[genxsis]

It seems that more auto pistols are being developed by manufacturers today, and more of them appear on the cover of gun magazines. But whenever I come across an article about revolvers, the writer usually points out that more people buy revolvers than autos? Is this true? Heck, even on the internet forums like this one, there are more posts about autos than revolvers.

So what do people here own more of?

[Vern Humphrey]

Well, let me see . . . I have:

Revolvers:
Colt M1849 cap and ball
Colt Officer's Model Target (.22)
Colt Detective Special
Colt M357
Colt SAA (2nd generation in .357)
Colt New Service in .45 Colt
Ruger Blackhawk in .45 Colt (7 1/2" barrel)
Ruger Blackhawk in .45 Colt (5 1/2" barrel)

Automatics:
Colt 25 automatic
Colt Woodsman
Fed Ord M1911 (.45 ACP)
Argentine M1927 (.45 ACP)
Kimber Classic (.45 ACP)

That's 8 to 5 in favor of revolvers.

By George, people do favor revolvers!:p

(to be honest, two of my .45 ACP autos wear conversion kits -- one a Ciener, the other a Colt Service Ace, so maybe that's 7 automatics.)

[tnieto2004]

I have more semi-auto's .. I guess i prefer them ..?!

[genxsis]

I can see how revolvers for new shooters are a plus for new shooters and those on a budget. Also great for their simplicity and durability. Makes me wonder if the higher priced, more prone to malfunctioning autos are a good value in comparison. But at the same time, that's what the police and military have turned to overwhelmingly!

[obxned]

Who cares which is more popular? Choose what is right for you and it's purpose.

[genxsis]

That's right, I know. I'm just curious about why (or if) revolvers are more popular than autos in a day when autos seem like they're "supposed" to be such a great thing.

[Greg8098]

I personally prefer semi-autos, but I also prefer Big Bore MAGNUM revolvers over anything else :evil: . I'm generally not interested in revolvers chambered for the "lesser" :rolleyes: cartridges.

[10-Ring]

12 to 4, semis over wheelguns :cool: It's still early in the game & the wheelguns have a good chance at catching up ;)

[Iggy]

13 to 7 in favor of revolvers.

I started out with wheel guns, then went into a auto phase and am back to revolvers again..

Fickle rascal ain't I:evil:

[Gary A]

I started with and have always been a bit partial to revolvers but in the past several years have gradually ended up with all revolvers except for a couple of mousegun semi-autos. I like some autos just fine but have amassed a good collection of revolvers and have traded some, to me, pedestrian autos to do it. Revolvers do everything I want or need done by a handgun, most of it with less muss and fuss than autos. But that's just for me. I had gotten almost exclusively into double-action revolvers but am now getting re-interested in some really nice single-action revolvers. I just like 'um. Life is choices. Autos are the future, though, for most folks, I think.

[hkenvy91]

same here i have 4 smith revolvers a 2 autos <h&K's>

[CajunBass]

Nine autos here.

One revolver. (Ruger Single Six. Everybody needs one.)

Nothing wrong with a revolver, I just don't see any I like much anymore.

[longeyes]

Semi-autos by a ratio of three to one. Just shoot 'em better.

[doc2rn]

5 to 2 in favor of revolvers. Go wheelies!

[jbleinweber]

4 to 2 in favor of Wheelguns.

[GreenFurniture]

Autos outsell revolvers 15-1 at my gunstore.

And at most other gunstores as well.

Collectors, however, come in looking for revolvers 3-1 but that is mainly because of the vast numbers of revolvers and the auto being a "new" platform.

[Stretchman]

Most people who are new to firearms are told at the gunshop that unless they are willing to practice consistently, that autos probably aren't the best choice for them. That's why wheelguns are still popular.

The manual of arms for a wheel gun is way shorter. No disassembly for cleaning, always one piece, easy to load, easy to shoot. Intuitive. Very few failures. Pull trigger, bang, repeat until click, reload.

Wheel guns are a gift from someone who cares. I am 2 to 1 in wheelguns, but I'd take my G19 and 3 mags any day over my anemic .38. Now, a .357, that's a nice gun. I'd trade both of my wheelguns for one of those. But they don't depreciate like .38s do. I fired a .44 once, and didn't like it. Same with the .41, but I didn't fire that either. Just felt awkward in my hands.

Hmmm. Maybe a nice lever gun in .357.... Nevermind. Daydreaming again.

[Smith357]

I have not owned a semi-auto in years, every one I have ever owned has jammed for one reason or another, I'm a die hard wheel gunner. When they make a semi that can shoot as straight as my 14, 15, 17, or 25, for the same money, that never ever jams, then I might consider owning one again. The preceding is just the opinion of a crotchety old fart, and should be ignored. :)

[Don Lu]

I am fairly new to guns, In fact Ive only been shooting for about a year. I am also a younger guy..still in my 20's. Although the GLOCK was my first gun and I love it (and I shoot it very well), I like shooting my Smith much more. If fact in general, I prefer revolvers. I do want to get some type of 1911 one day but my next few puchases will be for revolvers. There is a revolver for any application and the are beautiful. Its not only the old people who love revolvers.

