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Saturday, May 10, 2014

Unappreciated Advantages to a Revolver

Grant Cunningham, writing at Personal Defense Network, discusses some of the unappreciated or less obvious advantages to a revolver. This is in addition to the general reliability and ease of use that is often cited. A couple points he makes:
Many people will tell you that a revolver is hard to carry concealed. The cylinder, they say, is darn near impossible to hide. I’ve found that it’s just the opposite: the revolver is actually easier to conceal, despite the cylinder!

With an auto, the part that sticks out is the squared-off butt of the frame. No matter how thin the gun is, you still have that bottom corner poking through your cover garment. It’s hard to hide because it’s not organic; we don’t normally see right angles protruding from beneath clothing.

The grip of the revolver, on the other hand, is rounded. It doesn’t protrude as far because it’s typically shorter, and the smooth profile doesn’t catch clothing and scream “GUN!” The cylinder, likewise, is a round shape that easily disappears under clothing.
And...
During an actual encounter, you’ll find that the revolver has some definite tactical advantages as well. A revolver isn’t dependent on having just the right grip in order to run, and “limp wristing” malfunctions simply don’t exist. This means that shooting from awkward positions or while injured won’t result in a jammed gun, as can happen with an autoloader. Strong side or weak side, pulling the trigger will fire the revolver every time.
He notes some other advantages as well, including that you don't have the expense of purchasing and replacing magazines. As someone that reloads, I also appreciate that I don't have to hunt through the dirt to find my ejected shell casings! Anyway, read the whole thing.

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