Nomercy

During a different post, I caught a lot of crap from my double action shooting brethren about preferring a semiauto to a DA for home defense. Now, I don't mean to start that arguement all over again, this is a real question I have for you guys....

I don't use my double actions for home defense for a couple reasons
A) I've got a .410 with a broken hammer by the bed that's child proof (my fiance and her bro can't cock it, while it's faily easy for me, fence building and familiarity I guess, plus I don't HAVE kids, just visiting cousins).
B)I've got a couple big dogs and a 26" bat
C) I've got a .45 acp with 8rnd mag and habitual safety
D) I can put out all 8 of those before I can roll to my fifth round in my DA's (i've timed it)
E) Removeable mags means faster loads and reloads if necessary

I'll oblige that it's possible I won't need all 8 rnds, and it's possible if unlikely that my .45 might jam (which as others have pointed out, DA's CAN jam, just not very likely at all), and it's also possible if EXTREMELY unlikely that in my rush I might forget to take the safety off.....

My question are these:

A)How fast can you load your DA, even with E-Zloaders or Quickloaders I know it's not faster than I can load my .45
B)How easy can you wake up and locate ammo and load quickly in the dark in a big hurry with a fear for your life?

And PLEASE don't tell me you already have it loaded on the nightstand or something, cuz that just ain't cool leaving a loaded gun that has NO SAFETY laying around the house where it is quickly and easily accessible (and if it isn't accessible, you're not going to get to it quickly when you need it).

My point is, I can leave mine unloaded in a drawer with the mag hidden elsewhere close (like under my mattress on my side) and access, load and fire it with very little thought, no hassle, and great speed, which I cannot say about my DA's.

Screw the 10 ring, keep them in the zero!!!

hornetguy

I don't think there's any question that an auto is faster to reload, and usually faster to empty, than a revolver.... unless you happen to be Jerry Miculek... but.... I also think the biggest reason most folks that recommend da revolvers recommend them, is that an auto requires more practice and dedication to become "combat worthy"... I'm talking about someone that might take some time to learn all the controls, but then doesn't really practice with it often enough for it to be borderline brainless to operate. It's getting late... did that make sense? A da revolver, you pick it up, and point it and pull the trigger until it quits making noise. An auto, if you don't keep it cocked and locked, you have to rack the slide... after you've thought "is there one in the chamber?" .. or, worse yet, wait till the moment of truth, and pull the trigger and it goes "click"...
.... All in all, I think autos are easier to HIT with, and faster to reload, but revolvers are more "casual user-friendly"... I prefer my Glock... sort of a combination of both worlds... my wife keeps a da revolver on her side of the bed. 12ga pump in the corner by the bedroom door for seriously bad situations.... fortunately, none have ever happened...nor do I expect one to...

"Progress, far from consisting in change, depends on retentiveness..those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it." Santayana

Quilly

i would have more of a problem trying to find my gun safe key then finding my trigger locks and then getting it out if god forbid someone broke into my house.

frizzellr

Actually with a speedloader I am pretty fast at loading my 357. As far as firepower it holds 7 instead of 8, but I don't see it as a handicap. It stays loaded and out of reach of the kids but they know it is there and not to touch it. They know it makes a loud noise and blows things in half. Why? Because I started teaching them about firearms safety as soon as they were old enough to walk. Odd concept I know but it worked for me when I was a kid and it has worked for many other children. Curiousity kills most kids in accidental gun deaths. If they know its there, know what it will do and hear the report once or twice then there is a better chance they won't fool with it.

Briman

Don't forget the DA autos. They are just as easy to use a s a DA revolver and are quicker to reload.

If I'm not mistaken, from what I've seen I think Glocks will automatically chamber the first round when the magazine is inserted if the slide was left locked open. After you put the magazine in, its just point and shoot- can't get any simpler than that. I've also seen a handy little DA 1911 compact, I think its called a Kahr Carry, that only hold 5 rounds but has a bobbed hammer and a really sweet trigger pull. With DA handguns, many have safeties but aren't really necesary to safely carry them wiht it on (my Beretta 92 comes to mind- it can only fire if the trigger is pulled so the safety isn't necessary in fact that's why its called a decocker.)

I think a good idea would be to keep your 1911 locked and cocked in one of those small safes made for pistols with a fingerpad lock- quick to get into, secure enough to keep the kids out, and you have the benifit of a pistol ready to shoot.

