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

Oh crap! I did? I did not mean to Pard!

I can't recall ever hearing someone lament having extra ammo on them after surviving a gun fight....

You talking about them double actions are ya? Well, like they say, 'different strokes for different folks.' I don't do competitions of the organized variety.

Are we talking handguns for day to day self-defence against people, are we talking handguns as some form of back-up in brown bear/grizzly country, or are we talking some combination?

I look at it like rifles by applying an adequate chambering/cartridge/bullet to the task at hand.

I'd probably have a preference for a 44/45 if using a handgun around big bears which would tend to exclude semi-autos. In addition, when working around the farm I like to stick a small 5-shot 357mag revolver in my pants pocket. I carry it around like it was a pocket knive. Flip side, I have a preference for a Sig secured in a holster for other situations.

You could also break it down to the types of semi-autos. Probably more Glocks are used in LEO capacity world wide because they are cheap and they keep running. If you like the ergonomics of how they point, they are good. If you are one who spent decades using and training professionally with a Sig, you may find the ergonomics of how a Glock points to be askew. Just like boots and backpacks, what works well for one may be an abysmal failure for another. Even with a lightweight short barrel 5-shot revolver, some shoot below par with a magnum chambering due to the sight radius and enhanced recoil. One shot or fifty, it does not matter as they cannot hit a barn door.

Just like with a rifle; weight, sight radius, chambering, ergonomics, end use, as well as user skill level play a roll in one's choice. What may be ideal to carry in combat may not be the ideal choice to carry while camping next to a salmon stream amongst big bears. What may be ideal to carry while walking the beach in shorts and a light shirt may not be the ideal choice to carry in the big city during a time of mass unrest. There are times that I find a small 5-shot revolver ideal, and there are times I find a semi-auto ideal. I like them both.

Best

A buddy of mine who works in a ER that gets lots of gunshot victims told me they patch-up people shot with 38s, 9s, and 22s and send them out the door within a day often times. 45s not so much and with 44mags the only thing left is the dieing. lol He also said he never seen one make it from a rifle wound. I still say though the best weapon to carry is one that you will carry. My 1911 45 is on the nightstand... but my 380 auto is with me everywhere.

Well, since I started the thread, what I had in mind was generally, all that you mentioned excluding big bears. More like social problems, home invasions, car jackings, shooting skunks on the ranch, coyotes while pheasant hunting, mountain lions while bowhunting.

I want to "standardize" the arsenal so to speak, as there are currently too many different people, chamberings, and platforms in the house to make anybody but me know what is going on. I figure that in any of the above scenarios, all of which involve adrenalin, picking and choosing through a number of weapons and making sure one had picked out the right ammo is not a wise idea.

Currently, everybody in the house understands 38/357 revolvers, but I'm under the impression that they are not necessarily the best weapon for actual carry and use. I would prefer a 45 myself, but wonder what I am giving up in number of rounds in the magazine. Maybe 9mm would be a better standard chambering and manual of arms for everyone here?

I once had a man "high" on something lurking around the house so I called the police and opened the safe going for a firearm. Was completely stopped while deciding which pistol/revolver to use. By the time I decided and found ammunition the world could have ended.
Sometimes to many choices isn't a good thing!

Dakota Deer, not knowing how many people or their ages (none of our business) you have to decide or hypostatize the best compromise. ONE leaves no opportunity for confusion.

What I would choose for my household is very likely different than what your hosehold would be happy with.

A 357 is too much for my wife. I don't choose 38 sp. I prefer 9mm but 45 auto is tamer IMO, yet deadly.

Good Luck in your pursuit.

JWALL
__________________

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

Nothing wrong with today's 9mm loads, and a Gen 3 Glock 17 or 19 would be just the ticket IMO. Being a .45acp fan myself, I can't very well discourage you from wanting one. For a .45acp platform your whole family could learn to shoot, and one that you could also shoot lead reloads in, I'd suggest consider the M&P45------either the mid or full-size.

I do have to admit, I was thinking about this thread last night, as I cleaned & stowed the .45 in its spot, then added another magazine next to it, so there's 17 rounds handy. I reckon a flashlight should go there, too.

The Browning Hi-Power will go out soon for some mild customization, so there's an opportunity to increase round count, and the BHP can certainly use +P or +P+ 9mm.

