So…I just finished teaching a class with a Smith & Wesson .357 Magnum revolver as my teaching gun…and out of 21 students, only one was using a revolver instead of a semiautomatic pistol. He was 78 years old.  This told me something.

That said, though, he finished with a score of 220 out of 250 possible with his snub-nose Ruger SP101, and there was at least one instructor on the line with the same kind of gun to show him how to work it, since the “least modern gun” on the hips of my staff instructor cadre was a 1911 .45 auto, and all the rest had Glocks, S&W M&P autos, or the Springfield XD. Today, I start an advanced class, and have seen the writing on the wall: I’ve switched to a polymer Glock 26 9mm autoloader as my teaching gun for this week.

About ten days ago I was in Phoenix, competing in the South Mountain Showdown, and using the S&W in Stock Service Revolver class. Significant Other and I found ourselves shooting one stage with some other revolver fans. “Cool,” I said, “we’re in a nest of revolver shooters.”

“Or maybe a gaggle of revolver shooters,” she suggested helpfully.

“A cylinder-full of revolver shooters?” I ventured hopefully.

“Or a speedloader of revolver shooters,” she said supportively.

Now, I know the proper term.

We were obviously a “museum” of revolver shooters.

Help me out here…I’m not the LAST dinosaur, am I?

It’s hunting season, for Heaven’s sake. How many of you are going to be hunting birds with a good old classic double barrel shotgun, and how many are going after the Thanksgiving turkeys with a shotgun made of Fiberglas and synthetic stocks with Sorbothane recoil pads?  How many will be stalking the winter venison with good ol’ bolt action or lever action rifles made out of blue steel and walnut, and how many will be using something that’s plastique fantastique and tactique-al?

Like that guy said to Clint Eastwood in the first “Dirty Harry” movie… “I got to know.”

 

1 COMMENT

  2. Mas, I’m heading to WV next week for deer season and I promise I’ll make an effort to take the Ruger Redhawk .44 mag out on at least one day in your honor. I usually take it when it rains cause I hate getting my M1A wet if I can help it. Day one I will be “Auto Man” with the M and my Ruger P-94 as backup (in case one charges me), but I think day two they’re calling for rain. That’ll be wheelgun day. Taken quite a few whitetails through the irons on that hunk of stainless over the years. Very fulfilling, to say the least. But, I gotta say, I like the cases flipping through the sunlight out of Tupperware for my daily duties. Just too much to love from a practical standpoint, IMO. I admire your work with the revolver, though. Don’t quit on anybody elses account. You be you.

  3. Big fan of bolts and levers for rifles. Upland hunting, I’m saving for a nice SxS, but have been making do up till now with my mossberg.

    But I HATE revolvers.

    I take that back. I like single action revolvers, but those are just for funsies. I hate double action revolvers, so for self defense I’ll take my M&P.

  4. I have an even mix of revolvers and semi autos, about 10 each, plus some rifles and a shotgun. All steel and wood grips/stocks, except one, a S&W MP15-22.
    I shoot them all regularly over the course of a year, and enjoy every one of them. My favorite? A Ruger 77/22 22WMR bolt action rifle with a 4X scope that can shoot 3/4″ holes at the range.
    Semi autos, yeah. Revolvers, OH YEAH!

  5. While I have my share of Glocks, and in cool and cold weather the Model 36 is usually on my hip, the brutal heat and humidity of the Texas Gulf Coast make carrying uncomfortable. So for warm to hot weather, I’ve usually got my S&W 642-2. This winter I will start carrying my new SIG-Sauer 1911 Scorpion my sweetie gave me a month ago because it’s so fine. For her, on our first Christmas in our house 15 years ago, I gave her a SP-101, and recently put CT laser stocks on it. Is that a romantic gift or what? Of course, she has several others, Glocks and a SIG P229 that she stole from me for 12 years and has just now let me have it back sometimes. No hunting for us, it costs too much in Texas, and it’s from stands anyway, which seems like bushwhacking to me.

