Why would anyone choose a revolver over semi auto?

[mavracer]

mavracer -- consider the possibility that you have confused ability with preference regarding Bulbboy's post

ya silly me I thought he was replying to the op as the reason hi wife chose a revolver.apperently I missread the part where he wanted sombody to tell him he needs to make her shoot an auto because other women use autos for IDPA.
sorry won't let it happen again

 

[Dirtypacman]

I think everything the OP wrote is just personal opinion other then the "holds more ammo" statement.

I personally prefer a revolver for carry purposes.

 

[Mr. Designer]

Find me an autoloader that weighs 12 ounces and can shoot a round as powerful as the 357 magnum. Once you do, I'll switch. As of now, I carry a S&W 360sc
Makes me hurt just thinking about it.

Does one practice with .357s or is the practice with .38 Spcl with the .357 carried?

I've shot plenty of both but I mainly practice with 38s. I have shot 158gr full power 357s and those do jump. I carry loaded with 125gr 357 Golden Sabers.

 

[Sato Ord]

With the exception of a very few classics like the 1911, trying to make a semi into a barbeque gun is like putting lipstick and jewelry on a pig and calling it a hot date.

Hey, is that crack about the pig because you've been to a few parties in Columbia County Florida? It's scary what passes for a hot date in some places.

 

[vanilla_gorilla]

That's just wrong, man. There's nothing wrong with the women in Lake City









































...if you're bigfoot.

 

[sm]

Reason number 13:

They never have to bother with "Do you top off your mag ?" Threads.


*snark*

 

[Cosmoline]

I've managed to lose more money, faster, with revolvers than I was able to ever do previously outside a casino or gentlemen's club. And, the memories from both the casino and gentlemen's club are more pleasant than those provided by the Pythons.

Hawk, it sounds like your problem is a lack of experience in recognizing and grabbing good deals. Consult me first next time ;-)

 

[jimmyraythomason]

Because I want to.

 

[Hawk]

Hawk, it sounds like your problem is a lack of experience in recognizing and grabbing good deals. Consult me first next time ;-)

Thanks, but I think I've got Fuff on board for some pre-purchase advice.

Besides, even with my hard luck history I did manage to get one very good Python out of the episode. A local Colt afficianado declares it to have the "factory trigger job".

Still, I'm going to avoid Pythons due to one "gotcha": I can't get them (competently) worked on. If they go a little bit south, they're down for the count. I've gotten a S&W that wasn't any better than the two nasty snakes but the difference was that the S&W was easy, fast and inexpensive to get repaired properly.

Pythons were hand-fitted which means I can't just drop parts in ala a 1911.

Man's gotta know his limitations. Pythons and I don't mix. At least not the ones sold over the internet that don't have inspection and "fire and return" priveleges.

 

[DougDubya]

btg3 - I'm just saying, slide racking is one particular reason to choose a revolver.

Plus, you say IDPA female shooters seem to prefer autoloaders, though IDPA, like all shooting competitions, is getting into game-ness. Revolvers are limited to specific barrel lengths, meaning that people who get along perfectly well with 6 inch revolvers for home defense are now suddenly disenfranchised.

I'm an autoloader lover, so I'm not saying they don't have advantages - manual safety catches and faster reloads in general. But revolvers work. They've been working for the past two centuries.

If it ain't broke...

 

[DougDubya]

Man's gotta know his limitations. Pythons and I don't mix. At least not the ones sold over the internet that don't have inspection and "fire and return" priveleges.

Caveat emptor. I'd be more likely to take one over the counter than the interwebs.

Trouble is finding one "over the counter."

 

[BigO01]

Is there a good reason to choose a revolver over semi auto?

Yes for me there sure is , despite the fact that my auto's have all been very reliable they have had stoppages or "Jams" and every single one is one more than I have ever had with a revolver .

 

[brigadier]

Believe you me, semi-autos don't look like it but they are FAR more complex (internally) then revolvers, this having to do with the recoil process. If you try scratch building a semi-auto handgun using basic gun mechanics knowledge, that gun will more likely then not break apart on you, lock up on you or even KB on you. Read up on WHY the newer Beretta M-9 series handguns have a factory made crack in the back of the slide and you will get a glimpse of what kind of science and math is really put in to those designs. It took me years to come up with my own design in working out all the fine details, and if I were to make a list of all the people who helped me with it, it'd look like movie credits.

