I have argued that the small-frame revolver probably makes the best backup gun for a citizen to carry as the most likely use for a BUG in a concealed carry capacity is to arm another person. The revolver tends to be safer and less prone to self-induced malfunction, or non-function, in the hands of a minimally-trained individual. I have never spent much time on the subject of backup guns for law enforcement as I am not in law enforcement. However, a recent training event stirred up the thought process:
A high percentage of law enforcement officers who save their own lives with a backup gun do so during an entangled fight. This is actually a much more likely scenario for a uniformed police officer to face than an armed citizen as the gun is visible on the waistline during interactions with the worst of society. If a BUG needs to be deployed during an entangled fight for your life, the benefits of the revolver’s resilience against obstruction due to clothing, body parts, or environmental factors, is worth far more than the higher capacity of a small auto loader.
In a recent class on retention shooting I had several malfunctions while shooting from the high-pectoral index, the modern standard for shooting from a retention position. Yes, if your technique is good you will avoid that, and sure enough, when the instructor corrected my technique I experienced no further malfunctions. Pray tell, how perfect will your technique be when fighting for your life, on the ground, while a thug is trying to kill you with your own primary gun?
If the most likely role of a BUG is to stop a threat that you are entangled with, I can’t imagine why any officer would opt for anything other than a small-frame revolver. Just my opinion.
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