first gun/broke arm/should i concider a revolver?

thanks everyone. i understand now that i can use an auto just like a DA revolver simply by racking the slide before i leave home, and that is exactly what i intend to do. i prefer the added capasity and the slimmer frames of the larger caliber concealable auto's.

now to just find that pistol in my price range! ($300ish) i have seen new S&W Sigma's in both 9 and 40 new in box online for only $359. and they even have a $50. mail in rebate! i had no idea i could get a new gun from a top manufacturer for that price! Even if it is not my first gun of choice, how could i beat the history of the S&W name backed by their lifetime warranty for $300? Not sure how concealable it is though.

Thanks everyone.
 
get (2) 357mag revolvers no reload issue or a Bersa Thunder 380 ,can be loaded be puting a full magizine with decocker ingage:D
 
i understand now that i can use an auto just like a DA revolver simply by racking the slide before i leave home, and that is exactly what i intend to do.
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Wait a minute futuremillionaire. After you rack the slide to chamber a round, make sure you:

1) If the gun has a safety, engage it. This means you have to un-safe it as part of your drawing and firing motion.

2) If your gun is not designed to be carried cocked, CAREFULLY lower the hammer.

3) If you have an internal striker-fired gun like a Glock, no special action is required.

Whatever you do, don't rack the slide and stick it in your holster if your gun fits into categories 1) or 2). Sorry if you knew this already.
 
I'm going to recomend a semi-auto pistol, not a revolver.

If you have a problem pulling back the slide on a semi-auto, I'm going to presume that you might have a problem pulling a double action trigger on a revolver without shaking too much. I've seen women try to shoot .38's and .357's and if they don't have good hand strength, they look like Barney Fife shaking that revolver as they are trying to pull the trigger. Don't forget, with a revolver, cocking the hammer is good for one shot - then what? Are you going to cock that hammer while being attacked?

I'd recomend an older Smith and Wesson 439 or 5906. The 439 is a single stack 9mm and aught to fit you or your wife's hands well enough. It has a very easy to use decocker. So, you can keep a round chambered, cock the hammer back once if/when ready to use it and then fire it with easy trigger pull - or fire it double action on the first shot and after the first shot it goes to single action making trigger pull easier.

There are other guns out there with decent decockers - I just happen to prefer the Smith and Wesson safety/decocker.
 
I would personally suggest a revolver. Here's some pros and cons of both that I can think of right now.

Automatic- You can keep a round in the chamber so you won't have to rack the slide in the heat of the moment. A good SA/DA with a de-cocker would be my suggestion. Also since you'll be using your "weak" hand, the chances of you missing your target are greater. An automatic with a high capacity magazine should give you enough rounds to miss a few and still take care of the situation. I'd try to find one with ambidextrious features.

Revolver- You won't have as much ammo, and reloading either a revolver or an automatic with one hand in a life or death situation would be a nightmare. You would however have a lot better manipulation of the weapon with your weak hand. If you're right handed you wouldn't have to worry about empty cases hitting you in the face. Also the chances of you experiencing a malfunction with a revolver are a lot less. A failure to feed, eject, fire, or anything else with an automatic would require two hands to solve and make the weapon useable again. During the heat of the moment if you accidentally press the magazine release button on an automatic, your really in trouble and all you have is one shot. With a DA revolver it would just require one finger to pull the trigger again to solve a FTF. Get plenty of practice with the revolver in your weak hand and the ammo/reload problem could easily be solved with good shot placement. Most home/self defence situations only end up with 0-4 shots fired anyway so 6-8 should be enough.

EDITED-- Just read you mentioning the S&W Sigma. Very nice weapon. I own the .40 and I love it. I've never had a problem with it at all. Just keep it (any firearm) nicely oiled and you shouldn't have a problem. I only reccomend the revolver for the one in ten thousand chance that you experience a malfuntion with an automatic when you really need it and with only one hand it would be almost impossible to resolve. The Sigma is a great choice, from what I've seen it's the best handgun for the money. I've found them in my area NIB for $299.99. 14 or 17 rounds plus one in the chamber is always a good thing as well.
 
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Hey, all you trigger happy people. Let's take a step back on the whole concealed carry issue. Granted, any pistol is better than no pistol but since you have a choice, buy one for each of you and get documented training for it. Here's why:

Let's say you stop at a red light in a not so great part of town. A guy opens your passenger door and get's in and tells you to get out. A. You can't shoot him. You can't use deadly force to protect property. Now, let's say he pulls a gun. Now, you are fearing for your life, you have no where to go and you have to use deadly force.

At your criminal hearing you will most likely be found not guilty and that the use of deadly force was justified.

At your civil hearing for the lawsuit that the wife of the guy you killed brought on you for $1M of lost wages because you killed her source of income you are going to be sued for lack of training/knowledge of the use of that firearm. You will need to provide documented proof of sufficient training with that specific firearm. Meaning you are going to have to provide documentation for the training you have had on the firearm with that serial number.

Yes, it will end up like that. There have been many documented cases where the person who uses deadly force to save their life get's sued for a significant amount of money because they cannot document that they have had sufficient training with their firearm.
 
IIRC, there's a video of some guy out there with a revolver reload technique that would work much better than any semiauto for a broken arm; basically, he worked out a smooth motion of raising the gun vertical while opening the cylinder to dump the empties, then moved it down in a u-shaped motion to where his left hand was already holding the speedloader and scooped up the reload, then continued up to a proper firing grip while closing the cylinder.

Ejecting and closing properly with just the right hand takes some practice, but it can be done. I've practiced it with my snub for one-hand reloads via the stuff-it-in-your-belt technique.
 
Someone said "Model 10...."

A K-frame S&W is fine, fine, fine. Wonderful triggers. I'd buy used; they made them with more TLC back a while. Used Model 10 cop guns are $300 all over the place. They're so user friendly, they almost shoot themselves.
 
There are a number of revolvers with 7 or 8 round capacity, including the S&W 686+ and Taurus 617 ... not sure what Florida's law states, but in Texas, if you take your test with a revolver, that's all you can carry; you won't be able (here at least) to start carrying a semi-auto once your arm heals. And unless you'd like a broken (or wounded) leg to go with your arm, I would NOT cock the revolver before pulling it from the holster. It's a very dangerous idea, and most revolvers are made to be shot primarly double-action -- pulling the trigger cocks the hammer and releases it. Your idea is simply asking for an ND that will give you a fine limp -- or worse.
 
Sorry dward - in Florida, the Castle Doctrine applies to your car as well - if you feel your life is threatened, deadly force is justified
 
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