Revolvers have quite a few advantages over semi-autos. The most obvious is that they are not ammo sensitive (unless made too week for max loads) and can often be made more durable then most semi-autos. They are also obviously more reliable on average. I have seen nothing that convinces me that the reliability difference between semi-autos and revolvers today is any different then it was 90 years ago.
Revolvers also have more stable barrels and kick then semi-autos and heavy barrel revolvers tend to have less kick then equal size and caliber semi-autos.

 

[Hawk]

Simpler?
If one were to put a bank of supercomputers to the task of designing and optimizing an anvil the result would still be an anvil. A simple anvil.

Similarly, the math behind a semi, or one's ability to fabricate one from scratch is generally only of academic interest (although I certainly offer kudos to anyone that's managed the task). If the end product has fewer parts and/or those parts are more interchangable and user servicable it's simpler.

Some revolvers might be simpler than some semis but, on average, a semi is easier to strip and reassemble. A simple perusal of the jigs and fixtures available for use on several revolver types would bear mute testimony to that.

Revolvers also have more stable barrels

And, apart from Dan Wessons, require an act of congress to change.

Anybody can call Bar-Sto and refresh his semi's barrel with minimum fuss. As always, there are exceptions: a revolver barrel isn't more stable than the one on H&K P7's or most straight blow-back semis (or any Hi-Point, for that matter).

...heavy barrel revolvers tend to have less kick then equal size and caliber semi-autos.

TANSTAAFL
If it weighs more it kicks less, if it weighs the same it kicks the same, etc. Nothing about revolvers allow the repeal of Newtonian laws. Revolvers enjoy a little wriggle room by having more grip options, but that's not the same thing as actually having less recoil.

 

[btg3]

So who thinks our armed forces should be issued revolvers for a fire fight?

 

[mavracer]

So who thinks our armed forces should be issued revolvers for a fire fight?

great arguement
A. most dont have a handgun at all.
B. we're talkin SD not firefight

 

[mavracer]

heavy barrel revolvers tend to have less kick then equal size and caliber semi-autos.

actually since an auto uses recoil to operate less gets to you therefore less felt recoil.

 

[brigadier]

actually since an auto uses recoil to operate less gets to you therefore less felt recoil.

TANSTAAFL
If it weighs more it kicks less, if it weighs the same it kicks the same, etc. Nothing about revolvers allow the repeal of Newtonian laws. Revolvers enjoy a little wriggle room by having more grip options, but that's not the same thing as actually having less recoil.

Actually, it's not that simple. If it were, the Sig 220ST would be notably worse then the 1911A1 yet it's considerably less despite being smaller and lighter.

First off, recoil draw is a double edged sword. On one hand, the drawing of the action can reduce the battering. On the other hand, the draw it's self is a contributing factor to the kick and when it impacts, you have a whole slide delivering the punch. Allot of things affect recoil in odd ways. For instance, if you take a Beretta M-9, get a 3 recoil spring kit from Wilson Combat and install the lightest one, recoil on Winchester bulk ammo will be fairly mild. If you take out the light recoil spring and install the heaviest, the recoil will be noticeably WORSE! This is in part because the recoil draw happens so fast that the kick and tug feel the same and because of the heavier recoil spring, much more of the energy is delivered in to the tug which lasts longer then the punch giving more for the shooter to feel.
Another factor is balance and weight displacement, which gets so complex that I don't know where to start, though some of the basics are that if you have more lasting overhang (weight in front of the trigger guard), you can expect the gun to not punch as hard. This is one of the important differences that a revolver makes as bull barrel revolvers have allot of stationary overhang.
Another is slide draw. The longer the slide draw, the more room it has to disburse the recoil. A short and fast slide draw can very easily result in as much as DOUBLE the amount of recoil from a semi-auto then a revolver. The Bryco Jennings 9 is a prime example of this, having recoil comparable to medium .44 Magnum loads out of a standard size revolver.
I can really go on all day about how different factors in a gun affect recoil. Semi-Autos have a higher potential for reducing kick without adding to the bulk of the gun, but these resources are rarely taken advantage of from my experience.

 

[ceadermtnboy]

I would like to respond to the initial question ( why would someone choose a revolver over a semi-auto pistol ). I have to say that is an easy question for me to answer. I own both pistols and revolvers because guns are fun! However, If I had to pick one handgun to carry it would be my S&W 386 357 magnum. It basically comes down to the fact that for protecting myself or my family the revolver works best for me. some of the following reasons:

I shoot the revolver better than an auto of the same size.

