Yes, Double Action Revolvers Are Still Viable Personal Defense Tools…But You Need To Train With Them

“Can I bring a revolver to your pistol class?” Such was the inquiry from a prospective student regarding our Martial Application of the Pistol 201, 2-Day training course. My response was, “Yes, of course.” The response from my high school English teacher would have been “I don’t know, can you?”

In all seriousness, we want people to bring whichever gun they have chosen for home defense or concealed carry. If you want to bring a two-shot derringer, I say go for it. You will definitely learn a lot. 

This subject led to a discussion amongst peers and one of the questions to come up was, “Do you think a DA revolver is still a viable tool?” Or are the people who buy them just playing at self-defense…as Sheriff Jim Wilson likes to say? My answer to the viability question is both ‘yes’ and ‘no.’ Please allow me a moment to elaborate.

Double-Action Revolvers

As this saying goes, “back in the old days” when I wrote for paper gun magazines, I tested and evaluated dozens and dozens of double-action revolvers that were made for self-defense; from 5 shot all the way up to 8 shot versions. Yes, Virginia, there were and are 7- and 8-shot .38 Special/.357 Magnum revolvers. 

During the “bad old days” of the Clinton gun ban, the limitation of 10 rounds led numerous handgun makers to bump up their wheel guns from the standard 5 or 6 rounds to 7 and 8. Taurus USA and Smith & Wesson were the primary players in said market. 

While they might seem like antiques today, keep in mind that for about 90 years, the double action revolver was the mainstay for law enforcement and the citizen self-defense market. The S&W Model 10 was introduced in 1899. It was not until the 1990s that police agencies nationwide began to transition from DA revolvers to semi-auto pistols. 

When I went through the police academy in 1992, I remember that the vast majority of the Sheriff’s deputy cadets (about half of my class) were still using S&W revolvers. Cadets from municipal agencies tended to have semi-auto guns, although a few had wheelguns. As for me, I went through the program with an M1911A1.  

Back then, we cadets went through over forty hours of dedicated firearms training to include practical drills and night fire. The guys running the DA revolvers were pretty darn good with them, including reloading under time restraints, by the time we graduated. 

Is the DA Revolver Still a Viable Fighting Tool?

As to the viability question, the DA revolver has the potential to be a viable fighting tool as much today as it was back then. However, the same rules apply. If you bought or want to buy a DA revolver because “it’s easy to operate” or “doesn’t have a heavy recoil spring,” you’re setting yourself up for failure as much today as you would have in 1980.

When it comes to putting projectiles into predatory monsters, the modern +P .38 Special loads are right there with 9mm self-defense loads. The .357 Magnum loads are naturally hotter than the hottest 9mm, but you pay for that in felt recoil.  

Have skilled good guys stopped bad guys with 5- and 6-shot revolvers? Of course they have. By the same token, have good guys failed to stop bad guys with those same tools? Again, yes.

Just as it was during the pre-internet days, the compact or “J frame” revolver is one of the most convenient to carry and difficult to master handguns in production. The long and often heavy trigger press combined with a moving cylinder and short sight radius require that the shooter puts in far more training time and practice than with a full-size revolver or autoloading pistol. 

American citizens are still buying compact revolvers for “just in case” and carrying them in pockets and purses like they are some kind of good luck charm or magic talisman that will ward off evil spirits.

 

What gives me pause and makes me a sad panda is the fact that unskilled, novice American citizens are still buying compact revolvers for “just in case” and carrying them in pockets and purses like they’re some kind of good luck charm or magic talisman that will ward off evil spirits. Of course, there are plenty of people buying subcompact pistols and treating them the same way, but that’s a topic for another day.

Nonetheless, the lesson that Small Arms & Tactics instructors have learned over the last three decades is that it’s far easier to bring a student up to speed and have them reach the standard for duty carry with a semi-automatic pistol the size of a GLOCK 19 or even a G43, than it is with a DA revolver. Despite being older, the DA revolver isn’t “easier” to learn to shoot. To master the old wheelgun you need to dedicate more time and effort, not less. 

I asked an instructor peer who focuses on training women if her students are showing up to classes with DA revolvers. She replied, “Yes, but mostly the older women.” The fact that these ladies are showing up for training is a big positive. However, I fear that far too many are walking around with a false sense of security believing that the ten rounds that they fired through the gun the day after they bought it has somehow prepared them to address a deadly assault.

A Different Animal

When I was a young man, the DA revolver was common and accessories and gear for them were easy to find as were trainers who had mastered the tool. Today, that’s less so. Keep in mind, if you want to purchase a double action revolver for self-defense, there are these things called “speedloaders” and “speed strips/quick strips” that make loading the gun’s cylinder a lot easier than inserting cartridges one at a time. If you have any thought whatsoever that you might be required to reload a revolver under the stress of a fight, you are going to have to put in many hours of training and practice to do so. 

Should You Bring a Revolver to Our Class?

Back to the original question — should you bring your DA revolver to a 2-say pistol class? Answer: if that’s what you are carrying or keeping at home for personal defense, you absolutely should. If you are carrying one in your pocket for concealed carry, I am begging you to bring it to class. 

If you have one of these wheelguns, in addition to the revolver and ammunition, buy yourself three or four (or more) Quickstrips from Tuff Products or the appropriate sized speedloader from a company like HKS. Also, bring a quality holster and a gun belt as well. Don’t skimp on a cheap stitched nylon piece of flimsy crap. When we’re discussing holsters and belts, the “buy once, cry once” mantra really is the way to go.

There are certainly many more things that could be said about training with double-action revolvers. However, rather than read about these things, why not gain some real world experience and learn it first hand?

 

Paul G. Markel is a combat decorated United States Marine veteran. He is also the founder of Student the Gun University and has been teaching Small Arms & Tactics to military personnel, police officers, and citizens for over three decades.