I had that happen in the middle of a stage at the CT state IDPA match. My fault on the bad reload. Sure did suck for my time...
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9mm vs. .38 in revolvers
- Thread starter Point&Shoot
- Start date
@appraiser beat me to it.
But, if you maintain trigger discipline, it will only be deliberate. And, in S/A, you are less likely to go off target (if you practice) and hit an unintended target.
Revo's are not infallible. Used a friend's reloads in IPSC. I was using a S&W 625, and it was binding. He commented after that the primers were a little high. He didn't have an issue since he was using a 1911, and the slide/firing pin seated them. The one I bought used finally needed a good cleaning. The cylinder stop was not quite stopping the cylinder from rotating.
That's where the single-action feature comes in. That's why I can make hits on a small target at 75ft (25yds).
I have a collection of small 9mm guns, and I shoot them all well. But I find myself carrying a 642 more and more frequently. In the appendix position, it’s simply the most comfortable handgun I’ve ever carried - she’s ALL curves. At typical 20 foot self defense I can put all 5 shots on target as quickly as any of my semis. If I take my time, I can put 4 of 5 shots into the A zone at 50 yards offhand.
Statics say that the average self defense shooting is 3 rounds or less, so I don’t feel undergunned in the suburbs of central MA.
Plus a snubby has that old school grandpa carried one cool vibe.
Statics say that the average self defense shooting is 3 rounds or less, so I don’t feel undergunned in the suburbs of central MA.
Plus a snubby has that old school grandpa carried one cool vibe.
the ballistics of .380 have improved, just as its cousin 9mm has over the last 20 years.
But there was a time where people thought that in colder climates, heavy jackets, additional clothing layers, etc would stop .380 from penetrating to organ depth
But in warmer climates such as FL and AZ, .380 has always been popular
my first gun was a $49 Raven .25, and as Massad Ayoob wrote in his book " In The Gravest Extreme" a .25 is a nice thing to have when you don't have a gun.
When I worked for a certain MA agency in Roxbury and was not allowed to carry a gun, I normally had that Raven in my pocket.
Before they were deemed an AOW, there were holsters for those pot metal POS semi automatics that looked like a wallet and the gun went into it, with a hole for the trigger.. you'd carry it in your back pocket. a "one and done" shot as the slide would not cycle
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The shot was deliberate, but the DA claimed that, due to the light SA pull, that it was accidental and thus manslaughter. The defendant was convicted. There have also been cases when DAs have claimed that the action of cocking the hammer showed intent. What is the likelihood of such arguments having effect? Probably unlikely, but there was a reason a number of police agencies went with DAO guns back in the ‘90s.
Back when I was competing with a revolver, I was just as accurate with DA than with SA, and I didn’t waste 1/2 a second cocking the hammer.
tinhorn
NES Member
That's just wrong. What an idiot.
Was in a lane next to a couple women. Their pistol was laying on the counter and some guy from the store was tinkering with it. One lady told me that her friend had just purchased it, and it was their first time at the range. Just fricking sad. Meanwhile, my wife was having a great time blasting the center out of her target with her single action Bearcat, with nary a glitch.
Yup, I had a single action Ruger choke on me once, too. The cylinder pin has a little spring-loaded tit in the end. The little tit fell out, so the gun choked. I still think there is less to go wrong in a revolver than a semiauto.
Semiautos feed failures happen more frequently.
gerrycaruso
NES Member
If the choice is between 38 and 9mm, I'd go with 9mm. You can probably have a 38 modified to use moon clips but it will be more expensive and slower than a 9mm with moon clips. Being more or less the same diameter, I don't see how you can get an extra round of 9mm in the same size gun. I prefer revolvers that are capable of both single and double action operation. I like revolvers a lot but carry an auto. It conceals better, carries more rounds and reloads are flatter and faster. Some people like Jerry Miculek can reload a revolver very quickly, but most can't.
I competed with .38 Spcl round nose in JetLoader push to release speed loaders. I did thousands of dry reloads in my basement using dummy rounds. Clearly I’m no Jerry Miculek but I was pretty decent. But my reload times with a revolver were still at least a second longer than my reload times with a semiautomatic.
I suspect most people who carry a revolver don’t spend hours practicing their reloads.
fencer
NES Member
Lank
NES Member
I know, most of John Q Public does notice prints
Dcdr
NES Member
One situation where carrying a revolver is tactically a better choice is if you’re in a hand to hand / grappling fight. You can fire from inside a pocket or with the muzzle pressed against your attacker.
For most real world civilian self defense scenarios the revolver is more than adequate, and may be the ideal weapon in a close quarters scuffle
fencer
NES Member
That my friend, is an opinion.
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I will disagree on this. The LCR is a fine revolver, but like everything there are pros and cons. For most purposes, I consider the LCR and the J-frame to be pretty equivalent, and most people will be well served by either.
But many people prefer the LCR because the trigger pull is better. And while it is generally true that the LCR has a slightly smoother, and lighter trigger pull, this is not the whole story about triggers. When you begin to run double action revolvers faster, the trigger return becomes just as important as the pull. Jerry Miculek has written about this point, and the trigger return is why he exclusively runs S&W revolvers in competition.
The rebound slide mechanism that returns the trigger in an S&W revolver gives a very definitive return. You cannot move your finger forward fast enough to outrun the trigger. So as fast as you can let your finger forward, the trigger will reset and be ready for the next shot.
I am not super fast with a double action revolver. But I have shot them a lot, and I do shoot them quickly and seriously. I find that the trigger return feels sluggish on a Ruger or a Colt, so my personal guns need to be Smith & Wessons.
In an effort to consolidate calibers, I sold off my 642s and purchased a 940.
It is occasionally carried as a BUG, and even less occasionally as a primary.
(I still go back and forth on a G26 vs a J Frame as an ankle/BUG. )
richc
NES Member
Some years back I saw a Smith & Wesson 547 for sale. New in Box.
I still have it NIB in the safe. There were only 10,000 made and I can't imagine there's too many left that have never been shot.
I still have it NIB in the safe. There were only 10,000 made and I can't imagine there's too many left that have never been shot.
LCR is very good. Night and day better than the shit tier SP101 that should have been discontinued.
Well, that's a waste...
I doubt anyone outside of professional competition shooters will see a difference in their results with a faster trigger return spring, especially when we're focusing on self defense.
