I spend a lot of time browsing the various gun forums and other related places on the vastness of the Interwebz, and sometimes it’s possible to find good deals during all that surfing.
Case in point, I just sealed the deal on two nice Smith & Wesson Model 10 .38 Special revolvers for a good price, and plan to use them as “truck guns” in a bit of a return to revolver usage on my part.
Revolvers are a contentious subject on ye olde Internets, with a lot of modern-day Glockmeisters casting all kinds of shade on the old wheelguns, and gamer types who are obsessed with gargantuan magazine capacity adding their inexpert opinions to the mix.
Personally, I think revolvers still have a very relevant place in the Everyday Carry arena, and can be a great option if the user is willing to do a little work on technique. Sure, they lack the massive magazine capacity of the autoloaders, and the manual of arms is a bit more involved during reloads, but unlike autoloaders, they can be fired from inside a pocket, aren’t terribly ammo sensitive and can take quite a lot of neglect before they exhibit severe malfunctions.
My own introduction to revolvers happened many years ago. One of my very best friends, a revolver enthusiast and black powder shooter extraordinaire, tutored me through my very first experience with detail-stripping a Smith & Wesson revolver, and I’ve been tinkering with them ever since. He regularly carries one, and is quite deadly with it, if the need arises.
So, they have their place in a well thought-out EDC ensemble, and deserve some attention. Many capable revolvers are still available for very reasonable prices, often under $300, and for that money, it’s hard to pass up a working handgun of any type.
An additional consideration to consider is that many people with arthritis or similar conditions affecting grip strength have a lot of trouble retracting the slide on some automatic pistols, but can activate the cylinder latch on a revolver with relative ease.
While magazine capacity is something to think about, it’s not the “end-all, be-all” of choosing the right handgun for your purposes, and it’s worth remembering that most people are not going to get into a Hollywood Bank Robbery style firefight during their daily routines, so a revolver is more than adequate to the task of self-defense, if coupled with good situational awareness and proper training.
All this being said, if you’re gonna pack a wheelgun, you might as well get used to the idea that you will need to put in the time, effort and practice to get up to speed with it. As much as I hate to reiterate the obvious, they take a LOT longer to reload than an automatic, and if you’re not using speed strips or speed loaders, reloads will take a small eternity to complete.
Even so, I still think the humble revolver has a place, and if you’re big into “old school” shooting and vintage style carry that can pack a real whallop, they’re just the ticket.
Stay safe, shoot straight and always keep practicing!
The Harmony of the Pen and the Sword 