FerFAL
Member
Owed this one to BullfrogKen
:
First of all, revolvers are perfect for teaching a new shooter firearms basics. You load the cylinder, close it, pull the trigger and it goes bang. After that it doesn’t take a genius to figure out that you can cock the hammer ( the one you saw going up when firing DA) with the thumb to fire much more accurate SA shots. In the eyes of the newbie, the revolver is simple, understandable, unlike the auto pistol where they don’t fully understand what’s going on in there.
Of course this simplicity is mostly apparent, nothing simple about a revolver’s clockwork. A person with some basic skills will find it much easier to work on most pistols than with a broken revolver. Fixing autos such as 1911, High Powers and Glocks is just a matter of replacing a spring or part here, cutting off one or two curls of another spring there, filing or bending some other part.
Once the initial steps are taken, most beginners will soon find out that they shoot better with autos ( though there are some exceptions).
This is when the “auto era” beings for the shooter, and it takes some time for him to appreciate some of the revolvers advantages.
1) Yes, ammo doesn’t affect the feeding process one bit, since it uses the mechanical force you apply, not the power generated by the fired round. One dud round is quickly left behind with another trigger pull.
2) You don’t have to worry about feeding reliability as in autos. Some autos ( 1911 and hardball) have a hard time feeding anything that steps aside from the round it was originally intended to feed. Most modern autos feed most popular brands of ammo, but its still something to be concerned about none the less.
3) The basic simplicity of not having levers and safeties to mess around with. New shooters looking for a self defense gun will benefit from this if they have to use the weapon in self defense under stress, where they might forget to turn the safety off, even fire on an empty chamber. That wont happen with a revolver. As long as it’s loaded, it will fire. Experienced shooters also appreciate this feature, which modern autos such as the Glock emulate, but even though they got rid of the safety, the empty chamber possibility is still there if you are not consistent with your gun handling habits and training.
4) Same trigger pull all the time. You don’t have one long first DA pull, and lighter SA follow up shots, which could alter your point shooting accuracy. They are all the same. This is also something modern autos such as the Glock have copied. This point is a bit academic though, when under stress you wont even notice the “long” DA pull, and unlike target practice you are looking to hit your target in the center of it’s chest or head, not mumbling about ½” groups. Still, the advantage is there regarding having the same trigger pull all the time.
5) You don’t have any springs working under high tensions when the gun is not being used. Fully loaded auto pistol magazines that are left sitting there for years may work ok or not ( tough there have been 1911 mags that have been left fully loaded since WWII and still worked perfectly). Check them regularly, buy quality mags and you should have not problem even if you leave it there for a year or two, checking every now and then to make sure it works.
Yet again, it is not something you have to worry about if you have revolver. Just leave it loaded and you know it wont malfunction due to a mag spring loosing strength.
I find this particularly useful for secondary handguns locked at other places around the house. My guns are in my bedroom in the second floor, so I keep a 4” 357 magnum locked in a trunk in the first floor in case I’m in the lower floor and I don’t have time, or hear strange noises up stairs.
6) From a logistic point of view, loosing/braking your auto’s magazine turns your pistol into a pitiful single shot. This will never happen with a revolver.
7) The utter simplicity of a revolver’s handling is also useful in case you have to arm someone else during an emergency. As long as the person knows the basic safety rules ( Treat the gun as if loaded, finger off the trigger guard until you are ready to shoot, NEVER aim it at anything you are not willing to destroy) you can leave a person with a revolver, knowing that there no safety, empty chamber or FTF that could show up.
8) In the snubby category revolvers offer reliability, excellent size/power ratio as well as the no frills operation typical of all revolvers.
There are small pocket out pistols out there, 380 ACP and 9mm loaded with premium ammo will work just a well, but for pocket carry it’s hard to beat the snubby.
I like them particularly as back up guns, but if your live in a rather safe place where there’s no serious criminal activity, no history of multiple attackers as in organized professional criminals or gang activity, then the snubby revolver might be a good compromise for your defensive needs as long as you understand it’s limitations.
9) Guns are not only intended for self defense, as a hunting /trail gun, it’s very hard to beat as long as you don’t have to worry much about 2 legged vermin.
357 and 44 magnum revolvers, just to name the most popular calibers, can be loaded with a plethora of bullet weights and shapes for the most different needs, even load it with CCI shotshells for snakes ( there’s CCI shot for autos to, but don’t expect it to cycle the slide)
10) Yes, even if you don’t like admitting it there’s that nostalgia revolvers have. Old revolvers are simply cool in my book. Those older Smiths and Colts, not only work as a clock but also have a history behind them. True works of art.
