I want to start another handgun thread

short version: Which should I carry, a revolver or pistol?

long version: I'm comfortable with my shotguns (used to trap shoot every weekend) but have never had a handgun. I just got my CCW permit, and would like to get a gun to carry. What I cannot decide is if I should purchase a pistol or a revolver. I love the revolver's reliability and its simplicity at dealing with a misfire. I dislike the revolver's limited number of rounds. I like the pistol's larger capacity, but worry about having to clear jams.

What do you guys carry and why?

How likely do you think you are to get into a situation where you need more than six bullets?! Do you work for an A-team villain?

.380 semi auto in the pocket and high capacity .40 in the console. Use your little gun to get to your big gun.

I'm fine with something like the Ruger LCR .38 revolver as a pocket gun too, but they are larger than the ultra compact .380 autos.

I'm not convinced that a revolver is more reliable than a pistol. Simpler, yeah, but not more reliable. Pocket lint can lock up the cylinder, for example. Yeah, cheap semi-auto pistols will give you trouble, but so will a cheap revolver.

Is this a vehicle piece, something in the pocket, what? I suggest a tried and true design, whatever you go with. That means military. Someone's military. 1911's (most need a break in period), the PPK series\ (including East Europe knock offs, if you work the bugs out of them), Glock whatevers, Taurus/Beretta 92's, etc. Also, Taurus has a new line of plastic framed guns that are pretty nice. And the Kahrs have an excellent reliability reputation and are designed specifically for carry (by the Moonies).

Why not carry both? I carry a .38 revolver on the job loaded with six JHP rounds and at the second job (along with everything else I do) I conceal a full frame .45 with 9 rounds of JHP. I only carry one at a time.

The only true answer to your question is whatever you're comfortable with.

I'm thinking about a crossbreed holster to carry it. That means pocket lint is not an issue. That is definitely good to know, though, and not something I had heard before. I suppose what I like best about the revolver is the "just keep pulling the trigger" response to a misfire.

I know that I dislike ultra compact guns...I fired a keltec P38T, and really disliked not being able to get my pinky onto the handle...It seemed difficult to control because of this. I was looking at a friend's glock 19 (gen 3) and thought it had a much nicer handle. Bud's gun shop has M+P's for slightly less than the glock, and I like the looks of them but have not shot the glock or the M+P

In reply to Dr. Hess: I looked at a used beretta tomcat yesterday...the shop owner was a little too fond of it, and priced it accordingly.

JoeyM wrote: I suppose what I like best about the revolver is the "just keep pulling the trigger" response to a misfire.

I had a S&W Model 64 start misfiring after probably 500 rounds. A faulty spring can be confusing to deal with in a double action revolver because it may move the hammer back, but not enough to fire. It may have well been a single action at that point. There are more things that can go wrong than anyone could probably tell you.

Don't think you cant conceal something big. (Giggity)

I once knew a man that said when he came up from a rice paddie he wanted a wheelgun in his hand.

For ME:

.38spl+p/.357mag or .44spl/mag for the house, .40 or .45 auto for the street; I'm not comfortable using anything smaller for social work. There's a 3" Smith 629 in my toolbox here at work. I'd never carry it by choice.

There is no "one gun", just like there is no "one car." Where do you want to use it? Against whom? In what weather? Etc etc.

For revolvers: I like Smith and Colt the best. You'll pay a serious premium for the extra beauty and smoothness in a Colt, so I stick with Ruger and Smith. Better internal precision(depending when it was made) and slicker operation on the Smith, and less expensive and pretty Rugers get the job done just fine.

For autos( or any carry gun): There needs to be a balance between size, weight, and capacity. I learned on Smith revolvers and thus HATE the balance and feel of most autos. 1911s are great shooters, not so great for carry from a weight standpoint. The front to rear weight balance on Glocks changes too much between full and empty for me, and I loathe that same grip on everything they make(supposedly 65% of new handgun sales in the US are Glocks, so I'm in the minority). Ruger's latest autos(SR40C in particular) and most everything Kahr makes(I REALLY want the CW40) are solid products. I figure 6-8 shots is enough for my purposes and thus gravitate toward single stacks, YMMandprobablywillV.

I'd advise you get to the range and rent as many different guns as you can, I was shocked to find how many modern polymer wonder automatics I can't stand the feel of.

ValuePack wrote: . I'd advise you get to the range and rent as many different guns as you can, I was shocked to find how many modern polymer wonder automatics I can't stand the feel of.

Man, there are so many people here that post up my exact thoughts its scary. I must be in good company.

