Are Revolvers A Liability?

Estimated reading time: 6 minutes

Revolvers are not a liability. Revolvers have been and always will be an excellent option for concealed carry. I know what you are thinking, so I’ll caveat my statement by saying that a revolver is on a fixed budget for ammo capacity. Especially compared to some 9mm semi-automatic handguns that gorge on extended-capacity magazines. Being on a fixed budget or a fixed number of rounds is not necessarily bad. It’s good to be frugal with money and ammo. Make every shot count, right?

Rounds Count In Self Defense

Depending on the data you look at the average gunfight happens from 3 to 10 yards away with 3 to 6 rounds fired in a matter of seconds. With a 5-, 6- or 7-shot revolver, you have the ammo to get the job done. Certain malls and big box stores have 40 to 100-yard-long aisles. That distance is best suited for rifles and it makes sense to maneuver away from the threat because your errant shot might not just puncture a couple bottles of Tide laundry detergent. You could accidentally hit bystanders. A revolver or semi-auto pistol is not a distance weapon.

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Compact Revolvers Are Easy To Conceal

Let’s face it. We all like to do things the easy way. Large full-size semi-automatics can be large and heavy. There may be days when we decide not to rig up and instead go without our concealed carry gun. Carrying a lightweight snub nose revolver can be the way to go. Snub nose revolvers typically have a 2-inch or short barrel.

With a small snub nose it doesn’t matter what type of clothing you are wearing–shorts and t-shirt in the heat of summer or heavy coats in the winter–a compact revolver can be dropped in a pocket easily if you are being lazy. Of course, even the smallest compact revolver will print in your back pocket, just like your cell phone, if you are wearing your skinny jeans.

Medium and large-frame revolvers with longer barrels require a holster. I carry larger format revolvers for defense in areas where there are no sidewalks, ATMs, or coffee shops on every block. Large revolvers in serious calibers, like the Ruger Redhawk, are good medicine against bears and other predators that don’t realize we humans are the apex predators.

Easier To Use

Draw, aim, squeeze, repeat. That is how easy it is to use a revolver. Revolvers have no parts to lose like a magazine dropping on the floor or in the snow or grass. There are no manual safeties to think about on the draw. There are no de-cockers, magazine release buttons, or slide stops to think about. The controls on a revolver are simple, just a trigger and cylinder latch.

Hammerless Revolvers Are Snag Free

Hammerless revolvers are typically Double Action Only (DAO). A press of the trigger fires the gun, you can’t thumb back the hammer and fire it single action. The hammer is enclosed inside the revolver’s frame on hammerless revolver designs like the Ruger LCR, Smith & Wesson Models 442 and 642 guns, Kimber K6, and Charter Arms Off Duty series. Taurus bobs the hammer spur on the Model 856 and Ruger does the same as some of the SP101 models.

The lack of a hammer spur makes it easy to draw from cover. You can also easily fire a hammerless revolver from inside a jacket or coat pocket without the worry of the revolver hammer jamming up inside the pocket.

Drawing revolvers with exposed hammers from concealed cover can be tricky. You can place your thumb on the back edge of the hammer spur while you draw, and the movement is slick and fast. The hammer spur can act like a fish hook if you are not careful.

Revolvers Are Chambered In Powerful Calibers

Small compact revolvers can chambered in calibers that are mousey like the 22 Magnum rimfire and range up to wrist cracking calibers like 357 Magnum. Some are also chambered in semi-auto calibers like 380 Auto and 9mm, which can make them convenient since they can share ammo as your semi-automatic pistols.

READ MORE: Complete Guide (More Or Less) to AR-15 Magazines

Revolver calibers like 41 Magnum, 44 Magnum, 45 Long Colt, 460 S&W Magnum and 500 S&W Magnum are best left for Hollywood or hunting applications. Powerful calibers like these are found in larger revolvers and can easily over penetrate and cause collateral damage. Of course they also make good trail guns in the deep woods.

Perhaps the most perfect compact revolver caliber is the 357 Magnum since it is so versatile. You can shoot 38 Special through a 357 Magnum revolver so you train with low recoiling ammo and then load up with 357 Magnum rounds for everyday carry.

Revolvers Are Better in Close Up Gunfights

If a bad actor in on you, you can jam the barrel of a revolver against his body and fire. With a semi-automatic, extreme close quarters can cause the slide to go out of battery and not fire.

Good For Conceal Carry

Revolver makes an excellent conceal carry weapon and like any EDC weapon it requires training to be effective and proficient. There are reason why revolvers have been around this long.

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