This is why everyone should have a revolver.

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Old_Dog

New member
I am typing this with one hand, perhaps something more familiar to those who have not been typing since they were 10 years old. The day before my birthday my left hand started hurting enough for me to stop using it. I could not extend my fingers or make a fist. My guess is that between work and blogging, I was spending too much time at the keyboard combined with an extensive shooting session. I did my usual web research and came to the conclusion it was tendonitis, a condition that would require taking an over the counter inflammatory and using ice packs. Seems to be working but it got me started thinking about something I have written about; why all seniors should have at least one revolver.

In gun forums I have often spoken about having a revolver in your arsenal for those occasions when you do not have the use of both hands. For us older gunhands, those occasions seem to come suddenly and all too often. I normally have problems with my hands due to nerve damage and arthritis. Tendonitis is something new and a great birthday gift to remind me that each year is not making me stronger and better. However, I plan for such events and had my trusty J-Frame snub nose ready to go. I loaded it with some mild Hornady FTX 110 gr. .38 spl ammo and was good to go. I could even reload it. Using a semi auto was out of the question as there was no way I could rack a slide and press a magazine or slide release. Be prepared, and I was.

I just wanted to post this reminder for older shooters that if you can afford more than one carry gun and holster, one setup should be suitable for those times when medical problems prohibit carrying your primary gun. A snub nose and pocket holster is a great setup for those times and something everyone should consider. I have to keep this short as it is slow going for me to type like this and my left hand keeps wondering to the keyboard undoing all the healing it has undergone. Something to think about whether it is hand problems, bad back (I have both), etc.. A simple, lightweight easy to use gun that will not strain any part of your body that you carry it on, is always a good idea for seniors. Even with one hand I was able to load it by laying it down and that reminded me of why I keep it handy. It even makes a good primary gun for seniors and is very popular with the retired LEO I know. I cannot imagine trying to clear a jam in a semi auto with the condition of my hands today so I am comforted by my revolver; well two actually since I bought the Alaskan to use as a backup home defense gun which it is now is doing. I planned ahead just in time. I have it stoked with .45 LC self defense rounds but if a bear tries a home invasion I am ready with a box of 20 .454 Casull. That reminds me, I have to cancel my range trip this week where I was going to shoot the .454 Casull for the first time. Best to wait until I can use both hands and then I will post the results on my blog.
 
Good point about limited physical ability. It really makes one rethink issues. I recently found a use for Glocks. Its mainspring is one of the few an older female who lacks upper body strength can handle. The Springfield XDS, Sig P220, 1911s, S&W 3rd Gen pistols, Rugers, P-35, are either too hard for some older women to pull the slide or the DA trigger is too hard or if they manage a shot, it's not with any accuracy in the DA mode.
 
Never thought about it and hope I will never be in such position, but reloading a semi-auto is almost impossible with one hand, isn't it? Not the case with a revolver, where it's fairly easy to do, even though takes longer.

At the range I often find myself sticking rounds into a cylinder of a revolver on the counter with my right hand while pushing the button for the target to move to the position with the left. But I never thought about it from the self defense perspective. :cool:

P.S.> Just ran a test. It took me 25 seconds to open the revolver, unload, reload (one by one), lock it, cock it and be on target all with one (right!) hand...
 
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FWIW, it is easier to reload a semi auto one handed than a revolver, and much faster. You can eject with one hand, place it between your legs upside down, load the mag and release the slide or rack on the belt in a matter of seconds.

But practice both. Much harder to do one handed reloads with a revolver, even with a speed loader.
And try doing under pressure. You will be dropping a few cartridges on floor!

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I edited my comments to agree that it's much easier to load a cylinder one handed than a magazine one handed!LOL
 
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Another factor to consider is limp-wristing of semi-autos. My father, 70, recently purchased a new Model 60 Pro Series and a Sig P229 E2. We went to the range about a month ago to fire them both.

