This has been an interesting thread, however, I have read very few responses addressing the needs of those in rural/ wilderness interface areas.
For those who proclaim revolvers are dead, try stopping a rabid critter. With the possible exceptions of the 45 ACP, or the 10mm-depending on the ammunition, autoloader cartridges are at best inadequate.
Park Service Protection Rangers relatively recently gave up their 357's for the 40 S&W, and when called upon to deal with tooth, fang, and claw they tend to use boatloads of ammo, where that was not the case when they carried GP100's loaded with 158 JSPs.
I don't know about anyone else, but I am less than comforted knowing that so many are prepared to simply fill the air with as much hot lead as possible.
For my purposes the revolver is not only very much alive, but very much preferred over urban choices. To the horror of many here, I will also admit that not only is the revolver king, the single action revolver continues in a prominent role. I have stood face to face with human threats who packed their hicap plastic fantastics, and who backed down before facing my thumbuster.
In the realm where one must concentrate on 4 legged AND two legged threats, the luxury of specialization in defensive arm evaporates. It won't matter if you have 15, 17, or 20 rounds, if your rounds are ineffective. In fact, if you attempt to use the specialized urban weapons in a rural critter encounter, you probably won't have the time to expend those 15+ rounds before you are transformed into lunch.
Rural defense often requires a big flash boom to be effective for reasons that urbanites rarely, if ever face. If you need to break up a dog fight, before it gets to the point of shredding area humans, a 357 fired into the dirt does wonders.
Rural guns are called upon for many situations that urban guns will never face, for extreme conditions of weather, where they have faced a baking by the sun, been blasted by dust, then full submergence in water, all on the same day, and still were called upon to work.
The simple mechanism of the single action lends itself quite well to this environment, and despite what just about everyone says, is easy to operate under stress, when exhausted, dirty, tired, or just pissed off.
Autoloaders, especially the newer designs, rarely fare well under these conditions.
Some things, however, are the same as urban encounters. For one, its always preferable to reach for a rifle, and for two, its always best to step aside, and let Daddy Bear have his space.