I also hear Sig has single action autos now, including one 9mm standard with a 19 rounder. I still prefer 1911's, but at least there are other semi autos out there with the same mode of operation. I don't plan on being that dude in the other thread who carries four different pistols - two 1911's, a Glock, and a revo - and has to stop in an emergency and try to remember how to use the gun in hand!

I lived and hunted in Alaska for six years, and had an encounter or two with big bears.

Even so, in my 52 years, the bad people encounters out number the bad encounters with bears maybe 200 to one. And, the bears were not armed, so distance was sufficient to keep the fight from happening.

I'm a big believer in the Clint Smith-ism that every fight is a rifle fight. Some people bring fists, some knives, some sticks or stones, some bring handguns. But the man who brings a rifle can stand off and prosecute the fight from out of range of the other devices.

I at least bring a knife and a handgun to most fights, because that's who I am. I like to bring enough ammo to win decisively in a likely encounter (three of them, one of me). that's why I like Glocks and the 357 sig. Easy to control, hits hard, feeds slick as snot.

If I really thought there was going to be a gunfight, I'd probably be elsewhere, way out of handgun range, way out of rifle range, calling in air power.

'cause that's a fair fight in the Walter world.

Glock 29 10mm with 10+1 of Doubletap 135gr

Taurus Total Titanium .38 (J-Frame) with Alternating 110gr DPX and FBI Load.

I carry both, depending on clothes. I feel better with the Glock when going into "Higher Probability" situations (like the Ghetto).

So, ummm.....

Is the 1911A1, .45ACP ever a wrong answer?

Oh, wait... sorry, rhetorical question.

Damn. Words fail me.

From Gunsite Gossip:
"And what, pray, does one need all those rounds for? How many lethal antagonists do you think you are going to be able to handle? Once when Bruce Nelson was asked by a suspect if the thirteen-round magazine in the P35 was not a big advantage, Bruce's answer was, "Well, yes, if you plan to miss a lot." The highest score I know of at this time achieved by one man against a group of armed adversaries was recorded in (of all places) the Ivory Coast! There, some years ago, a graduate student of mine laid out five goblins, with four dead and one totaled for the hospital. Of course there is the episode of Alvin York and his eight, but there is some dispute about that tale. (If you read it over very carefully you will see what I mean.) Be that as it may, I see no real need for a double column magazine. It is all the rage, of course, and like dual air bags, it is a popular current sales gimmick."

So the Col. didn't carry an extra magazine?

Fair fight is a childish notion anyway. Win first and if you have nothing better to do, you can decide what was fair later.

Almost never more than one, and then only to "top off" his piece to keep it fully loaded while cleaning up the resultant mess. If you've seen the video that they showed at his memorial service, Bruce Nelson's widow (Sandra Froman) relates an incident where someone wanted to see Cooper's carry gun. He was sitting at a desk--reached in a drawer, took out a 1911 and loaded it--THEN--unholstered his carry 1911, unloaded it and handed it to the individual. Never wanted to be w/o a loaded piece.

BTW, I wasn't stating any opinion---just throwing the word of one well recognized in the mix. I've got nothing against high capacity autoloaders--not using a revolver because you didn't see one in Afganistan seems alittle beyond the pale to my dim witted thinking however.

The longer this thread goes and the more "what ifs" are thrown in the pot, the more it's starting to resemble that episode of "Shooting Gallery" where Bane and someone spent the whole show shooting zombies.

So, how many times did you see the Col with a revolver? Or, on a day to day basis, how many Gunsite instructors are carrying a revolver? That would be zero. Also, ask those folks what they have as a truck gun. They have a lot of glocks in their vehicles. I asked.

The question was asked in a manner that suggests a combat application, that is, fighting other people and fighting to win.

That equals a semi auto. You can win with a revolver, but then you can haul soil in your sports car.

What can be done and what should be done are often different, in my limited experience.

"I never ever saw a Soldier or Marine with a revolver in Iraq."

Since neither the U.S. Army or USMC issue revolvers, any revolver in the hands of a Soldier or Marine in Iraq would have to be a POW, Privately Owned Weapon, and that would be either illegal or against regulations.

JEff