My book and blog posts are for ordinary civilians who may not have any firearm experience or self-defense experience. As such, I prioritize things like safety over speed (see a previous post). In this post, I will prioritize simplicity over things like capacity and reloading speed. As such, I will recommend certain types of revolvers over semi-automatic pistols.
My book references a civilian Defensive Gun Use (DGU) study where the firearm was discharged. One of the data points was that the average number of rounds shot is two. This data point shows that capacity and reloading speed should not be prioritized as high for a civilian’s defensive firearm as, for example, a law enforcement officer or SWAT team member.
What if your revolver will be your Every Day Carry (EDC)? As you know from my speed versus safety blog post, I’m a fan of secure vehicle storage. When I carry a firearm, I carry a 1911 in condition 3. I can separate the magazine from the pistol and put each in a separate secure storage lockbox. This process makes me legal to transport and makes law enforcement interactions much safer. Yes, it will take me several seconds to ready my pistol, but I feel the tradeoff is worth it based on how most civilian DGUs occur. Certain double-action revolvers would make this process a bit harder in a couple of ways:
- For rimmed cases, like a 44 Special, you have to deal with individual rounds when you remove the rounds from the cylinder. This process is cumbersome.
- For rimless cases, like a 10mm, you use moon clips that clip the rounds together in a circle, so the process is almost as easy as a magazine.
- For rimless cases in a moon clip, the width is bigger than a magazine, so you would need a deeper lockbox for your ammo.
In short, for civilians, a double-action revolver with a rimless chambering compares well to a semi-automatic pistol carried in condition 3. Of course, the next question is: What are the advantages and disadvantages if you choose to use a revolver?
- Advantage: training. You can learn the basics of a double-action revolver quickly. After learning firearm safety, drop the cylinder, eject any rounds, load in your moon clip, shut the cylinder, point, and pull the trigger. Rinse and repeat.
- Advantage: simplicity. You pull the trigger again if you have a misfire with a double-action revolver. With a semi-auto, it is a process. The process can be practiced and put into muscle memory, but a civilian doesn’t need this complexity.
- Disadvantage: accessory rails. Many revolvers do not have an accessory rail for a flashlight or a Mantis trainer to help you learn to shoot more accurately. Whether or not that is important to you is an individual’s decision.
- Advantage: multi-caliber. I used to own a Ruger GP100 in 40 S&W and 10mm. You can practice with cheaper ammunition and more expensive ammunition for self-defense. You, of course, need to compensate or adjust for any point of impact changes. However, you may be perfectly fine for typical civilian distances in DGUs.
- Advantage: multiple revolvers. If you stick with the same manufacturer, you can have a revolver for hunting, one for home defense, and one for EDC. Your training is the same; everything would be familiar except for the revolver size. If you choose this route, I recommend talking to a reputable gunsmith before purchasing to ensure similar trigger actions. For example, with Ruger, the Super Redhawk and GP100 are more similar than compared to a Redhawk.
- Advantage: easier gunsmithing. For a civilian, the most important thing you’ll need gunsmithing on is a smooth, predictable double-action trigger pull. But, again, talking to a reputable gunsmith can get you insights on which revolvers can achieve that trigger pull.
- Advantage: one can do it all. If God came down and told me I could only have one handgun, I would get a Gemini Custom GP100 in 10mm/40S&W. I would then also chamber it for 10mm Magnum. So now I have a pistol I can confidently carry in the woods of North America with a 10mm Magnum. I have a self-defense pistol using the 10mm. I have a practice pistol using 40S&W. They aren’t three different pistols, just one pistol using different ammunition. Not to mention, I would own one of the finest custom revolvers ever made.
For a civilian, the advantages of a revolver seem to be very clear compared to a semi-automatic pistol. Unfortunately, the pushback always comes from capacity and reloading speed. Unfortunately, I don’t know any statistics to support that assertion for civilian DGUs. In addition, any statistics around the death or injuries of concealed carriers would need to be reviewed. For example, if you were injured by a criminal and you were carrying a semi-automatic pistol, what does that statistic say about your choice of weapon? Should you have been carrying a short-barreled shotgun or AR pistol? Comfort is not an excuse, as you should prepare for the threat. Thus, arguments can be used against your favorite semi-automatic concealed pistol just like they can be used against a revolver.
After decades of hanging out with people who shoot guns, I will lay down an uncomfortable truth: Many people who own semi-automatic handguns do not put in the time and effort to be proficient with them in self-defense if something goes wrong.
Case in point. You discover a violent criminal in your home. You are about 10 feet apart. The criminal is armed with a double-action revolver, and you are armed with your favorite micro semi-automatic pistol. Regarding proficiency with weapons, you and the criminal are identical in every respect. He intends to victimize you. You both pull your guns. Here are two different scenarios:
- Both guns initially misfire.
- Both guns get a round off, but the next round misfires. Note that for a semi-automatic pistol, a few things can happen here where the next round doesn’t go off (e.g., mag not fully seated, jam, or misfire)
The guy with the DA revolver is going to win these battles. He would win even if he were half as proficient as you with a handgun. Even worse, a criminal proficient with a single-action revolver will win these battles against many semi-automatic pistol owners I’ve met.
Is this scenario realistic? Yes. It is much more in line with civilian DGU statistics: you are at home, two rounds or less are fired, and the distance is close.
This fact may be troubling. I understand. It is incredible to put a lot of ammunition downrange quickly, banging steel. When you start getting good, it is addictive fun. As long as everything goes right and you are mentally prepared, you are a formidable adversary against a criminal. But if something goes wrong, you may be incredibly disadvantaged against someone with a more “primitive” handgun.