  6. Wheel guns, they ain’t dead yet. Been thinkin’ about buying another. but then I’m always thinkin’ about another 1911 too. That colt you shot at Cedar Rapids was a beaut. Something magical about worn grips and honest wear on bluing.

  7. We needed to find something tough, reliable, safe and simple for an older guy living in a bad area. The SP101 DAO proved to be ideal. We just had a young teenaged girl killed in our area when she surprised a burglar inside the home. The Chiefs Special .38 was perfect carried IWB around the house and grounds until the killer was caught. Revolvers are still great for protection in many situations. You cant beat a snubnose revolver for close quarters defense . My full size 9mm ended up playing second fiddle to Mr. Snubnose during this last local event.

  8. Mr. Ayoob, funny that you would post this. I have an extensive variety of self defense pistols but I myself have been turning back to the old revolver lately. I was reading one of your books on my Nook (new school) about great handguns and it moved me to finally purchase one of the guns I always wanted: a 4″ Colt Python. It is everything I had hoped for. After sighting it in, I started carrying it with Remington 125gr 357 Mag SJHP. As a bonus, I brought out my old Colt Cobra (1968, skinny barrel vintage), loaded it up with 158gr LHP 38 Special +P, and stuck it in my pocket as my backup. I feel very well protected by that combo. My BACK, however, is not as thankful! There if still somethign about blue steel and good wood…

  10. 1895 Marlin in .45-70 for deer, pigs, and water buffalo. Iron sights of course.
    Building .45-70 double on a 100 year old shotgun action.

    Taurus 1911 on my hip.

  11. Taurus 85CH Stainless was on my hip for many a year when I ran service calls. I also love my S&W 686, but don’t carry it a lot due to weight. I also have my trusty mouse gun, a little NAA .22LR mini-revolver that allows me to always be in compliance with Rule 1 of surviving a gunfight.

    I also have some semis, but I still loves me my revolvers. One day I even plan on running a competition with the 686 (but have no illusions about winning it, I just want the fun).

  12. Mas,

    I will be going afield with a classic Holland-pattern 16ga sidelock shotgun this year and I shoot a Smith & Wesson 625 in IDPA. Not everyone knows how to properly drive a Ferrari and fewer understand the true joy of shooting a well made revolver.

    You’re not old my friend, you have style!

  13. I carry my Taurus model 606 stainless steel snub-nose .357 Magnum appendix-style in IWB and my truck gun is a 5 inch Springfield XD in .45 ACP. This morning, on Michigan’s opener for whitetails, I was lurking in my swamp with my trusty Remington 870 in 12 gauge waiting for “Bullwinkle.”

  14. I confess to having read only about half of the comments, as I must get some work done, but I’ve taught more than one new deputy how to clear a revolver–sad statement. I can shoot all 5 thru my coat with my old “humpback” S&W’s. No, they don’t hold 19 rounds, and if I ever get into a situation outside the home where more is necessary more is available, but a s secondary; after putting over 250k .38/.357 rounds downrange, and killing untold rabbits and squirrels, and several deer with revolvers, I just don’t feel the nee on the street. Home defense can be a horse of a different color, and I have that color of saddle and bridle in the form of Mr. Mossberg and an older ParaOrdnance for starters, and revos almost always on the hip or in the pocket (hard to do on the john). All this from one incident years ago for which I was prepared, as was my wife; the kids are grown and gone, but the risks remain. Pray for peace, but prepare for predators.

  15. I like revolvers and when I retire I will probably start shooting them again. For now, semi-automatics are pretty much the only guns I shoot. Either H&K P 2000, BERETTA 92D Compact or 92D Centurion or compacts like the SIG 232 and BERETTA Tomcat.

    I honestly cannot see where a revolver will do anything as well as these pistols.

    By the way, is that an AYOOBOSAURUS with the cylinder in its mouth?

    Jim

  16. I’m proud to say I went hunting this year with my 30-30 lever action that has blued steel and a nice walnut stock. If the house were on fire and I had time to get only one firearm, this would be the one.

