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single action revolver for home defense


Marcus

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Greetings from Brazil!

Just a little bit of context: I am saving money for my first handgun. Due to firearms surcharge promoted by years of a leftist government and disarmament laws adopted by my country, it is very difficult and expensive for a citizen to purchase firearms and practice in the range. So my doubt is: Knowing that semi auto pistols are far more expensive than double action and single revolvers in Brazil, would you recommend single action revolvers for home defense?

Thank you all and sorry for my bad English.

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Your English is not bad at all.

 

Regarding revolvers, please remember that loading and reloading a single action revolver is time consuming, and you do not want to do that under fire.  For home defense, double action is the way to go.

 

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3 minutes ago, Cyrus Cassidy #45437 said:

Your English is not bad at all.

 

Regarding revolvers, please remember that loading and reloading a single action revolver is time consuming, and you do not want to do that under fire.  For home defense, double action is the way to go.

 

I agree 100%, I have several planted around the house. All .357's and all 6 shot with speed loaders nearby.

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9 minutes ago, Rye Miles #13621 said:

I agree 100%, I have several planted around the house. All .357's and all 6 shot with speed loaders nearby.

Clever!

Snip-it_1658410888831.thumb.jpg.10fd7d1e27e0e887a904da5d2df9f295.jpg

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Double action revolvers and almost any shotgun are great choices for home defense.

 

A DA revolver can be employed easily just by pulling the trigger... easy for anyone to remember and do.

 

SA revolvers are much slower to reload but if you have two or more SA revolvers available you're probably not going to reload and you'd be OK with a set of single actions.

 

 

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What threat do you have to guard against? If six shots will be enough a single action revolver will do the job, IF you are proficient with it.  If you need more than six shots it  is not so good.  What ever you choose, get some snap caps and practice a lot

 

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1 hour ago, The Original Lumpy Gritz said:

Your English is far better than my Spanish will ever be

Your Spanish might be better than his Spanish, since the language in Brasil is Portuguese. :P

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Screenshot_20220721-103006_Firefox.jpg

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I own 16 single action revolvers, but I never would use one for self defense and in my opinion here's why.  By definition a single action revolver has to be manually cocked.  Once that is done the trigger is a hair breath away from being discharged.  In a home defense situation it would take great concentration to keep your finger from touching off around, which is something you are not capable of due to the excitement of the moment. You are better off with a double action revolver.  A semi automatic pistol with a single/double action mechanism would be my second choice.  

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The best gun for personal defense is the one you have when you need it, not the one at the gunstore or in a secure location.

 

Asking a gun community which is ''best'' will get lots of opinions.

 

Single actions worked fine for decades. They have their benefits and their negatives.

 

Buy what you can afford and afford to practice with. Learn to use it, clean it and care for it.

Most pistols cannot compete with long arms when it comes to the amount of energy they can put on target.

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5 minutes ago, Texas Joker said:

The best gun for personal defense is the one you have when you need it, not the one at the gunstore or in a secure location.

 

Asking a gun community which is ''best'' will get lots of opinions.

 

Single actions worked fine for decades. They have their benefits and their negatives.

 

Buy what you can afford and afford to practice with. Learn to use it, clean it and care for it.

Most pistols cannot compete with long arms when it comes to the amount of energy they can put on target.

What he said! If you are accurate and quick you stand a good chance of surviving an armed confrontation. Most any handgun is a better weapon than a rock!

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my humble opinion is that if you only have a single action , although somewhat underguned , you are better off than unarmed , bottom line is never take a knife to a gunfight , 

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8 hours ago, Marcus said:

Greetings from Brazil!

Just a little bit of context: I am saving money for my first handgun. Due to firearms surcharge promoted by years of a leftist government and disarmament laws adopted by my country, it is very difficult and expensive for a citizen to purchase firearms and practice in the range. So my doubt is: Knowing that semi auto pistols are far more expensive than double action and single revolvers in Brazil, would you recommend single action revolvers for home defense?

Thank you all and sorry for my bad English.

 

For home defense, since you haven't bought a gun or practiced with it yet,  I would suggest either a double action revolver or a shotgun.   Much easier and faster to reload, (especially if you have some speedloaders for the revolver), and you don't have to remember to cock the hammer first.   

