only be blocking access to one of your weapons but also be gaining access to it themselves.

i wold rather carry on me and have a bug as a fall back option.

 

[UKShooter]

One thing that occurs to me is, he may have been WORSE off if he had been carrying on his person. With the perp holing a gun to his face, if he had then obviously reached for a firearm about his person the perp would have surely had to fire.

As it happened, the guy appeared to be just running away and the robbers were clearly very surprised to then be faced with gunfire. I wonder how it would have turned out..

 

[alohachris]

It occured to me that an autoloader may have been a blessing/curse in this situation. With an auto pistol, slidelock prompts you to reload. Slide lock also advertises to the bad guy that you're empty . The revolver, although empty, provides no clues that you're out. Having no reload on him (presumably) the revolver allowed him to present himself as a threat.

 

[Guillermo]

The jeweler made some mistakes, although probably less than I would have in his situation.

There is one thing that is undeniable. The desire to fight back, to not be a victim is what saved the day.

 

[Water-Man]

A little luck and alot of guts is what saved the day.

 

[Schofield3]

There is one thing that is undeniable. The desire to fight back, to not be a victim is what saved the day.

amen +1

 

[rainbowbob]

Slide lock also advertises to the bad guy that you're empty .

That's an interesting observation I hadn't thought of. Aiming an empty (slide-locked) semi would be an akward and obvious bluff.

 

[MachIVshooter]

The revolver, although empty, provides no clues that you're out.

You mean other than the empty chambers, easily visible from the front? With a 5-shot, the only one that'd be in question is the one aligned with the barrel, and if the hammer is down, or if it's a DAO, then it's clear that that one's gone too.

 

[Manco]

It occured to me that an autoloader may have been a blessing/curse in this situation. With an auto pistol, slidelock prompts you to reload. Slide lock also advertises to the bad guy that you're empty .

While I certainly see what you mean, the idea is that one is less likely to empty a semiautomatic than a revolver in such a scenario, and even if one manages to do that, performing a tactical reload before confronting a perp who is down (or others who can try to take you by surprise) is advisable no matter what type of handgun you're using. In the scenario you're describing, hopefully the blessing would help you avoid the curse, but it is a concern.

The revolver, although empty, provides no clues that you're out.

Well, technically one can tell, up close, when there are either one or zero rounds left by inspecting the other charge holes (or chambers if you prefer) for visible bullets. Cue the infamous Dirty Harry scenes--I guess this perp didn't feel lucky. I wonder if he said "I gots to know!" like in the movie.

Having no reload on him (presumably) the revolver allowed him to present himself as a threat.

That's true enough, and even if he had a reload, doing it while covering the perp would not have been the best tactic (unless he's Jerry Miculek ). If you're going to reload, do it during a lull in the battle if possible, and always when either behind cover or concealment unless you have no other choice (for which you would prepare by practicing fast, no-look reloads, keeping your eyes on the enemy at all times).

By the way, if you notice that the slide on your autoloader is locked back before the perp does and you either don't have a reload or otherwise can't at that moment, then hold down the slide lock (might take some force on some guns) and make the slide go back into battery with an empty chamber, and the perp won't be any the wiser.

 

[Zoogster]

I guess that shows the robbers should have gone a little further south to New York City where the good guys are not typically allowed to have handguns available.



Strengths of a revolver tend to be solid heavy duty steel construction. Capable of being chambered in more powerful rounds without much increase in size.
Easier to use for many.


Weaknesses are typically capacity. The strength of being solidly constructed also means most are heavy (though there is ultra lightweight frames made of alloys, and some newer junky looking polymer ones.)
I also find manipulating the trigger while holding the grip on some less suited to rapid fire of accurate shots. While I do not find this with the grip of most semi-autos.

 

[Marvin KNox]

Limited capacity is the biggest drawback of a revolver.

I'm a revolver guy all the way for a bunch of reasons.

But for a protection gun that wasn't to be used for carry I'd go for the most capacity I could get in a revolver. I'd buy an 8 shooter (like a S&W 327 Night Guard) for the nightstand or the shop.

For concealed carry I use a J-frame with 5 shots. It's thin and concealable. But I'm keenly aware of the limited number of rounds on hand.

When I carry under a suit coat (most of the time) I carry a spare J-frame on the other hip.

 

[JayDubs]

There's a video floating around test-firing different handguns from inside a pocket. A hammerless revolver can reliable fire where semi-autos fail to eject and hammered revolvers catch on the pocket material. A hammerless j-frame in a coat pocket potentially provides a 0 second draw, in that you can fire it without drawing it out at all.

Now, I don't carry a revolver, and am not advocating this particular feat. It's just food for thought. There's probably all sorts of potential complications. Legality, holster issues, burning off all the hair on your hands... who knows. Still, it's something a semi-auto simply cannot do reliably.