    I’d love to go hunting with a double shotgun. Currently in the market trying to find a SxS with a single trigger and ejectors (SAS cowboy shooting is not a requirement for this firearm). If I can’t find that soon, I plan to get a H&R single shot 12 gauge.

  17. I’m only 45 and have preferred revolvers for most of my now 30 years as a shooter. S&W’s in J-, K-, L- and even N-frame sizes. A few Charter Bulldogs. An early Ruger SP-101 as well as Service-Six and Security-Six medium frames. Then there was a dearly departed Colt Magnum Carry. All were carried concealed at one time or another in all manner of environmental conditions. Some worked better than others but all have shot with total reliability and at least decent accuracy. To this day you’d most often find a Model 649 or 3-in. Model 65 on my person.

  18. The proper quote was “I got’s to know” uttered by actor Albert Popwell in DIRTY HARRY, who also played black activist/con man Mustapha in THE ENFORCER, the third movie of the series.

    I like both round and square guns. My first handgun was a 4″ S&W model 19, followed by a Ruger Super Blackhawk, then a Colt 1911 Series 70 in .45 ACP. Over the years I have owned twice as many pistols as I have revolvers. The one firearm I sold which I most wish I still have is a S&W model 29, blued with 6 1/2″ barrel I bought new on my 21st birthday.

    When I first started in LE in Colorado, I carried the department issued S&W 686 with .38 +P ammo as nothing else was allowed. Several years later in Florida with another PD, I carried a S&W 625 for several months until I went through their semi-auto training, required to carry a square gun, then packed a SIG 220 until I quit eight years later. For my backup guns, I had a S&W 37 with bobbed hammer and an old flat latch S&W 38, both with Teflon finish carried in holsters attached to my Kelvar vest. Those alloy framed .38 revolvers were light and more powerful than the .380 pistols many other officers carried as backups. This was before the polymer framed Kahrs in .40 S&W were available.

    For my purposes, I carry pistols in .45 ACP for defense and .40 S&W for backup, and revolvers in .44 Magnum and .454 Casull for longer range shooting or hunting.

    I like blued steel and wood in firearms and have several on them, but all my serious working handguns, rifles, and shotguns are Teflon/Black-T finished or Parkerized with synthetic stocks.

  19. The only concession I have made to “Modern” stuff is rubber Hogue Mono-grips on 2 of my revolvers- and that is solely because I didn’t feel like shelling out $70 per grip set for wood ones. The Polymer guns can disappear for all I care. Ditto the AR-15 and AR-10s etc.

  20. Mas,

    I am 48, but I own three revolvers and no semi-auto handguns because I am low-tech, and in a high stress situation, I want something SIMPLE. Well, guess what, I took a course on Sunday, and the instructor says a revolver should NEVER be shot single-action in a defensive scenario, even at long range! His reasons were because of legal liability. To make a long story short, I will soon be purchasing a Glock 26. I love my revolvers in single-action, but I hate them in double-action. I was told no gunsmith around here, NJ, will lighten up the double-action trigger. Maybe I can get Red Jacket Firearms to do the trigger job for me. Anyway, I love semi-auto handguns, but my revolvers will never be sold. To clean them, I don’t even take them apart, I simply swing out the cylinder. Simple is BEAUTIFUL, especially in today’s world.

  21. The only time I use a revolver, other than range time for fun, is for pig hunting. S&W 651.

    Otherwise, Kimber Ultra CDP II for everyday carry, slimmer profile.

  22. I’m a relatively young 36 and the handgun that I carry most frequently is a Taurus Model 415 (2.5″ .41 Magnum), and I’m shooting in a trap league with a LeFever single-shot trap gun that was manufactured in 1927. I prefer more traditional weapon designs, but I’m certainly not blind to the advantages of modern materials in their construction for certain applications.