The Sig stovepiped 4-5 times for him, 0 times for me. I demonstrated the limp-wrist problem to him by barely supporting the gun and firing it, and I could get it to consistently jam by doing this.

The Model 60, shockingly, did not have any malfunctions. As we age, even with the use of both hands, it becomes harder to maintain a really solid grip on a gun, so put another point in the revolver column.
 
place it between your legs upside down
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Ack!
Or how about - just put the empty gun gun back in the holster, change mags there, and then run the slide on the belt or leg or whatever.
 
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I edited my comments to agree that it's much easier to load a cylinder one handed than a magazine one handed!LOL
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My first intention when a saw the post was to write "Yes, really? I want to see you put the ammo in the mag with one hand vs. me sticking it in the cylinder and see who'll be done first!". But I did not want to start a confrontation... ;)

Indeed, assuming you have a preloaded mag, it's probably a bit faster to reload a semi-auto than a revolver ;)
 
Don't worry, if done properly, muzzle is always in a safe direction.

holster is not the easiest if concealed under over garment, appendix carry, etc.
 
But what if you're running? Carry two revolvers?
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You know... if you are already running... and someone is chasing you... and your gun is empty... and you only have one functional hand... I think you are screwed no matter when type of gun you have! :D
 
Didn't you ever watch cowboy movies when you were a kid?
You throw the empty gun at the other guy, while drawing the second one.
 
Didn't you ever watch cowboy movies when you were a kid?
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You are not taking in consideration that forum is international, are you? As much as I love USA I wasn't born and raised here :D But Eastwood and Wayne rule! :D
 
I was talking about the initial loading, not a reloading. More difficult to load a gun when the slide is not already back.
 
I was required to qualify loading, unloading, reloading with one hand, strong hand, weak hand, two hands handcuffed behind back and blindfolded, first on revolver then later on Beretta 92. It's all simply a matter of practicing. You can rack the slide on your belt or the edge of a table, rock, curb, US Mail box (those big blue steel things - wonderfully bullet resistant).

I don't recommend practicing your safe queen bottom feeder on a concrete curb. Practice on something less abrasive. A Sam Brown belt works great.

Revolvers are much simpler to reload one handed. But racking the slide in an auto is not a game killer. It certainly can be done.

I do recommend practicing retrieving your reloads (magazines, speed loaders, loose rounds whatever) with either/both hands. ie, wherever you keep your reloads, can you reach them with either hand, using only one hand? If not, consider rethinking where you carry them and/or carry more than one reload in different places.

I believe Clint Smith has some good video demonstrations of both types of guns reloading with one hand. He is a very smooth gun handler. Smooth is good.


Sgt Lumpy
 
Having to carry unloaded mags is probably only a requirement in NY, NJ and California.
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Well, you still have to load the mags some time. Even with the various contraptions that are made to assist you, loading a magazine will be, at the least, challenging to do with only one hand unless you have a henchman to assist you.
 
The only advantage, provided you have the strength to get it working with one hand, is that you can get reasonably small semi-autos that hold 15+ rounds of 9mm. That's 2.5-3 revolvers worth of ammo without the reload. On the other hand, if you're prone to limp wristing or have compromised hand strength, 15 rounds in the feed hole of a jammed semi doesn't do much good. The extra weight could keep papers from blowing around, but that's about it. I would think that loading the semi auto with one hand, though a hassle, wouldn't be nearly as hard as loading magazines with one hand. I've never tried that, but I'm pretty sure If one of my hands left me tomorrow, there would be a nearby gun shop with some heavily used semis shortly thereafter.
 
Somewhere in the youtube world is a video of a guy with no arms loading and firing a 1911A1 with his feet.
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Here you go, he reloads the mag with (both) his feet near the end... pretty amazing

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=acRMENmcjLQ

It seems to me that you could put a full mag between your knees and bring the gun to it for reloading. Or, some mags might even stand by themselves (not that you would have a handy bench nearby).
 
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