At least that’s what I hear at least once a day from yokels who see me carrying one. Their arguments are puerile for the most part, and they all seem to echo the same misguided sentiments.
The first is accuracy. People will claim that the revolver is somehow inaccurate. What they really mean is that they can’t shoot it well. In fact, the revolver, having a fixed barrel, is capable of greater accuracy than many automatics. Case in point:
S&W 696, .44 Special, 8 yards, 2″ bullseye.
That’s not even close to what a good revolver is capable of. The dead-center shots are with 240gr ball, while the ones on the upper left are 200gr cowboy loads. This is from a 3″ barrel, in double-action.
This isn’t some Herculean feat; it just takes practice. There are some challenges to shooting well with a long 10lb trigger pull, but there’s also a great deal to be learned from it. Shooting an automatic well is cake when you drill with something like this.
The second criticism lies with capacity. I don’t know what kind of gunfights yuppies and 20-year-old white kids who say “homey” get into, but apparently they need enough ammunition to stock a small army. They’ll claim that five or six shots (with a long reload time) is tantamount to suicide in a “tactical” situation.
Really? Tell that to the Navy Seals, or to the hundreds of law enforcement agents who’ve gone home alive from gunfights over the decades, all of whom were armed with lowly wheelguns.
In reality, most civilian self-defense shootings are over in one or two shots. Capacity is a non-issue. The plain fact is, if you need 17 rounds to get the job done, you really need to invest in a bodyguard.
Military and law enforcement are charged with apprehending and neutralizing dangerous types, and they may be in a position to need a significant amount of firepower. Me, I just need enough to convince some misguided person that they’ve suffered a calamitous error in their victim-selection process.
Five shots can get me home just fine.
There’s really a great deal to recommend a revolver for self defense. With even marginal maintenance, they’re extremely reliable. Given the mechanics, revolvers are compatible with a huge range of ammunition and all sorts of pressure levels.
Take one chambered for .357. As long as the case is the right diameter, and the bullet’s not grossly distended, the gun will happily digest just about anything. You’ve got the option of shooting anything from soft, cushiony .38 cowboy loads to full-house .357 Magnums.
Automatics are designed to function with one caliber, and even then, the ammunition has to work within a certain range of pressure levels to cycle reliably. No such worries exist with revolvers.
The last argument lies with weight. A good revolver tends to be heavy. A good revolver should be heavy. Bear in mind, these things are designed to handle loads that would leave most automatics in pieces. They need to be built from manly steel, not silly teflon polymers.
While there are some lightweight revolvers out there, they’re expensive, they kick like a mule with their intended ammo, and they don’t seem to be very durable (I’ve seen two of these cases in person, as well). That’s okay. The heft and bulk of a good service revolver helps ameliorate recoil to a large degree.
Remember Newton’s second law? Recoil has to go somewhere. Given no other option, it’ll happily batter your hands and wrists. That’s what happens with small, light guns. Go ahead, shoot a Glock 27. Tell me you find it enjoyable, and when you do, don’t do it through gritted teeth.
Then take a medium or large-frame revolver and shoot .357 Magnum. It’s loud in an Old Testament kind of way, and it kicks, but it’s not painful. Bulk is good, especially when you’re shooting something that puts most other handgun ballistics to shame.
My last argument falls to aesthetics. I’m sure many of the high-speed-low-drag sorts will roll their eyes at this, but there’s something to be said for how a gun looks. Me, I appreciate workmanship with a certain artistic bent.
S&W 696, Ahrends Grips
There’s a tangible charm in a well-made gun that makes it more than just steel and wood. It’s not just a tool; it’s my companion, and one that may save my life someday. I like taking pride in such things.
While the modern world may be steering us towards grim, utilitarian mass-produced commodities, there’s still room for old-world craftsmanship.