  23. Like my Glock mod. 22, but still have a S&W mod 66 .357 handy if the need arises. Filled my deer tag this year with a Savage 110 left hand bolt action 30-06. Always faithful and truly reliable. Best of both worlds.
    I would like to add for any of those anti-gun nuts reading this: I have a carry permit for 2 states, Minnesota and North Dakota, which allows me to carry in the vast majority of the USA. Now before you go off half-cocked, I am a former LEO, (law enforcement officer) now retired, but still concerned enough about my and my family’s safety that I carry concealed. Although I am not a LEO any longer does this make me any less qualified/educated than when I wore the uniform? Absolutely not. Would you rather have me carrying concealed or some miscreant in the bowels of Chicago carrying without any training with evil on his mind?

  24. Interesting blog entry from my perspective. Ever since completing MAG-40 in Hattisburg in September, I have been focused on carrying and shooting my revolvers. I’ve always been more secure and comfortable with the wheel guns.
    I was inspired by your carryibg that big old S&W 686 and shooting it so well. Thanks for the demonstration!

  26. I carry a CZ75, but have a Mdl10 snubby for backup. Like the S&W’s immensely, have 4 Mdl29’s, 2 586’s a Mdl 65 a K22 plus a Thunder Ranch 44spl. But then I’m only 74 & have some more to acquire!!!

  27. My first gun was a Ruger GP-100 & I still have it, “Love My wheel gun”,
    all my shotgunning needs are still being met by my Mossberg 500 or Winchester 1300 models, My good old’ Eddystone model 1917 30-06
    takes care of the White tail, the only “plastique fantastique” pistol i
    own is my Ruger P-95 i just never seen the need for the XD- M&P or Glock… anyway if i had to chose just one i would go back to were i started.
    The all American .357 Magnum Revolver 🙂 ~ I just turned 50 this fall

  28. It is always jarring and annoying to be already out of ammo after only six shots.

    Revolvers can jam on bad ammo. When they do, it is usually a lot harder process to un-jam than just tap-rack-bang.

  29. It’s interesting to read the posts. I carry a Ruger .357 stainless revolver in my pickup, and I have a nicely blued S&W 22-4 revolver in .45 ACP on my nightstand (used to have wood grips, but the Hogue rubber grips fit my hand best). I hunt birds with a 16 ga. sxs (wood, of course), but I hunt deer with a synthetic stock Steyr prohunter in 25-06. My favorite shooters are an old 1890 winchester pump in .22 WRF my dad gave me (and which I cherish), and an EMF Hartford 1892 in .357 with a 24″ octagonal barrel. I’m mostly traditional.

  30. I’m 64. My carry gun used to be a 1911-style, but I found that carrying any steel gun required weekly maintenance to keep rust off the grip screws, etc. (That’s my skin, not the gun.) My Glock 30 solves that problem.
    I’m not sure where you’d fit me on hunting. For deer I favor an H&R break action (single-shot being my method of choice) in .308, but it has a modern laminated stock. OTOH my shotgun is a synthetic Benelli Nova 20ga pump.
    When I teach the Texas CHL class I cover both semiauto and revolver. My 1-on-1 beginner classes I teach whatever the student brings. I take half-a-dozen guns to teach Hunter Ed.
    But contrary to spousal opinion, I don’t own one of everything.

  31. Older 69. A city kid taught to shoot handguns on 1911s in the Marine Corps. I must have been born with good genes, and blessed with a good instructor, learned quick and still shoot well.

    At 22 went on a large LE agency (guess) which required wheel guns but allowed (for a time) any weapon as a second carry, most of the veterans carried a 1911 or the complete opposite a 2″ 38. In the 1970s the agency banned single action automatics; the new kids who had not been in the service kept shooting holes in the car seats, the radios off the dashboards, and sometimes holes in each other (they had not been trained by instructors who would give them a crack upside the head if they made a mistake).

    Got to-thin to comfortably carry a 1911. Nine months of the year I wear a jacket, a 2″ 38 in the pocket, I know it will work, no slide to catch, after all these years it feels a part of me. In extreme hot weather I carry either a LCP or a LCR in the trouser pocket, walking along playing pool. We do have a couple of 1911 stashed in the house and in the car when traveling: too skinny to fight, too old to run.

