Stirring the pot

Nostalgia plays absolutely no part in my SD role.

I want simple, reliable and easy to use.

So far, Glocks have filled the role just fine.

YMMV....

I generally shoot revolvers better than semiautomatics.

And I shoot semi-autos better than revolvers. There really isn't any more to it than that for me. I do have revolvers and like them.

When I first started carrying it was a 5 shot snub .38 and carried it for quite a while. Due to the size and shape of speed loaders I didn't carry one. Been carrying semi-auto for a long time now, and one extra mag in my pocket. I was just never able to become proficient with reloading quickly with a speed loader, magazine is a lot faster and easier for me. I still have a couple revolvers but they are range guns.

SharpDog

A lot depends on what you're doing with your revolvers and semi-autos. Both work well as range guns for target shooting or casual plinking. If you're hunting with a handgun (or are in need of some heavy duty backwoods protection), then your .44 Mag. and .41 Mag. would serve you very well in that regard. As a more practical application for self defense, I prefer a semi-auto (9mm. or .45), and I want one that's reliable, durable, ergonomic, accurate, and easy to use. The fact that it's quicker to reload with a magazine than a revolver with speedloaders or moon clips is another big plus to me.

If you want to reload a revolver as fast as possible, moon clips win.

If all you care about is getting as many rounds on target as fast as possible, and power levels aren’t a huge concern, then a semiautomatic with several magazines is likely a better option.

I have no use for mood clips myself and I do carry revolvers regularly in the woods. But competition doesn’t interest me much and theres next to none where I live.

It’s just a matter of what you want to do.

I know, I know revolvers are more reliable (e.g. than a Glock)

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Not a chance. Semi's have proven to be much more rugged and reliable than any revolver. Semi's are dependent on good ammo while revolvers will usually shoot anything you can fit in the chambers. But the quality ammo issue was solved decades ago. The myth remains however.

The only thing revolvers have over semi's is that the long barreled magnum revolvers offer more power and accuracy at long range than semi's. But for any application where you'd consider a revolver with a barrel less than 6" I'd take a semi every time.

jmr40 said:

Semi's have proven to be much more rugged and reliable than any revolver.

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I'm afraid I must disagree. I've seen modern semis choke, sometimes repeatedly, on factory JHP's, and sometimes even FMJ. Usually only on one or two types for any given gun, but it does happen. I test my semis with various ammo to check for this. Sometimes I can't figure out *why* a load won't feed (I got two failures to feed out of 20 rounds in one S&W M&P, but none in multiple boxes from the same batch with a different M&P - that had me scratching my head). Sometimes I suspect operator error contributes. Regardless, a failure to feed is a failure to feed.

I've yet to see any revolver choke on any factory load. Perhaps I've just been lucky.

Also note that there are just more things to go wrong with a semi than with a revolver. Quality of design and manufacture will likely trump that (a cheap revolver will probably be less reliable than an expensive semi auto), but all else being equal the revolver will come out ahead.

This isn't to say moderns semis aren't extremely reliable (especially with the right ammo). I regularly carry a semi and I'm happy with it.

I vividly remember a self-defense pistol class I took years ago. I was the only one with a revolver. Part of the class was drilling for failures. While the rest of the class struggled with problems, I just pulled the trigger again.

If you browse this and other gun boards regularly, you will read many accounts of revolvers failing -- crud under the ejector star, ejector rod unscrewing, transfer bar breaking, primers backing out and so on. And revolver stoppages are typically more difficult to clear than automatic stoppages.

Yeah I'm not convinced that revolvers are any more, or less, reliable than a semi-auto. I've had an SP101 lock up on me because I short stroked the trigger and I've got a Colt that's out of time. And I've had issues with various semi-auto's, including a Glock 23 and a Kahr P380.

I'm also not convinced capacity really matters for a civilian, so I still prefer to carry a revolver. To me they are no less comfortable to conceal in either a pocket or AIWB, and the real kicker is I have young kids and I just feel safer with that heavy DA trigger pull if God forbid something should happen and they manage to get their hands on one. It's just one extra layer of safety for me.

That being said I don't do moon clips or speed loaders, I just drop a speed strip in my back pocket and leave it at that. Like I said, I don't believe capacity is really that important and the likelihood of needing more than 5-6 shots is practically nil.

bassjam said:

I'm also not convinced capacity really matters for a civilian, so I still prefer to carry a revolver.

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It doesn't, unless you find yourself in a situation where it does. Chances are low. Chances of needing a gun at all are also pretty low.

ATLDave said:

It doesn't, unless you find yourself in a situation where it does. Chances are low. Chances of needing a gun at all are also pretty low.

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Yeah, it's all a gamble. I've always said that if I ever thought I really needed to have a gun on me, I'd carry a rifle.

SharpDog said:

I am now noticing (prolly they've always been prominant and I'm now noticing) an increase in revolvers with moon clips. Rationale being moonclips are easier to use than speedloaders.

My (flame away) question is why get a revolver with a speedloader when you can just get a semi.

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If you want to compete with revolvers in any of the speed action games then moon clips on a revolver make sense. They can reduce your reloading time. This is the main place that you see them and the reason for their recent rise in popularity over the last decade or two.

They are especially helpful with shorter cartridges like the 9mm, 40 S&W, 45 acp, and 38 Spl.

