Best Conceal Carry Weapon- Revolver or Automatic?

[Karl Streicher]

This is mainly for those of us in the U.S. but all are welcome to join in. Luckily for us the federal government made it acceptable to legally carry a concealed weapon in most states with one conceal/carry permit so one doesn't have to get a permit for each state they might choose to carry in which makes complete sense to me. The way I look at it if you are not a convicted felon or have been judged legally insane there is absolutely no reason you shouldn't be able to carry with or without a permit but the powers that be must have their piece of paper so that is what you must do.

Now the question is which do you or would you carry and why?

Personally I lean towards revolvers for two main reasons, all you have to do is pull the trigger and you don't have brass flying all over the place which I think is an important consideration and I will expain why. I worked as a buyer for a number of years at a company that bought guns from manufacturers and sold to gun shops and licensed FFL holders and we also sold class III weapons to Law enforcement along with flash bangs, rubber ball grenades etc. so we had law enforcement agents come in from time to time. One day after business was done and we were just sitting around BS'ing I asked a question that had been on my mind for a while.
My idea was that most perpetrators of personal crimes have graduated to that from less serious crimes and that being the case means that most of them probably have an extensive arrest record and most likely a few enemies. How much time will the police spend looking for the killer of a known criminal if there is no evidence other than a bullet? I ran this by the agent and he told me they probably wouldn't spend a whole lot of resources on it, now if it were Mr. or Mrs. law abiding citizen yes they would make a serious effort but in the end no brass equals one less piece of evidence- what do you think?

 

[Revoltingest]

I've carried both, but settled on a semi-auto.
Reasons:
- More concealable because it's thinner than the cylinder on a revolver.
- Higher capacity.
- Very safe carry mode when the chamber is empty.
- Racking the slide offers an announcement of intent, which would diffuse many a situation.
- More natural pointer.

I'm not worried about spent brass being used as evidence.
It's likely that I'd stick around for the cops to arrive anyway after a self-defense incident.

 

[Karl Streicher]

I will give my perspective point by point but I am not arguing what is better for from what I have seen with gun people is that much of it boils down to personal preference:
agree with you on point one, yes they are

High cap sure but hopefully one or two well placed shots will do the trick

Very safe when chamber is empty, modern revolvers are just as safe loaded

Racking the slide? if you are in a situation where you might have to use one you may very well have no time to do this

more natural pointer- again a matter of preference or training, I feel if one is familiar enough with their weapon of choice natural pointing will come naturally in close in situations many trainers tell you to keep the weapon close to your body

as far as the spent brass, if there are no witnesses around I would see no reason to stick around

 

[Revoltingest]

I will give my perspective point by point but I am not arguing what is better for from what I have seen with gun people is that much of it boils down to personal preference:
agree with you on point one, yes they are
High cap sure but hopefully one or two well placed shots will do the trick

Hope is a wonderful thing. But having extra capacity is a good option, & is just inherent in double stack semi-autos.

Very safe when chamber is empty, modern revolvers are just as safe loaded

The double action revolver is safe because of a long & heavy trigger pull. The Glock can be equipped with a "New
York" trigger to effect the same thing. But "chamber empty" is safer still, & let's me keep the stock trigger.
A single action revolver would be just as safe.

Racking the slide? if you are in a situation where you might have to use one you may very well have no time to do this

I place this risk below the risk of accidental discharge. Such are my personal circumstances.

more natural pointer- again a matter of preference or training, I feel if one is familiar enough with their weapon of choice natural pointing will come naturally in close in situations many trainers tell you to keep the weapon close to your body

No argument here. It's just one advantage of a semi-auto.

as far as the spent brass, if there are no witnesses around I would see no reason to stick around

I could try to retrieve my brass if this looks useful.

 

[Shuddhasattva]

as far as the spent brass, if there are no witnesses around I would see no reason to stick around

1. If there are not witnesses, it means you killed your assailant.

2. You killed someone, a corpse is left, and a certain amount of evidence, regardless of whether the casings are in your possession or not. If it gets traced back to you, and you did not file a report with the police ... not good, to say the least.

 

[Trey of Diamonds]

Ruger LCR Revolver - 38 :: Ruger :: Firearms - Handguns :: Discount Gun Sales LLC

 

[Revoltingest]

That's much like the S&W 649 I used to carry.
The shrouded hammer makes it an OK pocket gun.
Note: a special holster is a good idea to keep it properly oriented & to prevent it from "printing thru" one's clothing.

 

[Trey of Diamonds]

That's much like the S&W 649 I used to carry.
The shrouded hammer makes it an OK pocket gun.
Note: a special holster is a good idea to keep it properly oriented & to prevent it from "printing thru" one's clothing.

