Revolver capacity...what do you think?

I don't think the revolver is overlooked . . . they have been sock drawer revolvers for years and many folks still have them - for one thing, for the inexperienced shooter who buys one for HD, they are much simpler to use than a semi - even though they may never take it out to actually shoot i i usually carry a Smith Model 36 snub which was one of those HD sock drawer guns. A widow sold it to the LGS after her husband died as she was "afraid" to have it in the house. I doubt if it had ever been fired. A guy at the LGS knew I was looking for one so he gave me a call - I said I'd be right in. He told me to wait a few days until their fgunsmith could get all of the accumulated lint out of it. So much for practice . . . .

As far as shotgun versus revolver - you are going to do a lot more damage with 5 rounds of 12 gauge buckshot than you are with a 38/357 - unless you are an excellent shooter and practice often - which lost people don't who have a 38 tucked in the nightstand drawer "just in case".

Younger people? There are a lot of good younger shooters . . but many equate a high capacity handgun and he ability to "spray" lead everywhere means that they will take care of the situation. I watch a lot of 'em at the ranges I shoot at go through ore ammo in ten minutes than I do in a whole ranges session with my revolvers - and they aren't always the best shooters and able to place their shots as well.
 
sam1224081418.gif


What's all this crud about 6 shots!
 
As others said, I'm not sure the comparison to a shotgun and shotgun capacities is really valid. Apple to oranges. The shotgun is a long gun, and has much more power than any handgun, so it is quite a different tool. However, I do think revolvers have quite a few advantages.

For CCW (when in a state where I can carry) I usually carry an auto. The ones I carry I know are reliable, I am accurate with them, they are generally a little easier to conceal (other than a 5-shot J-frame) and they hold more ammo (even my little SIG P290 holds 6+1 rounds of 9mm with the flush mag and 8+1 with the extended mag). When out and about the P290 or my SIG P250 is my usual choice (though I sometimes go with a 6 shot .45LC or 6 shot .38/.357).

At home, I do have an auto or two loaded up. I like my SIG P250 Compact and the .45ACP round for home defense, and sometimes my P290 is ready to go in case I have to drop it in my pocket if a stranger is knocking on my door. However, my primary home defense guns are revolvers. I've used a Taurus 82 (before I sold it) and S&W 65LS (loaded with .38+P) quite often, and for a few years now I have been using my .45LC S&W 625 Mountain Gun. I also usually have a Taurus 85 loaded up and ready to go for the same purpose I have my P290 ready at times (the Taurus has had this job nearly everyday for close to a decade, the P290 is great for CCW but only takes this home duty from time to time).

Why do I prefer revolvers at home? I believe that I'm far less likely to see a multiple attacker home invasion than a multiple attacker mugging/assault (especially since I've never had any home invasion, and I've been on the receiving end of an assault by multiple attackers and several friends have been mugged by multiple attackers), and I certainly don't need to worry as much (or at all at times) about concealment, so most of the advantages of the auto aren't as pronounced at home. Further, I have other loaded guns at home which if I'm getting low I just need to be able to fight my way to, while when out and about I may only have one gun. Also, while my autos are quite reliable, my revolvers are even more so. Out of all the revolvers I've owned, only one has had an issue that would have put it out of the fight had it not happened on the range (my 2" Rossi 461), otherwise the worst issue was my S&W 65LS started spitting lead after 10,000+ rounds. But, by far the greatest reason is that if I am ever awakened at 3am by an intruder I'd much rather have the simplicity of a DA revolver over even a relatively simple (to operate) DAO auto.
 
Last edited:
I feel like revolvers often get overlooked for home defense because of their capacity.

Most unmodified pump action shotguns(a pretty popular home defense selection) have a 4+1 or 5+1 capacity.

So we have two different types of firearms with similar capacities, why are the revolvers overlooked so often?
Kvon2 is offline Report Post
Click to expand...

There is a little bit of a difference between a .38 special or even .357 magnum round from a revolver compared to a 12 gauge buckshot load from a shotgun! :eek:

There is a well documented story of a woman using a 5-shot .38 special for home defense and hitting the guy either 4 or 5 times IN THE HEAD with the .38, he was still moving and kept coming.

I do not believe that would have been the outcome if she has a 5-shot 12 gauge loaded with 00 buck instead. ;)
 
Smith & Wesson 627 with two moon clips of .357 for backup is plenty. I love the N-Frame Smiths. Handle well but not too big to hold steady. I also shoot it in competition so I'm very familiar with this gun.

If you can't protect yourself with 8 shots you need to practice more. Reloads are quick and easy with the moon clips, just in case you are attacked by a squad of intruders.
 
I'm pretty sure it's not about the ammo. In most home defense situations, you're more likely than not going to be shooting at very close range, anyone with a steady hand should be able to hit them. I think it has to do with people just not wanting a revolver.

I personally would never a semi or a revolver for home defense, I just use my shotgun so it won't even matter if I miss.
 
5 shots of 12 gauge is far different from 12 shots of .357. I don't think it is reasonable to compare the two.
Click to expand...

Yup. Apples and watermelons.

5 shots of 00Buck (actually I use #4 Buck for home defense) down my hallway sure beats 5 of about anything else I have in my house.
 
I've known my fair share of cops who had been involved in on & off-duty shooting incidents, and many of them still had a strong preference for a .38 Spl or .357 Magnum revolver, even if they carried issued hi-cap pistols for duty.

