without being dependent on someone to fill the magazines for me and cycle the first round into an empty chamber.
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What you're saying makes perfect sense and you have to go with what seems best to you, but I wouldn't neglect the potential of having a ready semiauto in addition to a revolver, if someone is handy to load up a bunch of mags for you and load the gun up. There doesn't have to be just one solution to a problem.
