Revolver as bug-out gun

[Brock Meatstone]

Not trying to puke into the Glock vs. 1911 thing here, but somebody on this board summed up perfect how I feel about it when they made this statement: 1911's: half the reliability of a Glock at three times the price.

That being said, and to get back on track; as of now, I have a revolver as my bug-out gun for the simple reason that I am worried about large creatures (bear or moose) threatening me during a full-on haul ass situation, and as such, require heavy hitting rounds to effectively put them down.

Holy hell, a reasonable statement of personal needs in a revolver v. auto thread. No unsupported assertions, no simplicity of the revolver arguments, no chest thumping. Ragnarok is surely upon us!

What are you carrying?

4" GP100 loaded with Buffalo Bore Heavy 180gr lead hard cast rounds.
Not ideal by any stretch for my situation, but the cost of .357 allows me to practice getting more hits on target than with .454 or .500, bear rounds costing upwards of 50-60 dollars for a box of 20.
Would I prefer a heavier round? God, yes. But it's what I have and I can afford to practice with it. And it still beats the hell out of 9mm against a Grizzly.

[TDW586]

Good, affordable choice, I'd say. Buffalo Bore makes some mean ammo, that's for sure. I've got some of their +P 158-grain LSWCHP for my J-Frame, based on their performance in gelatin tests. Recoil is freakin' rough out of a airweight J-Frame, though.

Have you considered getting some light cast wadcutters in .38 Special for small game?

[Brock Meatstone]

Good, affordable choice, I'd say. Buffalo Bore makes some mean ammo, that's for sure. I've got some of their +P 158-grain LSWCHP for my J-Frame, based on their performance in gelatin tests. Recoil is freakin' rough out of a airweight J-Frame, though.

Have you considered getting some light cast wadcutters in .38 Special for small game?

Ah, man. That's part of the ongoing research I've been doing to fully maximize my revolver as a trail gun. Right now I have 2 speed strips: one with .38 Spc. 158gr LRN for small game like rabbits, but I'm not 100% on what that round and bullet weight will do to a rabbit, and the other strip with .38 Spc shotshells for squirrel sized game, but I understand that shot out of a rifled barrel tends to pattern like a doughnut, so I have no illusions on making shots with it over more than 10 feet, tops.

I also pack 2 speed loaders, one with 6 rounds of additional Buffalo Bore, and another with Cor-Bon JHP.
I'm also looking to add a cartridge wallet holding 10 additional rounds to my BOB's shoulder strap.
I know it's never going to be as versatile as a .22LR for small game getting, or a 500S&W for big game deterrence, but as of right now given my options, I'd rather have one pistol that can be stretched to do some other stuff okay, instead of one thing really well.

[TDW586]

Look for a light, flat or round nose target load. Cast would probably be best, but FMJ could work too. That shouldn't tear anything rabbit size or larger up too bad. A cowboy load might fit the bill really well, actually. Kind of expensive, but this would be a good choice:

http://www.cheaperthandirt.com/product/67988

Another option might be .38 Special short. I've got no personal experience with this ammo, but it's a LRN running something like 500 fps out of a 4" barreled revolver, which might be just the thing for rabbits.

[Brock Meatstone]

Holy damn, that .38 Special Short looks like just the ticket for what I need!
I'll have to see if I can get a hold of a box for testing. Awesome.

[RickOShea]

Ah, man. That's part of the ongoing research I've been doing to fully maximize my revolver as a trail gun. Right now I have 2 speed strips: one with .38 Spc. 158gr LRN for small game like rabbits, but I'm not 100% on what that round and bullet weight will do to a rabbit, and the other strip with .38 Spc shotshells for squirrel sized game, but I understand that shot out of a rifled barrel tends to pattern like a doughnut, so I have no illusions on making shots with it over more than 10 feet, tops.

I've shot the CCI shot shells in .38, .44, .45 acp and .45 LC. They pattern fairly well out of a barrel 5" or longer.

Barrels shorter than that, and the pattern is still decent, but it tends to "drift" off to the left of point-of-aim.

[Dirty Bob]

Go to Grant Cunningham's blog: The Revolver Liberation Alliance, and search for CE "Ed" Harris. Harris wrote a great article on the full-charge wadcutter (at http://www.grantcunningham.com/blog_files/75f11fe4e235da7c69cabf94daa7dbd9-932.html). It's a WC bullet loaded to regular .38 Special velocity (instead of the usual "target" velocity). This would be a good starting point in a search for a do-it-all .38 load, including use as a trail pistol.