The advantages and disadvantages of both revolvers and semiauto pistols ought to be pretty well known, and it's up to the knowledgeable individual to decide whether one or the other suits their needs better, and under what conditions (if their needs and preferences may vary depending on different circumstances).

I own a bunch of DA/DAO revolvers, several of which of snub revolvers, and a bunch of 9, .40 & .45 pistols, only one of which even uses magazines of more than 10-rounds (12-rd). My pistols run the gamut from subcompact, to compact to full-size, too.

At the end of the day, in most low-risk assessment situations I'm generally content carrying a 5-shot .38 (or .357) snub or a 6-shot .380 in a pocket holster. if I plan on being in areas where I consider there to be a higher potential risk factor, I belt on one of my 9's, .40's or .45's, but even those may have "lower" mag capacities than may suit some folks. My littler pistol mags run from 6, 7, 8, 9 to 10-rds.

I even own a couple of .380's (up to 2-3 years ago, that's not something I'd done for more than 25 years), and even have some "gentleman's pocket jewelry", meaning some NAA .22LR & Mag mini-revolvers. (I look at them more as "Onion Field" type hide-out guns.)

It only has to suit me, though, and I'd not lose sleep thinking about just carrying a 6-shot revolver day and night again. ;) Of course, my 3913 & 3913TSW use 8-rd mags and have the nicest combination of heft/balance, weight and thinness, and are chambered in practical and serviceable caliber, which would be a dandy "upgrade" to a 6-shot K-frame or Ruger Security/Service/Speed-Six revolver. It's all about options and choices that work for an individual.

Suit yourself folks, for the reasons which make the most sense to you ... and hopefully which are also realistic and practical ... and then get some training and some sufficiently frequent range time with them as often as is needed and practical.

It's gear, not "the answer", so to speak. It's the gear user who has to make it work under real world conditions.

I've seen my share of really experienced revolver shooters who weren't at all "under-equipped" when carrying a plain old 6-shot .38 S&W Spl, let alone a .357 Magnum. ;)
 
Six shots of .38 spc (158 grains x 6 = 948 grains) at 770 fps. 1248 ft lbs
Six shots of .357 mag (158 grains x 6 = 948 grains) at 1240 fps. 3236 ft lbs

Six shots of nine pellet 00 buck (486 grains x 6 = 2916 grains) at 1200 fps. 9322 ft lbs.
 
How about: 6 shots of .223 (55 gr×6=330gr) at 3239 ft. per sec.=1281 ft lb×6=7686 ft lb and still have 14 or 24 available before a reload is needed.

Just thought I'd add one more fruit to the apples and oranges being compared.:D
 
Currently it seems if it don't have a thirty round magazine on it.................it ain't no good??
Five or six rounds put in the right spot is a he!! of allot better then thirty put all over the place.
Shot placement folks...............shot placement!!;)
 
B.thomas I completely agree that shot placement is key. It is also true that having 30 rounds available, with the ability to put them on target, is better than 6. Why is it that anytime high capacity weapons are mentioned, someone immediately dismisses them as unnecessary for those with good skills? Someone defending his home with good skills and an AR is only a threat to those who would do harm. What's the downside?
 
Speaking from the vantage point of an armchair commando whose military service is LONG in the past and was never an LEO of any sort, while I note that self defense skills are best acquired by training for worst case situations-"a 6'6" giant on PCP" to quote a JKD instructor I met-I think too many self defense training scenarios are based on the "raging mob-social breakdown" scenario where a high capacity rapid firing gun is almost a must, as opposed to the more like "2.7 rounds-10 yards-subdued light"-and easily and quickly handled firearm- situation that is probably still the most frequent.
 
Amen to Sig's post. I have known folks in close encounters of the worst kind and longer range encounters with overwhelming numbers, a couple of well placed shots stopped two aggressors quickly and avoidance/ concealment kept the other man alive. Sometimes it's not about caliber,rounds or rate of fire.
 
Last edited:
I am just as content with a S&W Model 10 2" .38 Special as I am with a .45 ACP 1911 beside the bed. For thew most part in actual home defense shootings seldom are more than two shots fired. While actual data is sketchy a few collections of data have been compiled. One such source is the NRA's Armed Citizen as published in American Rifleman magazine. Analysis of Five Years of Armed Encounters (With Data Tables) while pretty outdated is one source and things really haven't changed much. I guess everyone has their own choices based on location and structure.

Anyway, I am comfortable with a revolver and six shots for home defense. Some may feel a need for more depending on their individual situation.

Ron
 
I have mostly carried a revolver. Be it a Ruger Sp101, or S&W 642, and for the last two years a CA Bulldog .44 Special.
I have recently changed to a XD mod2 in .45acp. The 9+1, is double capacity of any of the above noted revolver.
I always carried two speed strips. So this gave me seventeen rounds with three reloads.
With the XD I have twenty three rounds ( 13 round second mag) with one reload.
All this sounds like capacity comparison, but for me it is actually reload related.
I have always practiced reload drills, and for a while now I have been fumbling with it.
Not with just the reloading. I'm having trouble with everyday fine coordination.
If I pick up something, there is a fifty fifty chance it will end up on the floor.
If it is smaller, and requires more accuracy, that percentage gets higher.
Part of it is age, and the scar tissue, and calouses makes it hard to feel.
With a magazine, it is larger to grasp, and if I need to, I will only have to grasp it once, instead of three times. AND the hole is singular, and larger...... ( that didn't sound right) :eek:
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top