FerFAL
:First of all, revolvers are perfect for teaching a new shooter firearms basics. You load the cylinder, close it, pull the trigger and it goes bang. After that it doesn’t take a genius to figure out that you can cock the hammer ( the one you saw going up when firing DA) with the thumb to fire much more accurate SA shots. In the eyes of the newbie, the revolver is simple, understandable, unlike the auto pistol where they don’t fully understand what’s going on in there.
Of course this simplicity is mostly apparent, nothing simple about a revolver’s clockwork. A person with some basic skills will find it much easier to work on most pistols than with a broken revolver. Fixing autos such as 1911, High Powers and Glocks is just a matter of replacing a spring or part here, cutting off one or two curls of another spring there, filing or bending some other part.
Once the initial steps are taken, most beginners will soon find out that they shoot better with autos ( though there are some exceptions).
This is when the “auto era” beings for the shooter, and it takes some time for him to appreciate some of the revolvers advantages.
1) Yes, ammo doesn’t affect the feeding process one bit, since it uses the mechanical force you apply, not the power generated by the fired round. One dud round is quickly left behind with another trigger pull.
2) You don’t have to worry about feeding reliability as in autos. Some autos ( 1911 and hardball) have a hard time feeding anything that steps aside from the round it was originally intended to feed. Most modern autos feed most popular brands of ammo, but its still something to be concerned about none the less.
3) The basic simplicity of not having levers and safeties to mess around with. New shooters looking for a self defense gun will benefit from this if they have to use the weapon in self defense under stress, where they might forget to turn the safety off, even fire on an empty chamber. That wont happen with a revolver. As long as it’s loaded, it will fire. Experienced shooters also appreciate this feature, which modern autos such as the Glock emulate, but even though they got rid of the safety, the empty chamber possibility is still there if you are not consistent with your gun handling habits and training.
4) Same trigger pull all the time. You don’t have one long first DA pull, and lighter SA follow up shots, which could alter your point shooting accuracy. They are all the same. This is also something modern autos such as the Glock have copied. This point is a bit academic though, when under stress you wont even notice the “long” DA pull, and unlike target practice you are looking to hit your target in the center of it’s chest or head, not mumbling about ½” groups. Still, the advantage is there regarding having the same trigger pull all the time.
5) You don’t have any springs working under high tensions when the gun is not being used. Fully loaded auto pistol magazines that are left sitting there for years may work ok or not ( tough there have been 1911 mags that have been left fully loaded since WWII and still worked perfectly). Check them regularly, buy quality mags and you should have not problem even if you leave it there for a year or two, checking every now and then to make sure it works.
Yet again, it is not something you have to worry about if you have revolver. Just leave it loaded and you know it wont malfunction due to a mag spring loosing strength.
I find this particularly useful for secondary handguns locked at other places around the house. My guns are in my bedroom in the second floor, so I keep a 4” 357 magnum locked in a trunk in the first floor in case I’m in the lower floor and I don’t have time, or hear strange noises up stairs.
6) From a logistic point of view, loosing/braking your auto’s magazine turns your pistol into a pitiful single shot. This will never happen with a revolver.
7) The utter simplicity of a revolver’s handling is also useful in case you have to arm someone else during an emergency. As long as the person knows the basic safety rules ( Treat the gun as if loaded, finger off the trigger guard until you are ready to shoot, NEVER aim it at anything you are not willing to destroy) you can leave a person with a revolver, knowing that there no safety, empty chamber or FTF that could show up.
8) In the snubby category revolvers offer reliability, excellent size/power ratio as well as the no frills operation typical of all revolvers.
There are small pocket out pistols out there, 380 ACP and 9mm loaded with premium ammo will work just a well, but for pocket carry it’s hard to beat the snubby.
I like them particularly as back up guns, but if your live in a rather safe place where there’s no serious criminal activity, no history of multiple attackers as in organized professional criminals or gang activity, then the snubby revolver might be a good compromise for your defensive needs as long as you understand it’s limitations.
9) Guns are not only intended for self defense, as a hunting /trail gun, it’s very hard to beat as long as you don’t have to worry much about 2 legged vermin.
357 and 44 magnum revolvers, just to name the most popular calibers, can be loaded with a plethora of bullet weights and shapes for the most different needs, even load it with CCI shotshells for snakes ( there’s CCI shot for autos to, but don’t expect it to cycle the slide)
10) Yes, even if you don’t like admitting it there’s that nostalgia revolvers have. Old revolvers are simply cool in my book. Those older Smiths and Colts, not only work as a clock but also have a history behind them. True works of art.
FerFAL
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