10 Reasons Why You Should Own a Revolver

[Elderberry]

@txradioguy

I have three 38 revolvers.  Two are Colts and one is Ruger (it is +P).  Have boxes of 38 hollow points for them.  Have one really small 22 revolver, fits in your hand easily, with 22 Mini Magnum cartridges for it.

Where I used to hunt, there was a lady that had one of the tiny 22 revolvers. She carried it in her bra. There was no way she could defend herself with it since she couldn't wield it fast enough.

Years ago I went to a talk at the church given by the police about self protection. They said that if you were in an area where you felt that you needed a gun for protection, the best place for the gun was in your hand.

@Victoria33

[txradioguy]

@txradioguy

I have three 38 revolvers.  Two are Colts and one is Ruger (it is +P).  Have boxes of 38 hollow points for them.  Have one really small 22 revolver, fits in your hand easily, with 22 Mini Magnum cartridges for it.

I get to go pick out my new gun tomorrow...still waffling between the RIA six shot and the Taurus 5 shot.

I know I know...first world problems LOL!

[sneakypete]

Now see, I remember a time when every pickup around here had a couple guns in the rack all the time (not just hunting season). My old Winchester model 94 lived in the rack most of it's life. The left side of her was darker than the right from always catching sun from one side.

I liked it better then. Having to hide my guns was the first loss of freedom - real freedom - I can remember.

@roamer_1 

Exactly. There was a time,and it wasn't all that long ago,maybe 2 decades,when you could drive around with a rifle or shotgun in a rack in front of the back window of a PU,and nobody even noticed it. Cops that might stop you for speeding or whatever,didn't even really pay any attention to them unless they were answering a report of somebody night-lighting or otherwise illegal shooting.

And this wasn't just in the deep rural south or the rural north west. It was pretty much anywhere more than 50 miles from a big city.

Now if you mention you have one at home that is unloaded and locked in a safe people want to freak out.

[driftdiver]

A revolver is simple.  You can leave it in a drawer for 5 years pull it out and it will go bang.
A revolver is usually cheaper.

The caliber is irrelevant for most people in home defense situations.   Sure a larger caliber will put down a person faster and with fewer shots.    However how many home invasions involve someone who is drug crazed and can only be stopped by blood loss or nervous system disruption?

Every story I can recall of the defensive use of a firearm ended after the victim started shooting, regardless of the caliber.

Nobody wants to get shot, be it a .22 or a .38 or a 45.   They hear bang and they run.    Its far more important to have a gun you can safely handle and that will go bang when you want.

[sneakypete]

Nobody wants to get shot, be it a .22 or a .38 or a 45.

 

@driftdiver

I dunno about that. I have personally witnessed idiots daring somebody to shoot them in bar parking lots because they thought they were too tough to be harmed by a 22 or a 25 ACP.  On one occasion this pissed me off so much I kept telling the guy with the gun to "shoot the stupid MoFo and be done with it!"

Yes,there really ARE people THAT freaking ignorant. I'm betting you will never be able to get any survivors to repeat that in the future,though.

 It is enough of a consideration that I never carry my 9 shot 22 revolver for self-defense out of my yard. I carry my short barreled 44 Special instead. Never seen or heard of anybody with a 44 pointed at them screaming at the pointer to go ahead and shoot them.

MY personal philosophy states that "the best way to survive a gun fight is to not get into one." I am going to do whatever I need to do and can do to avoid pulling the trigger,short of allowing the idiot to become an actual physical danger to me. He can run  his mouth or hop up and down all he wants,and I'm good with that. If the SOB starts advancing on me I'm going to put a hollowpoint though one of his eyes and end the discussion,though.

 

[Victoria33]

HISTORICALLY,hollowpoints don't expand worth a damn in human flesh at 38 Special velocities. Not that familiar with +P loads because if I want to shoot magnum loads I just go ahead and shoot 357's.

For a self-defense handgun for use against people,who are a LOT easier to kill than most other animals,I suggest you go in the direction of "traditional" 38 Special velocities,and use SWAGED lead hollowbase wadcutters loaded backwards. I have had them reliably expand to 72 caliber in pine,so you know all the energy in the bullet will be expended inside your target,and none will be expended to go though a wall and injure a family member. These are plenty accurate for typical living room distances,but nobody is ever going to accuse it of being a target load.

