November 29, 2005, 10:13 AM | #1 |
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Revolver Or Pistol
This topic is a take off of one on the shotgun section.
If a person was to have an arm or hand injured during a confrontation, would he be better off with a revolver or a semi auto? Assume that the person will have to operate and shoot one handed. Which would you prefer in such a scenario? |
November 29, 2005, 11:08 AM | #2 |
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I would rather have a revolver because you wouldn't have to rack the slide one-handed. You might be able to do it if you practied though.
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November 29, 2005, 11:16 AM | #3 |
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I can't think of a way to clear a jam in an auto with one hand... I could re-load and I might be able to release the slide to chamber the next round... But how would you clear a jam?
I'd rather have a wheelgun in that situation. |
November 29, 2005, 11:32 AM | #4 |
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You can usually clear a malfunction by snagging the rear sight on a belt, shoe or other item. Clearly not a task done quickly.
If you are planning on having a malfunction, a revolver is definately the way to go. When it comes to reloading one handed, I think I will take my chance with a semi-auto.
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November 29, 2005, 12:06 PM | #5 |
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Always a semi-auto pistol, I can't imagine ever wanting to pick up a revolver!
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November 29, 2005, 12:07 PM | #6 |
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Yeah the instuctor in my CHP class showed us how to clear it on your shoe if you can get on one knee. I've practiced dropping to one knee and clearing it many times. I'll have to try it on my belt.
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November 29, 2005, 12:36 PM | #7 |
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I prefure the auto. If the fight goes till the revolver is dry and you need to reload your spare ammo carrier and haveing the cylinder open becomes an issue. sure you can swing open the cylinder and rub the ejector down your leg to get the empties out but you have to tuck the gun in your belt with the cylinder open to reload it.
Being able to do this under fire will be a good trick and speed loaders will be hard to line up with cylinder in this position. Single rounds will be fumbled and will take a long time to load into gun If you try to reload with your bloody hand then you are filling the action with crap and you may not get the cylinder closed. Autos with an American mag release, as long as you can get to the spare magazine with your good hand you should be able to hold the gun somewhere (between your legs, in your holster, under your other arm ect) to have the butt accesible to charge the gun. I hook the rear site on my belt and push straight down to rack the slide (keep your finger off the trigger ) 25 |
November 29, 2005, 09:36 PM | #8 |
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For the average citizen, if the fight goes beyond emptying a revolver, you're probably in deeper than you can get out of in the first place.
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November 29, 2005, 09:40 PM | #9 |
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But these are global citizens of the Internet, Boss, they're under siege by legions of terrorist zombies 'round every corner!
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November 29, 2005, 10:24 PM | #10 |
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But these are global citizens of the Internet, Boss, they're under siege by legions of terrorist zombies 'round every corner!
No not under siege but a free man that can walk the planet and have confidence that under most conditions I can defend myself. That confidence has led to a great life for me as I come and go without fear that I can't handle what may come. Yep I may get killed but it will be as a free man and not someone so inadaquate they fear to tread on what land God has given them. I am not a warrior or a wannabe I am just a proud American and happy I have the freedom to bear arms. 25 |
November 29, 2005, 11:13 PM | #11 |
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Now, myself, I have never ever seen a zombie in my life.....
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November 29, 2005, 11:29 PM | #12 | |
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Quote:
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November 29, 2005, 11:58 PM | #13 |
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Wheelgun. I can fire it from any position and from odd positions of cover. Also, if you could in this situation...get away as quickly as possible with cover.
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November 30, 2005, 12:06 AM | #14 |
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Many of us feel this way even when unarmed. A .45 will not take the place of a set of cojones ...
I better let you go you have suffered enough embarassment. 25 Last edited by model 25; November 30, 2005 at 12:45 AM. |
November 30, 2005, 04:03 AM | #15 |
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It is not difficult to reload or to clear a semi-auto jam one handed. Even taking care of a double-feed isn't hard once you know how to do it.
If you don't know how to do it, get yourself to a good class to learn. It's quite dangerous to try if you don't know what you're doing. Oh, original question? You're best off with whichever weapon you're most familiar with, but have to add that if you're going to be working one handed, I think it's considerably better to have a gun that'll shoot more rounds before you have to do a reload. pax |
November 30, 2005, 10:58 AM | #16 |
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I can only say that the weapons I actually keep loaded in-house for home-defense (with the exception of a shotgun) are all revolvers with speedloaders as backup. A revolver, as I see it, has several distinct advantages in that particular scenerio. First, virtually absolute reliability; second, no safeties or slide racking to worry about when your head might not be entirely clear; and third, no springs under constant compression for a weapon that may remain loaded and untouched for months at a time.
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November 30, 2005, 07:29 PM | #17 |
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Ehh, there British Soldier, . . . gotta remember that them revolvers are just great for turning around and nailing up wanted posters, . . . and in a pinch, you can use that .45 Colt to re-set the nails in a loose horse shoe.
