One Revolver

[CharlesHarris]

Here again is an article written from the viewpoint of a rural "back to the lander" in the USA. While most defense handguns sold in the US these days are autopistols, old Boffins like me, and retired cops who carried them still prefer revolvers. In many places former police revolvers are easier to get a permit for when required, than a Rambo Mall Ninja 9mm auto with double-stacked magazine. If it is difficult or illegal for you to own a handgun where you are, consider this as entertainment. I hope it is helpful.

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Many people I know in the US who don’t own a gun, are now thinking about buying one, while they still can. These fence sitters, soon to become gun owners frequently ask what ONE handgun they should buy for home defense, home and outdoor protection.

They would never use a handgun for big game hunting, but would carry it when working outdoors, traveling on vacation hiking, fishing, boating or camping trips, and might use it to kill small game for survival purposesand depend on it, if needed, for home or personal defense.

These don't want to acquire a gun "collection." They want only ONE handgun which is expected to serve multiple needs in a family where shooting is not a hobby activity. The foremost requirements are simplicity, safety, reliability, durability, accuracy, and modest cost of gun and ammunition. Also important is ease of use by the "female significant other" or adult children who need to know how to safely hanbdle a gun in the house, and who may wish to learn to use one skillfully, should the need arise.

These parameters haven't changed since Smith & Wesson first introduced its famed Military and Police Model Hand Ejector in 1903. Julian S. Hatcher said, in the Textbook of Pistols and Revolvers (1935), "Were it necessary for the average person to own and use but one revolver, it should be a .38 Special." This advice is still just as true today.

Used .38 Special revolvers in sound mechanical condition are much less expensive in the USA than any new or used, modern combat auto-pistol. Ammunition for the .38 Special is common everywhere and remains relatively inexpensive. Factory .38 Special loads available today provide greater variety than for any other handgun cartridge in America. Today the .38 Special is generally deemed the minimum revolver cartridge which is fully suitable for personal protection.

While the .38 Special is no longer the duty gun of choice among police or military units, it enjoys great popularity in the many US states in which civilian concealed carry is permitted. While it is true that compact pocket revolvers such as the Ruger SP101 and LCR or S&W "J" frames are now available chambered for the more powerful .357 Magnum, using .38 Special ammunition in small revolvers weighing less than about 0.6kg makes alot more sense for a variety of reasons.

While a .22 rim-fire is most often recommended as an outdoorsman's “kit gun,” the owner of our “one handgun” can readily use his .38 Special for field purposes and will find it effective. When trips out in the bush are of only a few days duration short, only a few rounds of ammunition are really needed. I live in rattlesnake snake country,so carry a Speer shot load first-up in the cylinder. The rest of the rounds in the cylinder are +P personal defense hollow points, specifically either the Winchester X39SPD, or Remington R38S12, formerly known as the "FBI load." Three TUF strips fit into into "Blackberry" sized leather belt pouch, stored tabs up, which doesn't look like an ammo pouch, or rattling on your belt, in your coat pocket or day pack. On trips I pack a box of wadcutters too.

I would recommend that the non-enthusiast seeking "one handgun" select a steel-frame, “police-service-type,” double-action .38 Special or .357 having not less than a 3" or preferably a 4" (about 10cm) barrel. I say “or .357” because a “Magnum” revolver of these general specifications can use any .38 Special ammunition, but is more durably constructed, so it won’t "loosen up" with frequent use of .38 Special +P defense loads, which can happen with the smaller, light alloy frame .38s. In states where concealed carry is legal a used 4” service revolver usually sells for about $100 less than a 2” "snubby" in similar condition. Similarly a used .38 Special costs about $50 less than a similar model chambered in .357.

For home defense and military aircrew survival use fixed sights are most rugged, but for accurate field shooting of small game, getting a fixed sight gun to shoot exactly where it points when aiming at a small target, can be propblematic. So adjustable sights are a help. A 4” barrel is easier to shoot accurately, and can still be easily concealed in a proper holster. For concealed carry where legal (http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2013/07/...led-carry/ most people are well served with an inside-waistband type with reinforced opening which permits one-handed re-holstering. Snubbies” are most popular as concealed carry guns, but I do not recommend that a non-hobbyist buy a snubby. While a short barrel has advantages for weapon retention in close-quarter combat when grappling and rolling around in the mud and the blood, they require frequent practice to maintain proficiency. Please recall that our scenario here is ONE gun for a non-hobbyist.

148-grain lead "wadcutter" target ammunition is good for general use including field shooting. It is accurate, gives a good knockdown blow on small game, and doesn’t destroy as much meat as higher velocity jacketed hollowpoints do. Wadcutters provide fully adequate soft target penetration with good “crush” and are a valid choice for defense carry in "air weight" or alloy-frame guns which cannot handle +P law enforcement ammunition. Novice revolver owners should train and practice only with wadcutters until able to place six shots fired double-action, with a two-handed hold at 5 metres into a 10cm group reliably.

After developing basic skill and attaining some confidence it is OK to experiment with heavier +P loads, in guns suitable for them, to become accustomed to their additional recoil. The Federal 38G and Remington R38S12 158-gr. all-lead hollow-points provide stopping power equal to .45 ACP hardball and represent the upper limit of recoil which the average non-expert person can handle. +P ammo is only for defense against two or four-legged varmints when more power is needed.

Ten years ago the US market was flooded with police turn-in .38 Specials in good condition selling for around $200. When I was in Italy in 2012, a used Smith & Wesson Military & Police model was the best buy, and popular among civilian shooters. But you must shop carefully to find a used police revolver which isn’t worn out. If you don’t know revolvers, educate yourself. In the US you only need to take a retired cop who carried one for 25 years to the store with you and buy him coffee and doughnuts! You do not want to buy into a "gunsmithing project," because you may spend more fixing a "basket case" revolver than it is worth.

Simple is good on your ammunition supply. Use target wadcutters for both practice and carry. In steel frame guns it is OK for actual defense carry to carry factory loaded +P lead hollow point or JHP "personal protection" or law enforcement loads. You may also want to keep a few Speer shot shells around if you live in snake country. These loads really handle all uses for a .38 revolver.

Competent use of .357 ammunition in suitable revolvers requires a higher level of training and expertise which generally departs from our "non-hobbyist" scenario.

The muzzle of a revolver should always be elevated when ejecting fired cases. This ensures that any unburned powder particles fall out with the empties, rather than under the extractor, or between the crane and frame, which could tie up the gun. Carry a toothbrush in your kit for cleaning residue out from under the extractor. If you don't own a handgun, but have been thinking about getting one, you can't go wrong with a sturdy 4" .38 Special (or .357).