To wheel gun only or not to wheel gun only

[Godsgunman]

That is the question. I have always deep down been a revolver man and I've always had at least one throughout the years. I know the advantages/disadvantages compared to semi-autos such as capacity and reload speed, although reload speed can be debateable with practice. Currently my carry rotation is a .357 wheelie and a 9mm semi but I have been favoring the wheelie. I also reload for the .357 so I have a new found fondness for it I guess. My questions are how many here are strictly wheelie men and do you ever feel undergunned? Secondly in reality what is the likely hood of ever really being "undergunned" with a 6 round .357 with a speedload available in a civilian encounter? I know that last question may open a huge can o worms but not being in a gang and not being around unsortly people I think 12 rounds of anything will likely end the threat with either me finding safety or myself or the attacker being severly injured. Your thoughts?

 

[Orion8472]

I say, . . . do what YOU feel best. If you're a wheel guy, stick with them and become the best you can with them. Get an 8 shot Smith for extra shots if you want that option.

My brother fell into the "you gotta buy a Glock" peer pressure from guys we occasionally hang out with. He later sold it because it just wasn't him. He's into "eastern block" style weapons. That's who HE is.

If you are about the wheel gun, . . . do it up and enjoy them.

 

[Certaindeaf]

Here's an epic thread..

http://www.thehighroad.org/showthread.php?t=706225

 

[wolf695]

wheel gun

wheelguns are your thing than go with god! if it feels right!

 

[Schwing]

I have carried both over the years. I also don't get caught up much in the smaller calibers suck rhetoric either (Within reason... I think anything under .380 is a waist of time). About 20 years ago, I had an instructor that used to say, when it hits the fan, a bigger better gun is always preferred but a crappy small caliber gun is 1000 times better in your holster than the large caliber precision firearm sitting in your safe at home.

Regardless of how long you train or what you are comfortable with, I don't think any of us really know how we will react or what all of the variables will be when that day comes that we have to use our gun. I know, personally, that if I was going to have an altercation from a few feet away in a closed space like an office or my car, I would rather have my little 9mm. If I was out in the open and distance was a factor, I would much rather have a .357 or .44. I know others who feel exactly the opposite.

 

[Arkansas Paul]

I prefer wheel guns, but I'm not ready to trade in the Sig just yet.
I like diversity.

 

[tipoc]

Look at the thread Certain Deaf linked to. Just about anything over 100 forum members had to think on the subject was brought up and said there and repeated by others at least ten times. So you can get a fairly good idea what folks think.

gunned? Secondly in reality what is the likely hood of ever really being "undergunned" with a 6 round .357 with a speedload available in a civilian encounter?

There is no answer to that that is backed by any factual evidence. So assess your own situation and act accordingly.

tipoc

 

[Miss Stana]

I believe in variety, but you do need to be comfortable with what you are shooting. Makes if much more enjoyable and safe. As far as "Regardless of how long you train or what you are comfortable with, I don't think any of us really know how we will react or what all of the variables will be when that day comes that we have to use our gun" I found myself in that situation once. I didn't realy care what gun I had, I just knew that there was a loaded gun near by and I was thankful.

 

[dregot]

There is something to be said for the nostalgic sense you get when carrying a wheel gun. I always feel a John Wayne type calling when ever I carry it.

For what it is worth no matter what it is semi or wheel gun what ever you shoot best is always what I suggest.

For the capacity issue - as a lawful citizen if you cant get out of it with 12 rounds you failed somewhere else.

Be safe,
Doc

 

[Iggy]

I like both kinds and have carried both. I will say, every pistol I have owned has failed in some manner, but I've never had a failure with a revolver.

That doesn't mean it won't happen tomorrow, but I feel better when packing a revolver.

When the stuff hit the fan, I was carrying a revolver and one shot was all that was needed in each instance. I know and trust what a revolver will do, I just ain't quite that sure with an auto.

 

[PabloJ]

That is the question. I have always deep down been a revolver man and I've always had at least one throughout the years. I know the advantages/disadvantages compared to semi-autos such as capacity and reload speed, although reload speed can be debateable with practice. Currently my carry rotation is a .357 wheelie and a 9mm semi but I have been favoring the wheelie. I also reload for the .357 so I have a new found fondness for it I guess. My questions are how many here are strictly wheelie men and do you ever feel undergunned? Secondly in reality what is the likely hood of ever really being "undergunned" with a 6 round .357 with a speedload available in a civilian encounter? I know that last question may open a huge can o worms but not being in a gang and not being around unsortly people I think 12 rounds of anything will likely end the threat with either me finding safety or myself or the attacker being severly injured. Your thoughts?

Let me make it very simple: one pistol = TWO revolvers.

 

[ArchAngelCD]

IMO the best gun to carry is the gun you shoot best...

I always carry a revolver and I don't ever feel under-gunned. I also carry a speedloader because in the off chance I need to reload I want that reload to be fast. (and I do practice with the speedloader)

Now, what's good for me isn't always good for someone else. I live in a fairly crime free area and there are no packs of gang members roaming the streets. If I were faced with the distinct possibility of facing multiple bad-guys I might have to change my carry choice. When faced with 4 or 5 bad guys having 16 + 15 rounds to fall back on is also comforting.

