most reliable revolver - 13 Matching Articles

While a law enforcement officer might have to fire bullets through automobile glass, car chassis, doors, drywall, or other objects in pursuit of an assailant, the mandate for a civilian self-defense shooter is to simply stop the attack—and nothing more. A recent study shows that such incidents are most often sudden, close, and brief. This study, an analysis of almost 500 civilian self-defense incidents in which a firearm was involved, shows that about 50 percent happened in the home, 30 percent in a place of business, and the remaining attacks occurred in a public place, frequently a parking lot. The majority of the time, the range of these encounters was less than 12 feet. Shots were fired in fewer than 80 percent of the attacks, and when the person being assaulted did have to shoot, he rarely shot more than three times. The most common response of the attackers was to flee, unless the shooting incapacitated them. The most common calibers used were 9mm and .38 Special (62 percent). Calibers .380 and smaller were used 24 percent of the time, .40-­caliber and larger only 14 percent of the time.

After years of testing hundreds of defensive handgun loads, it became clear the only reliable way to classify their performance was to divide them into two categories; below average and better than average. This was first reported in my 2013 book, Handgun Training for Personal Protection, where average performance was established at 13.7 inches of penetration with expansion of at least 0.58 inch. Loads exceeding that benchmark are by definition, better than average. Here are ten you can trust.

Check out some of the coolest pistol introductions of the year.

From classic lever actions, to magnum handguns, to custom ARs, this gallery has it all.

_OL reader Joel Simon sent us this account of his favorite gun. To share your own, email us at myfavoritegun@outdoorlife.com or submit them to our Facebook page. We want to know the story of your favorite gun, and what makes it special to you. And, of course, we want to see a nice picture of it._ My favorite gun is an old beater Taurus 431 stainless steel revolver in .44 Special. I'm a cedar rat in the Southwest high desert—I guess you'd call me retired—and several years ago it became came clear that I needed something with more authority than my Marlin .22. So I traded a fellow some tractor work for this old revolver. It was more of a mess than I'd anticipated. It needed a mainspring and a major cleaning before the cylinder would even spin, and then I had to do something about those silly little grips. Taurus sold rubber grips that fit well enough, but the seam wore a hole in the side of my finger during practice, so I covered it with a piece of tire tube and now it works fine. I raise chickens for my food, and in the desert that rings the dinner bell for every predator around. I've got a couple of dogs that mostly keep them polite, but there have still been incidents. Plus packs of feral dogs form from time to time and though they don't normally last long, they're trouble while they do. So the Taurus goes on my belt when I put my pants on and doesn't come off until bedtime.

The argument as to the best carry gun and cartridge has lit up the internet since Al Gore invented it and it's not likely to be settled soon. That is unless everyone agrees I am right. While the choices are fluid, here are my top ten choices for carry guns as of today.

Top Shot has gathered some of the best marksmen from around the country to compete in extreme shooting competitions.

To gear up for 3-Gun, shooters need to open their wallets wide, particularly for shotguns. Whereas pistols and rifles that qualify as competitive can be purchased for less than $1,000, it isn't unusual for the price tag on a shotgun, the most specialized gun among the three, to flirt with or surpass $2,000 once all de rigueur modifications have been made. (To be clear, I'm speaking of guns in the tactical optics division, the most popular category in 3-Gun. Open-class guns, where anything and everything goes, are all pricey.)

The House Financial Services Committee's recent hearing to scrutinize the nation's largest banks and their practices after they received taxpayer dollars in the 2008 bailout featured some interesting comments by bank executives defending policies that discriminate against gun owners and the firearms manufacturing industry.

Colt has released their first revolver in 20 years. Here's a first look at their latest.

This handy little revolver from Ruger might not stop a charging grizzly, but it would make for the perfect backup gun on a pack trip. It's super light (it weighs just over 15 ounces), fits nicely in the hand, and shoots well.