  32. Gee, I haven’t seen this many posts since the big “cop” debate…. At least these are all friendly.
    At 67 I’m kinda’ set in my ways and my daily carry varies between a S&W 625 (.45 ACP) in a crossdraw when clothing allows and a Taurus 741 (.32 H&R Mag.) in a pocket holster when it doesn’t. Reloads for the 625? I carry 3 full-moon clips in a cell phone holster. I’m not as fast as Jerry but I can beat many a magazine loader. For the .32 Mag. it’s two speed strip in a little pouch.
    I like the comfort having the .45 but not the uncomfort of wearing it. The .32 mag. is unnoticeable.
    As for guns other than my daily carry’s I counted and revolvers have a slight edge in numbers. If not for the 1911’s it would be much greater.
    So, I guess I’m a revolver man and, thinking back, my first handgun was a Colt Frontier Scout revolver, my second was a Ruger .357 Blackhawk and my third was a Cold Gold Cup. Today, 47 years later, I still have the Colt Scout and the Blackhawk but the Gold Cup is gone. There’s a clue there somewhere…

  33. Mas, thanks a ton. We will be going with the .270, for use strictly on whitetail. You would not believe how helpful your articles have been to us, being fairly new to the gun scene.

  34. We really are blessed to have such a discussion, semi-auto vs. revolver. I’ll bet in the United Kingdom they discuss which is best for home defense, a crossbow or a compound bow. Then again, maybe they discuss whether a hatchet, hammer or mace (not the spray) is best to have on hand. Sad.

  35. Elk hunting I carry a Ruger Super Blackhawk (Bisley model) in .44 magnum. It’s also my favorite gun to reload for – I’ve done everything from .308 Win cases modded as shotshells to cowboy velocity target loads to rip-your-lips-off hunting loads.

    I actually like my wife’s Ruger SP101 in .357 better than my 9mm for carry. It’s only a bit lighter, but much more comfortable. It’s also a ball to shoot!

    At 42, I’m in the middle of the pack, but I’ll take a wheel gun any day. Then again, I’m a sucker for anything that revolves, levers, or requires patches and balls…

  36. I’m 63, and being so was also fortunate enough to grow up in a place and time which allowed plenty of opportunity for handgun shooting.
    An early predisposition to revolvers (my dad had an 1894 Colt DA Army) gradually morphed into a passion for auto-loaders (in particular Glocks) at mid-life. Since then, DA revolvers have once more become my choice of handguns. For almost any conceivable self defense situation I am likely to find myself in, the pair of S&W 640’s and Ruger LCR’s I have will be adequate. There is something in the revolver’s ease of operation and functional simplicity which inspires confidence and facilitates competence.

  37. I carry a 36, 64, 642, 637, 66, or 15 every day.

    I am packing up to head to Pennsylvania in a few with with my grandfather’s 100 year old Savage 1899….

    All of the above work in self defanse and hunting….

  38. I’m the traditionalist in the family, hunting this and every year with my Winchester 1892. My hubby has the latest and greatest of everything plastique, and looks more like he’s ready for a covert ops mission than deer season when we head to the woods.

    But, IMHO, if whatever you wanted to kill ends up dead, who cares what you shot it with!

  39. I’m 44, and my progression of handguns is going backwards. Started with Glocks, then moved to a 1911, then to double action revolvers, and now I am madly in love with a new Ruger Lipsey’s Blackhawk Flattop.

    For me, the progression has been about power and accuracy, not capacity. Once I realized how much more accurate I am naturally with a nice revolver, there was no going back.

  40. I’m a dinosaur too Mas and the meteor is coming! 😉

    Make mine a 4″ 66-2. I still shoot 100’s during quals and reload a good second ahead of the Glock babies. I started with a revolver and will finish up with one. Best regards, 18DAI

  41. I’m hunting deer right now (well, not at this exact instant) with a DS Arms FN FAL in .308 (7.62×51) with a Glock as a side arm. Love the semiautos!

  42. I am 26 and I trained on a black powder cap and ball brass frame gun, due to ahem age restrictions. I still have it and I still love it. I usually carry an autoloader but I am a big believer in the old, if you can’t get it done with six you are in big trouble, philosiphy.

