By Dave Workman
Editor-in-Chief
Rounding up another year provides an opportunity to look at round guns as utility tools.
I know some shooters who have very little experience with revolvers of any kind—they grew up with Glock, so to speak—and the notion of reduced firepower seems to be concerned. However, one of my contemporaries boiled things down to the bone by observing how revolvers only worry folks who expect to miss a lot.
According to the latest data from the Crime Prevention Research Center headed by researcher and author John Lott, there are an estimated 20.88 million active concealed carry licenses/permits in the U.S., thanks in part to the expansion of “constitutional carry” laws to include 29 states, where no license is required.
In my home state of Washington, the number of active concealed pistol licenses (CPL) hovers above 700,000.
How many of those people carry revolvers rather than semi-autos for personal protection? Lacking specific numbers, the best guess would be “a lot.”
The revolver is an ideal utility gun. It doesn’t require a magazine, it is fairly easy to operate and does not require the strength to work a slide back against the pressure of a recoil spring in order to chamber a round. (This is one thing which puts some senior citizens or people lacking strength in the arms and hands at a disadvantage.)
All you need is loose ammunition and the ability open the cylinder, whether single or double-action.
The past 12 months have provided many more opportunities to put several wheelguns through their paces. I still pack a 2 ½-inch Smith & Wesson Model 19 in an old Bianchi “Shadow” pancake-type holster or a minimalist belt holster while cutting firewood in the spring.
This .357 Magnum-caliber sixgun launches a 125-grain JHP at better than 1,500 fps, depending upon the propellant. That is ample to discourage any bothersome cougars, bears or two-legged miscreants, while the 158-grainers I now load will clock over 1,400 fps with the right powder.
This coming spring and summer there are fishing treks on my agenda, and there will be a sixgun within easy reach.
In the fall, no matter what the game, I’ve traditionally been packing a .41 Magnum—either Ruger or S&W—because that caliber has the horsepower to bring any unpleasantness to an abrupt halt.
The same aforementioned .357 Magnum snubby was my primary carry gun for many years, stoked with factory Remington, Winchester or Federal 125-grainers. While it carries comfortably in my belt rig, it also rides unobtrusively in an old upside-down Safariland shoulder holster a’la Steve McQueen’s detective Lt. Frank Bullitt.
We’ve traveled a lot, together this past year, me and my wheelguns. We’ve been to Idaho and back, several places in Eastern Washington and across a fair amount of Western Washington real estate as well. Over the years, one or two have been with me to Montana, Wyoming, Colorado, Oregon, Nevada and New Mexico. Never have they let me down.
Once several years ago while seated atop a rock in Washington’s Pend Oreille County on opening day of that year’s deer season, I was quietly surveying a huge clearcut below when my peripheral vision locked onto a stealthy movement along an old logging road about 50-75 yards below. Eventually, a coyote appeared, trotting along with his nose to the air and he came to a stop almost directly below me. Out came my .41 Magnum Ruger Blackhawk and I put one just under his belly—hey, I aimed low, okay?—but it scooted that critter out of the clearcut, and maybe clear into neighboring Idaho, as the border was about a quarter-mile to my east. If he didn’t set a new land speed record, it was close.
I’ve had to finish off a couple of deer with handguns over the years, underscoring their capabilities as a utility tool. When a rifle isn’t handy, a big-bore handgun can take care of business. Just remember to carry “enough gun” with the punch to get the job done, and which meets any regulatory requirements.
Smaller revolvers, such as the J-frame S&W, a similar-sized Charter Arms or Taurus, or the classic Colt Detective Special or snubby Diamondback will tuck easily into the cargo pocket of a winter vest, and be there when needed. I used to have a square-butt S&W Chief’s Special which constantly rode in my winter parka with five spare cartridges in a speed loader in the opposite pocket. It was a great utility gun, and while it was no target-quality sidearm, it was capable of putting them all in the black out to 25 yards.
What’s ahead in 2026? Beats the heck out of me, but one can safely presume there will be a revolver involved in any adventures taking me off the pavement.
What about you? Is there a wheelgun in your future plans? Share some images.
