Although few revolvers for these short case calibers are manufactured today, a considerable number have been offered in the past. The first widely used and successfully semiautomatic. The advice from john howell in the bradenton herald. Personally, i prefer a singleaction semiautomatic pistol in a major caliber for self defense but that is just me. This article examines some of the advantages and disadvantages of revolvers, as well as practical advice on how to employ them for self defense. Almost everyone in the shooting world agrees that shot placement is a key aspect of selfdefense. I thought id get some opinions on the usefullness of the. Could a person carry or use a reproduction revolver for self defense. North american arms guardian along with mini revolvers, north american arms naa also produces a line of miniscule guardian autoloaders.
Many personaldefense professionals suggest that the 9 mm is the minimum caliber, while some will concede to using. This article is about the snubnosed revolver, one of the most popular weapons for serious self defense. They do it for a variety of reasons, the most common being that the guns are small, easy to carry and concealable. I reported the data i have, but i really dont believe that a. Its a sentiment thats expressed in different forms, but im talking about any variation. I was wondering how the 32 acp stacks up with some of the other popular self defense rounds. First, i think a larger k or lframe, gp100 revolver is a fine nightstand gun for most.
Certainly not the best for self defense but an absolute tack driving round out of that omega. The factory ammo that was available in these parts was all subsonic lead round nose. Like most of these myths, this one has a kernel of truth to it. Some of you are probably bullet continue reading wadcutters for self defense. Most concealable guns, regardless of caliber, do not cause involuntary surrender. According to the book stopping power, a practical analysis of the. They are used for concealed carry by those desiring a discrete selfdefense gun. The key to compact, lightweight selfdefense revolver designand an advantage over compact semiautosis that charter arms revolvers are comfortable to carry and will be with you if. The best handgun caliber for your concealed carry weapon. As someone whose primary concealed carry weapon is a 9mm fn fns9 compact pistol. Jan 01, 2017 so, is the revolver viable for selfdefense.
This is a fairly new round and is actually made by improving the existing. Its the gun guys who obsess over the type of gun you carry the most. There are lowpressure black powder and cowboy loads, moderate pressure and moderate velocity for a big bore revolver loadings that are perfectly suited for selfdefense. And regardless of what has been written and speculat. Service type handguns are excellent once the whistle blows, but they are big, heavy and usually impractical for daily concealed carry. Marksmanship matters single action revolvers for self defense.
Whenever a big star uses a weapon in a popular movie, it always increases sales and interest, so i want to point out that the rock uses a revolver in his new film hobbs and shaw, and not ju. How to use a revolver for selfdefense return of kings. Top 12 compact classics for ccw self defense that said, the new breed of. And that is the power floor set by both sets of researchers for a reliable selfdefense round36 caliber 1851 navy revolvers top are so marginal for selfdefense that the author recommends that you dont use them.
They were configured as general officers pistols gops with parkerized. This myth takes that to an extreme, declaring that shot placement is all that is needed. The little nagant was in service up until 2009 in some russian agencies. Nov 17, 2015 my choice for a gun for self defense is a nineshot. While i applaud any newspaper running an article supporting armed self defense, that advice is misguided. Im an engineer by schooling and like to base my decisions on statistics, facts, research, personal experience, and sometimes a sprinkling of intuition. But today, were going to fix that because when it comes to snub nose revolvers, nothing. If i had not found revolverguy, with special kudos to mike, i would be shooting ammo some person at the gun store told me was the latest and greatest and best sd ammo ever. I know that she is much better trained and more experienced than i am, and a much better. The gun you carry is really only a small part of an overall self defense plan. Author mike posted on october 12, 2019 january 8, 2020 categories ammunition, uncategorized tags. Jun 12, 2017 the gun itself is very lightweight, and it has the advantage of firing not only the. So, if we are going to depend on a cap and ball revolver to save our lives, it needs to hit with at least 200 ftlbs of energy. Personally, not a bad thing, especially for a new reader, so theyre not tasked with buying multiple books.
In terms of 21st century selfdefense handguns, the semiautomatic pistol rules, and with good reason. The third group who might select a sa revolver for self defense is comprised of those who have waited too long to acquire defensive firearms and can no longer obtain a semi auto pistol or double action revolver. Feb 19, 2019 all i can say is that the us army sure seemed to like it ever since it was part of the original military spec requirements from 1905, along with what eventually became the us pistol, model 1911. I carry a lot of different pistols for self defense. Defensive revolver fundamentals was written with a specific purpose in mind.
If you get a misfire in a revolver, just pull the trigger again to bring a good bullet under the firing pin. In defense of small pistols in fiction the writers guide to weapons. So those expecting a book thats 100% devoted to revolver only techniques and information, will find that it just becomes a traditional, albeit, well written self defense book at some point during the readers experience. Weigh the evidence and make a decision im a fairly pragmatic person.
