Priorities in the Selection of the Defensive Handgun
1. Reliability
We tend to take this one for granted, but if the gun does not consistently launch
its projectile when you are threatened with serious injury you may be worse off than
if you hadn't been armed. After all, if you hadn't counted on the gun, maybe you could
already have run one or two dozen yards.
Don't forget that one component of reliability is ammunition. In this regard,
autoloaders tend to be more sensitive to choice of ammunition
than revolvers. More on this later ...
There is an old saying that a hit with a .22 beats a miss with a .44. The fit of the
gun in your hand is a critical component of your ability to hit reliably under stress.
This fit includes where the gun points when you grasp it.
The operation of the controls likewise affects your ability to hit reliably under
stress. If that first, double-action stroke on your autoloader is just way too long
for you, where is that first shot going to go? If you can't pop off the safety in a
reasonable time frame, maybe you'd do better with a different operating system.
3. Other Size Factors
Is this a carry gun? concealed carry or open carry? Is its size and shape amenable to
concealment in the type of carry you plan to use?
Is this a house gun? Does it need to fit the hands of other household members,
as well as yours?
4. Revolver vs. Semiauto
Revolvers are simpler to operate, particularly to load and unload, generally making
them safer and easier for users with limited training.
Revolvers should be fired double-action for defense. A double-action trigger stroke may be
more of a challenge to master for some shooters.
Revolvers generally don't require releasing a safety to fire them. This may be an
advantage or a disadvantage, depending on your point of view. More on this later ...
The fit of a revolver in your hand can be adjusted, within limits, by changing the
grip stocks. Historically, autoloaders generally have had a smaller range of adjustment
available. Revolvers frequently need this personalization; autoloaders frequently don't, as
long as the girth of the grip area is not too great. Some the newer polymer-frame
autoloaders are offered with interchangeable back strap or "palm swells," to accomplish that
adjustment in girth.
Revolvers do not depend on ammunition to generate the minimum recoil energy to cycle
the next round into position to fire; autoloaders do. A .357 Magnum revolver, for
example, can fire anything from the lightest .38 Special target load to virtually any
.357 Magnum loading.
The revolver's ability to keep firing is independent of bullet shape. If a bullet
won't cycle up the feed ramp of an autoloader, the gun will not continue to function.
Revolvers will not fail to cycle the next round if you're forced to fire them with
a loose grasp or a bent wrist; autoloaders may.
Autoloaders are available in practical single-action mode, if that is better suited
to you. They are also available with double-action for the first shot and with
double-action for every shot.
Many models of autoloaders have safety levers which can delay someone who gets hold
of your gun from using it against you. If you don't train diligently, the safety can
also delay you.
Autoloaders frequently hold more rounds than revolvers. This would seem to be a big
advantage except that experience suggests that having a lot of rounds in the gun seems
to discourage good marksmanship.
Autoloaders are faster to reload and easier to reload under adverse conditions. Clearly,
the fastest reload with a revolver is a second gun. This actually may also be true for
an autoloader if you're not just on a range and aware that you will be needing to reload.
Autoloaders may be easier for some people to conceal due to their flatter shapes.
Revolvers may be easier for some people to conceal because of their rounder contours,
especially in the round-butt versions.
Spare ammunition in magazines, particularly single-column magazines, usually conceals
more easily than spare ammunition in revolver speedloaders. On the other hand, tactical
reloads (prior to emptying the entire cylinder or magazine) are probably more important
with a revolver than with an autoloader.
If your lifestyle requires you to unload and reload your handgun on a regular basis, the
reliability of autoloader ammunition can be adversely affected by repeated cycling into the
firing chamber. Loading and unloading a revolver does not tend to drive the bullets in and
out of the cartridge cases nor to damage the case rims.
5. Caliber or Power
According to Evan Marshall, compiler of
the world's biggest collection of statistics on handgun ammunition effectiveness,
the three most important components of stopping power are bullet placement, bullet
placement and bullet placement.
Another point made by Evan Marshall is that of ammunition availability. If you run out of
ammunition while you are traveling, would you be able to run into the local Wal-Mart store
and buy some in your chosen caliber?
Historically, people have generally been advised to use the most powerful caliber with
which they can reliably place their shots in a reasonable time frame from the handgun that
is ergonomic and of practical size for the user. I would offer two caveats:
Assess your ability to place shots reliably under the worst circumstances, not the
best ones. A handgun which may seem practical when fired two-handed in an upright
position may not seem as useful when fired one-handed, with less than a perfect grip,
shooting from an unconventional position.
