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I thought about a hammerless but I want to be able to target shoot with it as well and I'd prefer to do that in single action mode.
I personally agree with you, but my wife is not comfortable with the "ease" of a single action shot anyway. I suspect with more trigger time she would get used to it, but neither of us actually get out and shoot as much as we would like. I think it would be a very easy transition for her from the 60 to the 642. The 642 is dirt cheap, too. I found one on Bud's last night after reading this thread for $381.
The purchase or ownership of a firearm for concealed carry purposes is a very personal decision, trying to qualify any pros or cons about that decision seeks to make that decision a matter of following some decision tree to come up with the right one.
It doesn't work that way.
That is like asking why women and men marry the person they did and then trying to qualify some decision making process that can be used by them to select someone else.
It makes about as much sense.
It does work that way for a lot of new shooters, though. I had a co-worker go through a similar process for his first gun, where he weighed the pros and cons and had a small CBA for each one. It took him weeks to finally "pull the trigger" on a make and model. I have another co-worker who seems to be doing the same thing now. I think "business-minded" people who are new to private ownership or conceal carry options probably do employ a deliberate "flow-chart" approach to considering their options whereas most of us who have a more established history of gun ownership already have a solid base of knowledge on our options and a manufacturers product line.
Don't forget that there is an emotional aspect of decision making process as well. Although I have many semi autos, I still have a strong preference for a good double-action revolver. There is just something about the look of a revolver that stirs an emotion inside.
I carry a j-frame S&W 638, it has a shrouded hammer so I can fire double action most of time but can fire single action when I need to.
First, these are just my own personal opinions, so I'm not downing anyone who thinks about it differently. In other words, you don't have to agree, that's ok.......but I just don't understand why so many choose a semi-auto to carry over a compact revolver? I submit that a semi-auto does have some advantages over a revolver, but semi-auto's don't give you any advantage where it counts.....
Point #1 To Consider:
Yeah, semi-auto's are compact, thinner, lighter, and easier to carry, they often hold a few more rounds, they are stylish and just downright cool! But, in a real self defense application, I see NO advantage whatsoever to a semi-auto. First, you probably aren't going to need more rounds then what a revolver can carry in your average self defense scenerio. I strongly disagree. Having done CQB type training with simunitions, I can tell you from my experience that everyone from the Rangers to the civilians I trained with ran dry, and were wishing for more (Our simguns were loaded with 10 rounds. The training was for the brain, not to turn into a slugfest). It's not as if you're going to be in a gun fight, and if you are cornered by more than one or two thugs with their own guns, you probably aren't going to make it out alive anyway, even if you had 100 rounds at your disposal. Actually, yes, it's very possible to gain the upper hand against 2 untrained adversaries. You have the wrong mindset and you're wired for losing. Not everyone is. Also, how do you know you won't be in a gunfight? You don't. You carry a firearm because of things you don't plan on happening.
Point #2 To Consider
Secondly, semi-auto's are less reliable. Yeah, the differences are minimal, but they are there. There is no such thing 100% reliable ammunition. Even though the fail rate is almost nill on centerfire rounds, it still exists and as long as it exists, it counts. You pull the trigger to a semi-auto and nothing happens, you better hope you have the ability to be able to rack the slide and chamber anoither round. In a high stress situation, this may prove more difficult than you think. Again back to the CQB training. Simguns jam...a LOT! This is why you train. You pull the trigger to a revolver and nothing happens? Simple.... you just pull the trigger again and it goes BOOM! Maybe. Maybe not. Revolvers are much more fragile. They the propensity to jam, as well. Any kind of obstruction or build-up or junk on the face of the cylinder will side-line it. Similarly, a strong impact/drop to concrete/etc. can bend the lock-work/pawl and cause issues. Revolvers are less robust than semi-auto firearms.
Point #3 To Consider
Third, with a semi-auto you have to worry about jams, FTC's, and FTE's.... Again, you better hope you have the ability to clear any malfunction that might occur. None of these problems exist with a revolver. Not the same mode of failure, but failures just the same, a plenty! It doesn't need to eject a shell casing in order to put another round in the chamber. Yes, a revolver might jam or fail to cycle the cylinder, but if that happens, it's going to be an internal problem rather than a user error caused by limp-wristing or defective ammo and I feel more comfortable with my odds with a revolver. That's your opinion. Also, IF you limp-wrist a pistol, just rack the slide and rock on. What exactly do you plan to do if something jams the rotation of the cylinder on your revolver? What if something like the pawl is bent? SOL.
