Everyone knows that revolvers are now obsolete, thanks to the wide adoption of auto pistols, right? I mean, who in his right mind would rely on a revolver these days when there are so many better choices?
Hold your horses there, cowboy. Revolvers aren’t quite washed up just yet! We’re going to take a peek at some of the facets that still make them shine. Before we get into all of the particulars, let me suggest that if you decide you want to carry and use a revolver, get familiar with the platform. That kind of sounds like a no-brainer, but I want to emphasize that it is because, these days, most people are carrying auto pistols. Some youngsters have never handled a revolver! We old-timers take it for granted that everyone knows how to work a wheel gun, but that’s not true any longer.
Now that we got that out of the way, let’s get into the nitty-gritty details and discuss the revolver’s place in the modern era.
Capacity Constraints
The first thing we usually hear when discussing revolvers is their limited capacity, which is normally six rounds. Unless we’re talking about 2-inch barreled snubbies, which often carry just five rounds. Granted, some full-sized revolvers can carry up to eight rounds. I have a Charter Arms Pathfinder in .22LR that carries eight rounds, but that’s more of an exception than the rule.
Suffice it to say, most revolvers carry fewer rounds than today’s auto pistols, so we’ll concede that point to the autos. Is it really the end of the world, though? We must examine how much ammo we’ll need on board. Yes, more is always better, but we can’t always have that.
There’s also a phenomenon that we have noticed: when one has fewer rounds onboard one’s weapon, one tends to slow down the rate of fire and make the rounds count.
I’ll remind readers at this time that the FBI’s statistics indicate that most defensive shootings take place at under three yards, take less than three seconds, and expend fewer than three rounds (the 3-3-3 factor). Granted, that’s not 100% of the time, but the vast majority.
The Power Factor
The magnums (.357 and .44, mostly) have ammunition that’s readily available. Beyond that, though, there are the .38 Special and .44 Special rounds that can be fired through either of those calibers, respectively. The user can regulate how much power he or she wants to run through the revolver, tailoring it specifically to the task at hand.
This coincides with the “Versatility” section, but it’s worth mentioning twice. Want to hunt deer? Use a magnum load. Smaller game or self-defense? Use one of the Specials.
Need to repel large bear? Certainly, a magnum would be the choice! And nowadays, there are more modern revolver cartridges available that are far larger and more powerful than the .44 Magnum. There is the .454 Casull, .480 Ruger, .460 S&W, .500 Linebaugh, and .500 S&W Magnum, just to name a few. It really all depends upon how much pain you want to inflict upon the target (and yourself) by firing such beasts. The recoil and muzzle blast can be a little on the horrific side.
Versatility
Because revolvers don’t have to cycle an action, they can fire various loads. People sometimes use downloaded target loads that produce very low velocities for practice or economy.
I know a man who swears by his revolver for carrying snake loads (it turns the revolver into a small shotgun) because he occasionally hunts in areas that are infested by poisonous snakes. As a point of fact, he’s bagged a few dangerous snakes and swears that the snake shot saved his bacon a couple of times. We certainly won’t see an auto pistol doing so in the same manner.
Certain revolvers can fill the role of a hunting arm in remote survival scenarios, especially those chambered for .357 Magnum and .44 Magnum. The ability to harvest medium-sized game in a survival scenario is an attractive option.
Also, having a revolver chambered in .22LR along for the ride would make a lot of sense in a wilderness scenario. You could have hundreds of rounds along for the ride to harvest small game. That way, you could leave the heavy lifting to the larger-caliber revolver.
Look Ma, No Mags!
With a revolver, we have no magazines to contend with. Magazines can be lost or worn out over time, and they’re vital to the use of magazine-fed weapons, obviously.
With the revolver, the rounds just sit there in the cylinder, waiting to be used. It doesn’t really matter if they are in there for ten years; they will be ready to go when the time comes. There are no magazine springs to wear out, no followers to bind up, and no feed ramp that the rounds have to negotiate.
Unmatched Reliability
Make no mistake: revolvers are far from perfect or foolproof. Any number of things can go wrong with them, and when a revolver goes down, the problem will pretty much need to be rectified by a gunsmith. A few problems are that they can go out of timing, or an ammo issue can bind up the cylinder, locking the revolver up.
With that said, revolvers are usually pretty darn reliable, especially when compared to a semi-auto handgun. As mentioned, there’s no feed ramp to hang the rounds up on, so jams are almost unheard of, and revolvers almost always go “bang” when you pull the trigger. When people say they’re idiot-proof, that’s a mostly accurate statement.
Final Thoughts
We discussed that survival scenarios might include a backcountry wilderness survival situation, in which a revolver or set of revolvers (one .22LR and one larger caliber) might be a nice package to have along for the ride, in addition to a long gun. Then again, survival might mean making it home alive from the mean streets at the end of our shift or just a simple trip to the corner store.
No matter what the scenario in question is, a revolver can be the answer — even in the modern era. For the street, I prefer an auto most of the time for the increased round count on board. However, there are times when I’ll just carry my 5-shot .38 revolver if I want something very concealable that you can trust to go “bang” when you need it to.
The revolver’s versatility and ability to fire many different types of ammo with various levels of power really set it apart from auto-loading pistols. No, the revolver is not dead…in fact, it’s far from it! It may be 2024, but in my opinion, there’s never been a better time to purchase a revolver.
