It cannot be argued by anyone that one of the strongest features a revolver has going for it is the simplicity of its manual of operations. Here is the almost 100% totality of it for any modern double action revolver made in the last 70 years : 

1. Press release on side of frame and open cylinder
2. Put ammo in any open holes in cylinder
3. Close cylinder 
4. Fire
5. Repeat any time there is a click instead of a bang

That is it. That takes care of administrative loading, unloading for cleaning or storage, reloading under stress, or taking care of almost all stoppages. The only stoppage of fire these actions won’t fix for the most part are catastrophic mechanical failure or total ammo failure, either of which will put any modern semi-auto pistol out of action just as hard and for about as long. 

For the person new to firearms, or the person who understands and accepts the need for a gun for self-defense but is not going to go down the rabbit hole of the typical gun hobbyist, this is an extremely powerful plus in the wheelgun’s favor.

Some people will argue that the operations of a semi-auto pistol, while more complex than any DA revolver, is no more complex than many daily actions almost all of us will have to do in a modern information society. And that argument would be correct. Trying to write an email with multiple attachments, downloading a file from somewhere online and making sure it goes to the correct spot on your computer, or setting up a new tablet or e-book reader can involve more difficult and complex actions than running a Glock. 

Here is the fatal flaw in that logic train though: those other things that are more complex? We CHOOSE to devote the metal parking space and the effort to create the space. It is a conscious decision that we make wherein we know that it is worth the extra work to do so, and that we will gain much from it. So it is worthwhile. The person who looks at the gun as a necessary item, but does not want to become a dedicated hobbyist/enthusiast is not going to make that same decision. 

Now, I can hear all the gun community people. Who have made a concentrated decision to focus an inordinate amount of their time, life, money, and focus will say that if you don’t copy them, then you are not serious about self-preservation. 

This sounds awesome, and makes us feel super cool about our choice to go down the gun rabbit hole. It is also self-serving and massively hypocritical. 

Don’t agree with me? Let me present this logically. Anyone who is not a professional gunbearer is far more likely, on a huge order of magnitude, to face many more pressing needs than shooting in self-defense. You are massively more likely to need some kind of medical intervention like CPR, stop the bleed, using an AED machine, or knowing what to do in a drowning situation. Right now, be honest. How many of you can operate an AED machine without fail, cold, on demand? I know how few, because I have asked people. Do you know all the likely signs of a stroke? And how to react if you do recognize it in a loved one? Again, I know most gun people do not because I will ask in person such as at Conferences. 

And for those who will ignore this and bleat endlessly about how people should take their safety into their own hands, let me ask this. When was the last time you practiced using a fire extinguisher? Again, like medical, you are so much more likely to need to use a fire extinguisher than you will burn some bad guy down with your wonderblaster. 

Darryl Bolke from American Fighting Revolver, the noted instructor and the person who more than any other single person has driven the renewed interest in running a revolver for self-defense has made this point brilliantly about how we pay no attention to fire extinguishers. Who daily checks firefighter Facebook pages? Who constantly posts on Firefighter discussion forums? Who subscribes to multiple firefighter gear sites and buys the latest cool stuff? How many people post videos online showing the fire extinguisher Bill Drill times? 

We all know the answer to that with people in the gun community. ZERO. And yet, I can show with numbers and facts that those things are more useful than a subsecond draw. So please don’t trot out the tired line that if you don’t shoot 500 rounds a week, and stay up on the latest gun gear, and have thousands of hours of “gun school” that you are not serious about self-preservation. The majority of gunowners will treat their firearm the exact same way all gun people treat their fire extinguisher – as potentially life saving equipment that we want at hand but are not going to make their lives revolve around it. And there is nothing wrong with that. AS long as they have a basic handle on safety and use, they are on our side and should be celebrated as such. Not insulted. 

Revolvers are a godsend to the average Earth person – it allows them the ability to defend themselves without forcing them to go to abnormal lengths to do so. And isn’t that what is most important? The more people buying guns, having them for self-protection, and supporting our right to self-defense, the better. And if wheelguns make that more palatable, then it is a win for everyone.