Why a Revolver for Home Defense

a reply to: semperfortis

I am not into guns but reading your post I did a quick search and found THIS it hold 8 rounds too. I can't see a homeowner ever needing anything else.
If your a criminal robbing a house at night and you see a red dot on your chest, I would think you know just picked the wrong house.

a reply to: semperfortis

this may have been stated already, but a firearm without training is useless. if you have to think about whether your safety is on or off it's too late. you are in trouble. tactical training is different than target training. it is more than just point and click.

knowing where your bullet will travel is important too. questions that one needs to ask themselves long before the need arises is will the bullet exit your home and enter another home by accident? or just as bad, will your bullet travels through the house and you put your own family in harms way. (friendly fire) also the laws for a home owner defending their home should be discussed with a lawyer in great detail. the responsibility of owning a gun reach farther than the muzzle. and to add to your original post, the perfect gun for you is the one you can control during operation. not everyone can handle a .357.

just my two cents

a reply to: semperfortis

I have to agree with everything you say here about revolvers.

Another thing I would like to add is adrenaline, even seasoned officers have difficulties when this natural booster kicks in, that is why they train over and over and over, on the range, so when overwhelming factors kick in, they have what is called muscle memory.

Muscle memory is when you train with a weapon or technique so many times, it becomes second nature, and your brain/muscle response is basically automatic.

Officers are trained over and over to clear stove pipes/jammed rounds, and empty mags, so if situations come up they don't even think about it.

Any semi-auto weapon requires many hours, on the range, and combat training to properly know how to use it, so I would say a revolver is key for home defense.

It only take one well placed bullet to ruin someones day.

a reply to: rockpaperhammock

I just love all the people in here that think more bullets is the way to end a threat.

I am thinking that people like this, in a situation like this, will end up sending 13 bullets through the sheet rock walls into their children's bedrooms.

a reply to: semperfortis
Semperfortis you are correct. Revolvers are best for the home defense situation. Having said that, those that are going to purchase one PLEASE GO TO THE RANGE AND PRACTICE. Even with a revolver , assuming it is double action, as you shoot fast the shots will tend to climb higher and higher. A .357 is a pretty heavy load and even .38 +p will cause a rise making she shooter shoot high.
In respect to the argument over home invasion versus burglary, I feel once they breach the doors or windows of my house I can give a crap about their intent. Entering a house without permission with occupants is inviting death in my book. There will be no argument. One never interviews the assailant prior to shooting them. I will leave that to the idiot liberals to over define a situation.

I disagree. The "best" home defense weapon is the one that you have the most training with, are most confortable with, and can operate while it's dark and you are groggy.

Many firearms instructors with the same or more experience as the OP would say the same.

I can field strip and reassemble any CZ75 type pistol with my eyes closed... why would I switch to a revolver when I don't have nearly as much experience with one? Even with a speed loader dropping and refreshing a mag in a semi auto is much faster - and you don't have to fumble around with loose rounds (assuming no speedloader) while your heart is racing and your adrenaline pumping like it has never done at any other time in your life.

There is no "best." There is only what is best for the individual.

On top of what I posted above - the argument that if you need more than 6 rounds you're out of your element and not even 200 rounds would help is kind of a stupid one.

It's dark, you're half asleep.. Do you really think your shot placement is going to be perfect? If you were going on a week-long hiking trip through the desert would you *only* take the exact amount of food and water you predict you will need? I take four pair of socks when I go camping overnight..

More rounds is always better. The idea that there is one type of firearm that is better suited for home defense than everything else out there is silly. The idea that if you need more than 6 rounds you better just kiss your ass goodbye is flat out foolish.

If you are most comfortable with a revolver, use a revolver. If you are comfortable with a semi-auto pistol, use that. Myself? I like options and having a backup plan.

originally posted by: TinkerHaus
On top of what I posted above - the argument that if you need more than 6 rounds you're out of your element and not even 200 rounds would help is kind of a stupid one.

Not stupid at all.