Im not sure of this, i know the ruger single seven will. Apr 16, 2018 the gun you carry is really only a small part of an overall selfdefense plan. But the important thing to keep in mind is that the. How to choose the right handgun caliber for selfdefense. I really am not looking for throw out the 32 and get a 9 or 45 i am a fan of the 45 but there is a pretty good deal on a kel tec 32 that im thinking about. Mar 14, 2012 can you use a revolver for self defense. The simple fact is that people can and do choose the. I think there is merit to each side of this argument with some important caveats. I am close to a woman who has a custommade titanium semiauto handgun that cost more than my car, and shoots speciallymadeforher loads that she claims are as good or even slightly better than. And that is the power floor set by both sets of researchers for a reliable self defense round36 caliber 1851 navy revolvers top are so marginal for self defense that the author recommends that you dont use them. The 32 acp is an already small round and but with hollow point ammunition the round is capable of opening and spreading into a much larger overall bullet. Curiously our russian brothers have a high regard for 32 cal weaponsak 47s, 1891 mosen nagants to name a couple. Truth is, if you go about your life in the proper readiness condition, and exercise due caution when necessary, the chances of actually employing a gun in a selfdefense situation are small. Have a competent gunsmith check your revolver for ordinary shooting condition if you have doubts, as many of these revolvers are very old and some imports were made of questionable quality as.
This gives you resourceful flexibility unmatched by any other handgun revolver or. Aug, 2018 so, if we are going to depend on a cap and ball revolver to save our lives, it needs to hit with at least 200 ftlbs of energy. Does anyone still carry a revolver for self defense. While many discount anything that starts with 32, others out there believe the. It is specifically offered in a holster grip configuration for conceal and carry purposes with a 1 18inch barrel and a 5shot capacity, the. Theirs is the 7 shot 1895 nagant revolver 0nly one ever made with a silencer. Depending on who you talk to, revolvers are either experts guns or the perfect entrylevel piece. Thus, we seek something smaller and easier to carry. Here in the us, we used larger caliber handguns in those roles, but compact. This evolution tracks back to the sleek little seecamp. In american english, a pocket pistol is any small, pocketsized semiautomatic pistol suitable for. Defensive revolver fundamentals expert self defense. Hi guys, i thought id get some opinions on the usefullness of the.
If youre in the market for the best pocket revolver, naas minirevolver may just be the concealed carry pocket pistol for you north american arms. All i can say is that the us army sure seemed to like it ever since it was part of the original military spec requirements from 1905, along with what eventually became the us pistol, model 1911. This ebook focuses on finding the right caliber handgun for your selfdefense. Smith and wesson 686 revolver, best 357 magnum revolver, and more. The singleaction revolver is a viable tool for selfdefense. A pocket full of power the naa 32 na guardian uscca. Semiautomatic pistols generally have a larger ammunition capacity than the revolver, can be more compact than the revolver, and often a lighter trigger pull than a revolver. An alternate look at handgun stopping power buckeye firearms. On the flip side, advocates of small caliber handguns always have some story about a little old lady dropping a 300pound thugasaurus on pcp with a single shot from her.
I enjoy learning about how bullets do their work, and studying the minutiae of expansion, penetration, retained weight, permanent and temporary cavities, testing protocols, and all the numerical measures of bullet performance. When marshalls first book came out in 1992, i ordered it immediately, despite the fact that i. Dec 02, 2016 but there are situations where the revolver still has an edge, and many of you may already own a revolver, and may want some ideas on using them for defense. It was never implied that the sa revolver was the best for selfdefense. With selfdefense being a broad term, that includes defense against.
When six is not enough myths of the selfdefense revolver. I expected to be castigated by all the big bullet aficionados for reporting honest data about the mouse gun calibers. Mar 16, 2017 reproduction revolvers as self defense guns. Rifles and handguns chambered for the rimfire cartridge are affordable. The calibergun was a combined effort of north american arms and corbon ammunition, and utilizes a standard. Our sales staff cannot forecast price or availability of wish list items. As i recall the barrel was between five and six inches long. You can shoot 32 magnums out of this weapon and even. By adding this item to your wishlist, you will be notified automatically via email when this items price has dropped. When it comes to self defense, nothing is a guarantee and our choices in handguns are generally a compromise to begin with.
The hp25a from phoenix arms is the one of the last americanmade semiautos still being produced in. With practice, revolver reloads can be done quickly, but the the stress of using fine motor skills in a gunfight is, i believe, the biggest downside to using one for defense. Dec, 2014 you go too war with the weapon that is issued too youif you cant do it with 5 or 6you might not be able too do it with 15. Aug 12, 2016 revolvers the advantages as a self defense gun. Its a fairly conventional blowback design with an sa trigger, an external hammer and both a firing pin block and a magazine interlock safety. Yeppers, wadcutters are my goto range and self defense ammo. Give yourself the best possible chance of getting quick and accurate hits, even if that means using a smaller caliber.
Author grant cunningham is a pdn contributor, defensive shooting instructor, and an expert in the field of defensive revolvers. Calls or emails about this item will not receive a response. Ben recently wrote the book concealed carry and handgun essentials for personal protection second printing with 57 comprehensive. Revolvers are somewhat slower to reload, but reloading reliably under stress is a much bigger concern. Armament began producing modern renditions of the colt model 1903 pocket hammerless pistol in. The singleaction revolver for selfdefense singleaction circus stepping into the firing booth, i reached low inside my vest. The singleaction revolver for selfdefense guntoters. I own a beretta 3032 tomcat, which is a small, lightweight, pocket pistol in the. A fullsize revolver generally holds 57 rounds, while a fullsize semiautomatic generally holds 1117. Check out whats inside the complete book of autopistols magazine.