[Nomad101bc]

Which do you feel does a better job when it comes to self defense. A revolver or a semi-automatic?

[glockman19]

Both are of equally effective in Self Defense situations.
"There is no such thing as Best in a world of individuals"
There are however better rounds than others. I'd rather defend myself with a .38 or higher than with a .32 or lower.

I carry a S&W 642 and 442 more often than my Glock 26 or 3" 1911

[Nomad101bc]

I prefer revolvers thier simple and reliable. Revolvers can stay loaded 24/7 and they never jam.

[cslinger]

Wow this subject has been hashed to death.

Realistically with modern firearms made by reputable manufacturers it really doesn't matter. The semi auto makes a better combat gun, the revo IMO makes a better defensive piece.

Semi's tend to malf. more then revos but typically are easy to clear.
Revo's tend to be more reliable but when they do go down they are typically out of the fight.

I wrote a short piece on why I personally have begun to lean more towards the "obsolete" revolver for my own needs. It is below.

As far as civillian, serious social, handguns are concerned I find myself gravitating more and more to revolvers. Now I am a gun guy and find myself proficient with just about anything that goes bang, thats proficient not perfect. I know how to use just about anything.

I have never held a bias against revolvers and have always thought that with every release of some new tiny, tiny wunder-auto that someone was trying to answer a question that had been more then adequately answered many moons ago with the J-Frame sized revolver

Now as far as why I find myself gravitating even more towards revolvers.

1)Super easy to load, unload, inspect etc. No bullet setback issues, no decocking, applying of safeties etc. Easy to wipe down due to ease of unloading and reloading.

2)In my experience super reliable, more so then automatics, especially itty bitty autos. Now all of my autos have been super reliable as well and most have never malfunctioned but the fact remains that in my life I have experienced at least one malfunction with every semi auto brand out there. I have NEVER personally had a malfunction with a revolver. Now I do understand the trade off is that a semi auto malfunction is usually quickly cleared vs. an revo likely being put out of action.

3)Easier for me to carry especially pocket carry and give me more confidence with the long double action pull as far as safety is concerned.

4)The ability to load any kind of ammo under the son from mild to wild from round nosed, to flat nose, to HP, SWC, lead, jacketed, crazy, buttstomping, buffalo killin', cruise missiles etc. I find that my test period is smaller when breaking in a new revolver because of their general lack of ammo sensitivity. Now I realize that there are rare occassions that certain revolvers are sensitive to ammo such as super light guns with super light bullet weights but in general they will just about literally feed rocks.

5)The single action trigger pull on a decent well broken in revolver is absolutely spectacular. I have never shot a semi auto pistol with a better trigger pull. Rifles with set triggers are better but as a rule the single action pull on a revolver is just about the best you are going to get in a normal production, no competition gun.

6)Not held back by the need of an external feeding device. Most semi auto malfunctions stem from either the magazine or the extractor in my experience. Revolvers have numerous charging methods including speed strips, speed loaders, moon clips and loose round feeding. I think this is a very strong point. Now of course this strength is balanced or outweighed by the slower reloading speed. When I say slower reloading speed I am talking about us normal folks not the Jerry Miculeks of the world.

7)In my experience the great majority of modern revolvers made by reputable companies are strong like bull. As in they would make a hell of a hammer or impact weapon. This is not really a huge strength since a good quality auto is also a very strong weapon but revolvers can typically be built to handle much higher pressures.

8)They are easy to learn and teach others to shoot. Full size .357 magnums allow anybody to shoot them due to the fact that they can be loaded with such a variety of ammo. Have a small framed friend who is recoil shy, no problem load up some .38 special. Want to go hunt the great white buffalo no problem load up some of them thar afore mentioned crazy butt stomping rounds. I think this versatility allows for a nice platform to gradually teach new shooters while ramping up slowly over time.

9)NO BRASS TO CLEAN UP. For all of you folks who don't worry about policing your brass......SHAME ON YOU. Clean your brass up and leave the place as clean or cleaner then you left it. For all you reloaders the advantage is obvious.