[Glen]

It took me a while to figure which I liked best but one day I realized that I just hated picking up those cases all over the ground. You know, they are under leaves, behind rocks, in the mud and sometimes I had a hard time finding them all. With the revolver, you just swing out the cylinder and there they are. You know, what great idea will they come up with next?

[alucard0822]

5-3 autos to revolvers

[jad0110]

4 to 1 revolvers to autos.

And if I look at my 5 year wish list :D , I see it becoming:

8 to 2.

Its not only the old people who love revolvers.

Sums it up for me!

[SnWnMe]

The numbers in THR seem to indicate that there is more activity in autos.

Wheelgun fans just make more noise (because we can have big magnums:neener: )

http://alvarfamily.com/thrscreen

[IDriveB5]

I guess all the autos are siting in their safes while their owners are talking about their guns while the revolvers are out playing! :D

Right now, I have only one handgun: a 6" 686P. Really the only firearm I need as its the most versatile handgun one can own.
I do have a SA1911 in the mail though...


LOL@ SnWnMe- Were you seriously looking up pictures of avril lavigne? Sicko! :evil:

[hpg]

My .02 worth on it is this.
With S&W introducing the Dreaded ILS and Colt no longer making affordable revolvers, I think collecting the older Colt's and S&W pre locks has caught on like wildfire and prices will go up accordingly. It's only a matter of time before a used prelock 686(for example) will be worth more than a NIB ILS 686.............hpg

[Marshall]

I guess I'm quad-polar or something. I'll go through periods where I am intersted in auto's, then revolvers, then shotguns will have my attention and then rifles. I can't control it, it just happens. :D

[1man]

Wheel gun company's need to go against the grain and start offering more revolvers in more calibers beside the standard 38spl, 357mag, 44mag,even if they make a limited run. They need to bring back revolvers in calibers like 10mm, 44special and 41mag. Taurus offers a wide variety of calibers, I don't know why S&W won't!
I'd love to see S&W make a J-Frame(stainless Centinenial or Bodyguard style) that could shoot 44special(Charter Arms did it) or even 357Sig.

[chipp]

6-6 Revolvers over autos. At least thats what I thought till I counted

[SnWnMe]

LOL@ SnWnMe- Were you seriously looking up pictures of avril lavigne? Sicko!
We have a little thread going on about Geddy Lee vs Avril Lavigne in the Bass forum shown in my screen shot:)

[mnrivrat]

Both platforms ar useful and popular. I've owned a good number of both revolvers and auto's - they both served me well.

Today : 3 revolvers & 0 auto's

Revolvers are far from a dying breed, and far from being obsolete.

The main advantage of an auto (imo) is the increased rounds it holds & speed of reloading. What that says is that the ability of throwing more lead down range is a good thing. I suppose that can be true when used in certain situations, but there are area's of usage where the revolver can give better performace.

[Grunt]

Well, if you include black powder revolvers, we have a 28-28 tie between autos and revolvers. However, if we take out the black powder guns and stick with the cartridge gun only, the autos now take a 28-19 lead with 14 of the revolvers being single action cowboy guns. So I guess autos rule the roost around here especially considering that the current balance balace is about to be tipped in favor of the autos since I'm looking for an XD-45 Tactical and the wife is looking at an XD-40SC as well.
While it is true that that revolvers tend to be easier to learn (or at least this used to be the case) than autos, the reason I don't suggest them for defense is the lower capacity and dificulties to reload them when under real-world stress. For this reason, the wife's first handgun was her XD-40 Service model rather than a revolver. You get the simplicity of the point and click interface with no safety to deal with (other than the grip safety and trigger block safety which are automatically disengaged when you grip the pistol and pull the trigger) yet you get a higher capacity than a revolver and reloads are also far easier to acomplish especially when under stress.

[RevolvingCylinder]

I'm a revolver fanatic. I'm of the few who value accuracy, power, precision, ruggedness and reliability over magazine capacity. It seems foreign automatics are what "the cool kids are doing" these days.

As far as pistols go, if doesn't say "Smith & Wesson" or "Ruger" on it, I'm usually not interested.

[ARTiger]

14 to 9 Wheelguns versus Semi-Autos for me. I like 'em both just fine. . . have a thing for shotguns too. Kinda like blondes, brunettes and redheads as far as I am concerned . . . both (guns and women that is) just have to be well constructed to make me happy.

