CCW wheel v semi

[rodeo roy]

I have been armed for about a year so I am still a novice, I do pratice alot with a SR40c and a Bodyguard .38 both I carry IWB (not at the same time). Lately I have become much better with the .38 still not as good as with the 40 cal. (I can hit what I aim at but still slow with reload and back on target with the .38 the .40 takes me longer to unholster, unsafety) and I think I may trade the .40 for a .357 and just stick to the revolvers.

To each his own, but after weighing all the multible attackers, low capacity speeches, I really pray if the worst happens and I find myself needing to use a gun to defend myself 5 to 6 shots with the option to reload is enough. The need for high capacity means I am likely in the wrong place to begin with and did not pay enough attention to my area before I walked into a war zone. I think about the seceniro having to use a gun and up close, personal, quick, holding the gun, reliabilty, nerves or panic come in to play and for me that means ease of use of a wheel trumps more bullets of a semi. Plan A fire and run to take cover. Plan B reload repeat plan a.

 

[twobit]

I think your choice of a revolver is sound logic. Here is how I have transitioned over 25+ years in law enforcement.... I'm over fifty, but not retired yet.

As a rookie officer, my department mandated that all rookies carry a revolver for the first two years. This was the mid to late 80's and many carried a S&W .357 (mine was a 686). Six in the wheel and two speed loaders on your belt. A whopping 18 rounds! You learned to make your shots hit and count. I would guess over 90% of all officers in the USA carried revolvers.

After two years you could attempt to qualify with a semi-auto. Back then there were two basic acceptable semi-autos for on duty; a 1911 or a Browning high power. One or two more rounds in each magazine than a revolver cylinder held, but still only about 20 rounds on your person total. The reason for the two year wait was safety of operation. Both the above semi autos have to be carried on safe and removed from safe just before firing. Lots of switches / buttons to commit to muscle memory before you could make it fire. Us rookies were not deemed capable of not shooting our foot off.

Then the double action only and double/single action semis with a zillion round capacity hit the scene. WOW! As inherently safe as a double action revolver, and you were carrying almost 50 rounds. Those excellent revolvers that had been dutifully serving our country for over 100 years were suddenly inferior garbage and were treated like a skunk-sprayed dog. We had Firepower! Officer accuracy went into the toilet. Just keep shooting till you hit something mentality. No academy would even train officers to shoot revolvers anymore. No one noticed that the 9mm round could not hold a candle to a .357 round as far as power.

Time went buy and the 9mm caliber was mostly replaced by 10mm or 40 cal or .357sig or .45ACP.... Skill level was sometime still bolstered up by "multiple rounds down range".

Fast forward to today. I'm not a line officer anymore, I'm an administrator "the brass". My duty gun while in uniform is still a a semi (Beretta 96), but I also qualify with, and sometimes carry plainclothes different revolvers of varying calibers of .38, .357. 45 colt. Some of my BUG's are .380 and even a lowly NAA .22mag. You can hide that NAA anywhere!

Why have I mostly gone back to revolvers for off duty?

I believe in the philosophy of "Beware the man with a single shot gun...he will be a very accurate shooter!" It translates well to "a man shooting a revolver is apt to be a good shot" because you need to stop the threat with less ammo.

When out on my ranch I have no hesitation in carrying a Cimarron SAA 45 colt with "five beans in the wheel and daylight under the hammer". That sigle action revolver is actually my favorite handgun.

My wife has a CHL. She used to carry a Walther PPK/S and was good with it. Now she carries a Ruger LCR and loves it. Easier to operate and more accurate with it.

 

[rodeo roy]

Thanks for the story and the advice. The thought of being in a gun fight needing 10 plus rounds is really something I don't want to imagine. The fact that I live in the most violent city in America means I know how to stay out of and recognize danger which to me is the first earthly defense you have.

As a cop how many times have you seen a one on one robbery or car jack where the bad guy is arms lentgh away or is the norm a wild OK corral type scene. It's one on one or one on two and if you get lucky enough to get a gun out and fire off 3 to 4 rounds they better be well placed whatever you shoot. With up close, fast, in a panic, fight or die, I need to get the threat off me and flee, not stand and exchange gun fire with the bad guy. So in real world worst case, semi auto seems less practical, I'm just an armed citzen, not a 1 man swat team.

 

[twobit]

IN GENERAL....Most shootings of citizens are by a person known to the victim.. Most shooting distances are within ten feet. Beyond the being shot by someone you know, A car jacking shooter is usually right up against the car. When an incident has gotten to the point of guns being drawn, it is usually an indication that the victim's situational awareness was to low to alert him of the danger signals that lead up to that point. This is not saying that the victim is at fault, but that he missed some warning indicators somewhere along his way.

An old saying heard at many shift changes for patrol officers.... Be polite and professional to all you meet, but have a plan to protect yourself from every person you encounter.

 

[Micahweeks]

Be polite and professional to all you meet, but have a plan to protect yourself from every person you encounter.

This. The revolver is more than enough gun. You just have to be more than enough alert. If you find yourself in a spot where you've spent all 5-7 shots and need more, the gun is not the failure.