Now these are just a few of the big advantages I see to practical use of revolvers. As with any tool there are just as many disadvantages to the platform that need to be weighed upon and I have only touched on a couple in the above. Like most tools a personal decision needs to be made as to whether the pros outweight the cons for you personally. For me, average, suburbanite, white, married male, who carries little cash, doesn't do drugs, doesn't sleep with other folks wives etc. the revolver makes alot of sense in an EDC firearm. Were I to be going into harms way my choice would likely change to semi-automatic...............preferably one in a rifle or guage caliber but I digress.

Anyway that is my two cents and anyone reading this should take it for what it is worth, after taxes about .4 cents or not much at all. I am not a gunfighter, cop, "operator", or some kind of high speed low drag ninja. I am a regular low speed high drag guy who knows a little about guns, a little about shooting and am trying to pass along my personal experience to other folks in case they are trying to make a decision for themselve. Maybe my little diatrobe will help them go one way or the other. I have several, ok read that as a buttload of firearms of all types so I do have some practical experience with many different platforms but I am no means an expert, heck I ain't even that edumacated on the subject.

Take care, shoot safe and have fun.

Chris

[cslinger]

I didn't vote because I think both tools have their place and the right tool for the job should be chosen.

[Nomad101bc]

Very well put cslinger. However this refers strickly to self defense so its okay to choose one.

[cslinger]

For me personally then, strictly for SD I go with a good revo, although my bedside gun is frequently a semi or a revolver, depending on my mood. My carry gun is almost always a revolver.

[Nomad, 2nd]

At NTI we had to pick up a 5 shot .38 and shoot a stage.

The Slow reload, and inability to keep it ready to fire (One in the chamber) while reloading made me realise the semi was the better choice.

(I carry both every day)

[DawgFvr]

cslinger said it all! I think I shall copy that post, with his permission of course, for posterity.

[DavidVS]

Yes, may we copy that, cslinger, with proper credit to your forum name and a link to the post if online?

[Hawk]

Although I believe cross-posting to other sections is discouraged, this poll won't make a lick of sense unless also posted to the semi-auto section.

[cslinger]

Have at it but know that...

1-I ain't Shakespere.
2-I do not use firearms in any kind of professional manner nor do I have much professional training. I have had training and experience but I am by NO means a professional user of firearms. You want real advice talk to the folks in the know.
3-I am only imparting what works for ME and my own personal experience. Guns are tools and using the right tool for the job is paramount. Know the tool's strength and weaknesses.

Other than those caveats, have at it.

Chris

[jad0110]

Did not vote.

There needs to be a "both" or "Which ever works for you" option.

That being said, I prefer wheelguns and 1911s.

[BryanP]

Why yes, revolvers or semi-autos are better for self defense.



cslinger said it best. I love my semi-autos, but I keep a .357 in the nightstand.

[RP86]

Making this in the Revolver section of the forum you'll probably get some favored results.

[Rexster]

Best for who? Where? When? From whom/what am I defending myself? I did not vote, as each question is incomplete, and there needs to be at least one more choice. I like revolvers for most purposes, but autos have their place. In a truly perilous multi-threat environment, I will want BOTH, plus a rifle or shotgun. My 24/7 gun is an SP101 snubby, and I have three of them. At work, I must choose from among four autopistols in .40 S&W, purchased with personal funds, and I chose a SIG P229R DAK, and it's a dandy little duty sidearm, perhaps the best in the world for me, in my present environment. Yet, it is not so good for longer-range engagements, so a cased GP100 is also carried at work, plus a shotgun. (I am temporarily without an "approved" carbine; that may be remedied soon, or perhaps not.) My first handgun was a 1911, I have owned quite a few, and I still have a superb Les Baer Thunder Ranch Special. I have carried 1911 pistols as duty sidearms for a combined total of well over half a decade, and fired thousands of rounds through them. From 1997 to 2002, I carried 1911 pistols 24/7, for all purposes except hunting. I have carried sixguns as duty sidearms for a combined total of well over a decade, and fired thousands of round though them. On my own time, I usually carry the SP101s, a Speed Six, and the GP100s, in some combination. The reason for all this rambling about my background is to back up my reasons for not choosing one of the choices in the poll. Back to the "perilous environment" mentioned earlier: that was not idle speculating. When a small group of undercover narcotics officers got into a deadly shootout with a carload of heavily armed felons in my patrol district, we set up a perimeter and started a manhunt in an inner-city residential neighborhood. When we found the last two of them, hiding under a house, I was pointing my shotgun at them, had an autoloader in the duty holster, an SP101 concealed in "backup" mode, and a GP100 sixgun slung in a Safepacker. Had I needed to crawl in after them, I would have left my shotgun and probably deployed the old warrior GP100, my "comfort gun," and kept the auto in the duty holster for the fastest possible reload.