[The Real Wyatt]

Well, looking at the posts on ths forum it seems as if there are more posts in the semi-auto section than in the revolver section. Slightly more than 2 to 1.

That puts me in the minority. I much prefer revolvers though I own many dozens of both, but substantially more revolvers than bottom feeders.

[461]

I'm a wheelgunner all the way and always will be. Auto's have their place and I do have a few but to me a wheelgun is high art and my passion.

[kmrcstintn]

can I play? can I play Mommy? Huh? Huh? can I play too? :eek:

as of now: 3 revolvers to 1 semiauto*

*if all goes well, it might be 4 revolvers in @ 2 weeks

S&W 642 .38 spl +p snubby; Ruger SP101 .357 magnum 3" barrel; Ruger GP100 .357 magnum 6" barrel vs Beretta 92D Centurion 9mm (DAO variant with a trigger similar to...you guessed it...a double action revolver); even my semiauto has revolver traits in its DNA...guess it's a crossbreed :p

[LoneCoon]

Someone should license the MP412-REX from Iz-mech and produce it here in the states. That'd revitalize revolver sales.

[RevolvingCylinder]

Well, looking at the posts on ths forum it seems as if there are more posts in the semi-auto section than in the revolver section. Slightly more than 2 to 1.
Two factors:
1. Not much new and flashy in the revolver market. You can't improve much on a perfect system.:neener:
2. Less mechanical issues.

[.41Dave]

I prefer revolvers at a 9:1 ratio over autos.

[BOOM-BOOM]

I think alot of the choices are of the age you are... Young men and women favorite the auto, where as when you get up in age, and it starts becoming a problem pulling that slide back. Thats when a lot of people return to the revolver...IMO:D

[kovach63]

2 -1 in favor of revolvers. I'm in the mid 20's but I prefer the look and feel of a revolver to an auto. Just my 2 cents.

[Vern Humphrey]

Young men and women favorite the auto, where as when you get up in age, and it starts becoming a problem pulling that slide back.

Actually what happens is we get tired of getting down on our hands and knees and looking for our brass.:D

[tasco 74]

i like revolvers better than autos too..... it's just hard to beat the beautiful lines of a s&w mod 27!!

[IDriveB5]

I wouldnt bet too much money on the a-g-e issue. A little over a year ago, on my 21st birthday, I went out and bought myself a 686P. Could have bought anything in the case, but I have an awful soft spot for revolvers.
Dont know what Im gonna do about my 1911 when I finally get it. Picking up all that brass is going to be a real pain. I'll have to rig some sort of net to catch them or something...

[DirksterG30]

There are 8 autoloaders in my house and 0 revolvers. Obviously I favor autos, but I do want to pick up a GP100 at some point.

[Gixerman1000]

I like them both but I guess I prefer autos.
Autos = 49 (+ 3 on the way)
Revolvers = 12

[Jkwas]

I started out with wheel guns, then went into a auto phase and am back to revolvers again..

Me too. 3 revolvers, 2 autos, and thinking about sellling 1 auto off.
To me, revolvers are objects of art, whereas autos are just efficient tools.
I do like both, and they both have their place, but I lean toward wheelguns. :)

[lawson]

I currently own 2 autoloaders, and have owned a couple of others in the past.

Now, compare that to the 7 revolvers I own, and you can guess what I prefer.

I grew up with revolvers, and my dad only owns revolvers. I'm sure that's part of it. I prefer the simplicity of revolvers, and I shoot better with them than my autos. I feel more comfortable carrying a revolver, since I have much more experience with them.

Not to say that I won't own more autos in the future, but I will likely always have more revolvers.

[Black Majik]

I don't own any revolvers. I favor autoloaders.

[TallPine]

Autos outsell revolvers 15-1 at my gunstore
Maybe because they have to buy 15 semi-auto pistols to find one that works right? :p

[mukluk]

Three cap and ball revolvers and a 1911 here... the 1911 is my unwelcome visitor deterrent and the smoke wagons are for relaxing days at the range.

[gezzer]

Actually what happens is we get tired of getting down on our hands and knees and looking for our brass.

I'm with you Brother! AMEN

[19-3Ben]

I'm a wheel-gun man (in case my name didn't give it away).

More revolvers than semi-autos. My only semi auto is a small, flat Sig P232 that I wear when I can't conceal my larger SP101 3".

[gandog56]

I uswed to have more revolvers than semi's. But I got bit by the semi bug and now have a 7-2 ratio.

[MCgunner]

Just center fires and cap and ball, will leave out rimfires.

