Revolver owners undergunned?

[moondawg]

Those of you that own revolvers: do you ever feel under gunned when compared to the higher capacity semi autos?  I know semi-autos are all the rage, especially since some of them carry 16+ rounds. I know one guy who has a 30 round magazine for his Glock.  More rounds are better!   So he says.   LOL  Why would anyone own a revolver that only shoots 5 or 6 rounds when you can have twice as many?

 

I have one revolver, and it won't be the last one I own.  I also have a semi auto.   I like revolvers, I think they're fun to shoot. My take on this is I'm not looking to use a revolver to get in a gunfight.  I'm not using a revolver to go to war, I'm using a revolver for personal protection.  My revolver (Ruger SP101) can shoot either .38 or .357 rounds.  Can your semi auto do that?

 

What are your thoughts?

[LngRngShtr]

Hits count.

 

and a New York reload works well

 

so no I don't feel under gunned when I'm "wheel gunning""

 

my 6" 586 or a 4" model 10 S&W will handle faster than a lot of the semi autos I own and point better so it is all trade offs.

 

John

[D3vo]

I can see your setting up a revolver vs semi automatic discussion, but IMHO its what's an acceptable round count. I decided 10+1 is my lower limit. Low round count is fine for one attacker, maybe two, but in the heat of the moment every shot needs to count. I also decided I didn't want to be out gunned by multiple assailants. Two assailants x 15 rounds each vs a revolver is not good odds. I figure if the shooting starts its a gun fight. A .357 is very nice, perhaps special, but a .40 can be configured to shoot .357sig in a couple minutes.

[Steelharp]

It would seem to me, although having never been in an actual situation, after the sound of the first shot, who's not going to be running in an opposite direction?

 

1) The guy that fired it.

 

2) The guy that got hit by it.

 

I'm probably wrong, but...

[billyscott]

A 4" model 10 S&W is my nightstand gun. Point and click, simple. 

[Oh Shoot]

Probably, five shots or less of most anything will probably work in vast majority of defensive scenarios, probably.

 

- OS

[Patton]

Probably, five shots or less of most anything will probably work in vast majority of defensive scenarios, probably.

- OS

60% of the time, it works everytime.

[Will H]

To me it depends.  5 rounds of 9mm or .380 would make me hesitate.  5 rounds of 125 grain JHP .357 magnum does not make me feel undergunned.

[gun sane]

And to think the West was won with six-shooters.  :shrug:

[Oh Shoot]

And to think the West was won with six-shooters.  :shrug:

 

Big ass bullet six shooters.

[TMF]

Eh, sometimes I carry a .380 that only holds 7 rounds. Not as good as the 9 rounds I normally carry in my .45, but better than nothing.

[Spots]

And to think the West was won with six-shooters.  :shrug:
 
Big ass bullet six shooters.

And thats why I carry a 1911 in .45 with an 8 rd mag. :p I would not feel undergunned with a revolver. Any pistol is a defensive weapon, and its primiary use is to get me back to my truck and a rifle. At the end of the day any gun you will carry 100% of the time is better than one you'll be prone to leave at home. I'll take a 22 lr NAA revolver in hand over a 19+1 9mm xdm in the safe any day.

Sent from the backwoods of Nowhere

[Bassoneer]

If I'm going to Walmart in the middle of the day, I don't feel bad about carrying a 5-shot revolver.  If I'm going on patrol in a war zone at dusk that's another situation...one I hope I never find myself in.  For those situations, and for police I would probably choose a rifle or a shotgun or something with a high capacity back-up semi-auto pistol.  But if I pay attention to where I'm at, and don't get myself into bad situations, then I am not planning for war...I'm planning to defend myself against a thug at a gas station.  So, it honestly depends on your situation, time, where you are, who you're with and what you're doing.  Best wishes, B

[LowBb]

My 20 + 1 beretta 9 makes my britches sag. One can't go around with saggy britches now can one?
I carry a 5 shot snubby. No sag and never think about being under gunned :) Edited March 19, 2013 by LowBb

[RED333]

:popcorn: I have both and just gona watch this pan out.

[graycrait]

My question when evaluating a self defense pistol is: Can I get to and shoot that gun weak-hand one-handed as fast as I can keeping all shots inside a dinner plate at 3-5 yards? I am not getting faster, stronger, faster and more mentally agile as I age.

