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Writer's pictureOrlando "Andy" Wilson

Revolvers for Self-Defense & Armed Security


Revolvers for Self-Defense & Armed Security

These days many shooters and those in the armed security business shy away from revolvers, I have heard quite a few people brush them off as being old fashioned, obviously not tacticool enough to post on their social media… But in the real world there are a lot of revolvers in use for personal self-defense and security duties.


If your serious about working internationally in the armed security industry you need to know how to use and shoot a revolver. It’s sad, but on most close protection and hostile environment courses that include firearms training they tend to only train on the common semi-autos such as Glocks etc. And most people coming out of the military have only used Berretta 92F’s or Sig 226’s or the like.


When I was in the British Army the only handgun, we used was the classic Browning Hi-Power in 9mm, which is an excellent pistol. When I left the British Army the first handgun I was given to work with was a Taurus 4” barrel .357 magnum revolver, and to this day I have a soft spot for 4” .357’s, but the gun is completely different to shoot than a single action semi-auto like the Browning Hi-Power. In addition to the much heavier recoil of the .357 round over the 9mm round I had to get use to the much longer double action trigger pull.

Most well-maintained revolvers do not suffer from the stoppages that sometimes occur with semi- automatics. Most of the problems with revolvers come from faulty ammunition and poor maintenance. I have personally worked with revolvers in high-risk areas in South Africa and Latin America and have had no issues. For those who say you need more rounds, I’ll say if you have your strategies worked out and can use the pistol properly, 5 to 6 rounds can solve most problems! In quite a few countries semi-auto pistols are restricted for military and police only, so your only legal option will be a revolver.


Read this full article/chapter and much more in the book “Close Protection & Firearms” at the below links!


Books on Amazon

Close Protection & Firearms

The Application of Firearms in Close Protection & Armed Security


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