IIRC statistics say something like 80% of the time in a self defense situation, the mere presence of the victim having any kind of gun stops the criminal, as in no shots fired. As I've said in the past, first hand experience tells me even a lowly 22 rifle looks pretty darn big when its pointed at your face! If the IJ, (or Hi Point or other "off" brand), is what ya brung to the party...
I watched 38 Specials and 44's going down range if the light is right. If it's a little 32 S+W then you have a nominal 85gr bullet with an advertised fps of about 650. I'm not volunteering to stand in front of it while you shoot and I doubt many BG's are going to be familiar with old guns and ballistics tables. If it's all ya got it's better than a pocket knife.
I think you're missing the point. None of us wants to get in a gunfight. If you do you belong in an asylum. If you want to go around armed to teeth, in "Condition Yellow" or whatever the mall ninja types talk about, be my guest! I'm not going to carry an old IJ 32 S+W for SD either, but there was a time when that was a popular option. I don't think John Browning had even invented the 1911 in that time period. The point is, that within it's limitations, they can still be useful, fun little guns. And if things do go south and that's all ya got, it's still better than a sharp stick. Having been in a few situations where things were headed south, I can tell you a 357 or 9mm doesn't seem any too big when it comes down to it. Close air support, artillery and large caliber machine guns seemed about right to me at the time.
Old timers called them Ivory Johnson around here.
Not true.
Finding an unshaved Mk VI is tough and expensive.
Good point, and at the time I had no way of telling and wiuldn't have even thought of it. In reality, it wouldn't have made any real difference. I would want it to shoot and i'd figure out how to do that.
I think in that line he was specifically referring to a cap & ball revolver.