Alcohol, Tobacco, and Firearms... who's bringing the chips?

BobS

Something somewhat related to this thread, did any of you see the history channel show on the OK Corral gun fight. They addressed the issue of elevated heart rate/blood pressure in intense pressure situations. In the OK Corral fight, eight experienced gun men fired 30 rounds in ranges closer than 20 feet and they only struck their target 8 times. They spoke of the police phrase "spray and pray" where in the heat of the moment they weren't aiming but pointing at their target. I think that if you know you only have six rounds you may be more apt to make sure that they count, whereas if you have fifteen you may just let loose and expect that you can't miss at that range.

I had something like this happen when I was 16 deer hunting. I was hunting in open country on a ridge and could see for 300-600 yards in almost any direction. I had a buck pick a path directly to me where I couldn't see him until 30 yds. His head popped up out of some buckbrush and he walked onto the wheat next to me at 24 feet. I looked through my scope and I couldn't see anything but hair. I tried several times with the scope on 3x to see where I was at on the deer. I unwisely decided that at that range I couldn't miss. So I estimated about where on the deer the crosshairs were and fired. I missed comepletely. I learned at that range next time look down the barrel.

This being said. I think as long as you are accurate with the weapon it is a good choice. You must conciously take the time to aim to hit your mark under these circumstances.

Nomercy

You made a reasonable point BobS, but you forgot to consider that because you have 8-15 rounds with a fast reload, the reason you don't have to worry about making EVERY one of them count is because you have a lot with more on the way...yes, I'd concentrate more on aiming if I only had 6 shots to take, but then I'd worry about missing INFINITELY more when I knew I only had 5-6 with a LONG reload (if needed mind you). If I throw out 8 rounds, I have comfort that I have 33% more shots than a DA, while if I thought I had 25% less shots cuz I shot a DA, then I'd be worried. It's like back in high school and college when you'd get tests with lots of questions or with only two or three...If you miss a couple out of a lot, then you're not that bad off, while if you miss a couple out of a few, you're dead. In a DA, each shot is worth about 17%, while in an Auto, it's around 12%, so if I throw 8, and miss 5, I still scored about 38%, but if I miss five with the DA, I only get a 17%. I don't know about you, but when I miss, I want it to hurt me as little as possible, so I'd rather save 5% per shot when my life was on the line....not to mention if you have a 10rnd mag! then each shot from a DA is nearly twice as valuable than the auto.

Screw the 10 ring, keep them in the zero!!!

James B

Good question. I have used both for carry and home defense. As far as reliability goes I have shot combat matches for years and I have had many many malfunctions with autos while I still have not had my first malfunction with any of my revolvers. I would have no fear using an auto if I could fire it a thousand times from different positions without a malfunction. I had a 45 auto 1911 pistol that fired about 5000 rounds before it stovepiped one on me. I carried that pistol a lot. That auto had a lot of work done on it before it got to the point that it was malfunction free. I have had all of the glocks and they very seldom malfunction. I had a ten MM glock that jammed a few times in the first couple hundred rounds but after that it never did it again. I had a Beretta or two both were good guns, the 40 S&W was the most dependable of the two. I had a Sig 220 45 auto that never gave me any trouble but I only shot it about 500 times before I sold it. Best revolver I ever shot?? A tie between a 610 S&W 40-10mm revolver with a 61/2 inch barrel and a Ruger GP 100 357 6 inch barrel. Both would shoot 3 inch or smaller groups at 100 yards with sandbags.

thndrchiken

I think the point that really is being made here is that it's a matter of preference on part of the shooter. I have both auto's and revolvers that I would use for home defense and personal protection. While the magnum loads are impressive and loud, I prefer a slower load such as the 38 spec. and the 45 auto, primarily so that a relatively soft backstop will stop it, i.e. I don't want my bullet flying through my wall and into my neighbors house. Not to mention that the softer recoiling rnd. keeps you on target better. I am as comfortable with either but then I've also had the benefit of having to use the 1911, 92FS and 38 spec. as service weapons for periods while I was an MP. As anyone with any real experience knows that when the @#$% hits the fan the sights go away and gunbarrel sighting takes over. While the normal is to line up a 3 dot picture it's not effective in a defensive situation. That is when training and experience are supposed to take over. Besides if your in a defensive situation with a handgun your looking inside of 5-10 yds. being the normal shooting distances.