The Ruger in the picture is just the first image of a shrouded hammer that popped up on google. If I was looking to buy one I'd probably look at the S&W first. I have a Model 19 357 now that I used to use for competition shooting.

Best competition hand gun in my opinion. I don't shoot much these days, I've become domesticated.

 

[Kathryn]

Semi-automatic girl here. That being said, I love shooting my husband's big revolver. I call it the "air conditioned gun" because when I shoot it, the blast of air hits my face and blows my hair out of my eyes. It feels sort of good - as long as I'm wearing ear protection. And I'm sure it would stop anyone in their tracks.

I can't imagine carrying that thing around in my purse though!

 

[Revoltingest]

Semi-automatic girl here.

Funny.....I always thought you'd be a select fire gal.....a Glock #18 fan.

 

[Karl Streicher]

"Hope is a wonderful thing. But having extra capacity is a good option, & is just inherent in double stack semi-autos"

How many people do you really need to shoot? this isn't the theatre

"The double action revolver is safe because of a long & heavy trigger pull. The Glock can be equipped with a "New
York" trigger to effect the same thing. But "chamber empty" is safer still, & let's me keep the stock trigger"

For those that feel that the trigger pull is too long and heavy for their tastes and abilities I would recommend a trigger and hammer polish job from a reputable gunsmith- I have no idea what a "New York" trigger is

 

[Revoltingest]

How many people do you really need to shoot?

None at all.
In fact, I don' load my magazine all the way.

I have no idea what a "New York" trigger is

As I recall, when NYC switched from revolvers to Glocks, they had bad habits from double action revolvers & inadequate training.
(They were prone to having their finger on the trigger at inappropriate times, resulting in accidental discharges.) Glock introduced
the eponymous trigger mechanism with much heavier pull, as would be found on their old revolvers.

 

[Kathryn]

Funny.....I always thought you'd be a select fire gal.....a Glock #18 fan.

I like my Glock but it's not my favorite gun to carry for self protection. It's pretty big and bulky, though it does shoot well. Or rather, I shoot well when I use it.

 

[LegionOnomaMoi]

Racking the slide? if you are in a situation where you might have to use one you may very well have no time to do this

That's why you practice. Not just racking the slide, but dealing with jams in a hurry, etc. The loudest sound in a gunfight is a "click".

Of course, as I generally walk around town with my trusty USAS-12 fully auto shotgun with a drum and a .500 S&W as my sidearm, I don't have to worry.The important thing is just to assume that everybody you meet is really a terminator. Especially if they have an austrian accent. Those people cannot be trusted (or was it australian? Is there a difference?).

 

[Revoltingest]

That's why you practice. Not just racking the slide, but dealing with jams in a hurry, etc. The loudest sound in a gunfight is a "click".

Practicing one's draw with one's various combinations of clothing & holsters is crucial.

Of course, as I generally walk around town with my trusty USAS-12 fully auto shotgun with a drum and a .500 S&W as my sidearm, I don't have to worry.The important thing is just to assume that everybody you meet is really a terminator. Especially if they have an austrian accent. Those people cannot be trusted (or was it australian? Is there a difference?).

Austria exists.
Australia is a myth. (I've covered this before. There's no convincing proof that it exists.)

 

[LegionOnomaMoi]

Practicing one's draw with one's various combinations of clothing & holsters is crucial.

Absolutely. There's no point in being the best shot in the world if you can't get to your weapon under duress.

Austria exists.
Australia is a myth. (I've covered this before. There's no convincing proof that it exists.)

Got it. Thanks. I always knew that "kangaroos" sounded made-up. I mean, c'mon. A human-sized rabbit with a built in pouch?

 

[Revoltingest]

Got it. Thanks. I always knew that "kangaroos" sounded made-up. I mean, c'mon. A human-sized rabbit with a built in pouch?

And dingo stealing babies.....reallly!?!?

 

[Trey of Diamonds]

Of course if you're going to the hood, you know, to visit your baby mama or something, I recommend a minigun.

10 Most Incredible Sci-Fi Movie Guns

 

[Karl Streicher]

I didn't know that the Glock misstep of putting a safety on a trigger was called a "New York trigger" you learn something everyday. The trigger safety is one reason why we sat around years ago looking at it and wondering why they did it that way- it seemed to make no sense and an invitation for trouble and that trouble happened prompting a coining of that term. In the end I trust steel and wood over plastic but that is just me

 

[LegionOnomaMoi]

Of course if you're going to the hood, you know, to visit your baby mama or something, I recommend a minigun.

That's what my baby mama carries. I prefer a "real man's" machine gun:

If you aren't shooting .50 cal., you're not shooting.

And when you just really need to "reach out and touch someone":

The cartridge the rifle above fires compared to your standard puny 7.62 NATO round: