Why I carry a revolver.

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I've had my concealed carry license for five years now and started out with a S&W M60. After two years I tried out a Bersa .380 and it was more comfortable to carry, more shots, and I shoot an auto much better anyway. I carried it for two years.

But then I started to get the feeling I wanted more power. I was reading a magazine article about armed self defense and there was a picture of a guy being pushed backward over his car fender by an assailant and he was barely able to get his gun out, to say nothing of stance, sights, and all that stuff that's important at the range. So what I can shoot tighter groups at 30' with the auto, real life isn't the range! So I went back to the .38 for a year.

Back in April I bought a Kahr CW9 which is a real honey and boy do we get along! I shoot it better than I ever did with the Bersa, or any other pistol I've had, and its got lots of hitting power, more than a .380 or a .38spcl. So I've been carrying it alternately with the snub, intending to replace the revolver after I got proficient with the Kahr.

Two nights ago I was watching a Cops episode that showed bank robbery footage with a security camera. Six feet away from the robber was an off duty policeman who attempted to stop the crook. In the struggle he was knocked down to the floor and you can see him pull out what appears to be a Walther PPK, fire it, hitting the thug in the chest, and then the slide stays back! The punk doesn't go down (so much for all the arguing here on THR about "one stop" shots). In the subsequent interview with him he explains his gun jammed on that one shot. You can clearly see that happening, I quickly picked up on that because the Walther is almost exactly like my Bersa.

Now THAT made quite an impression on me. Hmmmm, I'm getting a clear message-that simple, little, five shot, snub 642 is the gun for me. End of chasing around looking for something better. Yes, I can shoot the CW9 much better, but if I was that policeman, groups, sight picture, comfort, mag capacity, and fast reload, would mean nothing, nothing at all.

If I'm on the floor, with a punk standing over me, I need the confidence of Five For Sure!
 
a few thoughts.

  • a Kahr CW9 is likely significantly more relible than a PPK or Bersa.
  • 9x19 is generally more powerfull than .38 (if you were packing a .357mag you might have a point there).
  • wheelguns ain't perfect either ... I've witnessed many a revolver lock up and require a hammer to get functioning again.
  • all that said, the most important thing about a CCW piece is that you feel confident with it ... believe me I've had to fight the urge to pack my Model 29 (but my God that thing is large and heavy). 6 rounds of .44 mag are hard to argue against (but I still stick with my Kahr in 9mm)
 
Me too

Just my feelings. And, in gunfights penetration is everything! But...make some damage along the way. In a snubby, velocity isn't great so putting together expansion/penetration is a balancing act. I researched the subject and for me, the choice is clear. I bought a inexpensive Lee double ended wadcutter mould. 148 grains. Hard cast Linotype bullet. Hard bullet lube. Healthy load of Blue Dot.( 6.6 grains. Not quite +P but nearly.) Federal primer (the softest of the primer cups out there...best for the lighter springs in the 642) that is sealed after seating with polyurethane varnish. (The front end is sealed with the lubricated bullet). Stout recoil, no leading. Cuts one raggedy hole groups at 21 feet if I can concentrate. I feel safer.

By the way, a pocket holster is a good item if you carry front pocket...keeps the dust and lint out of the mechanism. I use a cheap Uncle Mike's, with the addition of a strip of heavy drink bottle plastic about 1 1/2" wide bent in a U shape and stuffed down into the end of the holster to keep a flat shape and avoid "printing" the handgun shape on my pocket. I also removed the stupid locking mechanism from the hammer. I had that lock up on me before. Works for me. Good luck.
 
I live in the country, and bumps in the night are 'critters', (so far!)
I've alternated between autos and revolvers for investigating such nocturnal visitors (once it was a bear on the porch!)
The other night, sounded like those *%#@ raccoons were taking another run at the bird feeders. I grabbed an old and trusted rf auto out of the drawer, and slingshot a round into the chamber. That is, I TRIED. Got a nice feed jam, instead.
I believe in omens. All my nighttime and carry guns be revolvers, as of recent forebodings!!
 
Since i have very little experience with either autos or revos, i can't say much, but this is what i do think:

revos are relatively slim with a big fat cylinder, but an auto is a good slim even size.

revos are a little slower to reload unless you practice a lot.

with the exception of most pocket autos, an auto has DA/SA capability, requiring an easier trigger pull and better accuracy.

Revolvers and autos are both extremely reliable and also prone to failure. what is important is that you get a GOOD QUALITY pistol. then it will work. period.

revos: you could have carbon buildup at the cyl.gap[unlikely since it's a carry piece], or if it's a .38/357 [or the like], your chambers might be sticky from firing .38's and the carry .357's might not eject easily. the ejector rod could be bent and cause malfunction.

autos: chance of FTF's, FTE's, etc - usually caused by "bad" ammunition [like hollowpoint won't load but ball will because it's longer], dirt/grime, or simply bad quality. if you test your carry piece with a few hundred rounds of your carry amunition, you will know if it will work or not.

There's my two cents.

~tmm
 
once it was a bear on the porch!)
Click to expand...
Hell I liked the bear that ate my garbage. He was dignified about it, popped the lid off stood up reached in grabbed the bag out slit it open ate his fill and left, the next mornin all I had to do was go outside fold the torn bag and put it back in the can. Plus the raccons staid away when mr bear was there :D

Them little friggin coons ripped the garbage over half the yard. Lockiung lid ones didn't work, they figured out that rolling it down the hill popped it open after about a week.
 
I'm all for a reliable handgun. However, semi-auto's and revolvers are similar in reliability, provided that you observe certain basic rules.

1. Keep the weapon clean and lubricated properly.

2. Shoot it often enough to know where the bullets will go.

3. For a semi-auto, it must, repeat, MUST, pass the 200-round reliability test: in other words, it must shoot 200 rounds of your chosen defensive load, through its carry magazines, in carry configuration, without a single problem. Any problem at all - misfeed, misfire, FTE, whatever - the 200-round test starts again from Round 1. If a second failure stops the second test, the gun is considered unreliable as a defensive arm, and doesn't go into the defensive battery. Period. No excuses, no exceptions.

So far, I've had Glocks and Sig's pass the 200-round test with nary a bobble, any time. I've had problems with Glocks on high-round-count shooting courses, but in every case, the problem was the ammo, not the gun (one dud primer, one primer seated high so that the slide didn't go fully into battery, one bad home load with a primer and no powder). I've had plenty of 1911's (including some high-end ones) fail the 200-round test, and I've never yet had a Kahr or a Kel-Tec that would pass it - a great pity, because I love their compactness and/or light weight. Nevertheless, I won't compromise. If the gun can't pass the 200-round test, out it goes.
 
I've gone back and forth. I settled on a S&W Airweight for the compromise of size and power for carry and a Beretta 96 with two extra magazines for beside the bed. The Beretta has never failed in at least a couple of thousand rounds. I have ten magazines for it and rotate them every month.

rk
 
Preacherman:

We agree in principal, but I have yet to have a revolver - and I've had many - that ever failed to function during the first 200 rounds. On the other hand if heavy handloads or Magnum cartridges were regularly used, some minor tune-up work might be required after 8,000 rounds or so. Regular loads go on forever so long as the piece is reasonably maintained.

Also never had any trouble with pre-1970 Colt Government Models. :scrutiny:
 
If the fight is at kissing distance, I can see a revolver like a Smith M640, Centennal, would have it's advantages. At such distance the slide can strike a coat, or hand, or arm, or chest and fail to fully function the weapon. Thus a revolver with a short barrel would be ideal.

BUT.. and this a big BUT, not all or even most confrontations are flat out struggles at such close distance. The abilty hold more shots, easier trigger pull, better grips, etc... help the auto outshoot the revolver at anything but those kissing distance shots.

I carry a Glock 26, I've shot IDPA for well over nine years now. I've put well over 100,000 rounds from a Glock 17, and from my 26 maybe 20,000. And I've seen hundreds of Glocks shoot and the only ones that jammed were those that used reloads and a few that were held to close to the ribs and thus the slide jammed on the shooters body. Now I'm talking maybe 4 Glocks jam, TOTAL!