PERFECT loads for inside the home or close self-defense,though. Swaged bullets are VERY soft and you can scratch them with a fingernail,so be VERY careful to not use them with loads over 1,000 fps because the lead will start to melt in your bore. I recommend loads in the 600-800 fps range. VERY mild recoil,no over-penetration,and expansion equal to or better than a magnum hollowpoint.

Forget sights. Center your gun in your chest by creating a tripod with your hand in the center and both of them locked and supporting the gun,lock your elbows,raise the gun up so it is in line with or close enough to your eyes you are aware of it,focus your eyes on where or what you want to shoot,and let fly.

NEVER underestimate the killing power of a 22 hollowpoint at close range. Especially since they are virtually recoil-free,and don't make enough noise to scare a novice shooter. Most people that never shoot will hit what they are aiming at with a 22,and miss with anything bigger because the recoil and noise scares them.

@sneakypete
@txradioguy
@roamer_1

Sneaky, Thanks for your comments.  The Ruger 38 I have, is a 38 special with laser.  I know the loud sound and recoil it has.  Will check out the ammo you suggest for it.

"focus your eyes on where or what you want to shoot,and let fly"

Most people don't understand how to hit a target.  Your eyes must stay on the target when you fire, or when you want to hit a waste basket with something or hit anything accurately.  I seldom miss when I throw something because my eyes stay glued on the target when I throw.  People tend to look at the object they are throwing or look at the gun instead of the target.  People should practice hitting a waste basket or other household target before they shoot a gun if they don't know how to hit a target.

Case in point:
My husband and I were going to go fishing on a lake.  He said I should go outside at home and practice with my rod and reel, throwing to put the lure in a selected spot.  I said I didn't need to do that.  So, we go fishing and he shows me a spot where he knows fish gather, says there is where to land the lure and says I wouldn't hit it because I didn't practice.  I put my eyes on the spot and threw and the lure landed exactly there.  He said, "Oh, shit! - it took me a long time before I could do that!"  He never questioned my ability to hit a target after that.

[driftdiver]

 

@driftdiver

I dunno about that. I have personally witnessed idiots daring somebody to shoot them in bar parking lots because they thought they were too tough to be harmed by a 22 or a 25 ACP.  On one occasion this pissed me off so much I kept telling the guy with the gun to "shoot the stupid MoFo and be done with it!"

Yes,there really ARE people THAT freaking ignorant. I'm betting you will never be able to get any survivors to repeat that in the future,though.

 It is enough of a consideration that I never carry my 9 shot 22 revolver for self-defense out of my yard. I carry my short barreled 44 Special instead. Never seen or heard of anybody with a 44 pointed at them screaming at the pointer to go ahead and shoot them.

MY personal philosophy states that "the best way to survive a gun fight is to not get into one." I am going to do whatever I need to do and can do to avoid pulling the trigger,short of allowing the idiot to become an actual physical danger to me. He can run  his mouth or hop up and down all he wants,and I'm good with that. If the SOB starts advancing on me I'm going to put a hollowpoint though one of his eyes and end the discussion,though.

I'm speaking strictly home defense.  A small person with a .22 is more of a threat than a small person with a gun they can't lift or keep on target.

My preference is .45 acp although we do have a .357 in the living room.     I've seen some videos of testing done on penetration of the different calibers.   The concern being how many walls would the standard calibers penetrate.   The 12 ga, 45, 9mm and a couple others all went through at least 4 layers of sheetrock which were set up to simulate interior walls.  So they had a layer of sheetrock, 2x4 and then sheet rock.   

The only caliber which did not go through at least 4 layers of sheetrock was the 5.56 /  .223.  The bullet fragmented after the second layer and was stopped by the 3rd. 

Each to their own though, if you can't choose your own gun then lifes not worth living.  :)

[thackney]

Where I used to hunt, there was a lady that had one of the tiny 22 revolvers. She carried it in her bra. There was no way she could defend herself with it since she couldn't wield it fast enough.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=77TGGEYhPnM

[GrouchoTex]

I have 2 single acting six shot Rugers.