They first showed up in the Colt and S&W M1917s produced during the First World War. Colt could not produce enough 1911s fast enough for the military's use and so revolvers in 45 acp were enlisted. S&W first made these with a half moon clip. They later introduced a full moon. The 45 acp is a rimless cartridge so the clip was intended to aid in rapid ejection of the rounds.

So why use a wheelgun with a speedloader, or moon clip, when you can shoot a semi? Because you like revolvers, that would be why.

bassjam said:

Yeah, it's all a gamble. I've always said that if I ever thought I really needed to have a gun on me, I'd carry a rifle.

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It's a sliding scale. For carry guns I have a 2.0 Compact, a Shield and an LCP that I change up depending on what I'm wearing and where I'm going. The truth is I rarely carry the Compact, it's more of a backpack and truck gun. I mainly switch between the others but it's honestly really nice to just drop the LCP in a holster and stick it in a pocket and basically go about my day without even thinking about it being there. It's definitely a trade-off compared to the other two in terms of effectiveness, though. And yeah, if you're going into a situation thinking you'll actually need a gun you'll be much better served by carrying a rifle.

As far as the topic at hand goes, I think revolvers shine in the larger calibers that you can't get in mainstream semis. Although I will say they're a lot of fun to shoot in any caliber, and one of my favorite plinker guns is a cheapo High Standard 22 revolver my dad got for me when I was about 15.

One thing that is never mentioned is that handguns like many other items we purchase are influenced by movies. When I bought my first DA revolver movies like "Dirty Harry" were on & handguns used by good guys were DA revolvers, the bigger the better. Today you'll rarely find anybody in modern era movies shooting anything other than high capacity (usually) 9 mm semi auto pistols.

There's no arguing that a compact pistol that holds 15 rounds of 9 mm ammo & a spare magazine with another 15 rounds in your pocket is a huge advantage over a DA 6-shot wheel gun & moon clips. Pistols & spare magazines are also flatter than revolvers & moon clips so they are easier to CC. Revolvers are more reliable mostly because they are not sensitive to changes in ammunition but any gun can malfunction & in a life or death situation if you are not trained to instinctively handle malfunctions quickly it won't matter if its a revolver or a pistol, you're going to lose.

That being said I don't own a modern semi auto pistol. I'm a target shooter & all my center fire handguns are revolvers except for my beloved 1911. I have been shooting all of them for a long time & feel that I can handle myself well enough even with a 5-shot 357 Mag. snubbie. But a medium sized high cap pistol (in 45 ACP of course) would definitely be a nice addition.

Call it being retro, or nostalgic, or just going against the grain -- but there's something about moon-clips for a revolver that sing to me.

Plus, for the nominal price of very sturdy moon-clips, I'm able to have about 330 rounds of .45 ACP ammo ready to go. The equivalent rounds in spring-loaded magazines for a semiauto would set me back quite a bit more. Just a minor consideration perhaps, but still something...

Vern Humphrey said:

If you browse this and other gun boards regularly, you will read many accounts of revolvers failing -- crud under the ejector star, ejector rod unscrewing, transfer bar breaking, primers backing out and so on. And revolver stoppages are typically more difficult to clear than automatic stoppages.

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I also see threads by people who say you don't need to clean revolvers. I also see reports of stovepipes, double feeds, inadvertent magazines releases, and numerous other failures in semi autos. What's your point? Anything will break eventually. Any tool, if misused, will eventually fail. That revolvers fail sometimes is not evidence that they are more or less reliable than semi autos.

Gridley said:

I also see threads by people who say you don't need to clean revolvers. I also see reports of stovepipes, double feeds, inadvertent magazines releases, and numerous other failures in semi autos. What's your point? Anything will break eventually. Any tool, if misused, will eventually fail. That revolvers fail sometimes is not evidence that they are more or less reliable than semi autos.

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My point is that revolvers are not, as so often claimed, all that more reliable than automatics.

@SharpDog Why the thread title "Stirring The Pot"? You have a legitimate question, so why such a title? Are you looking for an honest discussion or a flame war?

In my experience semi's and revolver's reliability are equal. But I have never thrown my guns in the mud, frozen them in ice, shot them without lube until they fail, drug them behind a truck, or any of the other silly crap that is posted on the net.
In the instances that both fail the semi is easier to clear for me. Revolvers can be had in more powerful rounds, but semi's are no slouch either. As for accuracy it is a tie. Everyone who claims a revolver is more accurate has never shot a Les Baer 45 or a Sig P210. I have examples of both as well as Smith, Ruger, Dan Wesson, and Freedom Arms revolvers, the most accurate of all at distance is my Dan Wesson 44, but it was shot with a 4 power pistol scope. It was able to shoot 100 yard groups of less than 2". But shooting with open sights over sandbags at 25 yards there is no difference between my revolvers and auto's.

Shoot what you hit best with.
If a gun doesn't beg you to pick it up and practice with it, sell it.
If it feels good, shoot it.
Caliber doesn't matter. Really. Not among centerfire handgun cartridges. Maybe if you're worried about grizzly bears, but not for "other" targets.

I carry a Single Action Ruger Blackhawk. That is the handgun that is most intuitive to me. I can clear leather and fire quicker with it than I can with any other type of handgun. And its .45 Colt bullet is capable of doing what is necessary to save my hide. I have lived with, carried, drawn and fired the Single Action enough that I am completely confident in its use.

Bob Wright