[normal]

I don't know if I have seen a "best" defensive pistol yet. I will let you know when I find it and tell you whether it is a revolver, semi auto, full auto, laser, plasma, or whatever when I find it. I mainly carry a semi and occassionally carry a revolver, but I am always looking for something better.

[Ala Dan]

I'm comfortable with MY semi-auto's~! :scrutiny:;):D

[Shawn Michael]

Since drilling with moon clips in my 8 shot 357 I am changing my mind about "slow to reload" And I like being able to go from a soft 38 special to a buffalo bore 357 with 800lb of energy coming out of the muzzle. Bottom line is that I have had to many malfunctions with autos, mostly failure to go into battery. The worst feeling is when you pull the trigger and nothing happens.

"can keep one in the chamber while you reload" GOOD point, and something important to someone who is in combat (which I would not have realized)

I keep saying that new revolvers like the TRR8 (please put one in your hands, really great) tip the scales...light weight alloys, 8 shots, moon clips, sweet trigger, light rails etc...very cool

[Nematocyst]

For me, "best" for SD means
the one I'm most comfortable with,
the one that always goes boom on trigger pull
with no threat of a jam,
the one I shoot best.

For me, that spells R_E_V_O_L_V_E_R.

<Best Aretha voice>

"R_E_V_O_L_V_E,
Find out what it means to me ... "

[Jkwas]

The best one is the one you feel most comfortable with.

[sm]

This question is different for each person and apt to change with injury, sickness, disease, age, arthritis ...

I was reading the some posts, and in particular, those of CRSam.

Wheels for defence, semi's for offense - CRSam.

I did not get lost - I was scoutin' new territory - CRSam

:D

[Dirtypacman]

If I had to pick one it would be a revolver.

[cookekdjr]

Well, I prefer to have a hi-cap semi-auto with me, but I carry a revovler most oftern (j-frame in my pocket).
-David

[Brian Dale]

I'll join the chorus of, "use the one that you shoot better." :)

[texas bulldog]

i think the results of this survey will be pretty predictable considering it was opened in the revolver forum. that said, choose the one that you are most comfortable with.

[kmrcstintn]

:uhoh::eek::scrutiny::fire::banghead::cuss::what::rolleyes:

[tbeb]

My carry gun is a revolver. I have 4 loaded guns in the house--2 revolver's (.38 special and .22 mag) and 2 semi-auto's (15-shot 9mm and .45 ACP). Reliability is a must for a self defense gun. I didn't vote because both types can be very reliable. If the need arose for me to grab a gun while home, it'd probably be the 8-shot Springfield .45 ACP.

[Matt Almeda]

Hi Nomad,
They are both good tools.
For me, I select the J-Frame revolver in .357 for a carry gun.
The J-frame will work fine for protection against one or two armed folks or feral animals.

If there are more...... Than I'll just have to use my Chevy Impala!

Have a great day!

[RNB65]

Wrong forum. Post the same poll in the semi-auto forum and you'll get the exact opposite result.

[yongxingfreesty]

wow, why is this in the revolver section?

[MassMan]

I voted for semi even though I carry a S&W snubby more often (especially in warm weather). I do believe I can carry an auto with an extra mag more easily than I can carry a speed loader for the revo. Also, my dad is in his 80's and has trouble cycling some autos. For him a snubby revo is by far the best way to go!