Want to start a lively debate the next time you’re at the range? Toss this one out: Revolver or semi-auto for concealed carry?
Concerns over self-defense continue to be the single largest driving force behind gun sales in America. That alone continues to prompt more people—both new and longtime shooters—to spend their hard-earned cash on handguns and ammunition.
Indeed, even with the consumer buying frenzy of 2013 behind us, new handgun models such as Glock’s 42 and 41 and those from the likes of Ruger, SIG, Walther, Taurus, Colt, Smith & Wesson and others have a shorter shelf life in a store than bread and milk before a Southern snow storm. That is if the stores can even get ahold of these new guns.
The demand has even put a crimp on gun writers, some struggling to get test models in their hands because the manufacturers are scrambling to put every single gun they can in the pipeline to satisfy current consumer demand.
Whether a gun buyer has their name on a waiting list, finds a hot new or previously introduced handgun model on the shelf or hits the used market, I’m always intrigued at the factors that go into deciding which gun to buy when it comes to choosing a carry firearm.
For some it comes down to the caliber and its perceived adequacy, for others the overall size of the gun itself with smaller often better for concealment and yet for others, it’s simply a matter of what looks cool. One chief debate over what makes the ultimate “carry” gun often centers on whether a semi-auto or revolver is best.
Want to start a lively debate the next time you’re at the range? Toss that one out. Indeed, many modern shooters wouldn’t think of leaving their home without a sleek, low-recoiling semi-auto with a quick-swap spare mag at the ready should the need arise. Others will staunchly argue for the timeless reliability of a cylinder gun.
Where Do You Stand?
Where do you fall on the issue and why? We’d love to know.
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I have to say, I personally enjoy shooting and carrying both. But then, I’ve always had trouble making up my mind.
This column appeared in the May 15, 2014 issue of Gun Digest the Magazine.
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