I have definite preferences in personal defense handguns. I carried capable and effective big bore handguns as a peace officer. I strongly prefer the 1911 handgun. But I could not do without certain types of revolvers and often carry a revolver as the primary handgun. The author finds the .44 Magnum Taurus and Inova light a good combination, pictured on the right. .I am serious about revolvers, and I have a dog in the fight. I care about the good guys and girls and do not want you or yours injured by our protein fed ex con criminal class. I am more interested in an individual being well armed with a firearm that suits them than in seeing them adopt my personal gear. I have on hand examples of handguns that are far from my first choice but which I use to further an individuals raining. A type that I both train with and carry is the revolver. I have noted a move toward speed and high capacity among permit holders and hat is fine if you are able to control and utilize I these traits. But there remains much to be said for an accurate first shot and a heavy blow-delivered quickly. We have to ask if shooting fast in a volley of shots is the answer. I reiterate-hit hard and hit first.

 There are tactical nuances that must be discerned in each person's lifestyle. The frequency of practice and personal preference is always important. The shooters size, statue, and personal experience are important. This young woman is practicing with her .44 against a knife attack. The revolver may be placed against an opponents body and fired repeatably if need be. The individual should choose wisely based upon many things. Whiter you decide upon manually operated (revolver) or recoil operated (automatic) you have to stay behind the situation with modern handguns and most of us would be able to find a suitable defensive handgun. Most of us will be able to find something that fits our hands and something we are able to conceal. If you choose a revolver holster  technology is important. The holster needs to get the cylinder off the belt and high enough to avoid the boa that swallowed the mongoose look. That are good holsters that handle the revolver in high fashion. These include a number of good designs from GDS holsters.

 A perceived downside of the revolver is a meager capacity of five to eight rounds depending upon the design. The revolver will only go bang six times but it can be counted on to deliver these shots without fail. I firmly believe that you will win the fight with the ammunition in the handgun. If you do not solve the problem with the gunload in the handgun then your battle is probably going to be short. If the revolver's limited capacity bothers you there are two options. The first option is well respected and was adopted by Bill Hickock, Jesse James, Jim Cirillo and others. In Mexico General George Patton ran out of ammunition during a gun battle and thereafter adopted the carry of two handguns. Quite a few handgunners prefer using two revolvers to carrying a high capacity automatic pistol. General Patton stated that to scare people you should carry an automatic but to kill them use a revolver. It worked for him. Carrying a pair of revolvers, whether a large one and a small one or a pair of snub .38s is a proven tactic. The second alternative is to learn to execute a rapid speedload with the revolver. You will not equal the slap dash of the automatic but with practice-and you have probably been loading the revolver wrong-you can get pretty smart. While carrying a pair of revolvers and learning to speed load is a laudable pursuit hitting with the first shot is preferred.

 How does the revolver shoot? The long rolling double action of the revolver is ideal for those who sometimes clutch a light automatic pistol trigger. Once this action is learned, to press the double action trigger, reset, and press again in the same sequence, the revolver is capable of producing excellent accuracy in a combat situation. The revolver presents clutching and offers excellent control at moderate range. The revolver barrel may be laid against cover in a defensive situation and allows the shooter to fire accuracy from a braced position. If we do not have a perfect grip on the handgun, the revolver will still fire. There is no limp wristing a revolver.

The ammunition that may be fired in a revolver is worthy of note. While there are good automatic pistol cartridges few are as versatile and effective as the .357 Magnum, yet the Magnum may be chambered in relatively light revolvers. My light Taurus six shot two inch barrel revolver is controllable but offers excellent wound potential. The revolver may be fired with light loads for practice, shotshell for pests, and heavy loads for personal defense. The Cor Bon PowRBall 100 grain load is controllable but jolts a bullet to 1300 fps. The 110 grain JHP is about as fast. For more penetration Cor Bon offers a 125 grain JHP. This type of load is proven in personal defense. You simply have to master the handgun.

