Why would anyone choose a revolver over semi auto?

[newbie4help]

For practice self defense use?

Semi autos are just as reliable nowadays, hold way more ammo, much more customizable, much easier to actually shoot, less recoil, etc. etc.

Is there a good reason to choose a revolver over semi auto? Whenever I see people with one as their only gun I think "what is this the Great Train Robbery? Get with the 21st Century!"

I understand they have cowboy appeal and for collectors or just general "nuts" they make sense.

 

[makarovnik]

Revolvers are still slightly more reliable than autoloaders. Bigger revolvers are able to chamber more powerful rounds than autoloaders and aren't finicky about hollowpoints like some semi autos are. Some revolvers can carry seven and even up to nine rounds (my 1911 holds seven). Autoloaders can usually be reloaded a little faster if you actually carry spare mags, but if you need more than six or seven rounds to take care of your problem, you are in a world of hurt anyhow and probably need a shotgun or machine gun.


If you get a dud or misfire it's easier to recover, you just pull the trigger again. No need to drop the mag or rack the slide or operate a safety.

That being said, I carry an autoloader because it is flatter and I am more accurate with my single action pistol. But I don't carry it over a revolver for any of the reasons you mentioned.

 

[Phydeaux642]

I switch back and forth, but I always seems to feel a little better when I have my revolver. So far, the only failures I've had when shooting have been with autos and that is always in the back of my mind.

And, speaking of revolvers, I just picked up a S&W model 13-4 today.

 

[MrAnteater]

I still prefer a revolver for SD. I carry at S&W 340PD in my front pocket. It's light and has the reliability of revolvers. It will handle full .357 rounds if I choose.

It's just easier to carry my little S&W compared to always strapping on my Glock with a belt holster.

 

[Quoheleth]

Well, I for one shoot my wheel-guns better than my bottom feeder. And thats a .357 magnum vs MP9.

Q

 

[Hawk]

This hadn't quite scrolled off the bottom of the page yet:
http://www.thehighroad.org/showthread.php?t=349248

In short, plenty of reasons.

I tend to be considered a mildly disruptive influence in the "revolver love" threads that sometimes pop up in that specific forum. However, there are very real advantages.

I just don't happen to include reliability or simplicity or the ability to shoot from within one's pocket as any of them.

There's still plenty.
I'm generally circumspect about suggesting a search but this has been done a lot recently. Start with the above thread. Go on to the "love" threads for some reasons that display more, shall we say, "reach". "Reaching" or not, none are totally implausible, with the exception of that "pocket" thing and even that's not certain.

 

[DougDubya]

Style, baby. Style.

 

[jesse485]

As the owner of three semis and one revolver, I would have to say ease of use, dependability, and versatility top the list. What other handgun can you shoot loads with almost no recoil AND loads that effectively bring down deer with only the one gun?

 

[bulbboy]

"style, baby, style"

Great answer above!!


Great guns - reliable and built to last.
If you need more rounds than what it carries - you are in too much trouble anyway. Almost zero self defense situations have needed more than a couple of rounds.

 

[Georgia Gunner]

I like them because they are simple. They don't have as many parts on them that can mess up like on a semi auto.

 

[markk]

I prefer my .357 Ladysmith over my .45 USPc, 4in 1911, and Glock 30 simply because it is so much easier to carry. My .45's curse the day I bought it...

 

[tipoc]

Because sometimes you want a little thing in .38 like this.



Sometimes in a little larger package the power of the .357



And sometimes the strength of the .44 Spl. or .44 Magnum in a handy package.



I don't find them more reliable. They aren't.

It's a matter of what fits the task and the situation best. Choices is why. Fun is another.

tipoc

 

[Daryl Licht]

The house gun here is a .357 magnum revolver. Less for power and reliablity than for ease of operation under stress. No safeties to manipulate before or after, just shoot. In the middle of the night under stress, even an experienced shooter can bobble with an auto.

Yes, there are very good reasons to choose a revo over an auto.

 

[DougDubya]

tanx, bulbboy.

I mean, no flies on something sleek and modern like the P99QA, but you look at the revolver, and it speaks to your soul (even with an internal lock).

