I previously discussed retiring my old defensive tool, a 9mm autoloader from the firm of Taurus called the PT111 Millennium Pro.

Or maybe it was called the Millennium Pro PT111?  Can’t remember.

Well, doesn’t matter.  The guns aren’t made anymore, and the company that made them had to recall massive number of defective guns.  Looks like I was lucky to bail before having to use mine to defend life and limb, huh?

Anyhoo, I decided to switch things around a bit. Why not carry a revolver for a time instead of an autoloader?

This actually isn’t something new for me.  I prefer autoloaders because they usually have a greater ammo capacity than revolvers, and because they are easier and quicker for me to reload, but a number of my students like wheelguns over something fed from a magazine.  This is why I always make sure to carry revolvers for at least one month out of the year, so I can give advice based on experience.

The sixgun I usually carry is a pretty big Magnum.

The size didn’t bother me all that much, mainly because I carry it in a shoulder holster.

But this time around I wanted to carry something smaller, mainly so I wouldn’t have to wear a jacket all the time to cover up the gear.  Lucky for me I have just the thing.

It is a snub-nosed revolver that was made back around 1952 or so.  All steel construction, and a standard sized frame so the grip and the guts are the same as a common duty gun of that era.  The only difference being that the barrel was two inches instead of four.  But, standard size or not, it was still a great deal smaller than the Magnum.

So, hey, let’s do it up old school.  I had visions of off duty cops and G-men on the job as I strapped it on.  This is what those tough old birds used to rely on when the Cold War was in full swing!  Should do a good job for me!

So how did it stack up to my defunct autoloader?  What was the main difference?

HOLY CRAP, THAT THING IS FREAKIN’ HEAVY!!!

My old gun boasted an unloaded weight of about 18 ounces (510 grams), while the dinosaur weighs 30 ounces (850 grams).  Carting around the extra mass on my belt soon resulted in me grabbing at my pants at the worst possible times.  This wasn’t as much fun as it might sound to some of my readers.

I alleviated this problem by adding more straps in the form of suspenders.

I didn’t wear the leather aviator helmet with attached goggles as I didn’t want to look like I was crazy.  After all, I have a hard enough time convincing people that I am sane as it is!

Okay, back to the topic at hand.

So the gun was heavy, only had six rounds before running dry, was a bit awkward to reload, and the sights left a lot to be desired.  I don’t know how they did it back in the day!

Still, drawbacks aside, it certainly was adequate for my defense.  I carried it for three months before the first paycheck came in from my new job, and I could get something a bit more modern.  I’m now back to a polymer frame autoloader once more.

So what is the new gun?  Well, I think I’ll save that for another post.  After all, I’ve been running on for too long as it is.