                I sometimes carry a four inch barrel .44 Magnum revolver in a Milt Sparks belt holster. This revolver is very accurate and gives me an edge in accuracy and penetration over practically anything the opposition will field. One shot, one stop is the rule with the .44 Magnum. I often deploy this handgun with the Cor Bon 165 grain JHP load. This is a fine urban load, controllable and frangible. When in a more rural setting I often load up with a good deer load to put meat on the table, such as Fiocchi’s 200 gr. JHP. Full power 240s are a bit much for the four inch gun. That is versatility and some of the choice is about lifestyle. Take a hard look at the revolver. This is lifesaver going into the third century.

             There are several good makers who offer excellent IWB designs. I am glade there are good makers because some of them are backlogged.  I recently waited three years to finish up a custom handgun and six months for a holster. This is not something we wish to do if we are not certain of what we want and if we do not have a spare shooting iron. Other makers have a very good turn around time. I have used Lou Alessi, Graham Gunleather,  Ken Null, Little Bear, and a few others with excellent results. I have even used a new Kydex design from Mach 2 Tactical called the Honorman, and it is among the very few truly comfortable IWB holsters in a non leather material. But some cannot tolerate IWB holsters. Some cannot tolerate a shoulder holster either.

            When choosing a handgun and IWB combination, we have to consider all the options. We often say that an IWB allows the carrying of a longer, heavier service type handgun. This is true as far as it goes, but a too long pistol will pinch your butt when you set down. A five inch Government Model or Glock 34 isn’t going to work for everyone. A Commander .45 or a Glock Model 23 will work for most of us. A Commander or Officer’s Model in a Summer Special is just about right. The handgun is short enough for comfortable carry and a rapid draw. A Milt Sparks Summer Special is the standard by which all others are judged. With a strong spine, reinforced holster welt and a built in sight track, the Summer Special is a credible choice.

            A word on a neat little holster for ‘light use’.  For those who own several handguns, JBP holsters offers a belt slide/belt clip IWB that works fine. Be certain the fit is good and the clip fits under the belt and you have a rough and ready fit for most uses.

             When I traveled to London in 1978, police at Heathrow airport wore sharp looking blazers with a police crest. The word in London was that cops needed to be armed in some places but the guns had to be discreet. These cops carried their SIG pistols under their jackets in the original small of the back (S.O.B.) holster. For those who cannot tolerate an IWB, the SOB offers an alternative. The handgun is parallel to the belt line but offset enough that the handle is tilted up enough that the handgun will not fall out during movement. A bit of bending the wrist is needed and you must not wear the SOB in the middle of the back. Injury could result if you fall. But the SOB is a belt holster that is nearly as concealable as the IWB. I have tested an SOB from JBP in the Master leather line that is a good example of the breed. It is worth consideration if you cannot use an IWB.

            Holster selection is important. The holster may impede the draw if not properly selected, and the draw is very important. The draw moves into the stance and an improper draw slows down acquisition of the sight picture. Choose well. After all it is your hide.

R. K. Campbell 

Editors note: - I have been using R.K.'s information for a long time in discussions with my CCW students. If you get a chance, buy his book at: Amazon.com.

            The handguns I trust the most include the 1911, CZ 75 and High Power, about in that order. As for caliber the choice is obvious. The bigger bullets let out more blood and let more air in. We may pick and choose over any number of loads for the individual caliber and spend sleepless nights agonizing over the choice. Those who use a small bore handgun must take more time in load selection. No matter the caliber the shooter must be able to control his handgun. Retention is not necessarily being able to control the handgun on the range but in a wide range of shooting scenarios. You must be able to control the handgun with the load of choice. As an example, among the most accurate Glock models I have ever fired is the Glock Model 20 in 10mm. With the Cor Bon 180 gr. hunting load, I managed a 1.25 inch five shot group off the bench. This is much better than anything I have done with the Glock M 21 .45 and particularly better than the .40 caliber Glock. But the handgun is too large for my hands in a control situation.  My short fingers just won’t stretch.

