I think @John1507 raises a good point about shooting to the number of rounds you have available. We’ve all seen the videos of the police dumping whole magazines into a car or at a bad guy without even noticing if the threat had stopped or not. On the other hand, the idea of stopping a committed group of thugs with only 5 or 6 shots on board IS concerning. Usually, it seems from the defensive shooting stories I read, that when the first thug gets shot, the others run for their lives.
FWIW, here’s my thought on the whole revolver/pistol debate.
I’m glad we have such good options.
I carry a small revolver nearly every single day. I’ve done so for about 3 years now. Before that I never carried a gun for self defense, but have been a nearly lifelong shooter. When I chose my first SD EDC, I went revolver for two main reasons.
I’d had enough times over many years of rifle shooting where I got my sights just right, perfect breath control, and pressed the trigger to nothing. Either I’d forgotten to chamber a cartridge, left the safety on, or the rifle had a jam. It didn’t matter, I was just target shooting. However, I didn’t want to have to worry about any of those things as a new SD carrier. I wanted my focus to be completely on the mental changes that go with carrying a deadly SD weapon, not if my weapon would be ready to go when I needed it.
I also knew I’d carry daily at work, in an office setting, with business dress clothes. This really limited my options to small guns. I didn’t find any tiny 380 type autos that made me comfortable, but the J Frame could disappear in a pocket holster, and I knew with +P, had strong enough ammo to do the job, and I’d get “five for sure.”
After a couple years of daily carry, lots of training and getting completely into the mindset of the lifestyle, I added a pistol to my carry options, depending on dress and where I’m going. I trained a ton with the pistol before adding it, and got so used to it that I know it will work when I need it, so I knew I was ready to start using it. The main reason I would pick it over the revolver is because of the capacity. It’s comforting.
The first time I left the house with only the pistol, and my trusty little revolver in the safe at home, felt really odd. I usually keep the revolver in my pocket as a BUG, even when I have the pistol.
Like I said earlier in the thread, I’m now looking to get a larger revolver as a woods gun. There are places where a revolver just shines, and that’s one of them.
Different tools for different applications and needs, and that’s why, hopefully, we’ll continue having so many great options in both semiauto and revolvers. The revolver selection today is fantastic, and we’re all better off for it.