With revolvers, you may be comfortable shooting Magnum loads when you are holding the gun
with your arms extended. However, if you train firing from compressed positions, which you
may need to use at close range, the concussion and flame from the muzzle or the
barrel-cylinder gap may prove to be more than you wish to have impact your own body.
If other factors permit, I prefer to see the good guys and gals armed with at least a .38
Special (preferably with +P loads) in a revolver or a 9mm Parabellum (a.k.a. 9mm Luger or
9 x 19mm) in an autoloader. These loads should afford the tactical option of shooting to
damage the heavy bones of the pelvis, limiting an assailant's mobility.
6. "Ultralights," Muzzle Flip and Recoil Mangement
After WWII firearms manufacturers developed aluminum alloys that allowed revolvers, such as
Smith & Wesson's Airweight models and Colt's Cobra and Agent models, to be built with
lightweight frames, albeit with steel cylinders, barrels and yokes or cranes. These revolvers
were not originally intended for +P .38 Special loads but can usually handle a few rounds a
year without damage.
Colt's introduction of the Commander, now marketed as the Lightweight Commander, opened the
door for the use of these alloys in autloaders, which seem to be able to handle all common
loadings, probably because the mechanism of an autoloader dissipates some of the recoil
energy.
After the collapse of the Soviet Union the price of titanium dropped low enough that it
could be used to manufacture affordable revolvers. These titanium revolvers are lighter than
comparable models of the older Airweights and their Colt counterparts. They are also
stronger. However, since the axis of the bore of a handgun rides above the hand that grips
the handgun, the muzzle will rise or "flip" under recoil. As the weight of the gun drops
below a certain point, the muzzle flip becomes sharp enough that the bullets can actually
be pulled free of their crimp in the cartridge case. Aside from causing variations in
pressure and velocity, this can actually move the bullet far enough to interfere with the
rotation of the cylinder.
Smith & Wesson initially cautioned against the use of unjacketed +P rounds in their .38
caliber small-frame titanium revolvers, eliminating the choice of the proven 158 gr. +P lead
hollowpoint "FBI load." Later manuals cautioned to inspect all +P rounds for evidence of
this bullet creep. The current manual includes this caution for all Ti-, Sc- and PD-series
revolvers and all ammunition.
Taurus seemed to have bypassed this issue by porting the barrels on their early models, which
reduces muzzle flip. Porting, however, can pose problems of its own if the gun is fired in
unconventional positions where the hot gases could be directed against the shooter. (Of note,
it is reported that Taurus will suspend production of titanium revolvers in 2007, due to the
rising prices for that metal.)
If the weight-reduction trend had not already gone far enough, Smith & Wesson now uses
scandium in aluminum alloys that are strong enough for use in .357 Magnum revolvers. While
porting can limit muzzle flip, a lighter gun will always recoil more than a similar gun that
weighs more.
The current Smith & Wesson manual cautions against using .357 loads with bullet weights
less than 120 gr. in models with titanium cylinders. (A prior manual did not distinguish
between .38 and .357 loads.) This is due to concerns about erosion of the titanium from the
faster-burning powders. I'd still avoid the 110 gr. +P+ "Treasury load" or its equivalent in
these guns.
Weight reduction can be useful for a handgun that will be carried in a pocket, a shoulder
holster or even an ankle holster. It's tough to fathom why that much weight reduction is
necessary for a gun that will be worn on the belt. As my former teaching partner used to
observe, it's amazing how some people can make such a big deal about a few ounces less in a
belt holster when they're probably carrying at least five or ten extra pounds around the
waist in the first place.
(If you think that I am unique in my skepticism about the practical value of ultralight
revolvers, take a look at what the "formerly famous gunwriter" Dean Speir has to say on the subject.)
For many years I was a poorer shooter than I could have been because I trained in a school
that placed a big priority on "recoil control." Guns will recoil when fired - it's part of
the laws of physics. Shooters need to concentrate on hits, not how soon they can jerk the
next shot. However, particularly with revolvers, a good choice of grip stocks can distribute
the recoil forces so that they do not cause appreciable discomfort.
The Defensive Firearms Tripod
If you recall my priorities for the defensive use of
firearms, the five priorities can be condensed into three categories: mind set, skills and
equipment.
Equipment is the lowest on the list. When you choose it, don't settle for the training
that comes in the box!
The Defensive Equipment Tripod
Don't forget that the defensive handgun is only one leg of a tripod which also
includes the ammunition and the
holster (with its support).
Material is posted on this page for information and discussion only and
purports to be no more than the personal opinion of
Stephen P. Wenger.
