UncleEd said:
Odds are that a revolver will be enough for most people.
I disagree.
I don't know about in your corner of the world, but around here a lone assailant has become unusual. You may not be jumped by an entire gang, as in
Gran Torino, but two or three assailants is fairly typical. Then consider that, in armed encounters, the hit rate (the percentage of rounds fired that actually struck the target, not necessarily incapacitating the perp) varies depending on who is reporting the statistics, but generally seems to hover around 25 percent and, for the NYPD in 2005, drops to as low as 17.4 percent. (
http://johnrlott.blogspot.com/2007/12/police-hit-rates-on-shootings-as-low-as.html )
To make the math easier, let's just go with 25 percent. Remember, that's cops. Some armed citizens might do better ... and a lot of armed citizens wouldn't do as well. But we'll use it.
Suppose you are jumped by two armed assailants. You have a five-shot revolver. Assuming a 25 percent hit rate, out of your five shots only 1.25 shots will hit the target. (I don't know whether to count the .25 shots as a hit, a miss, or a grazing wound.) But there are two assailants, and you really can't expect the one shot that hits one of the assailants to stop him.
Basically, you're screwed.
It gets worse, obviously, if there are three assailants. You still only have five shots and you're still only going to score 1.25 hits ... if you're lucky. You may be fortunate enough to incapacitate one of the assailants with a single hit, but that leaves two assailants to ring your chimes once your gun is empty.
IMHO, the odds are that a revolver will NOT be enough for most people. Which is why I generally don't carry one.
Yes, I know -- the OP only want specific examples of a revolver failing or not being enough. I can't help you there; I don't offhand know of any examples.
I DO remember a couple or three years ago there was a shooter loose in a shopping mall in (IIRC) Salt Lake City. The shooter was driven to cover and pinned down until the cavalry arrived by an off-duty police officer from a nearby jurisdiction. The off-duty officer was shopping with his wife, and his carry weapon was a Kimber compact 1911 with seven rounds. When asked about the incident after it was over, the cop said he had just learned how important it is to carry a spare magazine. (In other words, seven rounds weren't enough.)