Just as Festus Haggan did back in Dodge City, our modern day Festus, who lives in Hotlanta, totes a revolver. But while Marshal Dillon and his deputy might be surprised by the Ruger LCR’s short barrel, they’d no doubt appreciate its superior double action trigger. The LCR has one of the best bangswitches in the business.
Today’s Festus totes his light weight five-shooter in a DeSantis holster with five extra rounds of Speer Gold Dot in a speed strip. That oughta do for any situation most people will find themselves in.
Needs moar .45 Colt…or maybe a 6.5 Creedmoor BFR. HUEHUEHEUHUE
I have to say it before anyone else does.
A question instead. How many civilian revolver carriers have ever going back to ancient Greece, run short of ammo in an actual defense situation?
Probably some guys who got into firefights against those Damn-Yankee-Rifles-That-You-Load-on-Sunday-and-Shoot-All-Week. Otherwise, probably few if any.
There’s really no answer to this because studies are lacking.
The 3-3-3 rule comes from LEO situations and therefore isnt applicable to CCW. Older “reviews” have suggested that many people, when taken by surprise and forced to fight for their life, tend to empty their gun.
Who’s right? Is the answer in the middle? Who knows? You can find a myriad of YouTube videos to support either hypothesis, including numerous videos of older gentleman with revolvers continuing to pull the trigger after the gun is dry and the perpetrator is fleeing. Of course you can find similar videos with smaller semiautos.
The answer comes down to you and what you are comfortable with. To me when the question is “Will a snubbie get the job done?” the answer is “Probably” but as someone who has spent years of his life betting said life on equipment “Probably” isn’t the answer I prefer to hear when another, equally viable, answer is “You can tilt the odds further in your favor”.
@strych9 I tote a 642 because it’s easy to carry in any weather, in any clothing, anywhere on the body. It has a simple manual of arms which is identical to it’s big sister, my 686. It will not go out of battery during a contact shot and is arguably more difficult to grab and render inoperable during a physical altercation (in my opinion all of which are distinct possibilities).
With all the aforementioned I am willing to compromise on capacity.
When I have the slightest concern that 5 rounds won’t be enough…I carry two snubbies.
People tend to empty their pistol in SD not because they need all their shots but because of the high stress. They can and will continue to pull the trigger past the need to stop the threat. The key factor to survival is who gets the first shot on-target, you disable the target and get some distance, big mags are really only an issue for prolonged firefights which I have a hard time comprehending as a civilian. The 3-3-3 may be base on LEO, but it makes sense for a civilian. If you think about it, significant distances defy the civilian requirement to be in eminent danger, expending excess rounds shows a disregard for bystanders, excess time should provide the option to flee rather than fight. Now LEO may have qualified immunity and not be affected, but as Joe Q Public I am screwed. For the record, I don’t carry any of my revolvers, I love a smallish auto with 8 rounds of 9mm goodness for my EDC. Home defense changes the parameters, but then your talking full sized pistol or carbine in most cases.
My wife left me today. She said it was bad enough that I still carried a .40 S&W, but my refusal to trade in all my .308’s for 6.5 Creedmoor’s was the straw that broke the camel’s back. She said she was going to find someone who understood her concerns about wind drift and ballistic coefficient. When I tried to point out that we rarely shoot beyond 200 yards she told me to tell it to her lawyer. The 6.5 Creedmor ruined my life.
Get a 6mm Creedmoor and she’ll come running back when she sees how cool you are.
At our random yardage shoot today (50 to 500 yards) my wife asked why I didn’t have one of those awesome 6.5 creedmores…my response was I won with my .30-06.
YMMV
I have Ruger GP 100 .357/38P+ HP 38 Special due to my old fingers now, don’t practice much with my Ruger LCRs do have Ruger SR22 pistol, shoot best with that one, Carry in Sneaky Pete leather holster. It fits nicely in driver side door bin in a Honda Element 2007 with a little less than 200,000.00 miles on it.
LRC Revolver, are not for new shooters, especially 22lr favor. My experience is that rim fire ammunition is not going to be comfortable for practice. Too heavy trigger pull to make it go bang. I do Home carry Ruger LCR 22lr but it’s really broken in due to
since I’ve had since it came out and a lot of rounds shot to smooth the trigger.
What caliber is the Ruger LCR in photo?
According to the poster it’s a .357.
Dennis Weaver, played Chester also.
Wow, 357 in a stub nose revolver, shooting high caliber in a small handgun, recoil is going to be a bitch. I have the LCR in 38 Special & LCR 22lr
Only the LCR in 22lr is not overly painful.
But Ruger SR22 pistol is just 10 rounds of fun.
Each to their own on selection of caliber.
Betting the woman who had to stangle a rabid Bobcat with her bare hands, had wished she had better weapon available. It’s my understanding that Rabies treatment is rather painful!
The two inch barreled LCR might not be for new shooters but the three inched barreled LCRx (.38) I just got is very tame and easy to shoot with 158 grain loads. This is from someone with very, very little experience shooting handguns.
Always had a soft spot for revolvers.
As I recall Marshal Matt Dillon had at least four different Deputies from the Radio Series through the Television Series, not including the Movie. First was Chester Wessley Proudfoot, second was Chester Goode, third was Clayton Thaddeus ‘Thad” Greenwood and last Festus Haggen…
Sorry strych9, wrong button push… Dennis Weaver played Chester also
I’m very disappointed with his pocket dump, he’s chosen a pocket watch with a wrist band instead of straps.Handguns are handguns, but when seconds count it’s the, tick tock, tick tock, that gets the job done.
A Festuvus for the rest of us. :-))
After much shopping and testing, my wife settled on a 357 LCR–6+ years ago. I liked it so much that I got one. Their trigger and they shoot what you point at. Many holster/pocket/ammo options for summer and winter and conditions. If 5 shots (or a couple of shots) don’t get the job done, you should not carry. Concealed carry is for personal protection and not “gun fights”. Practice is the key for all handguns—and anything else in life!.
Even though I may not ‘need’ the 11 extra rounds of .45 I still make a point to carry it. And the CAT.
Good to know that you and wife enjoy the LCR 357!
I have a number of longer barrel, much heavier Ruger revolvers in 357 that are pleasant to shoot. Still loud.
But would make a Lion’s roar sound like a house cat.
I’m just curious, why do people who carry five-shot revolvers leave the sixth spot on the speed strip empty? I always fill the last spot. Just because it’s not an even reload doesn’t mean the extra round won’t come in handy.
I don’t like the boot grip on LCRs. Snubbies already have a high skill requirement. The stock Hogue grip or a Crimson Trace laser grip are plenty concealable and offer a much better purchase on the gun.
You’d never know it from the voice he used on Gunsmoke, but Ken Curtis (Festus) was actually quite a gifted singer. He had been part of the Sons of the Pioneers in his younger days.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fWR6FLnPack
whatever, as long as they are carrying.
Historically Elementary school-age children in the United States carried a revolver everyday to and from school.
Molesters another two leg creatures we’re not much of a problem back then.
Ahhh, Huhhh Really?/! “Ordinance Number Nine” Most Territorial Towns and Cities in None State Territories had a Similar Ordnance in place from 1865 to the 1900. Which meant NO Firearms within Town and/or City Limits. How do you think the Clanton-McLaury Gang were killed? Stupidity and having Guns within Township Limits…
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