Autoloader vs Revolvers...

whm1974 said:

Since My stepfather taught me about guns when I was 9, I always perfer .38 Special Revolvers over anything else, even though I was comfortable with shoot semi-autos pistols.

well made SA/DA Revolvers of modern design are very safe for Home Defense for those limited gun experience due to the heavy DA trigger. I will safe with sticking one under my pillow...

Certain pistols such as "strikers" not so much...

Any thoughts?

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FIFY..
-I carry a semi(Glock-Oh No!!), I shoot for fun Glocks(Oh No!!), 2 revolvers..My 2 sons
-Oldest-carries a Glock(Oh No!!), shoots for fun his Glocks, and a Ruger GP100 and Ruger Vaquero
-Youngest-carries a Glock(NM), shoots for fun his Glocks, A Beretta and S&W 686/7

I bedstand my Glock 17(17+1) with light on it. I don't see these discussions as binary nor zero sum..own both, enjoy both, use whichever for whatever, and be comfy in that.

Best tongue in cheek video on YouTube sums up this discussion.
Yankee Marshall video from 8 years ago.
REVOLVERS: Boring, Antiquated and Stupid.

Search YouTube for a brilliant video that is pro revolver dripping with sarcasm.
Lol! You will laugh your a$$ off. (Unless you are take life too serious or literal person)

Just watched video again!
LMAO!
"There is no where to hang your multitude of accessories. How are people going to know that you are not to be messed with. Because that''s what your accessories tell people. Hey I spent another $300-400 in stuff to hang off my gun. So, you better watch out"
Hahahaha!
That is awesome!

Also, he finishes with "don't make the mistake of buying a revolver. Get a high capacity semiautomatic to impress your friends and make you seem cool at parties."
Hahaha!
So, true!

I carry a revolver because I want to put rounds on target. I have yet to find an auto that I can shoot as well as my revolvers.
I carry a revolver because of the 50 or so that I own, none, zero have ever failed to fire. (Maybe I’m just lucky)
I carry a revolver because of the 6 autos I own, all have failed to fire at some point. (Maybe I’m just unlucky)
I carry a revolver because I think a person needs to carry what he/she is comfortable with.

I may run out of ammo trying to defend my self some day. The odds of that NOT happening with me are better if I am carrying a revolver. If I do run out of ammo on a lonely hill some day I hope all of my brass is empty, and I wish I would have had more folks on my side of the argument.

LOLBELL said:

I carry a revolver because I want to put rounds on target. I have yet to find an auto that I can shoot as well as my revolvers.
I carry a revolver because of the 50 or so that I own, none, zero have ever failed to fire. (Maybe I’m just lucky)
I carry a revolver because of the 6 autos I own, all have failed to fire at some point. (Maybe I’m just unlucky)
I carry a revolver because I think a person needs to carry what he/she is comfortable with.

I may run out of ammo trying to defend my self some day. The odds of that NOT happening with me are better if I am carrying a revolver. If I do run out of ammo on a lonely hill some day I hope all of my brass is empty, and I wish I would have had more folks on my side of the argument.

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Is your side the argument the odds of malfunction vs running out of ammo?

My argument is using what you are comfortable with. If you can’t hit the broad side of a barn with an auto loader why in the world would you want to use one for self protection.

“ I carry a revolver because I want to put rounds on target. I have yet to find an auto that I can shoot as well as my revolvers”. Lolbell

LAH said:

Is your side the argument the odds of malfunction vs running out of ammo?

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Kleanbore said:

That applies to any firearm.

At the square range, shooing at a stationary target at seven yards, I shot either rather well, and I shot the revolver better in the SA mode than in DA.

In defensive shooting training, where speed is factored in and balanced with precision, I found the autoloader much more effective than any double action revolver small enough and light enough that I would want to carry it all day.

And of course, I preferred a larger capacity for some of the drills.

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Love training with the Revolver or Pistol in Dao for fast shooting. I doubt your dislike for the revolver or DA would mean you train with both on a equal basis. At any "range" I do not shoot a revolver as a SA (especially at only 7 yds) unless I was just target shooting for Bullseye which I do not do. That said, train with the gun you like. But do not under estimate someone that shoots a revolver on a regular basis.

Kleanbore said:

I do not dislike revolvers.

I prefer a thin firearm with more capacity, a better trigger pull, and a longer sight radius than small defensive revolvers provide.

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What your prefer is what you should carry. Never disputed that. I prefer the better trigger pull of the DAO. I do not need a longer sight radius for my EDC guns. But again that is just me. That is what is great about America, we have the ability to choose and be individuals with individual choice.

I voted for both. Here's why:

Obturation said:

I like shooting revolvers and carrying semis. So, both.
If I had to leave one design behind forever it would be bye bye bottom feeders.

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ROK'N THUNDER said:

I like the action of a S&W revolver!

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Armored farmer said:

I prefer revolvers.
Autos have better defensive characteristics.

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460Shooter said:

I love revolvers for their history, simple operation, capability if a magnum of tremendous power, and the fact that they don't send my brass flying every which way.

I love semiautos for their flat profiles, higher capacity, ease and speed of reloading, and more modern feel.

There is no longer any preference for me. I love both designs a great deal and find them both very enjoyable for different reasons. I tend to carry semiautos more, but a good wheel gun is often my choice when out in the woods. Why pick a favorite when they are boith usefull and fun based on the situation?