What he is stating is if you can't take someone down with 6 rounds, then most likely you won't get the chance to do it with additional ammo.

The intruder will flee most likely.

originally posted by: elysiumfire
Well, being British, we can handle ourselves. If it should ever occur that I awake to find someone in my apartment who I have not invited in, they would be dealt with. It would be a 12" custard pie right in the face, followed up with an half eaten sherry trifle over the head. There are no stoppages with these foods. Have you ever seen anyone dumped on their backsides covered in these substances? It is utterly bewildering to them. They forget what they entered for and can't even remember their own name. Just an expression of WTF! on their custard and jelly face.

Okay. I give up. I used to tell Americans that the good old wild west had gone, but clearly, it is an aspect of American culture that just won't be allowed to be consigned to the history books. However, the very fact that you think you need a gun in your home should automatically speak volumes to you about your country? It abides in fear and paranoia.

'What if' and 'just in case' scenarios sell guns and continually mitigates the 'fear' of those scenarios. Of course, some would say it is better to have a gun and not need it, than to not have a gun and not need it, but of course, the only time you would need a gun is when you 'know' the other person has a gun, not when you only 'think' they may have a gun. Only then is your use of a gun proportional to the threat.

Here in Britain we are allowed to defend our life and property, but it has to be proportional to the threat. Shooting someone who hasn't got a gun would probably land you in jail for excessive use of force, and has done so. Rationally, it would seem counter-productive to be prosecuted for one's own defence, after all, you didn't cause the incident, the other person did, but the country-wide social rational of this is that we don't have people being killed at the drop of a hat, otherwise, we would end up similar to America...addicted to the fear of other people, and no real social cohesion at all.

America's 'gun problem' is more than just about the actual physical gun, and even if Americans could somehow find the courage to remove the guns, it won't change the mindset for wanting and having them. In fact, it is precisely this mindset that is the reason why guns are so ubiquitous across America, and the lucrative industry in the sale of them. So, until the mindset is changed, guns will remain and gun violence will stay at the high levels they are, and the problem will remain.

All I heard was "blah blah blah, I'm jealous that your country doesn't treat you like an infant blah blah blah."

I'm glad that you're able to see the silver lining in slavery - but I want no part of it. It's not the Wild West here, but if you've never wandered further than the borders of your county I can see how it might seem that way to you.

Additionally, your rates of violent crime are higher than ours. Removing guns doesn't remove crime, it just shifts the "type" over a column or two. Instead of comparing rates of gun crime, why don't you look at overall crime rates?

originally posted by: Realtruth

originally posted by: TinkerHaus
On top of what I posted above - the argument that if you need more than 6 rounds you're out of your element and not even 200 rounds would help is kind of a stupid one.

Not stupid at all.

What he is stating is if you can't take someone down with 6 rounds, then most likely you won't get the chance to do it with additional ammo.

The intruder will flee most likely.

It is stupid. No one here has ever missed six times in a row? Often times when there are break ins there are more than two, or three people involved... You can gamble your family's life on "most likely," but I'm not going to take that bet.

It's ridiculous to gamble your life and your family's life on the assumption that an invader would flee before you used up 6 rounds. It's better to be prepared and not need it, than to be unprepared and need it.

Or if your in the UK. A lamp or candlestick. If you even mention purchasing a shotgun (handguns are illegal to posses) for home defence on your firearms application they will empty your gun cabinet quicker than you can say boo. You cant even purchase a baton. A taser or pepper spray is viewed in the same league as a handgun. If you were to even make a spray bottle of water and chilli yourself then it comes under the same heading.

So we have to arm ourselves with everyday household objects whilst those who break the law and aren't bothered about pesky restrictions on weapons break in with machetes and whatever else they wish.

I wish we could be more grown up about firearms this side of the pond.

a reply to: semperfortis

A pump shotgun is the best weapon for home defense.

Who, in this world, does not recognize the sound of a shotgun being pumped?

Just pump that puppy and watch people run.

A 357 magnum will go through walls like paper and may penetrate neighboring homes and result in injuries or death.