Revolvers

.357 Taurus M66 3"
.357 Taurus M66 4"
.38 special Taurus M85UL
.38 special Smith and Wesson M10 4" heavy barrel
.38 special Rossi M68 3"
.357 Ruger Blackhawk 6.5"
.45 Colt Ruger Blackhawk 4 5/8"
.44 Ruger Old Army cap and ball
.31 Pocket Remington replica

Semi Autos

Ruger KP90DC .45ACP
Ruger P85 9x19
Kel Tec P11 9x19
Grendel P12 .380ACP

I prefer revolvers, always have, always will, but I like the autos I've collected. My rimfires are 2 revolvers and 4 autos. I've got one single shot with four barrels. :D

[pap1105]

two revolvers two autos. want more of both.

[diesel_furry]

7 to 4 revolvers on top

and if i buy any more handguns there going to be revolvers since i have all the autos i want

[LSCurrier]

5 to 1 in favor of semi-auto's.

I plan on changing that number soon by getting a few more revolvers.

Although, I have a few more semi-auto's in mind after that.

It seems I will never get the balance right!! :neener:

Luke

[longeyes]

Give me a good semi-auto. The reason's simple: I am way more accurate with a semi. Trigger is one reason. Grip's another.

Young men and women favorite the auto, where as when you get up in age, and it starts becoming a problem pulling that slide back.

Most of the time I push the slide back with my weak hand. Much easier.

[5Wire]

Annual Firearms Manufacturing and Exportation Reports 2003


PISTOLS-----------------REVOLVERS
TO .22----+---189,785 TO .22-------------108,518
TO .25----------10,987 TO .32----------------3,928
TO .32----------43,471 TO .357-MAG-----59,591
TO .380--------79,788 TO .38-SPEC-------57,078
TO 9MM-----219,668 TO .44-MAG-------46,533
TO .50--------267,961 TO .50----------------33,716
TOTAL------811,660 TOTAL-------------309,364

Sorry, tried to use a monospace font but Courier New didn't take. Pistols to Revolvers 2.62:1 in 2003.

I'm 50/50 on pistols to revolvers but mostly carry a revolver (S&W 642).

[chipp]

Make me 7 to six in favor of revolvers as of yesterday. Had do do something,

I was tied

[Sun195]

Three semi-autos and two revolvers here. I'd say it's a toss up as to which I like better and which I shoot more. Different guns for different purposes at different times.

[rockstar.esq]

I'm evenly split. But I'll offer a different perspective.

If someone would make a comfortable tuckable IWB holster for a 2" L frame, I'd be more interested in buying more revolvers. Sadly most revolver CCW's seem to feel the earth stopped revolving when the .357 Mag J frame was invented. For those of us seeking a .44 special snubbie, the news is bleak.

Plus the reliability associated with revolvers is inspiring however their capacity to go out of timing can make them VERY dangerous, whereas semi-autos rarely if ever constitute such danger. What shocks me is how often I encounter revolvers with this problem.

[george29]

http://i92.photobucket.com/albums/l15/avisamuel/mycollection1.jpg


The calibers begin with a 2 or a 4.

[USAFA06STX]

For me it's 4-0 in favor of the semiautos. I just haven't found a revolver that screams "buy me" yet.

[Nematocyst]

2 revolvers (686 (http://www.thehighroad.org/showthread.php?t=257401)+, 642 (http://www.thehighroad.org/showthread.php?t=138658))
no pistols (just sold my only one)

looking at a 617 next,
may own a K frame eventually.

levers (http://www.thehighroad.org/showthread.php?t=258000), pumps & wheels

Nem

[spacecoastguy]

I have 3 revolvers & 2 semi autos and i find myself carrying revolvers because i have not had any problems with them, but cant say the same for my semiautos

[floridaboy]

8 to 1 revolvers. The only semi I own is a 1911.
.22 Single Six
.32 Charter snub
.32 S & W Hand Ejector
.38 Model 37 Airweight
.357 686 S & W
.44 Special Model 24
.45 Colt Blackhawk Conv.
.455 Colt New Service
.45 Colt 1911

[skeeter1]

Nope, I can't do it. They each have their own special place. Revolvers for serious stuff, semi-auto just for fun, derringer for even more fun. I think I've got the basics covered as far as handguns go, and plenty of longguns to go along as well.

[Vern Humphrey]

The M1911 for serious social purposes, and revolvers for everything else. (I tell a lie -- my Colt Woodsman is my favorite woods gun.):p

[22-rimfire]

My revolvers outnumber the semi-autos at about a 10:1 ratio. I shoot them pretty much equally especially since I enjoy shooting my Ruger Mark II 22 a lot. It dominates if you count rounds. I can't tolerate a semi-auto that jams constantly. If they jam a lot, I dump 'em. Don't have that problem with any revolver I have ever owned and I have owned a lot.

[Wolfsong]

9 revolvers and 4 semi autos. There are 1 or 2 more bottom feeders that I want to get, and that will probably bring an end to my hand gun purchases (yeah, right!) But my favorite is whichever gun I'm shooting at the moment. No real preference, here.

Peace and God bless, Wolfsong.