WHEN REVOLVERS MIGHT BE THE BETTER CHOICE

By: Steve Moses

One concern that I have for students interested in personal safety that are unlikely to invest in additional training, or even practice on a routine basis, is that the manner in which a semi-automatic handgun operates is more complex than that of a double-action revolver. As a defensive firearms trainer who has taught basic defensive handgun classes for three decades, I noted that some students did not initially understand the physical actions required to load, chamber, press-check, and unload a semi-automatic pistol. More concerning, some of them struggled  the entire class. Another problem is that some students also lack the grip strength to rack the slide or had small hands and were unable to press the trigger straight to the rear because of the distance between the trigger and the backstrap. A major concern for many  trainers is that over time many students forget what they must do in order to effectively and, equally as important, safely operate a semi-automatic pistol. This an enormous problem if they need to defend themselves in a possible life-or-death situation.

It is not my intention to discount the semi-automatic pistol for self-defensive use. They are my first choice for both everyday carry and home defense. They are reliable when maintained, hold significantly more ammunition, quicker to reload, and easier to shoot well. However, their manual of arms is more complex than that of the revolver, and in order to safely and effectively use one in a deadly force encounter requires frequent practice for most new shooters. Operating a revolver is relatively simple. Push or slide the cylinder latch and open the cylinder, insert the rounds in the cylinder one at a time, and close the cylinder. To unload, push or slide the cylinder latch, open the cylinder, elevate the muzzle, push the ejector rod so that the rounds fall out, close the cylinder.

The typical small-framed aluminum-framed short barrel revolver (aka “Snubby”) has a short sight radius, typically a small front sight, relatively heavy double-action trigger pull, and stout recoil with most 38 Special ammunition  and especially Plus P ammunition and all .357 Magnum ammunition. The Snubby is frequently promoted as the ideal defensive handguns for novice female shooters due to its light weight and compact size, but in reality the heavy trigger pull and recoil with anything but mild .38 Special 148-grain wadcutter target ammunition can be unpleasant. A better choice might be a medium-frame revolver made by Ruger, Smith & Wesson, Colt,  or Taurus  chambered in .38 Special or .357 Magnum loaded with quality .38 Special hollow point or wadcutter ammunition. One negative to the medium-frame revolver is the weight (good luck on getting the majority of female concealed carriers to carry one on an everyday basis).

My preference in Snubby revolvers is the Ruger LCR chambered in 327 Federal Magnum or the Lipsey version chambered in .32 H&R Magnum. The 327 Federal Magnum round itself is way too spicy for me in terms of recoil and muzzle blast. However, both High Desert and Buffalo Bore offer .32 Long wadcutter ammunition that is very shootable and offers both good penetration and a reasonably effective bullet profile. Concealed carriers that are not overly recoil-sensitive might look at the  .32 H&R Magnum round, which has a slightly higher velocity and at least one hollow-point offering that is capable of generating decent expansion.  Both of the triggers on my LCR  revolvers are very good due to the unique friction reducing cam.

What about similar offerings from Smith and Wesson and Taurus? I am unable to comment because I have not shot either one. I will go so far as to say that people whose opinions I respect that own those revolvers have made favorable comments about them. I have handled and shot the Smith and Wesson 442UC in .38 Special caliber and was very impressed with the sights and trigger.

Students who have decided to go the revolver route need training just as much as those who choose semi-automatic pistols. It is important that they learn the fundamentals necessary to place rounds accurately and quickly on target, which should include instruction covering stance or platform, acquiring a proper grip, obtaining a good sight picture and aligning it with the target, properly “rolling” the trigger so that the muzzle remains aligned with the target while aiming and firing, and quickly realigning the sights with the target  after the shot ready to fire another shot.  A good  instructor will not only educate the student in the above nuances of shooting and operating a revolver but spend time running the student through drills designed to help equip the student with the skills necessary to use the revolver appropriately in situations in which less lethal options are insufficient. They will also show  their students how to reload their revolver using Speed loaders and Speed Strips.  Most of the revolver instructors that I know are of the opinion that the  chances are relatively low that a student would be able to reload a revolver right in the middle of a parking lot armed robbery. They also believe that the chances are equally low that this would ever be required, most especially if the student had prior quality training and used their revolver to break contact and not remain at the scene. Having said that, I am a big fan of being able to immediately reload the cylinder during a break in the action.

I am a firm believer of the old saying “we don’t know what we don’t know.” I take a Ruger LCR in .327 Federal Magnum with soft-shooting Magtech wadcutter ammunition with me when we teach. If I see a student constantly struggling with their handgun in a class I ask myself if he or she has the wrong semi-automatic pistol, or would they be better off with one of the revolvers I discussed above. An easy way to find out it is to let them shoot one. Students willing to invest some time and effort learning how to run a revolver and actually practice with it (much can be done at home in dry practice mode) are likely going to be far better off so equipped than those with a handgun they are unable to shoot well or handle safely.