Lost Art of the Revolver

“An elegant weapon, of a more civilized age.”

Join us for a clinic on revolver tips and tricks.

Today there are more semi-auto options than ever before for people with arthritis or hand injuries who find it difficult to manipulate most semi-auto slides, but revolvers are another of their viable defense options.

Or maybe you inherited your grandpa’s revolver, and feel good carrying the gun that kept him safe.

Or maybe you are simply more likely to carry your airweight snubby than your Glock 17.

Can you fling more bullets downrange, faster, from a high capacity auto pistol?

Sure.

But a .38 between the eyes will still kill a bad guy just as dead. The list of bad men who’ve been put in the ground by revolvers is long and distinguished. The wheel gun is very capable–IF you are trained to use it.

If the movie Top Gun: Maverick has any life lesson, it’s that sometimes, old guys know stuff. Like how to run a wheel gun.

Once abundant, corporate knowledge of how to maximize revolver performance is dying off. Keep The Lost Art alive by learning the secrets of the elders (and even some things many of them never learned).

We will learn and practice how to:

Mind the Gap

As with other Heloderm firearms classes, we’ll start close. But many of the off-lining, disarming, and retention methods taught for semi-autos can get your hand, thumbs or ribs blasted if you don’t “mind the gap” between the cylinder and the forcing cone of a revolver. We’ll teach you ways to control his weapon without getting seriously hurt–and how to keep him from controlling yours.

Keep it Fed

Believe it or not, you can “Tac” load a revolver. We’ll work with zip strips, moon clips, and different types of speed loaders. We’ll also give you options for if you are rushed halfway through your reload.

If you’re wounded, you CAN reload a revolver with only one hand–even your support hand. We’ll teach you how.

Fix Stoppages

Stoppages, while rare, do happen with revolvers. When they do, they can be VERY HARD to fix. We will emphasize prevention, for example, checking the ejector rod for tightness to avoid it getting hung up in the first place.

Did you know most Smith and Wesson and some Ruger ejector rods are reverse threaded, just for that reason?

But in the event that Murphy strikes and your revolver does “jam,” you’ll know fumble-proof methods to get it open.

Ration your Ammo with Multiple Assailants

How do you please a crowd with a gun that only holds 6 cartridges (or even 5)?  We’ll use scenario-based training to give you problem solving algorithms for escaping from mob violence.

Part of making the most of your limited ammo supply is understanding and pre-planning when you will be able to take careful aim, firing perhaps one shot, and when you will be forced to fire a burst.

Trade Up

. . . to a more capable weapon, a backup gun, or the bad guy’s gun, so you don’t run out of ballistic capability (or ideas) before you run out of assailants.

If you want to practice these and other relevant revolver skills, send us a note on the contact form below.

Tuition for half-day Revolver courses is $50, $45 if you are a previous Heloderm student. Other discounts are available for military / first responders.

If you don’t own a revolver, but want to learn more about them for personal or professional reasons, we will have loaners available. Contact us about ammunition requirements.