Point #4 To Consider
Fourth, if you find yourself in a situation where you have to use your firearm for self defense, there's a good chance that you've been knocked to the ground and have a thug on top of you. Remember what I said about the revolver's fragile nature, in comparison...? If you pull that semi-auto, and the thug is able to grab that slide and push it back { otherwise known as "knocked out of battery"} you're not going to be able to fire and you're gonna be in trouble..... Yes, it's true that revolvers aren't completely immune to this. A thug could grab hold of the cylinder and keep it from rotating, but that's a lot harder tio do and be successful at. This is why you need to use the weapon as a tool and not a talisman. Train your combat chassis as well. Hit the gym. Get involved in a full-contact martial art. Learn how to deal with a solid punch to the face and keep on keeping on. Too many people view "the gun" as a talisman. What if a mechanic felt this way about his socket-wrench? HAH! Not many return clients...
So, when I was considering what type of firearm to carry, I saw absolutely no advantages to carrying a semi-auto whatsoever over a revolver, at least none where it counted, and in fact, I saw more disadvantages with semi-auto's. So that leaves me with the question, why do so many people carry them? Do you carry? If so, please tell me why you carry the weapon you carry.
Making The Case For Compact Revolvers.....
Thanks for reading.
I carry a semi-auto because...
I want more chances than less to poke a hole in a vital organ.
I train enough that I can run my weapon effectively, including clearing these malfunctions you fear so much.
I lift, and used to fight full contact, and am not unable to go hands-on with someone.
I am not a quitter, and I am not wired to give up and die. If it's 2 on one, I'm going to do my best to go home that day. Most handgun wounds are NOT fatal, and you need to keep that in mind. You need to get over your "I'll just die anyway" mindset and start thinking "I'm not going to die if I have anything to say about it!" and leave it there.
"I" begins all of these statements because I am responsible. I am who gets the credit---or the blame---for my survival. I am the one who is going to go home at the end of the day, because I put in the time and effort and am willing to sack up and do more than the trash accosting me, and if the day comes that I am wrong, I will never know, and I can live with that, until I can't.
I urban CCW a .380 rather than a wheel gun because of the slimness. Ammo capacity is 6+1 and I usually don't carry extra mags. If I thought I needed a larger caliber/round capacity to go somewhere, I would not go there unless the women were really hot.
S&W airweights are nice and personally I'd go shrouded hammer vs hammerless. I'd only go shoulder rig (suit/coat) or ankle holster for revolver CCW.
If I was in the wilderness all the time, I'd carry a stainless medium frame .44 mag revolver with alternating ball/jacket hollow point rounds and a few speed strips. Flap cover hip holster.
First, these are just my own personal opinions, so I'm not downing anyone who thinks about it differently. In other words, you don't have to agree, that's ok.......
I feel the need to stress this point once again. Seems like a few are getting needlessly defensive. { of course maybe that's just my imagination }That's why I started the thresd..... so that people who think about it differently can tell me how and why, so that I might be better informed or gather info that may not have occurred to me on my own....
As others have said, there's no right or wrong......
PS
Thanks to Jordan for the link..... I'll be checking that out.
Last edited by WhipperSnapper 88; 06-30-2014 at 04:03 PM..
Modern ammo is very reliable. So why would it be any more a consideration for semi-auto than a revolver?
It would be more of a consideration for semi-auto's than a revolver because in a revolver, if the cartridge is defectrive and doesn't fire, you just pull the trigger again. In a semi-auto, if the bullet is defective, you're done 'fer, depending on the situation of course. Maybe you'll have the ability to rack the slide and chamber another round, maybe not.
Quote:
As for #4 - really? Lots of IFs in that point.
A criminal grabbing your slide, and knocking it out of battery sounds implausible to you?
Quote:
What about accuracy? I am much more accurate with a semi-auto and its lighter trigger.
Don't most self defense situations consist of point shooting at close ranges ?
If there have been cases where not even cops could stop the drug-addled or the disturbed with a semi-auto that has standard capacity magazines, what exactly makes you think your revolver is going to do much better? It's not JUST a "few" more rounds. Nowadays there are flush-fitting mags for CZs and Berettas that hold 18+1. Glocks hold 17+1 without extensions. FN .45ACP pistols contain 15rds of .45ACP.
).
My point was geared more toward snubbies vs. compact or sub-compact sem-auto's.... not the full size pistols... How many rounds does a compact sem-auto hold on average? 7, 8 rounds?
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