 

[StrawHat]

I carry a revolver for a variety of reasons but the primary one would be because that is what I have trained with for the past 45 years.

I use only S&W revolvers for serious work so all the controls and concepts are the same.

I have used other makes but keep coming back to S&W.

My older brother prefers the 1911 style of self loader for carry but he shoots the revolver a bit better.

It is what I am familiar with and what I am comfortable carrying.

 

[DougDubya]

Tipoc's BEAUTIFUL photos reinforce my point.

 

[Joe the Redneck]

Yes, autos are very reliable. Standing at the gun range in perfect conditions they are.

Now what happend if you hace to shoot in a confine space? Or if you have been thrown to the ground?

What if, when you fire. something comes in contact with the slde.?

It is actually pretty easy to jam up an auto loader if something come in contact with the slide.

You also have stove piping and double feeling to deal with.

And the biggerst complaint I have, dropping the mag in the holster. If you roll over on it and depress the button, you got a single shot. Unless you have a gun that won't fire without the mag. Then you have a club.

Don't even get me started on the "switchable safty.

The revolver is the best choice because it always works. There are damn few thing that can go wrong.

The biggest downside is the fact it only holds six rounds. With the Rambo mantality that runs through the industry today, everything needs to hold fifty rounds, have a lazer and a flash light.

Me? I'm more worried about getting round one off tha round 17. I don't plan on missing a whole lot.

JTR

 

[VirgilCaine]

I was gonna say because the grips can be made to fit really good.

 

[brokencowboy]

I have never had a revolver "stumble" with a FTF, stovepipe, or any of the other maladies that can encountered with a semi-auto, Also, a 44 special with a 240 gr bullet moving at the same velocity as a 45 acp is something to contend with.

 

[Hawk]

I like them because they are simple. They don't have as many parts on them that can mess up like on a semi auto.

I can detail strip my 1911 putting all parts into a pie tin, then reassemble.

The normal mortal can't do with, say, a Python.
The manual of arms may be marginally simpler, the guts were never simpler and never will be.

 

[btg3]

I plink with an elderly fellow whose hands won't let him rack the slide on his Bersa Thunder 380 or put bullets in the mag. He liked my .38spl K-frame on our last outing, and later handed me an old Colt Commando to clean up. After he shoots the Colt, I think he'll forget about the pistol he can't operate.

Also, an acquaintance lost an arm in a tragedy last year. He manages a revolver more easily than a semi-auto.

 

[Hawk]

The revolver is the best choice because it always works. There are damn few thing that can go wrong.

Rim dropping below the extractor star.
S&W extractor rod unscrewing itself.
Bullet pulling forward under recoil, tying up the cylinder.
Any little fiddly part, bolt/cylinder stop, hand, innumerable springs signing off.
Screws backing out.
Case binding on recoil shield.
Timing issues.
Sprung crane.
Crud under extractor.
Gunge build up on cylinder face.

I'm sure I'm missing some.


Pretty much unarguable revolver advantage: easier to keep your brass.
And the ability to shoot nearly any power level and bullet configuration without stressing on feed ramp compatibility.

I was gonna say because the grips can be made to fit really good.

Agreed.

 

[Bezoar]

semi automatic:
-normally dependent upon a certain amount of pressure in order to ensure correct cycling of mechanism
that can eliminate powder puff loads with stock springs.
-not everyone is able to correctly work the slide, ie hands wrists are to weak.
-not always going to work with all brands of hp ammunition as is from the factory.
-some people cant adjust to flying brass
-some people ive read are not able to work the slide without putting the muzzle and bullet trajectory into a direct line up with their internal organs

Revolvers
-tend to have lower capacity, 5-6 rounds standard.
-longer to reload without lots of practice that not everyone can find time for.
-dont really care about what bullet you use as long as it meets SAAMI maximum pressure,
-can be downloaded to weak powder puff loads that some "heman" might be able to catch in a bseball glove safely, theory only.
-easiest operation in an emergency: aim-pull trigger-pull trigger-correct aim-pull trigger.
-misfires are easily corrected, pull trigger again, or pull hammer to move to next chamber then pull trigger if using a singl action.

when you get down to it, you have to figure out the worst situation that you could end up in. If that situation is 6-7 gang bangers trying to kill you, well a high capacity 45 or 40sw would be better then a 5 shot snubnose.
However, if your attacked by a bear or mountain lion, or need to hunt after a plane crash in the wilderness, a 45 colt or 44 spcl, ec, is better then a 3 inch barreled compact frame 9mm.