 

 Bad guy generally has the advantage and I don't have time to ID or think about whether he has a Glock or Lorcin .380.

 

How fast can you get that thing out in a surprise situation is going to be the question and will you be able to fire that thing or get to it using one-handed weak-hand on your back hurt?  In my life I figure if I need a gun where I live everything else has gone wrong and I likely won't be shooting two-handed strong-side in a modified Weaver stance.   I don't like the notion of only one big gun that I need two hands to fire well and fast, I need two small guns that I can shoot one-handed either hand fast and good enough.

 

Living out in the country a stray dog pack or coming home to 3 nightime robbers may require something different.  If that were my probable scenario then shotgun with light and something like a Glock 21.  

[frankmako]

many mango seasons ago the wheel gun (model 10) was what we had to carry on duty.  work well and never had any problems.  round count was fine and had reloads on belt/pocket.  shooting skills were high.  then the hi-cap pistol came along.  more rounds.  shooting skills on most went down.  pray and spray was what was going on by the good guys and bad guys.  i have never felt under gun when i have a wheel gun on.  but also more bullets is better when you are up against a bad guy that is praying and spraying. 

[D3vo]

It seems I am the odd man out with my 10+1 minimum.

 

I don't go out late at night.

I don't go to the dangerous parts of town day or night.

I don't find myself in places where I am isolated and easy prey.

 

I do watch the news and see the random jacka$$ on a suicidal killing spree with an AR15 at the mall or elsewhere and figure I have just as much chance being in the wrong place/time as being in a common self defense senario.

 

 

Like I said it's not a semi auto vs. revolver thing. It's a round count thing.

Edited March 19, 2013 by D3vo

[trevorst]

My revolvers are now my range toys, or hunting toys.

Glock 20 15+1 rounds 10mm or s&w 6 shots 38 or 357

No brainer.

The semi auto is almost always flatter and as easy or easier to conceal. My glocks always go bang when I pull the trigger and I can't ever remember a ftf or fte.

Self defense or family defense is not the time for nostalgia.

But to each his own.

[Randall53]

The best gun in any situation is the one you have with you when the situation arises.

[Jonnin]

I would feel undergunned with a 6 or less shot revolver, not because of the capacity but because I do not have the skill to reload it.  My auto holds the same number, but I feel more confident with a magazine.  Revolvers are also bigger/fatter.  The smallest revolver that matches the firepower of my 9mm is 1.5 times as fat and slightly bigger in the other dimensions as well.   The more average sized revolvers are on par with a 20 shot 9mm. 

[leroy]

The best gun to have is the one you have with ya when ya need it.

 

leroy

[moondawg]

I can see your setting up a revolver vs semi automatic discussion, but IMHO its what's an acceptable round count. I decided 10+1 is my lower limit. Low round count is fine for one attacker, maybe two, but in the heat of the moment every shot needs to count. I also decided I didn't want to be out gunned by multiple assailants. Two assailants x 15 rounds each vs a revolver is not good odds. I figure if the shooting starts its a gun fight. A .357 is very nice, perhaps special, but a .40 can be configured to shoot .357sig in a couple minutes.

No, I didn't mean to set up such a discussion.  I did have a similar discussion a while back with my brother, who looked down on revolvers.  He said it's not enough rounds, why have 6 when you can have 10+1 rounds, it's easier to reload, etc.  I told him a good .357 packs just as good a punch...some people hunt with a .357.  Now, it's not something I'd want to go to battle with, but for personal protection, it's fine.

 

 You raise a good point about being an acceptable round count, and that's probably what I meant to discuss...it was late and the caffeine was wearing off.  :D

[moondawg]

A 4" model 10 S&W is my nightstand gun. Point and click, simple. 

That was probably the first revolver I ever shot at a range.  I liked it, and did pretty well with it.  .

[Steelharp]

My problem with revolvers is that (for me) they don't point naturally. In my natural grip, they are way high. Now, from my hip, they point straight, but to bring them up to "look at sights" level, I really have to lean my hand forward. If I could find grips (suggestions??) that would correct that on my old S&W 681, I'd feel much better about getting it out as a shooter.