Harris has several very good articles posted on Cunningham's blog.

My SP101 -- with the 3-1/16" barrel -- has been lightly modded for carry:
* Hogue hard nylon stocks fit my hands better than the factory stocks did
* XS Big Dot Night Sight on front
* Bobbed hammer spur (it was eating my cover garments)

Great gun for carry. I chose +P LSWCHP "FBI Loads" for concealed carry. Not a bad gun/load for bug-out, either. I can hit with it, and it conceals well.

Regards,
Dirty Bob

[870 Shell Shucker]

I think having an auto that has been proven reliable is a good thing. I also think having a Revolver for backup is a good idea.

[maine1]

Interesting thread.

Both guns fail, as has been said.
Durign a class i was giving, i had a student walk up to the line with a Colt 357 trooper, in excellent shape ( i mean, this gun was beautiful! ) he had had it for years.
pulled 6 times, to the tune of 6 clicks. The transfer bar/transfer bar spring was broken ( not sure which one, I will not crack a smith or colt revolver, only a Ruger)

he finished the class with one of my loaner 22's.

In a class i was taking, we were doing weak hand drills..and i had a double feed with my tried and true, ancient glock 21.
Cleared it, had another
cleared it had another
cleared it, had another......Line was stopped, and it was determined that my extractor was chipped.

The instructor started talking about loaning me a gun, when i told him i had an extractor in my bag.

Back on the line in 5 min.

The point is that both guns have problems, and it behooves us to know how to fix BOTH types of guns, have the parts and tools to do so.

Thats why i prefer the Ruger revolvers: easy takedown, large robust parts, and can be stripped down to the frame for cleaning.
The way i see it, its our JOB and duty to know how to keep our weapons running in all conditions, to know it down to the last aprt, how to keep it fed.
IME, Autos fix faster than a revolver. They are also less fuss inthe feild, but that is also a holster and carry issue- revolvers are often open carried where an auto goes under a garment easier, with many common holsters.

[Finch]

Not trying to puke into the Glock vs. 1911 thing here, but somebody on this board summed up perfect how I feel about it when they made this statement: 1911's: half the reliability of a Glock at three times the price.

That being said, and to get back on track; as of now, I have a revolver as my bug-out gun for the simple reason that I am worried about large creatures (bear or moose) threatening me during a full-on haul ass situation, and as such, require heavy hitting rounds to effectively put them down.

Holy hell, a reasonable statement of personal needs in a revolver v. auto thread. No unsupported assertions, no simplicity of the revolver arguments, no chest thumping. Ragnarok is surely upon us!

What are you carrying?

4" GP100 loaded with Buffalo Bore Heavy 180gr lead hard cast rounds.
Not ideal by any stretch for my situation, but the cost of .357 allows me to practice getting more hits on target than with .454 or .500, bear rounds costing upwards of 50-60 dollars for a box of 20.
Would I prefer a heavier round? God, yes. But it's what I have and I can afford to practice with it. And it still beats the hell out of 9mm against a Grizzly.

I carry buffalo bore +p+ 124 grain in my 19 it's good stuff


Had any one pointed out that revolvers can and do jam in this 2 year old thread?

[TDW586]

Yes, that has been addressed.

Sent from my Nexus One using Tapatalk 2

[velojym]

Yep, it's been mentioned, and I had it happen to me for the first time last summer. Fortunately, it was just a matter of adjusting the cylinder/barrel gap on my DW, and otherwise, I've sent thousands and thousands of rounds downrange from revolvers without any other issues.
I'm sure glad I was able to fix the above issue. I do love the feel of the ol' Dans.

And I will agree that, with many designs, autos are designed to be easily serviced in the field.

[Finch]

Yep, it's been mentioned, and I had it happen to me for the first time last summer. Fortunately, it was just a matter of adjusting the cylinder/barrel gap on my DW, and otherwise, I've sent thousands and thousands of rounds downrange from revolvers without any other issues.
I'm sure glad I was able to fix the above issue. I do love the feel of the ol' Dans.

And I will agree that, with many designs, autos are designed to be easily serviced in the field.

Don't get me wrong I love my k-frame. They just arnt the be all and end all the OP seems to have thought 2 years ago

[velojym]

Much as I love my revolvers, you you'll certainly see one on my hip when I'm out in the woods, my daily carry is my XD45. 14 rounds of 45 acp goodness is just about
as good as it gets.