 

[Cosmoline]

The manual of arms may be marginally simpler, the guts were never simpler and never will be.

Nonsense. I can strip an SP101 or Speed Six as fast as any 1911 by removing a single screw. But the fact is I almost never need to.

As far as reliability, I can count on two hands the number of times a wheelgun has failed me out of many many thousands of rounds and close on 75 platforms. Most all of the semis I've shot, including very nice Glocks, have had some level of jamming trouble even if only stovepipes or FTF from bad magazines. There's simply more that can go wrong with a semi.

Rim dropping below the extractor star. NEVER HAD IT HAPPEN
S&W extractor rod unscrewing itself. NEVER HAD IT HAPPEN
Bullet pulling forward under recoil, tying up the cylinder. HAPPENED ONCE WITH A TAURUS .45 Colt
Any little fiddly part, bolt/cylinder stop, hand, innumerable springs signing off. NOPE. I busted a Single Action Army replica's main spring once, but that's an ancient design using a strip of sheet metal. Coil springs last forever.
Screws backing out. NEVER HAD IT CAUSE A PROBLEM. It's only really an issue on some single actions.
Case binding on recoil shield. NEVER EVEN SEEN IT.
Timing issues. If this is bad enough to cause a jam, it's bad enough to notice long before you shoot it. I've only ever seen one or two very old Colts with timing so bad they would not even function.
Sprung crane. NEVER HAD IT HAPPEN
Crud under extractor. NEVER SEEN IT
Gunge build up on cylinder face. NEVER HAD IT CAUSE A JAM. I had barrel/cylinder gap binding on the same Taurus .45 mentioned above. That's it.

Your list left some issues off. I had a Security Six, rough side of Hell surplus, that would pierce primers with its hammer-mounted pin. Trip to Ruger cured it. I've had a few Nagant handloads seize in the chamber from overpressure when I was figuring out how to handload that weird round.

But as to Semis, the list of major and minor jams is real long. The only one that was pretty much flawless was the P225. Compare that to my main carry pieces--a Detective Special and a Speed Six. Out of thousands of drill rounds of all conceivable types of ammo from shotshells to 200 grain bear loads NEITHER HAS EVER JAMMED, BEEN STUCK, OR FAILED TO FIRE. ZERO PERCENT FAILURE. And one of those dates to the 80's while the other is half a century old. No semi can beat that without religious upkeep and top quality ammo. Even a high end 1911 will choke if fed ratty Russian steel cased crud. My wheelguns LAUGH at that ammo. LAUGH! HA! I can shoot them

UPSIDE DOWN
WITH MY HEAD
IN A BUCKET
OF PIRANHA FISH!

But beyond this many of us find we can conceal, draw, aim and fire a wheelgun better than a semi. For close range defensive firepower they're still perfectly fine. I wouldn't advise using them for offensive work, but then I wouldn't advise going on the offensive with some foolish high cap either. That's rifle work.

 

[Hawk]

But beyond this man of us find we can conceal, draw, aim and fire a wheelgun better than a semi.

Shooting a revolver better is a viable reason. In my opinion, perhaps the best reason.

Not all revolvers are Rugers. They did well getting rid of a number of screws but woe on those that bust up the trigger unit.

Unitized and/or modular !== simpler.

My revolvers have gotten wrapped around the axle more often and more spectacularly than my semis. This says less about revolvers vs semis than the fact that my semi was purchased for "serious" uses as opposed to the revolvers which were purchased used, for fun. The results of such a purchasing history are predictable.

The only reasonable way I can see of getting a semi as complicated as a revolver internally is to pop the grips on a P7 while forgetting all other semis exist, and I'm not sure even that would work.

Personal history will vary. I've had particularly bad luck with revolvers "light striking". Again more to do with questionable previous owner's custodianship, but I've found Pythons to be particularly grim in this regard.