[MacD37]

Originally posted by Adam Helmer
MacD37,

Welcome to the forum.

When my agency went from revolvers to semi-autos, we went to the Glock 17 or 19, agent's choice. The Glocks were chosen because it was similiar to the DA revolver-no safeties and you point and shoot.

I was the firearms instructor (Firearms Coordinator) for all 100 agents in the 6 New England states and I qualified them twice a year for 10 years. A factor you did not address is the individual mindset of the handgun shooter using a DA revolver or semi-auto; many folks do not "get it" with just a few boxes of ammo. Our transitional training was 750 rounds per agent. Even then many of the agents were not gun savvy.

Another factor is the big magazine-many folks spray and pray. Statistically most gun fights are over long before a DA revolver runs out of ammo. I still think a DA revolver is a very good choice in 2008. Be well.

Adam

Very well put Adam, and you are quite correct about training a person who who has "0" handgun background, is far different from most who apply for a Concealed handgun license. In a state like Texas if you have a malfunction, or fail to opperate the handgun you are qualifying with you simply do not get the license.
That means you need to know how to use your handgun before you apply, because you must diminstrate proficiency with your firearm befor you can get a license!


The gun fight being over "MOST" times before a revolver is dry, may apply MOST of the time, but what happens when it Isnt? The cases where a person has to reload is far and away more likely with a cop than with a civilian. You being a trainer for police departments, you know as well as I do that the new cop is rarely a person with a firearms background before applying for a police job. Many have to be threatened with suspension to get them to qualify each time it is mandated, and many long time police couldn't hit the walls of a barn from the inside with the doors closed. This is the reason that once a fire fight starts with cops, and perps shooting at each other, bullets fly in every dirrection, and re-loads are certainly needed. This is because the police opperate on the same prencible as the military, fill the airspace with bullets, and hope something gets hit. Accuracy doesn't count, and if one firearm jams, or runs dry, there are still the rest of the police or soldiers to hold position while the firearm is cleared, or re-loaded. With the civilian, it is usually one on one, and there is noone to take up the slack while you fumble with reloading a revolver, especially the little five shot snubbies most want to carry. The simi-auto with even a low capacity magazine is more of a guarentee of not haveing to re-load at all, and is a guarentee that it is far quicker for the person that does need to reload.

All I'm saying the needs of a civilian/homeowner are far different than for a policeman. The recent rash of home invasions require the home owner to engage three or four perps at once, with only himself to pop them before they collectively shoot him. The home owner with a six shot firearm is in real trouble in that sittuation.

The tital of this forum is CONCEALED CARRY which, to me, denotes CIVILIAN, because most police carry openly! This to me is a suggestion that folks that are of the mind set that they should defend themselves, and their families,and home, and are applying for a concealed carry permit, are usually not unfamiliar with the basics for firearm use. Most young police kadets are usually unfamiliar with firearms, especially in the large communities of the Eastern USA, where most consider any gun to be evil. I've seen, even seasoned cops fumble endlessly with a firearm taken for a perp, trying to unload it, pointing it at everyone in sight in the process. I'd say on every police department, there are a few like you, who understand firearms, and are amoung the handfull I would feel safe to back my play in a firefight. On the street, or in your home, you are alone, and the revolver is better than a prayer, but is, IMO, far inferior to a well designed simi-auto with a high capacity magazine!

All this is simply a long winded exercize to say I disagree, though I do carry revolvers at times, I simply do not think they are as good choice as a well made, and designed simi-auto for self defense! The one place I find the double action revolver to be far superior to any simi-auto is for large bear protection. I do a lot of hunting, and fishing in Alaska around very large Coastal brown bears, and the big double action revolver can be chambered for far more powerful cartridges than most simi-autos. For the city, or the highway, give me a simi-auto, and I prefere 40 SW, or 45ACP as a chambering. In a vevolver I perfere at least a 357 Mag.

No disrespect to anyone, I just simply disagree!