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6 hours ago, Alpo said:

Your Spanish might be better than his Spanish, since the language in Brasil is Portuguese. :P

When I was there many years ago, Spanish was very common.

Also the first time I ever heard Portuguese. 

Was a fair amount of German spoken too.

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6 hours ago, Dawg Hair, SASS #29557 said:

I own 16 single action revolvers, but I never would use one for self defense and in my opinion here's why.  By definition a single action revolver has to be manually cocked.  Once that is done the trigger is a hair breath away from being discharged.  In a home defense situation it would take great concentration to keep your finger from touching off around, which is something you are not capable of due to the excitement of the moment. You are better off with a double action revolver.  A semi automatic pistol with a single/double action mechanism would be my second choice.  

I agree with this.  People (like us) who shoot single actions all the time and are proficient with them might be served well with one for self defense.  But that light trigger (how light will vary from gun to gun and how it is set up, but it will ALWAYS be much lighter than a double action trigger) could cause a nightmare.  You mentioned that being able to practice is very limited, so that makes it even more important to get something that is easier to control safely.

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"Oh!  You need two .40 S&W with 21 round magazines stashed every 10 feet!  With 3 extra mags for each one! Don't forget the M-60 in the kitchen and your BAR in the bedroom."

MOST, not all but somewhere between 90% and 98'% depending on what stats you look at DGUs have zero shots fired.    When shots are fired the average is about four shots, depending on the source cited.

So you have your thumb-buster.  You hear someone breaking in, you slowly cock that smoke wagon and that distinctive clicks are most likely to chase off the thug.  Or pointing it at him after you cock it.  Then most often only one or two rounds are needed to make the free lance socialist beat feet away from you.

I'm not sure what conditions are like in Brazil, but around here a Single Action should be fine.

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2 hours ago, Subdeacon Joe said:

"Oh!  You need two .40 S&W with 21 round magazines stashed every 10 feet!  With 3 extra mags for each one! Don't forget the M-60 in the kitchen and your BAR in the bedroom."

MOST, not all but somewhere between 90% and 98'% depending on what stats you look at DGUs have zero shots fired.    When shots are fired the average is about four shots, depending on the source cited.

So you have your thumb-buster.  You hear someone breaking in, you slowly cock that smoke wagon and that distinctive clicks are most likely to chase off the thug.  Or pointing it at him after you cock it.  Then most often only one or two rounds are needed to make the free lance socialist beat feet away from you.

I'm not sure what conditions are like in Brazil, but around here a Single Action should be fine.

Joe, you forgot the sarcasm smiley. ;)

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I agree a single action is fine if that’s what you have. Practice dry firing and you’ll be fine. B)

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OP,
I am not a police man, nor do I play one on TV.
It is my understanding that most civilian gun fights are very quick and done.

If you have not yet seen a SASS cowboy operating a single action revolver, you are missing an impressive sight.
These experienced men can fire a single action very, very fast.

Yes, reloading is slow... every cowboy should have at least two revolvers.

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An experience shooter I knew years ago told me to use the firearm you  are most experienced using.  Things I tell folks when they ask me is to operate/shoot/load/unload as much as you can tolerate.  Become proficient enough that you can operate the firearm in the dark.  Intruders aren't going to show up during the day or announce themselves and you don't want to turn on the lights to make sure you have loaded, cocked, safety off, ready to engage no matter what firearm you choose to use.  Your mileage may vary.

Your English is great. 

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BUT, BUT, BUT............... if guns are hard to own in Brazil, you really shouldn't have to ever defend yourself or your home because

according to the Leftist, there should be no crime when guns are taken away from citizens..... :ph34r:

 

P.S. - I'm surprised that you spelled Brazil with a 'Z' and not an 'S', considering you are from "Brasil".

 

 

..........Widder

 

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.45 Colt has amazing stopping power. In a small apartment like I am in hitting my target anywhere in the apartment should not be a problem. I know thats easy to say when your used to shooting paper, but they are actually a great piece to "point and shoot" and can be very accurate.

