Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Ask The Gunwriters 5-shot revolver vs. 15-shot auto for carry/defense

And then we resort to the old song lyrics.." if you can't be with the one you love, love the one you are with..."

Have before; will again.

1911 and 642....works in my world.

George

Hard to find a world that combo don't work in, but folks keep trying.

I spray and pray thru several 19 round magazines during my shooting sessions...not many misses..Why would I be more accurate with a wheel gun..?

But overall we have to remember its the indian, not the arrow. Sure I have my preferences in firearms, ammo, caliber etc but the most important gear I carried was a belief that failure is not an option. That belief and the drive to be proficient regardless of my hardware will be far more important than 9mm vs .45 or anything else we feel like arguing.

I carried a 2.25" SP101 back when I first got a CCW license in Virginia back in 1995.

One day a friend with a Glock 19 was shooting with me. I was doing a little side-by-side comparison regarding size, weight, capacity. I was amazed how much performance is packed into the size/weight of the Glock 19.

Not long after, I unloaded the SP101, in favor of a Glock 17.

That said, The small and light five-shooters do fill a niche of their own.

There is a huge difference between an SP101, and an Airweight Bodyguard, or the lighter scandium models. The SP101 is a heavy/chunky little sucker, not a practical pocket gun in my opinion.

5? SP101 works for me, though a Ruger can get 'sticky' double action if you don't fully release the trigger forward. I do like them. Below is what I trust my life on. Holds 6, if that won't do, I'd want a Glock 20 SF in 10mm, plenty ammo and power, light, accurate, reliable.

You can get a smaller lighter S&W i.e. model 60 but w/Mag loads, recoil/muzzle jump rises, shot recovery time may suffer.

I can sleep easy w/6 below. Ammo i.e. Fed 125s offer up to 96% one shot stops.....the 145s however can double if you need to say punch a car door, etc.....still gives 85%.



http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/.357_Magnum

Stats on other rounds are not bad, but my personal confidence is in 357, 10mm, and a 41 w/Silvertips if size/weight were not an issue though I'd not put it before the other 2 for gun bulk and recoil.

http://www.internetarmory.com/handgunammo.htm

65BR nice M65 RB3" been looking a while for one of those.. I have a 3" M13 in nickel though. I carry a M60 DAO in a IWB or in the pocket. Haven't seen a 15 shot 9 the same size or I would have it. both my CZ 75 and 40B are considerably larger to pack concealed. A buddy selected a Sig 238 for his CCW, nice gun shoots well and is very concealable, but as I see it will a 380 even take care of a pissed off dog? I practice alot,I hit what I shoot at and it don't take me all day to get it done. Not worried about my abilities with the weapon, more worried about being as aware as I should be of potential situations and staying out of them. Not worried about a carjacking scenario punks don't want 16 year old bent up Toyota 4x4's.Everyone has somewhat different needs, choose well, buy 2,wear one out practicing, be ready for the storm. Magnum Man

Hands down, I shoot a semi auto more accurately under rapid fire, than a revolver. Maybe if I shot everyday, that might change, but that's what I go with. I also shoot 1911's more accurately under rapid fire, than any double stack auto I've tried, so I have to make it work with 9 rounds of .45, plus reloads. So I guess call it a compromise.

When I was living in Central California, home invasions seemed to be fairly fashionable; two or three guys would smash their way in and take what they wanted. Oddly, such events are rather uncommon in Texas

Rocky,

Those are one heck of a lot of assumptions.

No one that I know gets issued a crystal ball to know what the next fight will look like and you don't get to choose.

I really doubt the bad guys are going to be waiting for their turn in line to attack you.

Where you live, you may be on the receiving end of a group of Samoan or Tongan thugs monkey stomping the living crap out of you in a grocery store parking lot so they can get some quick cash for some more meth.

The chances of cooly placing two shots into a shirt button of each and every one of your attackers, while having boots taken to your ribs or being punched in the face are slim to none.

So really, it is looking like I should have a high cap auto for real defense situations, and just use a revolver for packing around the ranch in the summer?

Wow.

It would be interesting to hear more about the gunfights you've been in.

Dakota D: I have been on and over the handgun ferris wheel. I have had more revolvers than semi-autos. From 22 38 357 9m & 44 Mag.

After spending TOO MUCH MONEY, I've seriously trimmed down the handgun inventory. I have a Ruger MkII Target 22, 6 6/78", & S&W 6906 (3rd gen. SS 9mm)

The MkII is scarey accurate, I shoot pretty well but it's capable of outdoing me.

The 6906 is MORE than ACCURATE enough for my purposes. It has 15 round +1up capacity. It's plenty light, short, concealable, & COMFORTING to have.

Both are DEPENDABLE, never had a jam w/good ammo and fill ALL my needs.

ROCKY RAAB, count me IN on your encounters! !

JWALL
___________________

VEGETARIAN............Indian Word For Poor Hunter

Shane;

Rocky was a FAC in 'Nam.

He ain't wrapped real tight....

(grin)

Yep.

Wheelguns rule.

Look, as you know, grunts ain't exactly "sane".

But any damned fool that'd get up in a LITTLE BITTY, SLOW plane, with no damned armor, or guns, or bombs.... and intentionally fly over enemy turf, to find them and piss them off....

That SOB needs his head examined.

I know what you did/were. Now, imagine doing that in a noisy, slow, unarmed, unarmored single-engine airplane.

VA, Rocky's kind was wrapped tight enough back in the day to save my bacon more'n once.

Might be I've been shot a more than him, but not with a SAM. SAMS were what they used on grownups, not kids like me hoovering around in the tree tops. I heard once that less than 1% of ground fire finds its mark. Brought a chopper back one day with 176 inbound holes. They junked it, I got drunk probably, don't remember the details now.

Anyway, what Rocky said. #4 will be pizzin' his shorts when he takes aim at me. Unless he's number 7. Don't have but one revolver but I'm fairly handy with it and I eschew double taps.

Loosely Wrapped Dan

For one attacker or target, a .44 or .45 revolver.

For more than one attacker or target, a .45 auto.

� and a crackin'-good crystal ball to tell me which!