The Revolver as a Fire Extinguisher

Gun owners are almost as varied as car owners in the United States. Some folks are become intimately familiar with their tools, perform regular maintenance and maintain proficiency in their use. Others want whatever is cheap, simple, and suits their most basic needs. For gun people, that can mean owning a gun, sticking it in a sock drawer, and forgetting about it until an emergency occurs. For those people, our recommendations are a little different than for those who put forth even minimal effort.

While I can wax poetic about the importance of training and study, some people will not change their ways. To them, the gun is a fire extinguisher. Something to sit in the corner, nearly forgotten, until it is suddenly and unexpectedly needed to save themself or their loved ones. They need something simple, safe, and effective. What suits this need best? I say the simple, double-action revolver. Let’s take a look at why.

Rule 1, Have a Gun

If you’ve been reading Primer Peak for any amount of time, you’ve probably found that we’re a bunch of revolver enthusiasts. I’ve carried and competed with a wheelgun on and off for about a decade, and have written my fair share of revolver content here and elsewhere. From simply snubbies, to full size magnums, I tend to like them all.

While the revolver isn’t always ideal, it’s almost always better than nothing at all. Having a gun is the first step, and owning a revolver checks that box. Budgets are tight, but fortunately a basic revolver from Taurus, such as the 856 Defender, can be had for a relatively low sum. Something like an old Smith & Wesson Model 10, Colt Viper, or 632 Ultimate Carry will also fit the bill for owning a gun. This is our start.

Revolvers and their Simple Manual of Arms

While revolvers are filled with a hidden clockwork of arms and ratchets, using the thing is pretty straightforward. It doesn’t get much more simple to employ and administratively hand a gun than with a revolver. When the gun is closed, you can typically see the rims of cartridges to know that it’s loaded. Pop the cylinder open by sliding the latch, and boom, the gun is unfireable, and you can easily load/unload the chambers. No magazines to eject or slides to rack, potentially getting the order wrong and keeping the gun loaded when you think it empty. Close the cylinder, and you’re ready to go.

For shooting, it’s essentially “point and click.” There are no safety levers, grip safeties, or other controls to potentially stop the gun from going off when you want it to. Our safety device is the relatively long and heavy double-action trigger. Simply press the trigger rearward, and the gun will fire. While the DA press can be difficult for some, it typically is not beyond the power of most people, especially under stress.

Safety rules still apply here, so don’t rely on that trigger as your primary method of preventing tragedies.

PASS and GAPS

Simplicity is good, but that doesn’t mean that we may not forget how something works. To help keep us prepared, acronyms and mnemonic devices can be of great assistance. With a fire extinguisher, we use the acronym PASS. This stands for Pull, Aim, Squeeze, Sweep. Pull the safety pin, Aim at the base of the fire, Squeeze the handle or trigger, and Sweep from side to side. While it’s not a 1:1 with a firearm, we can use a similar methodology.

Here’s a quick acronym that I’ve come up with to help those needing to use their revolver in an emergency, and who have made the decision to fire. Try GAPS.

• Grip
• Aim
• Press
• See

Grip the gun, Aim with the sights, Press the trigger, See what action needs to be taken next. The “See” portion is critical, as it is what varies the most. Maybe the threat is persisting and we need to repeat the GAPS process. It could be that the threat has changed their actions and is no longer a threat. It’s also possible that additional threats exist, and it’s time to start the GAPS process on this additional threat.

GAPS also works in practice, and with semiautomatic handguns such as the Glock, which don’t require additional manipulations to fire once loaded. Remember, GAPS is for those who have made the decision to fire. Just because the revolver comes into play does not mandate shooting.

Near Immunity from Poor Form

Spend any amount of time on a public gun range and you’ll likely see someone induce a stoppage or malfunction in their semiautomatic pistol due to poor form. Auto-loaders require resistance to their recoil to help them function properly. Unfortunately, a lot of people don’t have the basics down, and this can cause reliability issues, especially under stress.