As far as pocket pistols go there is all the rage of the Ruger LCP and the KelTec .380. I think both are good enough pistols if you are getting a pocket holster weapon. When you start getting bigger than that, its what you are comfy with like others say. I am in the camp that thinks revolvers are the way to go when it comes to reliability. With that said I keep my weapon in my car most of the time when I am out. I keep a Glock 19 with me when I go places normally but do not carry when going into stores or anything. If I was going to carry going into stores I would go with one of the small .380s in a pocket holster or a small frame .38 in a concealment holster. But I hate being around the general public so do not really spend alot of time doing stuff that would require me to carry.

Is this turning into a gun forum.

Dr. Hess wrote: And the Kahrs have an excellent reliability reputation and are designed specifically for carry (by the Moonies).

I had a Kahr PM9 for a while, but even after a long and proper break in period and a variety of brands of ammo, I couldn't find anything that would feed reliably enough that I felt confident carrying it. I was really surprised since it was so highly reviewed. It sure was nice and small, though. I traded it in on a Smith and Wesson bodyguard revolver.

For carry I would have a Charter Bulldog, comfortable and accurate .

JoeyM wrote: In reply to Dr. Hess: I looked at a used beretta tomcat yesterday...the shop owner was a little too fond of it, and priced it accordingly.

I've had three Tomcats and I really like them, even though they are a small caliber and a blowback design. But don't buy a used one unless it's an Inox (stainless). They have some pretty well documented frame cracking issues. Supposedly, it's not an issue on the Inox. I put a zillion rounds through the first one and then Beretta replaced it for free, and then I traded that one in for an Inox.

It doesn't what you SHOULD carry. Buy whatever you actually WILL carry. Right now I carry a Sig 226 .40 during the week and a J frame on the weekends. The Sig is big but comfortable to shoot. The J frame is small and good but it absolutely sucks to put a sufficient amount of 357 through it. Buy whatevs decent quality major brand midsize to compact gun, a good holster, and a good belt made to carry a holster.

Ojala wrote: Right now I carry a Sig 226 .40

Just a quick question, no pretense of snippyness or anything, but how is the fit and finish on your Sig? I know their reputation was excellent when they were exclusively Swiss made, but now they're built in my hometown about 40 miles from here. The machine shop I work for has been making some of their internals for years, and the tolerances grow by the year.

So is it sloppy and rattly, or are they still nice guns?

In reply to ValuePack: Your aren't being snippy at all. The frame is the only thing original to my gun so I really don't know about the quality. When the gun was received it was taken completely apart and reassembled with different guts. Since then it gets new pins, springs, ejector, and what not every year. I don't want that to sound like I am putting down Sig though. Between classes, range, and other events I shoot a lot compared to most people so a yearly service interval has been consistent no matter what gun I carry.

^Noted, thank you sir.

I'm a big fan of Beretta pistols, but mostly for the same reason I'm a fan of Powerstroke diesels; not perfect, but I know them and have come to love them. I'm also a fan of S&W revolvers for the same reason. Both are the Toyotas of the handgun world IMO.

I think of revolvers as classic American cars; simple, not much to fail, not a ton of bling. That doesn't mean they are always more reliable, but often times it does. Anyone who's jammed a Para Ordnance slide can attest to that.

I think of semis as EFI cars: a bit more bling and automation, but that doesn't make them unreliable.

In the same way, think about how you're going to use it. You can get groceries in a Bentley and show off at the same time. You can also race a Corolla and look like a single dad to the cops as you speed by.

I have several of both. When I carry, I usually carry my S&W .357. It holds 6, its more than enough to protect myself (which isn't really a concern in rural PA except for maybe a psycho turkey) and it was cheap.

... and I can say this without hesitation. Consider size, weight, and configuration in your decision. I had a 2-shoulder holster (police style) for my .45 Cougar and it would literally give me pain in my upper back, and any belt holster rendered driving useless. I couldn't sit down with it on my side or back. My .357 with a 4" barrel can fit in a pocket or a belt holster without much notice. In all honesty, I would rather carry a small .25 auto if I had one.

Thanks, Curtis. That helps. I am definitely not a big fan of bling...my pump gun for the house is a mossberg, not a benelli. I autocross a geo, and I am considering ripping the injection out of an l24e and taking it back to carbs.

FIL has a Sig P6 (West German police) and I LOVE it. Does jam, but no more than any of the other guns I put boxes of ammo through.

On that note, jams in a pistol aren't generally that difficult to clear. Once you learn what works (talk to your handy BIL or SIL police officers), you can reliably clear a jam in under 4 seconds. Cheapo ammo in a cheapo gun means lots of jams.

That's not quite the case it it uses a blowback design.