A .22 long/.22 magnum with interchangeable cylinders.
a .38 special/.357 magnum, where I don't have to change out the cylinders.

I like them because they are quite reliable and shells don't fly all over the place when I fire them.

They are long barreled, gun metal, wood grips.

Heck, they are just fun to shoot.

[Victoria33]

Where I used to hunt, there was a lady that had one of the tiny 22 revolvers. She carried it in her bra. There was no way she could defend herself with it since she couldn't wield it fast enough. Years ago I went to a talk at the church given by the police about self protection. They said that if you were in an area where you felt that you needed a gun for protection, the best place for the gun was in your hand.
@Victoria33

@Elderberry

Some people think guns are dressing attire; they look grand to have - can show them off to friends.  A totally liberal man I know does that - always carries a 44 and will show it to you.  However, one time his wife, in my presence, asked him if he would shoot someone who was assaulting her.  There was dead silence, then he said, "I might get in trouble if I shot someone."  I would never want that man by my side in a time of serious emergency.  He is a wimp inside.  I would have to save his freaking person as he wouldn't shoot that gun.   This is Texas and if you shoot someone in self defense, as in saving his wife, you would get a medal in Texas.

I have very easy access to my Ruger 38 special with enclosed hammer, in an outside gun pocket on my purse.  I don't show it around and if I put my hand on it, I'm going to shoot whatever made me put my hand on it.

[Elderberry]

I have 2 single acting six shot Rugers.

A .22 long/.22 magnum with interchangeable cylinders.
a .38 special/.357 magnum, where I don't have to change out the cylinders.

I like them because they are quite reliable and shells don't fly all over the place when I fire them.

They are long barreled, gun metal, wood grips.



Heck, they are just fun to shoot.

I have 2 as well. A 22 Single-Six with a 6in bbl. And a 45Colt Blackhawk with a 4-5/8 bbl. Out in the woods, the Blackhawk is what I carry. I like that barrel length. Its not a bother getting in and out of the truck with it on a drop leg belt holster.

[Smokin Joe]

Since we don't know where the "middle of nowhere" is. The 2 long guns you chose would be inadequate in close cover. Leave the -06 for the hand cannon. Or swap the .410 for a more powerful shotgun.

I'm considering the .410 rifled slug is ballisticly similar to my lever action .44 rem mag Marlin, albeit not quire as powerful--but more effective as a shotgun. I have taken whitetail deer with the .410, as well as ducks and small game. I can also carry about twice the ammo for the .410 for the same weight of 12 Ga. While a 20 Ga would work, too, with a weight savings over 12 Ga ammo, the ammo 'advantage' would only be 3 to 2 over the 12 Ga, not 2 to 1.
In the boonies, higher ground lets you see where you are, lower ground means water, as a rule, and water means food.
The terrain wasn't specified, nor was the duration, so I'll wish for more wishes without cutting all the way back to a .22

[Smokin Joe]

I would love to have an Ithaca. I've been happy with my Winchester 1200 all these years. The first gun I ever bought. It's been my "truck gun" for a long long time. When I first started working at Johnson Space Center, I read the driver's pamphlet over and over and it said nothing about firearms. So it stayed in my truck for most of my career. Then one day driving in, there was a huge sign at the front gate. "No Guns" it said. I figured that an idiot deer hunter left his rifle in his "Easy Rider Rifle Rack" for all to see, and messed it up for everyone.

@sneakypete

I remember driving by the High School here in the '80s and seeing pickups in the parking lot with anywhere from 1-3 long guns hanging in the rifle racks inside the cab. Kids going hunting on the way home from school, usually, but still common even in the off season (coyotes!). No one thought anything of it, and there weren't thieves around there are now, so they were safe.
After Columbine, when the NEA went bat crap over the sight of a well chewed pop-tart or a kid pointing their finger and going 'bang bang', no rifles in the racks...

[roamer_1]

I dunno about that. I have personally witnessed idiots daring somebody to shoot them in bar parking lots because they thought they were too tough to be harmed by a 22 or a 25 ACP.  On one occasion this pissed me off so much I kept telling the guy with the gun to "shoot the stupid MoFo and be done with it!"

