Good Argument for a Revover

[tedwhite]

The other day I decided to change magazines in my S&W Shield 9. I decided to do that in order to unload the mag and give the spring within a rest. And why is my Shield 9 my EDC instead of my SP101? Because I'm waiting on a custom-made Wright Leather Works holster for the SP as I don't like the Galco holster. It's made for a J-frame and too much of the SP's trigger remains exposed. Apparently the two revolvers are not quite the same size.

Knowing a round was still in the pipe of the Shield, I racked the slide, looked in the palm of my hand. No round. Racked the slide again. Same thing. No round. This was perplexing as I always carry a round in the pipe. Or do I? Maybe an amiable senescence is settling in. Then I got smart. There's a peep hole in the top of the slide. I looked. No round. At this point I put the gun down on the work bench, thoroughly confused, and stepped back. A mechanic friend once told me, "When I can't solve problem I walk away from it and work on another car for awhile. It helps. When I return to the other car with its original problem I have a fresh mind set." So I went into the house, made a cup of coffee and thought. I'm an old guy with a bit of arthritis in my hands and my grip strength isn't what it used to be. Aha! I returned to the garage. Sure enough. I hadn't racked the slide all the way back even though I was convinced I had, and because my grip was so wimpy I guess I didn't release the slide with enough force to fully return to battery. I looked at the slide, it was maybe a 1/4 of inch out. I pushed it forward, heard an audible 'click' and again peered into the peep hole. A shiny object was visible. This time I racked the slide with newfound strength and out popped the round.

Lesson learned: A) Be aware of your limitations that come with age, and B) None of this would have happened with a revolver.

 

[Bear Paw Jack]

Some good points. You had an epiphany. Like you, I prefer a holster that covers the trigger. The Simply Rugged holsters works well for me. Maybe time to go to a revolver. Or you could try a full size semi auto, like an SR9 or an M&P9. With a heavier slide they don't need as strong a spring. Not as hard to work it. SP's make a good carry gun, IMO.

 

[tedwhite]

I agree. I never had any trouble racking the slide on a full-sized 1911 or a Glock 17. When the holster arrives for the SP101 it will replace the Shield as my EDC.

 

[ADP3]

I've had buckets of revolvers and autos over the last 47 years and am comfortable with both. The revolver is what I turn to more and more however. It is not dependent on the power of ammunition to operate normally, and its springs aren't fully tensioned until you cock the hammer or pull the trigger. All my revolvers are Ruger .357's and if they're not capable of handling the job then I guess I'm SOL.

Best Regards,
ADP3

 

[contender]

One of the range commands in USPSA is; "IF you are finished,, Unload & Show Clear." What that does,,, is makes the shooter fully open the action in his firearm, show the chamber area to the RO, to insure it is unloaded. The following command; "IF clear, hammer down & holster." If the gun has not been checked by the shooter, and his presentation doesn't allow the RO to fully see the chamber,,, & he lets his slide go forward, & then when he pulls the trigger to let the hammer down & it goes "Bang" then the shooter is at fault,, & gets a match DQ.
I constantly get shooters who go through the motions so fast that I do not get a clear visual,,, and I MAKE them back up, & slow down & properly show me their chamber.
Why?
Because I had a shooter once do it so fast & failed to properly clear his gun & one had stuck itself in the chamber & it discharged. Luckily,,, he did have the firearm pointed downrange & the bullet struck the berm.
A revolver shooter has to swing out their cylinder to show clear so it is much more obvious.

It's good to see you decided to step back & double check yourself,,in a calm & safe fashion.

 

[Big Old Boy]

I only carry a revolver but my sr9 resides on my night stand I have never trusted an auto as a carry gun yes I may be an oddball.

 

[Freuderlocks]

The other day I decided to change magazines in my S&W Shield 9. I decided to do that in order to unload the mag and give the spring within a rest. And why is my Shield 9 my EDC instead of my SP101? Because I'm waiting on a custom-made Wright Leather Works holster for the SP as I don't like the Galco holster. It's made for a J-frame and too much of the SP's trigger remains exposed. Apparently the two revolvers are not quite the same size.

Knowing a round was still in the pipe of the Shield, I racked the slide, looked in the palm of my hand. No round. Racked the slide again. Same thing. No round. This was perplexing as I always carry a round in the pipe. Or do I? Maybe an amiable senescence is settling in. Then I got smart. There's a peep hole in the top of the slide. I looked. No round. At this point I put the gun down on the work bench, thoroughly confused, and stepped back. A mechanic friend once told me, "When I can't solve problem I walk away from it and work on another car for awhile. It helps. When I return to the other car with its original problem I have a fresh mind set." So I went into the house, made a cup of coffee and thought. I'm an old guy with a bit of arthritis in my hands and my grip strength isn't what it used to be. Aha! I returned to the garage. Sure enough. I hadn't racked the slide all the way back even though I was convinced I had, and because my grip was so wimpy I guess I didn't release the slide with enough force to fully return to battery. I looked at the slide, it was maybe a 1/4 of inch out. I pushed it forward, heard an audible 'click' and again peered into the peep hole. A shiny object was visible. This time I racked the slide with newfound strength and out popped the round.

Lesson learned: A) Be aware of your limitations that come with age, and B) None of this would have happened with a revolver.

Lesson C) press check your auto pistol before you holster and this will never be an issue.