Beyond that, . . . make mine 1911 in .45 ACP flavor, 8 in the mag, one in the tube, 2 spare 8 rd mags on the belt or in the pocket, . . . cocked & locked. My 1911 is every bit as reliable as any wheel gun (more reliable than some I know of) and anyone who starts out with the "racking the slide", or "compressed springs" arguments, . . . need to take some simple classes in firearms. Yes, . . . most people who don't care about their abilities, . . . will be better off with a revolver. But for those who are willing to take some time to become more familiar with their firearm, . . . do a little practice, . . . spend some time on the range, . . . maybe do a little IDPA shooting, . . . the auto is by far the superior handgun. Reloading a wheelgun with one hand is a no win situation, . . . with a 1911, it is a snap: thumb drops out empty mag, . . . place new mag between knees, between feet, in the front edge of a shallow drawer, wherever, . . . and get the grip over top of it. Slide the hand down so it is holding the mag and the grip, push down on any hard surface, . . . re-grip the weapon and punch the slide release, . . . voila, . . . reloaded. The beauty of the auto is it also allows you to do a tactical reload if you get the opportunity to do so. Wheelguns do have their place, . . . but with the advances made by HK, Glock, Springfield, Sig, and a host of others, . . . wheelguns' real place may just be up on the mantle, in the hunting arena, in CAS and SASS, and in the history books. May God bless, Dwight
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November 30, 2005, 08:34 PM | #18 |
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Clearing is easy with one hand just need to practice...
I would go for the automatic in this day and age of many rounds and multiple magazines. No contest.
Clearing/reloading is something they teach today. Both right and left hand shooting is now in the order of training. Has been for quite a while. Some of the Depts have so many different pistols they are having problems that are worse than just the shooting of them. Quite time consuming and not something I think should be done. One gun and one gun only is my thought. Go for the 40 S&W cal. In a good gun and stick with it. Smith or Sig would be my choice for LEO's. One or the other and I would go for the full size and the compact for off duty or not. 90% of the time most inner city guys and girls pack more than one gun when on duty, plus knives and other trick things. I like my Glocks, but I would pick something else for LEO work. I would also make sure the people learn how to fire it without pressing the Mag disconnect. I would go back to the opposite hand protecting the bottom of the Mag. Some styles don't cover that important item. MHO... edit: There is an article in the new AR Mag about a 45 1911a1 sitting for 50 years with the gunloaded and magazine full. Fired flawlessly... Good article. Harley |
November 30, 2005, 08:57 PM | #19 |
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Revolver or automatic? doesn't really matter as long as you carry it in 22 LR. It's the only way to be sure. I got this from an expert so don't yell at me
25 |
December 2, 2005, 06:40 PM | #20 |
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wheelgun is the proper choice for me
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December 2, 2005, 10:09 PM | #21 | ||
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darn, I am hopeless then
Quote:
And now on to substance.... Quote:
THIS is going to take some rethinking, at least for concealed carry. At home, at the range, in the woods....different story, but the CCW???? Thanks for the food for thought. Springmom
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December 3, 2005, 09:12 AM | #22 |
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For close in combat, like arms length, the snubnose revolver all the way. If I'm farther than that, I'm running away. And if I'm not, I'm shooting, then running away!
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December 3, 2005, 10:43 AM | #23 | |
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Don't panic yet. Get someone who knows how to do it safely to show you how to rack the slide one-handed. You might find that it is physically easier for you to manage than doing it the normal way. pax |
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December 4, 2005, 11:40 AM | #24 |
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Both have advantages and disadvantages.
Autoloaders typically have greater capacity, and since 1 handed reloading is going to be a time consuming ordeal either way, that extra capacity could be a lifesaver. But, if you are weakening due to blood loss, and/or if you are having to use your weak side hand that most people just don't practice as much with, you may end up limp wristing. And if you manage to limp wrist yourself into a failure, clearing that failure will be another time consuming ordeal. Also, if you are having to shoot left handed and have a pistol that does not have ambidextrous controls, you are potentially faced with fumbling with those controls in a less than optimum manner. Revolvers don't have the capacity of most autoloaders, therefore they will face the need for reloading sooner, and reloading speed will be compromised -- and most shooters (like myself), can't reload a revolver as fast as an autoloader even under the best conditions, even using speedloaders. OTOH, they are just not prone to limp wrist failures, or feeding failures at all, hence the need to clear them under adverse conditions like that is just not going to happen. And since revolvers have only 1 "control" to worry about in the first place and that one is only used when reloading, there is less fumbling around. In summary, while you will have fewer shots available with a revolver, there is a higher probability that you will be able to use those shots effectively when using a revolver. Reloading speed will be severely compromised either way. With that in mind, and realizing that I'm talking about "typical" SD situations facing 1 or 2 BG's, not one of those "Zombie Army" fantasies, I'll opt for a wheelgun.
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December 4, 2005, 12:52 PM | #25 |
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I'll take my auto. I practice reloading one handed, as well as shooting off hand. As far as racking the slide, I do that before I leave home. It locks open for reload, However I usually don't carry spare mags anyway. If 14 rounds isn't enough I will use them to get me to cover or distance to run away. As far as jamming, The chance of needing my pistol is slim to none, and the chance of it jamming at that one in a million time is about zero. I carry to be prepared, but I am not going to worry about it that much.
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