@sneakypete
Yeah... But all they have to do is hear the ominous and infamously recognizable 'cha-chink' of a 12 ga. round getting pumped in, and suddenly everybody wants to go home... go figger 

Ain't nobody got time for that 

[sneakypete]

@Elderberry

Some people think guns are dressing attire; they look grand to have - can show them off to friends.  A totally liberal man I know does that - always carries a 44 and will show it to you.  However, one time his wife, in my presence, asked him if he would shoot someone who was assaulting her.  There was dead silence, then he said, "I might get in trouble if I shot someone."  I would never want that man by my side in a time of serious emergency.  He is a wimp inside.  I would have to save his freaking person as he wouldn't shoot that gun. 

@Victoria33
You are more understanding than me. I'd let somebody kill him,and then dress him out and eat him if they wanted. A man that won't shoot somebody physically attacking his wife isn't worth saving. Deepen the gene pool by letting someone remove him from it.

This is Texas and if you shoot someone in self defense, as in saving his wife, you would get a medal in Texas.

I don't care where it is. If my ex and I were still together and someone tried to harm her,bad things would happen to them. Maybe even things that aren't legal anywhere on the planet.

I have very easy access to my Ruger 38 special with enclosed hammer, in an outside gun pocket on my purse.  I don't show it around and if I put my hand on it, I'm going to shoot whatever made me put my hand on it.

There ya go!

[sneakypete]

I remember driving by the High School here in the '80s and seeing pickups in the parking lot with anywhere from 1-3 long guns hanging in the rifle racks inside the cab. Kids going hunting on the way home from school, usually, but still common even in the off season (coyotes!). No one thought anything of it, and there weren't thieves around there are now, so they were safe.
After Columbine, when the NEA went bat crap over the sight of a well chewed pop-tart or a kid pointing their finger and going 'bang bang', no rifles in the racks...

@Smokin Joe

I remember going duck hunting before going to school,and when I got to the school actually taking my shotgun inside the school and locking it my locker while I was in class. IF anybody ever noticed and said anything,it would have been on the order of,"Get any ducks?"

I did piss off a VERY grumpy math teacher that I didn't like one day by walking into his class room and laying a dead and bleeding duck on his desk as a present. Old MoFo,only slightly younger than I am now,and burnt out from teaching in a big city. Also a vegetarian,which is why I gave him the bleeding duck.

[Elderberry]

I'm considering the .410 rifled slug is ballisticly similar to my lever action .44 rem mag Marlin, albeit not quire as powerful--but more effective as a shotgun. I have taken whitetail deer with the .410, as well as ducks and small game.

And you can kill all of those with a .22.

Not ballistically similar to me. The .410 slug is way too light. It sheds its energy very quickly.

.44 Mag., 240gr at 1760fps - 1650 ft. lbs. ME, 966 ft. lbs. at 100 yds.

.410 Rem 87.5 gr slug at 1,830 fps—651 ft. lb. ME, 210 ft. lbs. at 100yds.

[roamer_1]

I remember going duck hunting before going to school,and when I got to the school actually taking my shotgun inside the school and locking it my locker while I was in class. IF anybody ever noticed and said anything,it would have been on the order of,"Get any ducks?"

@sneakypete

I remember similar, except they asked us to check our guns at the office, or leave them in the truck... 15 minute line after school, all the boys getting their guns back...

I never bothered with that much... I just left them in the truck. If it was my 7mm mag for some reason (which would be rare), I might check that, or pull it out of the rack and put it behind the seat... That gun and scope cost real money, and would be difficult to replace.

But the 30/30 wasn't worth much, nor the .22, which were what would normally be in the rack.

@Smokin Joe

[sneakypete]

@sneakypete

I remember similar, except they asked us to check our guns at the office, or leave them in the truck... 15 minute line after school, all the boys getting their guns back...

I never bothered with that much... I just left them in the truck. If it was my 7mm mag for some reason (which would be rare), I might check that, or pull it out of the rack and put it behind the seat... That gun and scope cost real money, and would be difficult to replace.

But the 30/30 wasn't worth much, nor the .22, which were what would normally be in the rack.

@Smokin Joe

@Smokin Joe

I had to lock it up. I was so poor I had to borrow a shotgun to go hunting with,and if it got stolen I would have to replace it. Which was impossible. If I had access to enough money to buy a new shotgun I would have already bought one for myself.