Anyway not trying to start a debate on the subject, I know there are better options. 

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3 hours ago, Widder, SASS #59054 said:

BUT, BUT, BUT............... if guns are hard to own in Brazil, you really shouldn't have to ever defend yourself or your home because

according to the Leftist, there should be no crime when guns are taken away from citizens..... :ph34r:

 

P.S. - I'm surprised that you spelled Brazil with a 'Z' and not an 'S', considering you are from "Brasil".

 

 

..........Widder

 

Because he knows that’s how we spell it.

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19 hours ago, Subdeacon Joe said:

:lol: Yeah sure. Those tiny clicks will strike fear into the heart of any gang banger or meth head. Not. 
 

Get a Taurus double action revolver or a shotgun is my advice. There’s a good reason why the army replaced their single actions 130 years ago.

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Civilian population use is totally different than military use. So while not my first choice a SA could fill the role of defensive weapon. 

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Howdy,

A single action like a Blackhawk ..357 has the advantage of shooting 

both .357 and .38 special.  This could be a help in getting ammo.

Anyone picking up a single action and pulling the trigger will find

the gun doesnt fire.  A little advantage over the unfamiliar.

 

If you decide on double action, consider one that uses moon clips.

Moon clips allow much faster reload. It might be an advantage.

 

Whatever you get, practice.

Best

CR

 

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3 hours ago, Slapshot said:

Civilian population use is totally different than military use. So while not my first choice a SA could fill the role of defensive weapon. 

Not only did the Army switch to DA but the civilian population did as well. Simply because of the ease of use and the fact that it is a better design. It’s not like the difference between an AR platform and a bolt action hunting rifle. By the 1920s single action revolvers had pretty much taken over the market. Europe was much quicker to adopt the new semi auto too. 
In my opinion, the double action revolver is the best suited defense gun for a mostly untrained civilian.

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3 minutes ago, Utah Bob #35998 said:

Not only did the Army switch to DA but the civilian population did as well. Simply because of the ease of use and the fact that it is a better design. It’s not like the difference between an AR platform and a bolt action hunting rifle. By the 1920s single action revolvers had pretty much taken over the market. Europe was much quicker to adopt the new semi auto too. 
In my opinion, the double action revolver is the best suited defense gun for a mostly untrained civilian.

And yet, the Modern DA .38 was inadequate for military use against  the Juramentados  in the Philippines so they issued modified SAA 45 Colts as a short term solution and it worked..  If I encountered a Large Unfriendly Bear I'd sure prefer a heavy cast bullet 45 Colt load load to many others. If I only had a 45 Colt SAA for home defense, the only lack is night sights, I've gotten spoiled. 

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56 minutes ago, Utah Bob #35998 said:

Not only did the Army switch to DA but the civilian population did as well. Simply because of the ease of use and the fact that it is a better design. It’s not like the difference between an AR platform and a bolt action hunting rifle. By the 1920s single action revolvers had pretty much taken over the market. Europe was much quicker to adopt the new semi auto too. 
In my opinion, the double action revolver is the best suited defense gun for a mostly untrained civilian.

I said it could fill the defensive role in a civilian HD scenario. And with most civilian shootings lasting less than about 6 rounds why wouldn't it work? Sure a semi is best a DA revolver would be next then SA. 

But you can't compare what the military needs compared to the average needs of a civilian. A untrained civilian will not be able to quickly reload even your DA revolver and would best be suited by the semi as long as there is no malfunctions.

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"......... as long as there is no malfunctions."

 

Ah, that is the key.

Todays 'quality' semi autos are very reliable as is the ammo for them.   But there is always that possibility that something could go wrong

just when you needed it most.

 

I have some super fine semi auto pistols:  Five 10mm, of which they all have given me 100% reliability so far.

I have TWO of the .460 Rowland modified Kimbers that I would gladly carry in bear and hog country.

 

BUT....... when the sun goes down and 2-legged monsters start to roam,  my S&W model 69 (.44 mag) is resting by the bed just in case something

goes 'bump' in the middle of the night.

 

Its only a 5 shooter, but I TRUST it.

 

..........Widder

 

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