Explain Revolver Advantages To Gain Market Potential

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Gun shop owner Jeff Boss has found a light .38 snub-nosed revolver
like this S&W 642 works for many of his customers.

There’s no question: It’s a polymer, striker-fired, 9mm semi-auto world. Ain’t gonna lie to ya. But, it doesn’t mean revolvers don’t have a place in your showcase. We now have generations of shooters who’ve never even shot a wheelgun and consider them a tool for times past.

People complain about dealers who sell petite females Airweight .38 snub-nose revolvers and a box of +P ammo, as if they didn’t realize the sharp recoil would make the gun hateful for them to use.

Let me introduce you to Jeff Boss who runs Lundy’s Guns in Live Oak, Fla. He’s very gun-savvy, and he recommends just those guns to a lot of his female customers. Hear him out.

“In the Florida heat, everyone wants something small and light to carry,” he shared. “A lot of my female customers — and male customers, for that matter — are more worried about venomous snakes in their backyard than they are about rapists and muggers. .38 Special snake shot has pretty mild recoil. If they want to carry for self-defense against human criminals, .38 Special mid-range target wadcutters are recommended today by a lot of the leading self-defense instructors, and their recoil is manageable.”

For many years, the double-action revolver was the standard recommendation for a new handgun owner. The reasons that were valid then remain valid now. Let’s review them, bearing in mind each attribute is a selling point.

Double-Action Revolver Attributes

Simplicity favors the swing-out cylinder revolver, the loading and unloading of which exemplifies simplicity itself. First-time gun owners in particular worry about safety. If they don’t have strong hands, they have difficulty operating an auto pistol’s slide, a fact that has given rise to “Rack Assist” accessories and particularly easy autos to rack: The Smith & Wesson Shield EZ series, Ruger’s LC380 and so on. 

The saying during the great swap from service revolver to duty semi-auto in police work was you had to be really, really stupid to have an unintentional discharge with a double-action-only revolver, and only a little bit stupid for just one second to have one with an “automatic.”

A revolver’s simplicity sells to new buyers or those with weak hands.

The press-contact shot is sometimes the customer’s last chance to stop a rapist or mugger who has them in a bear hug. Most auto pistols will go out of battery and fail to fire when pressed against a body. A revolver won’t.

Another advantage of the press-contact shot for self-defense is, in addition to the bullet, violently expanding gases are directed into the attacker’s body — magnifying the “stopping effect” of the wound.

Revolvers aren’t ammo sensitive. I’ve seen too many snake-shot rounds jam autos to carry that ammo in anything but a revolver. Too light a load may fail to cycle the auto. In a slim subcompact 9mm, a +P+ load can run the slide so fast it occasionally closes on an empty chamber before it can pick up the next round. The revolver will run everything from blank cartridges to Elmer Keith Memorial Magnum rounds.

Autos can jam from limp-wristing, which is surprisingly common in real fights due to the awkward positions combatants often find themselves in. Revolvers won’t. 

A shrouded-hammer revolver won’t jam when fired through a coat pocket. A semi-auto sometimes will: both the slide and ejection port can be blocked by the fabric of the pocket.

Revolvers are more forgiving of lack of maintenance. All auto pistols need at least some lubricant for the long bearing surfaces between the slide and frame to work properly. Lubricant evaporates, and it drains from the gun when carried muzzle down in a holster. Any firearms instructor can tell you dry semi-auto pistols are a major cause of stoppages. A revolver doesn’t really need lubrication.

Revolvers are more amenable to dry-fire practice. The shooter doesn’t have to break their hold to rack the slide and reset the trigger, as they must on most auto pistols. I assume you’re going to recommend the customer dry-fire a lot to become accustomed to the gun. They can dry-fire the double-action revolver until the cows come home or their finger gets tired, whichever comes first.

Let’s Not Forget Single Actions

I can’t in good conscience recommend a gate-loading single-action revolver for self-defense. But, remember, your customer is allowed to have guns for target-shooting fun. 

Something like the Ruger Wrangler .22 is ridiculously cheap but surprisingly functional for the price. We’ve been emphasizing first-time buyers up to now, but I’d suggest the single action more for the experienced shooter looking for recreation. 

With any revolver — but particularly the frontier-style single action — there’s “more for the shooter to do.” It’s somewhat like a car enthusiast preferring a manual transmission to an automatic: The user gets more of a satisfying sense of running the machine instead of the machine running itself.

Suppose someone said to me, “You shoot a revolver? Isn’t that a little like riding a horse? Don’t you know we have horseless carriages now?” My answer would likely be, “Yeah, but riding a horse is more fun than driving a car, isn’t it?”

If you can explain these advantages — whether it’s to a first-time self-defense buyer or a seasoned enthusiast — you’ll see your share of revolver sales rise in the new year. Every bit helps, right?

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