The revolver is effectively immune from these problems. Pressing the trigger manually rotates the cylinder and actuates the hammer. You can shoot with horrible form, and as long as the hammer isn’t prevented from traveling fully, the gun will fire. The people who don’t practice or get training likely won’t have the requisite skill to keep their semiauto pistol running in an emergency, even law enforcement seems to be having these issues at a growing rate. A revolver helps mitigate this concern, though training should be sought out regardless of your preference in pistol.

Tolerance of Neglect

Due to the nature of how they operate, revolvers are very tolerant of neglect. They can sit in a drawer for years without being touched, then run reliably for at least one full load at a moment’s notice. I’ve witnessed this in person, given a nearly 50 year old S&W Model 15 from a relative’s bedside table, and running it all day at the range without so much as a wipe-down. While your wheelgun won’t run as long or as hard as a Glock, it can handle dust bunnies and old gunky oil much better than many automatics. Much like our fire extinguishers, sitting solemnly for years, your revolver should perform perfectly after years of neglect.

Potential Shortcomings of Revolvers

I’d be remiss if I didn’t mention the potential shortcomings of choosing a revolver for personal protection. They’re great, but they’re not perfect.

The Trigger

As mentioned previously, the triggers are long and heavy. This can be problematic for some shooters. I have seen some people on the range fail to press the trigger of their revolver reliably, or become fatigued quickly during practice. A double-action trigger typically weighs somewhere between 10-15 pounds, which is significantly more than the typical 5-pound trigger of a striker fired or single-action automatic. That said, under stress the human hand typically clenches with around 25-pounds of force, but we can see the potential for problems here.

In addition to issues simply pressing the trigger fully, a heavy trigger is more likely to disturb your sights. This means that there is an increased likelihood of making a poor hit on target, or possibly missing entirely. Those rounds go somewhere, and poor hits may prolong the need for your firearm. These issues can be worked through with practice and increasing strength, but they are something to be aware of.

Low Capacity

Most revolvers feature a 6-round capacity. However, some guns feature capacities as low as 5-rounds, and typically max-out at 8-rounds. Yes, some rimfire guns hold up to 10-rounds of 22LR, but you are using a slightly less effective cartridge to reach that number. For this piece, we’ll consider standard capacity to be between five and seven rounds of a duty-oriented caliber such as the standard 38 Special found in most wheelguns. Compare this to the common 10-15 round capacity of most 9mm handguns on the market today.

Rangemaster Alumni Data

I’ve spoken about Tom Givens of Rangemaster and the data he compiles regarding his alumni and their success in self-defense shootings. As of 2025, 71 of his students have been in defensive shootings. We won’t do a deep dive on the statistics here, but we will take a look at a few aspects. Across 71 incidents, the average number of shots fired per incident is 3.8 rounds, with a low a 1 round fired, and a high of 12 rounds fired. As an additional point, the next highest round counts are 11, and 8. In addition to this, approximately 50% of those 71 incidents involved multiple threats. That means “more than one”, not necessarily two threats, as some involved three or more.

Take those numbers into consideration as we look at capacity. At an average a nearly 4 rounds fired, with a nearly 50% chance of encountering multiple threats, it could be said that a minimum of 8 rounds should be available to us at a time. However, that may not prepare us for outliers if selecting a revolver.

Should this stop you from choosing a revolver as your self-defense fire extinguisher? I would say no, but it’s certainly something to consider. I carried a 5-shot revolver for a long time, and still carry six and seven shot revolvers from time to time. However I also carry a 16+1 round autoloader most often. Plenty of people succeed with just a few rounds on tap, but it’s up to you to decide how capacity plays into your choice.

Closing Thoughts on the Revolver as a Fire Extinguisher

Ultimately, I think the revolver is a great option for many gun owners. Like with most things, they provide some serious benefits, while also having a few shortcomings. Revolvers have found themselves chosen to protect myself and my loved ones for years, and will continue to be for years to come. It’s up to the user to decide how they balance those features against their skills, knowledge, and motivation to make a decision on what works best for them. What will you choose if you find yourself in an emergency?

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