            The handgun must have good handfit and we must be able to control with piece with our load of choice. Reliability is perhaps 1,000,000 times more important than anything else. Ammunition selection must center upon reliability first. My criteria for a combat load is different than most. But I hope you will consider my words and at least give it a try. The National Institute of Justice stresses that reliability is defined as the propensity of a firearm to fire with each press of the trigger and continue firing with each trigger press. Makes sense to me. The standard is 300 rounds between cleaning, not a very stringent test. To my mind, this is simply a good beginning. With reliability established first then we will look at other factors. Feed and cycle reliability are the first consideration. The handgun must be proofed. If new, it should have fired a few hundred rounds of ball ammunition without any problem. It is increasingly less common for modern handguns to require a break in period. As an example, I recently obtained a new High Standard 1911. This is a Philippine produced GI type. My experience with 1911s dating back to the 1970s indicates that a hundred rounds of hardball is needed to in order to break in a too long link, rough spots or burrs. One hundred rounds of Winchester USA ball were fired. I enjoyed firing the pistol and found the sights were well regulated. There were no malfunctions of any type.

            With modern handguns it seems that with a modest 50-60 rounds of test ammunition you are in like Flint. Should we consider ballistic properties next? Well, lets not hurry. There is something called cartridge integrity. I place a respective sample of the chosen load in water, oil, and solvent, respectively. I let them soak overnight. If the cartridge does not have sufficient primer or case mouth seal there will be a failure to fire. Interestingly it is powder failure more often than primer failure and occasionally the powder partially ignites. I don’t use primer seal in most of my handloads and that’s fine if the factory doesn’t for practice ammunition. Defense ammunition is another matter. No matter how ‘devastating’ the ad guys tell us a cartridge is, if it doesn’t go bang then it isn’t going to help us.  Another test I run on prospective service ammunition is to run a few rounds through the action of the pistol. This simulates loading and unloading the cartridge during the course of the month at inspections or simply during cleaning. Many shooters will unload their duty loads and practice with ball ammo, then reload the service loads. If the bullet’s case mouth seal if broken and the bullet pressed back into the case after a few chamberings, then the load is not suitable for personal defense duty. You need to get the micrometer out, some budge just a little. Others are knocked into the case on the first chambering or two. A deeply seated bullet raises chamber pressure considerably. Once the case mouth seal is broken, the chances of contamination are much greater. Such a test makes you take quality control with a jaundiced eye. Revolver loads should be tested as well.

            Many years ago I purchased one of the first Charter Arms Bulldog .44 Special revolvers. Two brands of factory ammunition tied up on the Bulldog. The culprit was heavy recoil. The soft lead 246 grain bullets were loosened in the case during recoil and moved forward, tying the cylinder gun up. I used my RCBS crimping die to heavily crimp my factory ammunition. The same situation exists today with some lead bullet loads in .38 Special. All are not suitable for use in airweight .38 snubs. Recoil will jerk the lead bullet loose. But all jacketed bullets are not created equal and may also give a problem. At present, it seems the smart money is on the Speer Gold Dot 135 grain +P, especially designed for the .38 snub. Another great load I have tested is the Buffalo Bore 125 grain JHP, using the Speer 125 grain short barrel Gold Dot. I would test my load extensively in a Scandium frame, but these two work just fine for me. 20 rounds isn’t much of a test and you should fire more if you can afford it.

            As a rule foreign produced ammunition is not as reliable as USA produced loads. An exception is Fiocchi. Fiocchi of America produces excellent ammunition in their Ozark Missouri plant but the Italian produced loadings are also very good. I have limited experience with Lapua loads, but the few boxes of 9mm CEPP I tested were reliable and accurate. Sometimes a good company produces inexpensive ammunition that is very, very good. During my time as a peace officer I saw at least 30,000 rounds of Zero remanufactured loads fired during qualifications. I cannot recall a single failure to feed, chamber fire or eject. There are folks who have the same good experience with other brands but my experience with Zero is first hand and that means something.