There are techniques for shooting at extreem close quarters that will make it very hard to jam an auto. I suggest you learn them!

Oh, and my second carry gun? A Centennial, REVOLVER! Yea, that's my backup, and worth every penny.
 
Revolver vs Auto.

I'm currently in an autoloader mood, hence a G26 for carry and a G23 for under the pillow.
However, that may change.
My revolver set is a Smith 65-6LS for carry and a 28-2 for under the pillow.
I just bought a case of 9mm ammo, so methinks I'll stick with the bottomfeeder for awhile.
All have passed the required 200 round test and I can put lead where I need it to go, so that is no longer a factor.
It just depends on my mood at the time!!
Also, within any particular group, the roles can and do change!!
I have carried the Highway Patrolman several times and am confidant in it's use and concealability. The same for the Glock 23.
Also, my Glock 36 gets thrown into the mix every once in awhile too.
 
Sounds like the gun jammed due to being out of battery after the 1st shot. If so, that's not a reliability issue but one of the flaws of an autoloader. This was one of the reasons I switched to a wheelgun for a CCW.
 
LEO of the year/LV shooting

I recall an off duty LEO got in the middle of a bad armed robbery in Las Vegas NV. The cop used a .380acp or a .32. He was hit 3 or 4 times but was able to stop the criminals. The police officer was later named "Officer of the Year" for his brave efforts. After the incident he now carrys his duty pistol(a .40 S&W) and spare mags all the time, ;) .

Rusty
 
So far, I've had Glocks and Sig's pass the 200-round test with nary a bobble, any time. ...I've had plenty of 1911's (including some high-end ones) fail the 200-round test... If the gun can't pass the 200-round test, out it goes.

1911 will pass this test if it's a worn out 65 year old rattler shooting ball ammo, or even silvertips.
1911 that fail are usually "accurised" or some such crap.

most SD shootings are point blank. i don't care if my slide wobbles and i can't stay on paper at 25 yards. my carry gun remains a 1911 type with hardball. the thompson lagarde tests tell us why. shoot a horse in the chest cavity with a 38 spcl or 9mm, and it stays on it's feet 20 hours. shoot one with a 45 and it's down in a few minutes.
 
Hav'ent had my glock 22 too long, but I've fired about 350-400 rounds thru it without a single jam. Good enuf for me. It's also compact, easy to maneuver, very accurate, and is lightweight. I guess most of you already know these thing though. I have 15 rds., I think thats a little better than 6.
 
You can find an incident to justify (or eliminate) any type of weapon. Revolvers can be jammed by grabbing the cylinder or putting thumb under hammer in a CQ struggle and doing this has saved a cops life against a perp at least once (the perp could do the same to your revo). OTOH, an auto will only fire once if someone grabs the slide then jam. Kinda equals out. Just carry what is best for you given all the pluses and minuses of each design.

If you keep letting reports of isolated incidents change your mind that will be an endless cycle.
 
Can't say I've ever been particular about whether my carry gun was an auto or revolver, so long as it was well-made, in good shape, and didn't have any obvious issues.

Over the years, I've seen quite a few failures with both autos and revolvers... even had the transfer bar on a Ruger break once. And I've lost count of how many people I've been out on the range with that had any number of bad things go wrong with their wheel guns.... firing pins breaking, shell casings tying up the cylinder... and any number of misfires because somebody loosened up the mainspring tension screw on a S&W revolver, trying to get a lighter trigger pull.

The point here? They can all leave you in a world of trouble if it's just "not your day". Doesn't matter if it's an auto, a revolver, or a single-shot.

On the other hand, if a pistol is well tended to and cared for, and the person using it is familiar with it and is fully cognizant of it's strengths and weaknesses... then it'll probably get you by no matter what "flavor" it is.