A shotgun, should you just feel the absolute need to use it, has a much more limited range.

357 magnum is just about the stupidest choice I can think of.... other than a .307 rifle or something similar.

originally posted by: TinkerHaus

It is stupid. No one here has ever missed six times in a row? Often times when there are break ins there are more than two, or three people involved... You can gamble your family's life on "most likely," but I'm not going to take that bet.

It's ridiculous to gamble your life and your family's life on the assumption that an invader would flee before you used up 6 rounds. It's better to be prepared and not need it, than to be unprepared and need it.

It's also ridiculous and "Stupid" to gamble your family's life by expending rounds because you can't hit a target. Many times stray rounds go through walls and strike innocent family members, or even people outside. It has happened countless times here in the Detroit area.

I was in law enforcement for years in the Detroit area, so I have first hand experience.

Guns are like driving a car, if you can't control them you shouldn't be using one.

originally posted by: semperfortis
a reply to: Skid Mark

OUTSTANDING!!!!

Superb OP...S/F

Two questions

1. I have an FNS-9 as my CCW but I heard a rumor at some point and want your opinion. Is it true that keeping a magazine loaded all the time can wear out the spring and increase odds of a jam in a semi-auto?

2. What good sized revolver would recommend to me being 6'4" and having hands that are made more for a full or mid size as opposed to a compact or sub-compact?

TinkerHaus:

All I heard was "blah blah blah, I'm jealous that your country doesn't treat you like an infant blah blah blah."

No. You heard nothing, you read it...unless of course, you have a reading difficulty and have to read aloud. All I wrote was an honest and rational opinion, and all you do is come back with denial. Everyone else on the thread, equally in denial, just ignored me.

I'm glad that you're able to see the silver lining in slavery - but I want no part of it. It's not the Wild West here...

Huh? What slavery would that be? I'm no slave to anyone, and I don't need a firearm to prove it!

...your rates of violent crime are higher than ours.

Bollocks! Are you a comedian?

Removing guns doesn't remove crime...

No sh1t Sherlock. However, having guns increases the likelihood of fatalities by a gun, as all the stats show

Instead of comparing rates of gun crime, why don't you look at overall crime rates?

Because if you removed gun crime (all gun deaths and maiming being gun crime), your rates of crime overall would massively reduce. You just won't take the obvious steps to alleviate some of the gun deaths, and you'll use any rationale to skew the debate in order not to do so. In fact, gun owners are as much to blame for gun violence in America as those they place the blame on. While you remain in denial, you'll always refuse to acknowledge it.

My wife has a .38 revolver, and loves to shoot it. I prefer my Beretta's but that's just me.

For home invasion however, my firing instructor for our concealed carry had an excellent observation.

With immigrants making up a sizable number of home intruders now, they may not understand English, but there isn't a person on earth that doesn't know the racking sound of a 12 gauge round going into a pump shotgun. As he said, you really don't even need to have a shell in the chamber, just rack the action and everyone will immediately freeze in place and slowly head for the door.



M

a reply to: semperfortis
I'll agree to this. I have a revolver that I use for both popping of rounds and for basic home defense (i.e. middle of the night in house noise)

It's funny that Taurus was mentioned earlier since that's what I have. (Taurus 85ss2FS) Mine has a ported barrel.

Out in the field I can put 15 rounds of .38 in 3 secs, into a fist size hole at 15 feet. It's not bad for a small frame revolver. easy to use, easy to clean, and best of all not many parts to fail on you. Pick it up and shoot, bad round, pull the trigger to clear it. Sure it only holds 5 rounds, but lets face it pop somebody in the leg or lower extremities and they'll know the messed up.

Now if the noise is outside the home, then that would be another thread.

I wonder if FANNING can be done accurately?

a reply to: KyoZero

I can only speak for myself, but if a person is in the market for a good full size revolver and doesn't want to totally nuke their bank account (good revolvers tend to be quite expensive!), I'd go with a Ruger GP-100. They usually run about $550 new in my area. Well worth it, too, as far as I'm concerned.