[Smokin Joe]

And you can kill all of those with a .22.

Not ballistically similar to me. The .410 slug is way too light. It sheds its energy very quickly.

.44 Mag., 240gr at 1760fps - 1650 ft. lbs. ME, 966 ft. lbs. at 100 yds.

.410 Rem 87.5 gr slug at 1,830 fps—651 ft. lb. ME, 210 ft. lbs. at 100yds.

True enough, but in the thick stuff, you won't get anywhere close to a 100 yard shot.
25-30 yards max. (Thinking Missouri/Yellowstone River bottoms and willows here, the steep draws of the tributary coulees, or the dangnear jungle of greenbriers, honeysuckle and such where I grew up in MD) If I'm going to reach out to 100 yards and beyond, that is what the .30-06 is for, 180 gr. core-lokt is my favorite all around round, and the optics make it an easier shot. I have a tip-off mount and iron sights on my Model 70, so if the optics are off/damaged, I am still in the running.

Anything well wooded is pretty much open once you get back inside the treeline east of the Cascades, and most of the middles of nowhere I have been in up and down the Rockies, the Basin and Range, The Great Basin and in desert terrain are either wooded mountains  or open prairie/desert or badlands. Line of sight is either very short or very long. In the Appalachians/Alleghenies things tended to be more grown up underneath the 'canopy', with second growth, deadfall, and a more humid environment.

Besides, as much as I like my Marlin, it isn't worth squat as a scattergun. If I'm hunting in brush, that's my go-to deer gun for the breaks, but we're talking a game getter, and being dropped off in the boonies.

There are a lot of trade offs. Power vs ammo weight vs number of rounds, versatility as a game getter, utility for larger game/problem predators, and range. I have taken whitetail with a .410 (75 yards, I was 11, and my Dad paced it off--he kept track of everything to do with our deer hunts, data which proved useful in later years.), countless ducks, rabbit, and squirrels. I have taken whitetail (to 275 yards) and larger animals with a .30-06. Most game you get in the boonies will either be smaller stuff, or will be farther away, at least in open country, and the shotgun will do it.  If people are a problem (overt life threatening activity with clear intent), that changes the equation. Back off for distance, and if they persist the .30-06 comes in.

[Elderberry]

I get to go pick out my new gun tomorrow...still waffling between the RIA six shot and the Taurus 5 shot.

I know I know...first world problems LOL!

@txradioguy

Did you pick? Or are you still deciding?

My son recently purchased a S&W Model 69 and it shoots really really really good. I want one in the worst way.

[txradioguy]

@txradioguy

Did you pick? Or are you still deciding?

My son recently purchased a S&W Model 69 and it shoots really really really good. I want one in the worst way.

Went with the RIA .38. Couldn't beat extra round...the price and in addition to the wood grips it comes with a set of Hogue style rubber grips.

However...

(caution rant loading)

I'm trying to figure out how in the blue hell it is that the federal government can trust me with hundreds of thousands of dollars in equipment...let me carry a weapon with 200+ rounds into combat...give me a security clearance...but won't let me walk out of a gun shop with a weapon on the day I want to buy it.

Every...single...time

(End rant)

[Sanguine]

Went with the RIA .38. Couldn't beat extra round...the price and in addition to the wood grips it comes with a set of Hogue style rubber grips.

However...

(caution rant loading)

I'm trying to figure out how in the blue hell it is that the federal government can trust me with hundreds of thousands of dollars in equipment...let me carry a weapon with 200+ rounds into combat...give me a security clearance...but won't let me walk out of a gun shop with a weapon on the day I want to buy it.

Every...single...time

(End rant)

You don't have your concealed carry? 

[Elderberry]

I'm trying to figure out how in the blue hell it is that the federal government can trust me with hundreds of thousands of dollars in equipment...let me carry a weapon with 200+ rounds into combat...give me a security clearance...but won't let me walk out of a gun shop with a weapon on the day I want to buy it.

Every...single...time

Its a state thing. Not a problem in Texas.

[txradioguy]

You don't have your concealed carry?

Not yet. That comes at the end of this month. I was supposed to have gotten it last weekend but the class on post got rescheduled.