I've shot revolvers before, but I grew up on larger semi-autos. I like the big autos. They feel right in the hand, I'm comfortable with their operation and, thanks to my BDM I have lots of practice clearing misfeeds and stovepipes.

I can certainly see the argument in favor of revolvers. There's no such thing as a stovepipe or misfeed with a revolver. A revolver sounds like a good choice for a BUG too, for those who really want an auto for a primary gun. I can't, however, seem to get over the weird way they feel in the hand. Also, I'm creeped out by the thought of being limited to five or six shots. While both are probably illogical to some degree and almost certainly entirely based on my nearly exclusive exposure to autos, that has influenced my gun choices so far.

Has anyone here switched from autos to revolvers or included both in their defense plan? What affected your choice to do so?

A revolver may not "stovepipe", but I have had cases get stuck in the cylinder. It's an easy fix, but it could be a problem during a tactical reload.

If I travel to the Metro area I carry my 45 ACP Kimber CDP 4" Officer's length grip in an IWB holster when it works with my attire. After about 2,000 rounds the Kimber needs a new recoil spring. No big deal, but it has failed for me, rarely with reloads but I don't think ever with the Federal factory I carry.

The other 95 % of the time, I carry a S&W J-frame (642 or 432) in a pocket holster with one speedloader. So much more convient and likely I'll have it with me. (For the "Girly Gun" post, Leo Dwyer has cleaned-up and lightened the triggers. The students I show these to in class notice what a good trigger job will do to ease trigger pull.) I occasionaly use an IWB holster for the J frames when I use a cover garment. (Faster access than a pocket holster.)

Neither revolver has ever failed for me. Last night at FR&PC's IDPA BUG match, I saw my first revolver malfunction in the years I have run the BUG match. Several, including me, shooters use a semi-auto for the regular IDPA match and their normal carry gun, a revolver, for the BUG match.

I see little advantage between the 5 or 6 rounds of a revolver and the capacity of a high cap. semi-auto in a self defense situation.

You can change the feel of a revolver easily by changing grips.

Hey, that would be me. I gotta say I was somewhat horrified by that experience -- I still haven't figured it out. And I got a revolver for that reason: 'they don't jam'. But then, that's why I do IDPA: so I can learn this stuff there and not in a really serious situation!
Yeah, I got Hogue grips for my Ruger SP101 revolver; besides the cushioning they provide, I think they make the grip angle a little more vertical, which means a little more like the 1911s I've been used to.

I think it is grip angle that creeps me out about revolvers. Good to know there's a fix for that.

If/when you do, please let us know. Revolver failures are, granted, a lot rarer than semiauto ones, but it'd be good to know what caused this one. (Any chance that recoil partly inertia-pulled a bullet or two? That's one of the fairly common of the rare failures -- when it happens, it's almost always .357 or .38+P loads, where the crimp wasn't sufficient.)

Pat's revolver malfunction. I was the SO at the time watching him try to correct the malfunction.

Using Winchester white box 38 special, lead round noise in an Ruger SP 101 .357 mag with the hammer spur removed (DAO).

He fired about 3 rounds rapidly and then when he tried to fire the next round he could not pull the trigger fully. Something would lock-up part way throuh the cyling of the trigger. We removed the rounds from the chambers and he was able to pull the trigger five times, no problem. I therefore suspect ammo problem. A quick look at the ammo did not show high primers. I tried to look at the ammo after we were done with the match but they got mixed with others in he box. I did not have a caliper to check overall length. I would suspect one of either of the above to be the problem.

Aha! A stopped clock is right twice a day; there's a fair chance I guessed at the problem.

I have had problems with reloaded ammunition--but that's caused by operator error on the reloading bench. I keep a mirror handy so I can look at the person to blame for it.

A revolver malfunction (as was said, usually an ammo problem) is much more rare than with a semi-auto, but when it happens your gun becomes something useful only as a club in hand-to-hand combat.

Yup. It was happening at BPR a whole lot with part of one lot of S&B ammo; apparently, the crimp step had been omitted. (It was not only possible, but easy, to pull the bullet with my fingers.)

Did some checking on my SP101 .357 mag and ammo I have.

Winchester White Box 38 Special 150 gr. Lead Round Nose. I know Pat's was in a WWB and lead round nose. I did not notice the grain of bullet.

The OAL of the ammo above I measured was 1.507. The Federal 158 gr. .357 mag I measured was 1.567.

With the rounds in the cylinder, the distane from the muzzle end of the cylinder and the bullet tip was: 38 spec. 0.123 and 357 mag. 0.065.

The bullet would have needed to pull out over this 0.123 to prevent the cylinder from rotating into alignment with the barrel. This would have been easily evident when we looked at the ammo, but was not observed in the unfired 2 rounds.

I measured the headspace, the distance between a chambered empty case head and the frame of my SP101 and it was 0.010 (using feeler gages). The frame of the SP101 is relieved to allow more clearance between the cylinder and frame except when aligned with the barrel.

A high primer, more than this 0.010, would jam the cylinder as it was being rotated into alignment with the barrel. The additional clearance around the remainder of the frame would have allowed the cylinder to close and rotate for the first few rounds fired. Remembering Pat's problem, the hammer only moved back slightly before it stopped movement. Looking at my SP101, and when a high primer would stop cyinder rotation, this makes sense.

Pat, I would look very carfully at the rounds you returned to the box and look for one with a high primer. One that protrudes about 0.010 above the case.

Joel wrote:



Sorry Joel, I don't think it was a pulled/jumped bullet. We would have noticed if one of the 2 rounds removed was longer by more than the 0.123 necessary to jam the cylinder.

Bullets jumping (pulling out) are more common in the titanium/alloy J-frame with 357 mag. The SP 101 is an all stainless revolver and the ammo was only 38 special.

Could you really pull the S&B bullets out with your fingers?

What this shows is, occasionally shoot any ammo you intend to carry. It may show occasional problems.

. . . I recommend DDB's essay on the subject at http://www.dd-b.net/carry/journal/data/20030628.html . The rest of his carry journal is, IMHO, well worth a read, as well . . . although, alas, he hasn't been keeping it up.

I had this same problem with my Colt 44, but we had a heck of a time getting the offending round out of the cylinder. Finally got it out using my knife as a pry between the cylinder and the case base.

Of course these were reloads - and old ones at that...

Mostly-

OK, I got to the range today and sorted it out.

Turns out, like revolver stoppage generally: ammo problem.

I went to the Burnsville Pistol Range [at the time showing in the lobby: Lethal Weapon] and fired off a cylinder full of the .357 semi-jacketed hollowpoints that are my carry ammo at the moment. No problem. OK, good. It's the ammo.

But I had looked for the usual suspects: high primers or loose bullets. Didn't see that.

When I had my problem Wednesday I'd put the remaining rounds from the cylinder back in my pocket with the 5 rounds that were then intended for my next reload. So I had 7 suspect rounds. I loaded up 5, fired a round, no problem. Went to pull the trigger again, cylinder wouldn't turn, gun wouldn't shoot.

To make a long story short, I THINK the bad round was the third in line to be chambered, jamming against the frame on the left side as it tried to rotate in behind the frame.

What I do know: a round had a ding in the rim that squashed the rim making it thicker. After I found that, I removed that round, and shot up the rest of that box of .38 Special without a problem.

So the lesson is: It's always good to examine your ammo as you load it into your gun. Beside looking for high primers or loose bullets, look to see if a round is generally banged up. You know, kinda like canned food.