Photos by Yamil Sued

Long before semi-auto handguns stole the hearts of the brave, the blusterous, and the fearful, six-shooters reigned supreme as the finest sidearm available. Wyatt Earp, Bill Hickok, Porter Rockwell, the Texas Rangers—they all carried them. These revolvers have stood by lawmen, homeowners, and pretty ladies during countless encounters with less-savory individuals of our society. Here, in all their historic, smooth-actioned, deadly glory, are some of the first and finest.

A semi-automatic revolver? Okay, I promise I am not committing an egregious terminology faux pas. In 1895, there really was a recoil-operated, automatic revolver invented. In the 1880s, semi-automatic technology was in its infancy. In 1885, Ferdinand Ritter von Mannlicher created the first successful semi-automatic rifle. 1893, the Borschardt C-93 semi-automatic pistol came into existence. And countless other variations on the semi-auto design surfaced.

Since before the Second Amendment, Americans have used firearms to shape our history. Thus, there have been an innumerable array of firearms produced during the lifespan of the United States. But here's a list of guns that certainly have impacted our country both at home and abroad.

Chiappa Firearms now offers its Rhino revolver in .40 S&W caliber, employing full-moon clips to hold the rimless semi-auto .40 caliber rounds.

_Hopkins & Allen XL3 Double Action Revolver, .32. Note: The inscription on the mother of pearl grips reads, “Every Inch a Lady.” What type of person would get an inscription like that? A Madame of course._ This .32 caliber Hopkins & Allen XL3 Double Action Revolver is tied to a local lady from Cody, Wyoming. If you've ever driven through the town, you hopefully didn't miss the famous steakhouse on the West Strip. But Cassie's was not always serving up steaks for cowboys and tourists. It used to specialize in a different kind of meat…sorry I couldn't help myself.

_Winchester made revolvers? Winchester Wetmore-Wood Revolver, .44-40 caliber, date: ca 1876. Buffalo Bill Center of the West, Cody, Wyoming; Gift of Olin Corporation, Winchester Arms Collection, 1988.8.998_ This week I am going to stick to another seemingly oxymoronic concept. Last week, I covered the semi-automatic revolver, well what about a Winchester Revolver? Now if you're thinking, hold up, Winchesters didn't make revolvers, then you're probably in line with a solid portion of the population. But Winchester did, and the revolvers were actually quite innovative.

_Massachusetts Arms Company (Chicopee Falls, MA), .31 caliber, 1850-1851. Buffalo Bill Center of the West, Cody, Wyoming. Gift of Olin Corporation, Winchester Arms Collection._ You may not recognize the name, Massachusetts Arms Company, but I bet you recognize the players -Smith, Wesson, Stevens, and Ames. This company was affiliated with many men who became historically significant firearms manufacturers. And this powerhouse team posed a threat to Sam Colt's monopoly on the revolver market.

Each of these firearms are not only significant guns of the American West, they belonged to some of the most famous and infamous frontiersmen (and women), soldiers, and icons who forged the American West both in myth and reality - a West we nostalgically remember today. Spoiler alert! You won't see all your favorite men, women, and guns on this list.

OL's Hunting Editor takes a fond look back at memorable hunts with "everyone's first rifle."

Among modern gunmakers, Dan Wesson is a particularly revered figure. In the late 1960s, he broke off from the family business—that business being Smith & Wesson—to start his own gun company. The cornerstone achievement of Dan Wesson Arms was the Model 12, a switch-barrel revolver that acquired a devoted fan base among wheel-gun aficionados. The Model 12 morphed into the Model 15, and eventually a Model 715 was offered—the “7” indicating that stainless steel rather than regular blued steel was being used for the frame and barrel shroud.

Remington played a significant role in defining the history of the American West, and the company impacted the world during global wars. Fast-forward 200 years. The company is now known for a wide array of sporting, self-defense, and military firearms. As the company continues to grow, it stands as a symbol of the past, present, and future of American ingenuity.

In states with weak pre-emption laws, such as Illinois, New York, local governments can impose layers of permitting or licensing fees on residents before they can legally own any type of firearm, including long guns.