  43. Mas,

    I’m a 51 year old kid (I’m much too young to have all this grey in my beard!) and last weekend my shooting buddy & I were out in the woods, she with her pre-64 Win 94 and me with my 94AE. On my hip was a 629 (my 94 is .44 mag, so I HAD to have the same caliber on my hip!).

    At the fun store Tuesday, I just picked up another S&W wheelgun, a model 29 in pristine shape. Hey, I needed another .44 for pin shoots! For IDPA I use one of my S&W Model 19s. Daily carry gun is a 637. (Why, yes… I do think S&W makes the best revolver in the world. How’d you guess?)

    Nope, the wheelgun is NOT dead. Neither is the lever gun. They’re merely under-appreciated these days.

  44. A collective noun for a group of revolver shooters?

    How about a bunch of old fa . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .shioned fellows who never-the-less appreciate a fine design and know what works for them?

  45. Mas,

    I’ve heard you opine about getting old. I’ve seen you shoot and you are fast and fantastic! This idea that everything “new” is better ONLY applies to technology. The men who lived in the 1700s were better than us moderns at politics, languages, religion, marriage, child-raising, education, English, art and music. We are living in the Golden Age of Technology, but every other field is in a Dark Age!

  47. Went out on an ammo run yesterday. No, I didn’t come home with a wheel gun or 1911. Hauled home a REAL nice 20 ga. 870 youth model. Short barrel and the kid size stock is just right for shooting with a squared away stance. Used and the price was right. And no plastic on it.

  48. Mas,

    YOU are the man responsible for putting me permanently back in the snubbie carrying (and touting) group, when I took LFI-1 in McKinney, TX, a decade ago. Since then, numerous courses and competitions have validated the choice for me (though shouting “That’s why I carry a revolver!” when a Front Sight instructor had a malfunction made me unpopular there ;-).

  49. Mas,
    I became a 1911 bigot when I carried one in Viet Nam. That said, my “walk the dog” gun is a Ruger Blackhawk (yep SA) loaded with a 3 shot shells and 3 JHP. My 1911 won’t cycle the weaker recoiling shot shells. The shot shells won’t over penetrate if I miss or need it for a small animal in the green belt.
    I strongly recommend revolvers for field guns – no bang if dropped = good! I also suggest them for new owners for expense and ease of clearing drills. One handed clearing of my 1911 is NOT my strong point in weak hand shooting. I have .38, .357 and .45 Colt. The reliability of a revolver, simple clearing drills and the psychological effect of looking into the loaded cylinder of 6 .45 Colt rounds is convincing. Also, a started newbie won’t get a second round if the noise/recoil causes them to drop the gun and if it is “limp wristed” it doesn’t misfeed. Since I don’t see the need for 17 immediate action rounds, the 6 in my Ruger or 5 in my Smith or even the 4 in my stubbie are enough.
    I carry the .45 because one saved my life. I carry the Kel Tec P11 because in a Houston summer a pocket 9 is something I CAN actually carry concealed. I figure the “War of the Northern Aggression” (I am from Texas!) proved that a revolver is quite efficient at dispatching our fellow man. Once the slug has left the barrel, it neither knows nor cares what launched it. Use a gun you trust well enough to play “you bet your life with”.

  50. OK, I’m double posting my apologies for missing half the question. I find lever guns much more natural than bolt actions. I have levers in .45 Colt, 30-30 and 45-70 Marlin. I don’t feel under armed. My shotguns are a Moss pump, a double barreled coach gun, and several single shots. Again, the simplest gun is a single shot. A double is just two singles on a single stock. I’ve never in over 40 years had a mis-feed, jam, or fail to fire from a lever gun. Spraying 30 rounds downrange is not my idea of rifle shooting (my 1911 save my backside when my M16A1 went click with a half full magazine). I’m big on reliability and aimed fire. With a revolver, lever gun and double barrel I can get aimed fire down range as fast as the guys with their plastic wonders. Besides, I LIKE beautiful wood stocks.

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