I'm perplexed as to why that didn't happen before the pistol was holstered in the first place. My carry gun, either my XDS9 or XD9 Mod2 are always on duty, and are infrequently unloaded but every morning I press check the one I'm carrying to ensure, 100%, with zero doubt that there is a round in the chamber. Not just peace of mind.

Freuderlocks

 

[bogus bill]

I aint that fanatic about having to have a holster that covers the trigger on a revolver. Fine, if you feel you need one or like that particular holster. I certainly have some of both. I can more see the need for it on a cocked and locked Auto but even there I want a thumb strap between hammer and frame on my 1911. I also carry a sig 238 and don't really trust it like a revolver so I am more prone to carrying a J frame smith for a pocket or light holster gun. I highly doubt there actually is ANY danger of a double action revolver getting cocked and fired in your holster without you physically doing it yourself and more than doubly so if you have a thumb strap over the gun behind the hammer holding the gun in the holster. I know some are anal over it but not me. I open carried on my job for over 35 years. I will admit to one incident but it wasn't due to the holster. I was working a double 16 shift and was tired. I started out with a single action single six when young. I was a guard where I gave my relief officer our company gun. I started to take the gun out of the holster to pass it over to my relief officer in a room full of guards. I cocked it in the holster! I caught myself the split second that I did. I momentarily left the room to spit out my Copenhagen and corrected it unnoticed. Another time I was requalifing at the sheriffs range and the range officer told me a story of noticing a deputy who had a cocked revolver in his holster. He told him not to make a move, went over and took the gun out of his holster and uncocked it. I guess I am shooting down my own opinion here, but I have carried that way 35 years OTJ and another 20-25 years off.

 

[coach]

All good reasons to be observant and careful with fire arms. They all can have quirks and can find ways to to what you may not expect. Human or mechanical errors can happen.

 

[SAJohn]

The only semi-auto I trust with my life is my Colt 1911. I have total trust in all of my revolvers, single or double action.

 

[dpayne]

New to the forum. Funny I should come across this thread today. I just got back from ordering a Wiley Clapp SP101 from my local gun shop and it will soon be my carry weapon of choice. All of my handguns are Ruger except for a S&P shield which I was carrying but I just like the feel/security of a revolver at my side.

 

[prairieviper]

There are a lot of different things that go into deciding what each person feels is his or her best carry option. My EDC gun is a SIG P938. I believe that generally speaking, revolvers are still inherently more reliable than semi-autos, today's quality semi-autos such as those manufactured by SIG, Glock and others can be comfortably relied upon. Other than an issues with an extended magazine that I purchased for my P938, the gun has been flawless after 1800 plus rounds using several different brands and types of ammunition. I also prefer pocket carry and the P938 fits that bill perfectly.

In all my years of owning, shooting and being around revolvers, I had never seen or heard of a revolver malfunction that was not related to ammunition until this past year. I was firing my S&W 637 Airweight when it suddenly froze up and I could neither pull the trigger or cock the hammer. Long story short, the hammer block had broken and a small piece had dropped into the internals and froze everything up. I suspect that since I do extensive dry firing (yes, I use snap caps) that may have had something to do with it. I'll never know for sure. S&W promptly sent me a new hammer block and there have been no other issues.

 

[22/45 Fan]

What happened to the OP isn't necessarily a good argument for a revolver but a good argument for really looking to see if the gun (any gun) is actually clear. If he had looked at the chamber the first time he would have seen the shell head and known the chamber wasn't really empty.

 

[muzzleloader]

I prod myself to everytime I pick up and holster a gun, I check by sight and/or feel that there is a round in the chamber. Even if I unholstered to set it on the nightstand the night before. It's been out of my control for a period of time. This applies to revolvers as well. I found myself at the store with an empty revolver in a pocket holster. Not very useful tool, eh?

 

[rangerbob]

Prairieviper, I feel your pain. My buddy's M60 had its hammer block break into 3 pieces and tied up his gun. MY S&W armorer happened to have a spare and we were up and running again. I've been around S&W revolvers for nearly 50 years and that was the first time I had encountered that problem. Bob!!

 

[bogus bill]

Years ago I worked with a ex cop who told me this. He had his younger brother visiting. That night he stopped a hot car and pulled his gun and made the arrest. When he got home he checked his gun and it was empty! His brother had taken the ammo out while he was sleeping prior to his shift and had "toyed" with it!

 

[Bear Paw Jack]

Years ago I worked with a ex cop who told me this. He had his younger brother visiting. That night he stopped a hot car and pulled his gun and made the arrest. When he got home he checked his gun and it was empty! His brother had taken the ammo out while he was sleeping prior to his shift and had "toyed" with it!

That would give you pause!!!

 

[ADP3]

If you shoot revolvers with a weak grip, i.e. "limp wristing", they still go bang every time you pull the trigger. I just checked out a Kimber Super Carry Pro for a friend. He couldn't get it to feed reliably. A weak grip was the culprit. You might bean yourself with a weak grip with a revolver but it's still going to go bang.

Best Regards,
ADP3

 

[powder smoke]

Hate to admit it but arthritis in my hands makes it hard at times racking an auto.
I almost exclusively carry revolvers now, I'm a revolver guy anyways so no big deal. ps

 

[44-357]

I quit carrying autos years ago. I mainly tote my 1951 Colt DS or sometimes my SW 638. I am qualified with a compact glock as my off duty but never use it .