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I'm a revolver guy. But there's one thing that's irresistible about the semi-automatics; innovation. Someone is always coming out with something new. The triggers get better, the ergos get better, they get better for concealment while increasing capacity, they become easier to use and more reliable and this says nothing about the ability to hang junk on the gun or the new materials or different finishes and color schemes. It's like the manufacturers have adopted an automotive approach to product offerings.

Revolvers, OTOH, are pretty much immune to innovation. Sure we have the RINO and S&W is making the old models again as is Colt, Kimber introduced a new/old 357, Charter seems to have cleaned up its act, and while some of us still long for the return of the Security Six and its variants, Ruger has gone to using polymer frame material. The pace of innovation is closer to what you see in refrigerator manufacturing. Guess this is to be expected in a market firmly rooted in tradition.

Even though I spend most of my time in the revolver and black powder forums on this site, I always have to check out what's cooking with the semiautos. Some of the improvements don't work out. Others are adopted as standards. Semiautos that were icons 20 years ago are now seldom mentioned; they're hopelessly outdated. The thing is some of the innovations in the semiauto realm sometimes...eventually feed over to revolvers as the wheel gunners try to keep up.

Comfort.

I am more likely to get more-accurate first hits, quickest, with a GP100, Security-/Speed-Six, or K/L-Frame, than any other handgun. That is comforting.

I can shoot a 1911 about as well as my best revolvers, generally speaking, but for the first cold shot, without time to stand there and meditate for a bit, the GP100 is likely to win. This is not about gunfighting; it is about STOPPING a gunfight.

Several felons had the opportunity to look up the barrel of my GP100, Speed Six, or K-Frame, while my duty autopistol remained holstered. This was typically a planned felony vehicle stop, when I had time to uncase the six-gun, before the strobes were activated. “Back-Up” is not always smaller.

Every shot I fire with a DA revolver makes me a better DA revolver shooter. Every shot I fire with a 1911 makes me a better 1911 shooter, but also makes me a better DA revolver shooter. Every shot I fire with a Glock makes me a better Glock shooter, but also makes me a better DA revolver shooter. I can train-up to be comfortable with a 1911 and Glock, but a GP100, or similar revolver, remains most-comforting.

Carried OWB, a revolver, with some barrel heft, is very well-balanced, and comfortable, without the need to cinch the belt too tightly.

IWB, a revolver is slim where it needs to be, for comfort. There are two places, on each side of my anatomy, where the wider cylinder has a natural place to rest, in relative comfort. I used to carry my N-Frame Model 58 .41 Magnum duty pistol, in an Eagle Industries IWB rig, comfortably. A GP100 or K-Frame is all that much easier. (I finally admitted to myself that I have K/L/GP100-sized hands.) And, yes, an N-Frame S&W Model 58 is a pistol, a revolving pistol, just like Sam Colt’s patent states.

If I have to “Mexican carry,” for the sake of quickness/expediency, well, nothing, and I mean nothing, is as stable, on my person, as a medium/large revolver, with about 4” of barrel. The barrel adds stability. Stability is comfortable, and comforting.

I am not advocating holster-less IWB carry, a.k.a. Mexican carry, but sometimes, well, such things happen. It is not a best practice. Keep it to a minimum.

To be clear, I am not anti-autoloader. I still use autoloaders, and sometimes carry an auto-loader, without any revolver within my reach, any closer than locked-up, miles away. (This does not mean “rotation. This means free choice.) My first love was the 1911. Choice is good. Comfort is good. Life is good.

"I wish I would have had more folks on my side of the argument."


I agree, and prefer revolvers for mostly the same reasons.

Over the decades I've had a couple of revolvers fail, and I still own a couple of semiautos that never have, but that's probably the only area where my experience is different.

Tallball said:

"I wish I would have had more folks on my side of the argument."


I agree, and prefer revolvers for mostly the same reasons.

Over the decades I've had a couple of revolvers fail, and I still own a couple of semiautos that never have, but that's probably the only area where my experience is different.

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Until a couple of weeks ago I had one auto that had not let me down in about 3000 rounds, a compact RAP in 9mm. While doing some fast paced shooting steel while moving drills it jammed once in about 200 rounds. I still have enough confidence in it to carry it concealed occasionally.

I've had my Makarov since 1988 or so. It's a 380acp commercial model from Russia. It has never malfunctioned. I have to have fired at least 10,000 rounds through it.

On the other hand, I have half a dozen or so revolvers made in the 19 teens and 20's. None of them have malfunctioned for me either.

I like both for different reasons.

aesthetically semi doesn’t even come close to a SS finished revolver. Then my favorite calibers 357 and 44 are basically revolver calibers. I do carry them, but I am traveling outside the comfort zone of the ranch/house etc I shift semi autos for lighter weight, more ammo and quick mag change, easy to carry and conceal sake.

Obturation said:

I like shooting revolvers and carrying semis. So, both.
If I had to leave one design behind forever it would be bye bye bottom feeders.

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I totally agree. I carry both at the same time. A 642 in a pocket holster and a g19 gen 3 in AIWB. I am faster on the draw and fire with the 642. In 5yds or less, I have practiced to the point of proficiency while on the move. If it get worse, then the g19 sits ready. Once the 642 runs dry it goes in my right leg cargo pocket (always with Velcro closure. I believe this EDC loadout covers most scenarios I may have to survive. I wear cargo pants/shorts No matter where I go. I never tuck in my shirt and if I have a formal event, I have my cargos starched and pressed.