The Gun Digest Book of the Revolver. Grant Cunningham
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ground), the protruding cylinder makes a small gap between the gun and the surface on which it’s resting. This makes it a bit easier to retrieve than an autoloader which rests flat on the surface. A small difference, to be sure, but one which could prove valuable in the event that you need to pick yours up in a hurry!
A revolver has a simple manual of arms, meaning that it is easier to handle and operate. Many people say they pick a revolver because it’s easier to manipulate: no confusing buttons or levers, and a direct and unambiguous loading and unloading procedure. This makes it a superb choice for a home defense gun in those cases where one person is an enthusiast but his or her partner may not be. Anyone can pick up a revolver and shoot it.
This manual of arms is generally consistent across all revolver makes and models. There are exceptions, of course, but they are very rare. For the overwhelming majority of double action revolvers in circulation, all of the controls are in the same place and do pretty much the same thing. If you know how to run a Ruger, being handed a Smith & Wesson is not going to make you stop and scratch your head in confusion.
Since the revolver has a long, heavy trigger it’s more immune to adrenaline-induced accidental discharge. While most trainers (including me) stress that the finger should be outside of the triggerguard unless actually shooting, we must acknowledge that not everyone does this – especially those who haven’t been formally trained. In such hands, after being startled out of bed or in stress after ordering someone on the ground, it’s probably better that the gun require significant effort to shoot.
While many revolvers today have built in locks, it’s a simple matter to lock up any revolver: simply open the cylinder and hook a padlock through the frame opening. If you have a long-shackle lock, you can even run it through one of the chambers. It’s a simple matter to simultaneously lock the gun to something immovable, making it safe from accidents and from theft as well.
It’s been said that learning to shoot a revolver well helps you shoot all guns better. I’ve found that’s true, but only if you understand the why behind the techniques. I’ll go into this in Chapter Five.
One benefit that doesn’t seem like a benefit is that the revolver isn’t an easy gun to master. I’ve said for many years that the revolver is the easiest gun to shoot but the hardest gun to shoot well. There is a personal satisfaction to shooting a revolver well, and it’s magnified when you can do it to the point that you can beat people who insist on using those newfangled self-shucking things!
Finally, many people simply feel more at home with a gun that doesn’t look like a military or police arm. I’m not of that persuasion, and I suspect you may not be either, but to many people the revolver presents a friendlier image than that of any other gun – except, perhaps, for the old lever-action rifle. If I’m taking a new person to the range, a person who has no exposure to guns and is a little apprehensive about the whole affair, I’ll let them shoot revolvers first (and perhaps exclusively.) I’m sure that some will accuse me of pandering to other’s fears, but I believe that we gain converts, or at least don’t make enemies, by presenting shooting in its most favorable light. The revolver is just the tool to do that. After all, Barney Fife carried one, and who doesn’t love Barney?!
I don’t think I’ve made much of a secret that I’m a big fan of the revolver, nor of my belief that they have a lot of advantages over autoloading pistols. I’m a partisan, of that there is no doubt, yet the revolver isn’t right for every shooter or every application.
The revolver’s rounded shapes make it easier to pick up from a table or draw from a holster.
Safety first – always keep your finger outside the trigger guard until you are ready to shoot!
First, of course, are those situations where capacity is important. The double action revolver is a great tool for personal defense, but the limited ammunition capacity makes it unsuitable for military use. Were I a police officer, particularly one assigned to an urban area where gangs and heavily armed offenders were commonplace, I doubt I’d choose a revolver as a primary arm (and I probably wouldn’t be allowed to, in any case).
While many people tout the revolver as being a good choice for those with limited upper body strength, I’m not so sure it’s always practical. Those people I’ve encountered who have strength issues with their arms or hands, such that they can’t operate an autoloading pistol, often lack the strength or range of movement to operate a revolver’s heavy double action trigger. While gunsmithing can help this to some degree, I’ve encountered many folks who just couldn’t handle the trigger weight. With proper technique those same people often were able to use an autoloader, and for them it was a better choice.
Revolvers aren’t well suited to the mounting and use of weapon lights. The presence of the ejector rod generally requires that the light be mounted very far forward, where it is difficult to actuate with the hands in a shooting position. There are revolvers on the market with mounting rails near the muzzle, but ease of operation issues have limited their popularity.
A revolver does recoil more with any given level of cartridge power than an equivalent autoloader. There have been revolvers chambered in 9mm, for instance, and they display markedly more recoil than that same cartridge in an auto of equal weight. This is because there is no reciprocating slide and recoil spring to use up any of the recoil energy. With a revolver, it’s all transmitted straight into the shooter’s hands. For those who are recoil sensitive, or whose hand strength presents control issues, the revolver is much less pleasant to shoot.
Any gun has strengths and weaknesses, and though I do love revolvers I think it’s important to acknowledge their faults. Consider carefully!
Chapter Two
The Perfect Fit
It’s really pretty simple: your gun must fit your hand if you want to be efficient in shooting. The circumference of the grip, the distance from the back to the trigger, and even the shape of the grip’s cross section make huge contributions to comfort and performance.
We’re lucky to be talking about revolvers in this day and age as opposed to just a few decades ago. Back in the ‘70s, and even well into the ‘80s, very few revolvers came with grips that actually fit a shooter’s hands. Custom grip manufacturers existed, but there was no internet to help shooters find them. If the revolver owner didn’t read a gun magazine, or sometimes the ‘right’ gun magazine, he or she would never learn that they didn’t have to suffer with poor revolver fit!
Today we have a wide range of aftermarket grips available, and many more that can be had on a custom basis through the many gripmakers found on the internet. Technology has improved, giving us materials that simply weren’t available some forty years ago. We also understand more about the role of improved ergonomics in shooter performance.
Many of these changes came about because of the wave of ‘shall issue’ concealed carry that swept across America during the 1980s. The market for concealed carry guns, training, and accessories exploded, bringing new ideas and increased competition into what was a pretty hidebound industry. Were it not for that, we might not have seen the need for proper gun and hand fit achieve the recognition that it has.
The trigger finger rules all
When fitting a gun to a shooter I always start with the trigger/finger interface. I’ll talk more about trigger finger placement in a later chapter, but ideally the first joint of the finger should be placed on the trigger. This is the ideal point of leverage and muscle control, and fits the majority of shooters with the widest range of gun sizes.
The process starts by having the student place that finger joint on the trigger. Once that’s properly placed we work backwards to the proper grip. Once the trigger finger is in the right place it’s easy to see if the the rest of the hand fits the gun (or vice-versa, depending on how you look at things).