I feel like in a close quarters situation the revolver will be more reliable ( no slide to cycle ).

If a primer fails I just keep firing.

A seven round speed loader or moon clip feels more comfortable in my coat/vest pocket than a spare mag on my belt.

If I get lazy or dont have time to practice at range, I dont have to sweat rotating mags.

Like Clint says ( wheelguns are real guns!).

Now, If my situation changed to protcting my country instead of my family, then give me that auto pistol.

 

[mavracer]

Actually, it's not that simple. If it were, the Sig 220ST would be notably worse then the 1911A1 yet it's considerably less despite being smaller and lighter.

no, actually free recoil(the only recoil you can quantify) is the same reguardless of action type.
the total amount of free recoil transfered to your hand will be the same but transfered over a longer time with an automatic because recoil is used to cycle the action.
now percieved recoil what you think you feel well that can be anything grip material,recoil spring or preconcieved notion you have.

A short and fast slide draw can very easily result in as much as DOUBLE the amount of recoil from a semi-auto then a revolver.

this is a physical impossibility as free recoil is the same and no mater how fast the slide functions it CAN NOT return to position as fast as the recoil shield on the revolver (cause it dosn't move with respect to the grip)

now this is enough of a thread hijack
there are plenty of reasons to carry a revolver "I like to" is one nobody can dispute.

 

[Wheeler44]

Why would someone choose a revolver over an auto?


Why N-frame S&Ws of course.

Wheeler44

 

[DougDubya]

So who thinks our armed forces should be issued revolvers for a fire fight?

You mean the Colt 1911 or the Beretta 92 is a deciding factor in any serious combat?

Well, what do we need rifles, machine guns and grenade launchers for?

Handguns are not carried by a lot of troops (though, I'll bet those in the know in the sandbox have a J-frame or Makarov stuffed away in concealment).

Frankly, I'd rather see most of the REMFs and support staff packing revolvers. In Vietnam, helicopter gun crews and Navy Pilots carried quite a few revolvers with them for personal protection. Totally against military regs, but hey, if the brass didn't give them 1911's, they got .38's and .357's.

 

[Funderb]

Who would need a semi-auto anyway? those are for gangbangers and murderers!

I guess I'd have to pick gangbanger, because murderer just doesn't ring well.

I like semiautos, but a revolver is nice to have in the collection.

 

[brigadier]

now percieved recoil what you think you feel well that can be anything grip material,recoil spring or preconcieved notion you have.

And isn't that what's important?

this is a physical impossibility as free recoil is the same and no mater how fast the slide functions it CAN NOT return to position as fast as the recoil shield on the revolver (cause it dosn't move with respect to the grip)

I have no idea what you just said. When you talk about revolver recoil VS automatic, it compares to holding a ball in your hand and having someone shove it VS having someone throw the ball at you at speed. The sheer weight may be the same, or even lighter if thrown, but it'll still hit you allot harder. Now, the difference is it's a little easier to tinker with the recoil process to ease the impact. How you can judge recoil by weight alone is beyond me. Imagine a martial artist judging someones punching technique by weight alone. These things should be and are known by the total effect they have, weight just being one factor.

 

[LawofThirds]

Revolvers really shine at the ends of the spectrum, not at the middle.

Go small and you really cannot get more proven effective firepower in a smaller platform than one of the .357 J frames. Autoloaders of equivalent size generally are .380 or smaller calibre, with only 1 or 2 more rounds than the revolver and because of size, a reload for either will take roughly the same time in trained hands.

Go large in calibre and a revolver will be able to handle much hotter loads than an autoloader in a more user friendly manner. Most of this is a result of not being recoil driven.

That's not to say that a revolver is a bad choice in a mid sized gun, only a different choice. You are losing some speed of reload and magazine capacity but you gain more customizable grips and an indifference to limp wristing.

For the most part, other claims simply are based on either bias or incomplete information. The claims that a revolver is more reliable is not true as reliability stems from manufacturing tolerances and quality of design. A well made automatic will function just as well as a well made revolver, there are plenty of examples on the market. Felt recoil is a personal thing and as such must be decided by the person using the weapon. Calibre selection is also a personal choice as today it is possible to get a quality well proven self defense round from 9mm to .44 Magnum.