I guess what I'm saying is, there are so many variables you have to decide for yourself what's the best carry option for you.

 

[627PCFan]

I will be switching from a wheel gun to a 1911 in the fall. I figure lugging a 5" N frame around for 3 years is a good run at it for truly EDC.

And I think if anything I feel more undergunned with the 1911.

 

[PabloJ]

I will be switching from a wheel gun to a 1911 in the fall. I figure lugging a 5" N frame around for 3 years is a good run at it for truly EDC.

And I think if anything I feel more undergunned with the 1911.

The switch to 1911 isn't worth making. It was designed as military handgun to be carried with empty chamber in flap holster. The weapon has three disadvantages: low capacity, more weight then needed (by modern standards) and slide release safety which has to be released prior to firing if gun is carried with loaded chamber. With Glock 21 the thee disadvantages just go away.

 

[MrBorland]

I wheelgun only, and am ok with it, but have no idea if I'm truly under-gunned or not. Whether I feel sufficiently prepared is just that - a feeling. It might easily be the result of naiveté or overconfidence. I'd have to ask experts like Ayoob if I'm undergunned. It's kinda irrelevant, though, because I'm at my best with a revolver, so anything else is unlikely to help me much.

I will be switching from a wheel gun to a 1911 in the fall. I figure lugging a 5" N frame around for 3 years is a good run at it for truly EDC.

So if you're looking to sell that 5" 627 to finance the 1991, lemme know, eh?

 

[X-Rap]

I like to look at the continuum of personal defense over the centuries. What would the man who reached old age in the first part of the 19th century have to say to the young man who was pontificating on the new Colt Revolver?
I suspect he may claim that he reached old age packing that brace of percussion single shots and can't imagine a time he needed more.
I have and at times do carry revolvers but progress has some advantages and one of them is capacity of which I embrace in a defensive weapon.

 

[CraigC]

With Glock 21 the thee disadvantages just go away.

Those are only disadvantages if you can't be bothered with any more than pointing and pulling the trigger. The 1911 is more ergonomic for a great many shooters. The Glock 21 is about the worst of a bad breed. Grip feels like a brick and is at the wrong angle. Triggers are terrible and sights are coarse. I know, I had one for 15yrs.

 

[tomrkba]

The real issue is not the hardware, but the training. There are very few highly skilled revolver trainers (and gunsmiths) around at this time. Many of the old tricks have been lost or are inaccessible to the majority of shooters.

If you decide to carry a revolver, seek out professional instruction. You may find it worthwhile to attend the revolver courses at Thunder Ranch, Gunsite, or Sand Burr Gun Ranch. You'll really have to dig around for other trainers.

Modernizing a revolver is important. They need night sights and chamfered charge holes. Trigger work is advantageous and you'll definitely need fitted stocks that redirect recoil away from the web of the hand. Most revolvers need work out of the box.

 

[Iggy]

Never mind.

 

[Thursday45]

Not strictly but I find myself going that way more and more. I shoot revolvers better so I've started carrying a S&W 686 which took over for a 9mm.

 

[BYJO4]

I agree with others in that you should carry whatever gun you shoot the best and feel comfortable with. 6 to 12 rounds should be more than enough for a self defense situation.

 

[ApacheCoTodd]

Some things that always stand out for me are;

No magazines to; lose, rust, bend, be banned, be substandard in manufacture, be discontinued or otherwise conspire to block my using of a pistol.
Greater round variance tolerance.
Half the gun doesn't need to move reliably and predictably for the next round to go off - I'll take the cylinder rotation any day.
I can and do vary the loads within the same cylinder in my revolvers quite often.

I love my semis, trust them implicitly but broad considerations other than onboard round count aside, they come up short to my revolvers primarily due to magazine dependency and chamber commitment relative to reliable cycling.

 

[HexHead]

I carry a revolver most times now. When you absolutely need it to go bang, the 2nd time, it doesn't care how you're holding it, of it's in a pocket and if a round doesn't go off, no tap-rack-bang, just pull the trigger again.

As to the comment above about the Glock 21, the Gen4 actually feels pretty nice in the hand, pretty much like a Gen3 17. As for the grip angle being "wrong", I laid one of my Glocks down on top of a Luger, and the grip angle was identical. I've never heard anyone gripe about the Luger.

 

[Texshooter]

I gotta repeat what many have already said here,

"Whatever YOU shoot best."

 

[Deaf Smith]

My questions are how many here are strictly wheelie men and do you ever feel undergunned? Secondly in reality what is the likely hood of ever really being "undergunned" with a 6 round .357 with a speedload available in a civilian encounter? I know that last question may open a huge can o worms but not being in a gang and not being around unsortly people I think 12 rounds of anything will likely end the threat with either me finding safety or myself or the attacker being severly injured. Your thoughts?

I am a wheelgun man at heart but I do pack a Glock or J .38/.357.

Now I could pack just a revolver, but if I did so I would practice MORE than the once a week I practice now.

Why? Wheelguns are harder to shoot FAST and accurately.

The reloading problem does not bother me as much as the lose of accuracy in combat conditions and using street guns.

So that is why I chose my Glock subcompact as primary for fall, winter, and spring. It's only in the super hot Texas summers that I pack my J frame revolvers.

Deaf