Then relatively unknown in South Africa, along came maverick inventor Gaston Glock, whose first foray into firearms, the GLOCK 17, had started to become somewhat of a phenomenon in the US. Slowly but surely the ground-breaking design was introduced into South Africa and gained a strong foothold in a very short time.
Its radical, ‘striker fired’ mechanism with no external safety catch and polymer framed design was lightweight and had a larger than normal capacity and unequalled reliability for a pistol, setting the future standard for all other defensive pistols. Loved by some and hated by others, its benefits could not be denied.
Revolvers are still a viable option for everyday carry, particularly models such as the .38 Special. The upside of such revolvers is their compact size and unequalled reliability, in addition to being simple to use. However, the downside is their low capacity and general propensity to have a higher recoil impulse than pistols. So, let us take a look at how this makes a difference is real-life shooting scenarios.
Sustainability
Statistically, most violent crimes in South Africa where firearms are used involve multiple armed assailants, usually between three and five. Furthermore, those who have studied Terminal Ballistics (the effect that bullets have on hitting human targets), will attest that
