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"I felt that a revolver would be more reliable than a semi-auto."

From a pure percentage standpoint, the revolver is more reliable... But that percentage is so very, very small that it is not worthy of mention. Semi-auto pistols that are properly maintained really don't go down any more often than a revolvers. But there are offsetting factors that must be taken into consideration. Here is an example:

Tonight, my wife didn't feel like cooking (can't blame her - she had cleaned house all day and it was immaculate... she was tired!) so I offered to run to a fast food place to pick something up. I had no intention of getting out of the truck, so my analysis was like this: Do I want to go upstairs and put on my normal carry rig (a Glock 22 in .40S&W, along with four additional mags and my tactical light) or do I want to just grab this S&W model 629 (.44 mag) and a couple of HKS 6 round speed-loaders? I had worked all day, too. I didn't want to get out of the truck, so my likelihood of having a "seek cover and shoot back" gun battle would have been pretty small - I would just drive away. So the big wheel gun made the trip down to the local Burger King.

Now... What if I had not been tired, had looked presentable? If I was going to go into an establishment to make a purchase, it would have been a different picture altogether. I'm a big guy (6'3", 210#) and can easily hide the Glock 22, the 4 extra mags, and the tactical light under just a light jacket or even a "hoody." I would have gone upstairs and "weaponed-up."

The difference between the two scenarios is the threat analysis. If you have ever been under fire, the one thing you don't want to have to worry about is still being in the battle zone and running out of ammo. In the truck, I could get away. On foot, I might have to stay in one place and fight for a while. In the truck, 18 round were what I deemed to be sufficient. On foot, I carry 76 rounds.

In my business, we use as a demonstration a "dash cam" video of a traffic stop from the New Lenox, Illinois, Police Department in which a police officer carrying a fully loaded pistol and two spare mags ran his pistol dry and was out of ammo. Nothing wrong with his marksmanship... He was putting the shots where they needed to go. He was pinned down by the bad guy, and was actually wounded twice before he was able to take cover behind his patrol car. The bad guy kept shooting, and wouldn't get out of the pick-up truck - it had a big "truck type" tool box directly behind the cab that was stopping the officer's bullets from reaching him. If other officers hadn't arrived quickly, the officer would have been out of ammo, out of luck, and out of time. The battle was ended by another officer that flanked the bad guy with a shotgun. Most folks would say 2 spare mags are enough, but I bet you that officer wouldn't - and I would also bet he carries at least 4 spares now.

It all comes down to the operating environment in which one might have to shoot... Is 18 rounds enough? It might be if the marksmanship is really there when under fire. If one can honestly tell himself that he knows he can do the job with 18 rounds in his operating environment, then 18 rounds if fine. But, what if there is a doubt? Then it is time to carry more ammo... It is for that reason that I normally carry the Glock 22 and 76 rounds of ammo that I do. I don't question my marksmanship ability, but I have seen what happens WTSHTF. Nothing works in a shooting incident like you think it will. People move - that SOB is not going to stand still while you shoot at him. People scream. Your mind is running at a million miles per hour, so time slows down. Your hearing shuts down as adrenalin dumps into your system... What you would normally consider an easy shot at the range will seem like "the shot from hell" as you try to figure out: which way do I move? are there innocent people behind the bad guy? does he have someone behind me getting ready to blow my head off? how about to either side of me - are there more bad guys there? Dammit, how long will this fight go on? The fight may only take a few seconds, but it doesn't seem like it when it is going down.

All of this stuff makes those 18 rounds get used up very quickly... And if the bad guy's marksmanship is equal to yours and he has a spare magazine or two for a pistol (while you have only a wheel gun) you can be in a world of $h!t. This doesn't even take into account that you are going to have to reload more often with a revolver.

So now one has to ask the questions, does the dependability factor of a revolver over a pistol outweigh my need for more firepower, more ammo, and less frequent reloading? Am I willing to master a semi-auto pistol in order to better my odds of surviving a gun fight? Am I willing to put in the time at the range to make sure I can take care of business when I have to?

This is all, of course, just my opinion... But I've been there. If you look at Suarez's article, you'll see the same philosophy there. He's been there, too.

Regards,
Raven6