A Case for the Defensive Big Bore Revolver

It can be hard to remember that even though the 21st century is filled with 9mm pistols, the world still uses big-bore revolvers. A hunting big-bore revolver is also a good choice, but don’t feed it hunting ammunition. While I don’t recommend that you go back to a pair of Colts for your defensive arsenal (although you might be unarmed if that were the only option), the big-bore double action revolver is a good choice for self-defense. The 625 is the S&W N-frame in.45 ACP. It is made from stainless steel and features a barrel with an underlug that is full-length to counter recoil. You can choose from a choice of three, four, or five-inch barrels. You can use moon clips, full-moon, or half-moon, as a.45 ACP revolver. These are simple steel clips that hold three to six rounds in an assembled. The entire assembly is put in and then it all comes out. The revolver is built on the N frame, the.44 Magnum framework. It has the potential to be loaded with hotter than normal.45 ACP ammunition, but that’s not the point. If your problem (literally) cannot be solved with a 230 grain JHP at around 900 fps then you have bigger problems than just “do I have enough velocity?” My particular model came with a 4-inch barrel and a round-butt grip. I used round-butt rubber grips to carry it for competition and daily use. Moon clips are very affordable. They are inexpensive. The best thing about the 625 was that we could get our empty brass back even in “lost-brass” matches (you were not allowed to pick up your empties). The empties were still being clipped into the moon clips and nobody was going to leave them behind. This was a minor concern for me when I shot in the IPSC World Shoot, Rhodes 2011. It was a lost-brass match. The law in Greece forbids reloading ammo and empty brass had to be taken to the range and handed over to the police. We revolver shooters were not going to give up our moon clips. We would empty the clips and refill them each night. After a 35-stage match, each of us had 500 to 700 empty cups. What should we do? What should you do? Except for the S&W M&P R8 and the TRR8, you can’t bolt a light to your wheelgun. You will need to practice light and handgun techniques, such as Harries. This isn’t a huge deal as we are talking about home defense and you won’t be doing any house-clearing exercises. You will be able to safely hide behind the bed and dial 911 to cover the bedroom door. Or some similar situation. You will find that light management is quite different from handling a light with a revolver. It doesn’t mean you have to compete in the world championships. However, it is a great way to learn. It was common back in the days of revolvers to load the cylinder and then close it. Next, turn the hammer so that the cylinder is unlocked. Give it a spin. This ensured that all rounds cleared the recoil shield. Moon clips must be tested once loaded. On my competition revolvers, the spur had been removed. I used a length tape to secure the cylinder lock. I could then spin the cylinder to check it, without pulling the hammer back. I removed the tape when I was done. The range bag would contain the checked moon clips, ready for the next day of competition. For defensive purposes, you can do the exact same thing with yours. Make sure you check your ammo and moon clips each day. Keep the checked ammo near the revolver. The Terminal Advantage of a Big-Bore RevolverWhat does a big bore revolver do for you? Horsepower. Also, displacement. A V-8 that runs at low rpm can do a lot of things that would take a smaller engine spinning much faster. A 230 JHP will do an excellent job, even at 825 fps, as I mentioned. You can’t reduce the weight by halving the velocity. A lot of 9mm loaded with a JHP 115 (exactly half of our.45) will be hard-pressed for 1,200 fps. That’s the tradeoff for more ammo: less power. The muzzle blast of a 9mm+P or 9mm+P is radically higher than that of a big-bore thumper. “But, 9mm pistols are faster.” True, but speed is not a problem. However, the hits are decisive and speedy hitting with revolvers has never been a problem. It’s as easy as practicing. You just need to practice. Reloading is easy if you have the right practice. You should also practice with dummy rounds. Long winter nights are ideal for speedy reloading skills. Reloading the.45 ACP625 revolver is the fastest you will ever use. Jerry Miculek is a great friend who can help you see how fast it is possible. He’s a wizard. But a skilled full moon clip reloader can do it as fast as or faster that the average high-capacity 9mm mag exchange. Avoid hunting loads and
You’ll be fine. The.45ACP is the most efficient reloading speed. But you don’t need to limit yourself to the.45ACP. Speedloaders like the HKS allow you to get six more thumpers into a wheelgun quickly. Anything above.357 Magnum is a viable option. This means 10mm (which also has full moon clips),.44 Special Magnum,.44 Magnum, and.45 Colt. Oh, and the 10mm revolver allows you to use.40 S&W ammunition in moon clips if it has full moon clips. You don’t have to hunt one down. However, if you already own a big-bore revolver you can still use it to finance the same 9mm polymer-framed 9mm that everyone else has. You already have a tool that is suitable for defense. Ammo? All calibers can be protected by ammo companies. Max-pressure hunting ammo is not necessary. If you have ammo again you will be able to find the less-obnoxious defensive loads you need for your big bore. A.44 Magnum Special load would be a good choice. It would use 200-grain JHPs. It was on the Second Chance prize table, and I was the “out of the guns” guy in the prize order. We were called up to choose what we wanted. I watched the shooter in front of me walk up to the prizes and paw through them until he finally chose something, not a gun, and then he walked off. When my name was called I walked up and pawed through all the prizes until I found the gun. The competition will teach you how to reload quickly in self-defense situations. I recounted my story over breakfast at a Central Lake restaurant. The next booth over heard a shooter say, “That was me.” It wasn’t in all the other prizes.” We all had fun and shared a good time. After we had finished our meal, one of the new shooters inquired why I hadn’t offered the gun the other shooter. One of the older hands explained some of his social and cultural customs of pin shooting. “Because the 30-second rule. He had the option of taking his time and finding what he wanted, or settling for what he could find. He had to ask for the gun if he wanted it now. If Pat had offered the gun to him, he would have announced to the restaurant that the other man couldn’t find any guns at the prize table. That would have been insulting.” I took the gun back to the pin shoot to compete for more loot. It was also my daily carry gun. It’s a great defensive tool that can also be used to store memories, loot, and other valuable items. Storm Tactical’s impressive target pack includes62 printable targets for rifle and handgun range usage. Target grids and bullseye sizes can be found in MOA. Get Free Targets