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.
I agree with you the revolver has its place in defense, and I agree that the power a revolver can bring to bear makes it a great choice for rural situations, I have to disagree a little bit with your statement above.
There are autoloaders which are more subject to problems when weather is involved (rust) or debris is common (sand), the majority of autoloaders provide great service and durability in some wicked conditions. Combat issue and LEO issue getting daily carry and use in some extremes have proven their usefulness. Additional power can be found in some modern loadings and autoloader designs. So, the autoloader is not a "poor" choice any more than a revolver is a "poor" choice. It can depend greatly on the need and application.
I would consider someone as well versed in the use of the single action as you a very well defended person against any situation, any handgun (auto or revolver) totin' criminal or vermin. Mindset, training and experience would be the biggest factors in obtaining a positive outcome!