Unless of course ol' man Murphy just has it in for ya, in which case you're probably screwed no matter what you're carrying. ;)

Oh, and Justashooter... I spent quite a number of years working on a farm here in TN, in my youth... The gun that was most used to put down sick horses and cattle was a beat-up S&W model 36. One good application of .38 spl, straight through the forehead, and the animal hit the ground instantly... So maybe where the hole is made is kind'a relevant to how long the critter stands around. :scrutiny: ;) :rolleyes:
( For most cow/horse/deer-like animals, draw a line from left ear to right eye, and one from right ear to left eye... Put the bullet where the two lines cross, and the beast will usually hit the dirt with nary a wiggle. )



J.C.
 
As much as I love revolvers, I cannot deny that a pocket 9 like your Kahr is a better weapon for carry and SD. It carries more rounds, reloads easier, is more powerful, is easier to carry, is just as accurate. The key to function with an auto is diligence in feeding and caring for the gun. If you pocket carry, clean it and shoot it often, don't carry it with ammo you haven't proven reliable in the gun with at LEAST 200 rounds fired problem free.

I've heard some bad stuff about Walther PPK function, especially the /S. I don't know if it's true, but I think they might be one of those older designs that really does better with hard ball ammo. Yes, the Kahr is a better functioning gun and should function 100% with a good SD hollow point round.

BTW, I could probably out-shoot your Bersa with your snubby. The snubs I've owned have been capable of shooting 3" groups off sandbags at 25 yards and with a smooth DA trigger, they're easy to hit with, but you have to practice. DA accuracy is not something you master in one range session. It's fun to show up at the range with several other SA shooters and clean their clocks shooting DA, though. Some people think it can't be done, but trust me, I've seen top PPC guys that were simply amazing. Okay, admittedly their custom built K frames weren't exactly 642 smiths, but hey, they only functioned DAO. That's part of the PPC thing. Once you learn to control a revolver DA, you can amaze yourself with how accurate you can group it. Torso hits at 25 yards are not a big deal, much less six feet.

Anyway, Kahr or snubby revolver, you are well armed. I have my revolver moods, too.:D
 
Its an endless debate for me. I have carried the same S&W model 642 for the last 12 years or so as a BUG and ocassional drop in my pocket to run to the store gun. And, usually carry a 3" 65 as an off duty gun. That may change. I recently picked up a Sig P239 SAS in .357 Sig. I have about 450 rounds through it. I have tried to jam it. Left hand, right hand, two finger grip with my wrist and elbow both bent trying to induce a limp wrist...nothing. It keeps running. I get the power of a .357 and I get two more rounds. Its flatter, easier to shoot and has a better trigger.

I am beginning to think that a bottleneck cartrige is inherently more reliable in an auto. Shoving a 9 mm bullet into a 10 mm hole makes sense. If you ride the slide down on a loaded magazine, it feels the same as riding the slide down on an empty gun. It really feeds that well.

The jury is still out, but, I think I know what the verdict will be.
 
I am beginning to think that a bottleneck cartrige is inherently more reliable in an auto.
Click to expand...

This is something I've read a lot and is logical. I think if I get another 1911, I might get a .40 corbon barrel for it. I'll have to form brass, I guess, but it's probably the only way I'll get a 1911 to feed hollow points if the last two I had are any indication. :neener:
 
High pressure/bottle necked cartridges seldom work in revolvers because they set back against the recoil shield and tie up the gun. Lower pressured ones (example: .32-20-, ,38-40, .44-40) are O.K. The old .357 Bain & Davis wildcat (.44 Magnum bottlenecked to .357) worked well, if it wasn't overloaded and was obviously quick to load using speed loaders. Performance however didn't exceed a regular .357 Magnum - at least by much. In a TC Contender single-shot this was another matter.
 
Don't have anything to add in terms of why I prefer to carry one over the other. I'm just starting with this whole revolver thing, and I'm still learning what I like and dislike about each platform. I will say that I would never feel outgunned packing my Taurus 608, though. ;)

Both types, of any brand are subject to fail for a number of reasons. Both can be excellent to use in any application.

My response is to this...

Now I'm talking maybe 4 Glocks jam, TOTAL!
Click to expand...

I've seen one Glock jam more than that in one range session. Granted, it was a range puppy, so it could have been for any number of reasons - but Glocks are not as fail-proof as some people seem to think.

That's my $0.02, FWIW.
 
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