            Once feed and cycle reliability and cartridge integrity are established, we may move to exterior ballistics. The load should exhibit a minimum of muzzle blast. If properly concocted the load will burn the powder inside the barrel and not ignite unburned powder at the muzzle. There should be a minimum of unburned powder in the action. Next we will look to wound potential. There are rules that may be ignored at your own peril. Penetration is important. Some loads seek to limit penetration, and this is a dangerous course for the shooter. If the adversary is heavily clothed the wrong load will underpenetrate. If the adversary is firing at you with his arms outstretched your bullet may have to penetrate heavy arm bones and heavy clothing in order to take effect. I have learned that any number of felons are large, heavy men. A six foot two inch 325 pound man is not going to be impressed by a load that penetrates 5 – 6 inches and stops, fully expanded. The heavily muscled human form causes expanding bullets to open more quickly. A bullet that fragment in gelatin may underpenetrate in flesh and blood. I suffered an underpenetration during a critical incident with a 200 grain .45 that was the darling of the popular press at the time. The bullet penetrated about 4.5 inches and expanded to 1.00 –one inch- in a tough shoulder. The second bullet took effect, the first did not. I went back to .45 caliber 230 grain hardball and did not use a hollow point in the .45 for nearly a decade. I also qualified a number of incidents in which 9mm hollowpoints stopped short. In once incident two 9mms stopped in 3 centimeters of bone and gristle in a pit bull’s shoulder. The officer who fired those shots was bitten in the testicles and spent several months recovering. Obviously adequate penetration is needed. A JHP bullet needs a balance of expansion and penetration. 12-14 inches of penetration is a realistic standard. You don’t necessarily need ballistic gelatin to test these bullets. For many years I have used soaking wet newsprint. My results are usually within ten per cent of factory gelatin figures. Penetration in newsprint is a little less and expansion a little more, perhaps five per cent more. The real difference in effect between similar loads in the same caliber will be controlled by marksmanship. The difference between a hit in the arterial region of the heart and a hit in the intestines is what will count.

I have seen some pretty dumb thing in print. This means the writer had the idea and the editor seconded the thought. One writer tells us that load selection is more important as we can control load selection but not shot placement. This is flying in the face of every thought I have ever had on shot placement.  Accuracy can make up for power. The reverse is seldom true.  Choosing a personal defense load that is reliable and which exhibits a good balance of penetration and expansion is essential. Control is very important.

            As for control, quite a few handguns do not meet my standards for control.  Control matters.  Pictured on the right, this shooter finds the SIG GSR good. My baseline is the Government Model 1911 with 230 grain .45 caliber JHP loads. A bit heavier recoil is found in the aluminum frame 1911s. I carry them but work hard to master them. In the 9mm I find the Winchester 127 grain SXT +P+ among the best loads ever fielded in 9mm.  A local agency has had a run of well over a dozen one shot incidents with this load. In my personal 35 ounce Armalite AR 24 the load is controllable. In the 26 ounce Smith and Wesson Military and Police recoil is more pronounced. In the SIG P 226 or Beretta 92, this is a fine load. In lighter guns we have to carefully consider control factors. Perhaps the Speer Gold Dot +P, 124 grains at over 1200 fps, might be an alternative.

            I am moved to retching by those who claim a certain small caliber load ‘turns a 9mm into a .45.’ Until the laws of physics are changed, this isn’t possible. Big bullets do the business. When fashion, custom and convenience interfere with packing a big bore than we may adopt a smaller handgun. But we must choose loads carefully and the bottom line is reliability and marksmanship. If the adversary is heavily clothed and you have the wrong load in the gun you may find yourself enumerated among the dead. Choose well, shoot straight.

R.K. Campbell

(Carryconcealed.net would like to thank R.K for his work. If you get the chance, buy any of his books that you can get your hands on!)