Revolver or Auto: Which Do You Shoot Better?

I've got revolvers but have not shot one in about 4 years. I shoot semi autos at least monthly; I'm guessing I shoot a semi auto better.

With essential tremors "better" doesn't apply to my hand gun shooting offhand anymore. I'm an equally bum shot with either species. I'm just thankful that I am still able to go shoot.

Charlie Martinez said:

When slow firing in SA only mode I shoot revolvers better.

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Funny you mention that.

I've had a number of Ruger SA's, and I found that I really had to concentrate on my hold to get good accuracy. What I realized was I was moving my hand to cock the revolver before the shot was barely off... the lock time on the Ruger hammer was so slow. Settling down, waiting for the pistol to fire and keeping the sight picture through the recoil cycle helped my accuracy immensely.

Started out a revolver kind of guy, mostly DA models (and a few SA guns), and primarily Colts, S&Ws, and Rugers. Then I gradually shifted to semi-autos which is pretty much where I have been for the last 40 years or so. I have recently within the last few years gotten back to my wheelgun roots with SA revolvers, namely with black powder guns.

Semi-auto favorites include Colt 1911s, SIG P Series, CZs, Browning Hi-Powers, and Rugers. They fit my hand better, sights are quicker to acquire, are faster to reload, are more accurate and for me, easier to carry concealed.

Started out with revolvers, have pistols, but still shoot the revolver better than the semi-auto.

Reeferman said:

Revolvers hands down. Probably cause I’m too worried about losing brass. If it’s .22 then it doesn’t matter.

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Same here, cause I’m a brass slut! LOL
Reason I shoot mostly AL and steel cased ammo, so I don’t worry about where it goes.

I shoot better with revolvers but never knew why. I assume they just balance better in my hand and let me handle recoil better. Philosophically, they suit me better because of their history and I don't have to chase brass. At my age, that counts for a lot.

I like the title of 'brass slut' LeftyRed used. It sure applies to me.

Jeff

I shoot both revolvers and semi-autos about the same but I shoot semi-autos to the left if the sights are centered on the gun.

What I feel is my "normal" grip on a semi-auto is the reason but I can't seem to regularly adjust my grip in quick deployments of the gun to compensate.

So, I prefer semi-auots that I can adjust the sights for at least windage.

My most accurate handgun (in my hands) is a Browning International Medalist, which is of course a semi-automatic. Most accurate centerfire is the 6" Smith & Wesson 686.

I've let a few friends and family shoot the International Medalist (and others guns). Every one of them outshot their own handguns with the Medalist.

I think revolvers are both easier and harder to shoot well, double action I would argue they may be more difficult if you don't have good trigger discipline but in single action, they're much like 1911's in that they're nearly effortless to shoot. I can typically shoot both well unless the triggers are absolute trash.

I shoot revolvers better than semiautos. I do believe it’s because I like them more, therefore I care more about how I shoot with them.
I must say that a few months ago I shot a guy’s Glock and his Sig Sauer that both had superb triggers compared to my Glocks. I have been working on the triggers of my G34s and I am shooting them both much better. Still not as good as I shoot my revolvers accuracy-wise, but much better. There is hope for me yet with semiautos.

Doing the draw from concealment, and putting the first shot in the vital zone at ten yards, in under two seconds drill, my first shot accuracy is better with a revolver. With either one, I tend to shoot low, or my bad-shots will be low. (groin shots!)(OUCH!) With an automatic, my follow up shots tend to be more accurate, as then I'm shooting single action, whereas I'm still shooting double action with the revolver. None of my automatics are DAO, or striker-fired Glock type pistols. The 1911, CZ52, Beretta 92, Tokarev, etc. are my old-school autos of choice.

For some reason I don't do as well with smaller automatics, in the .380/.32ACP/9mmMak category.

Depends but I voted revolver. My revolvers have the nicer triggers over the auto feeders. The 1911 would be the exception to them. The Sig 229 with SRT I liked.

Revolvers. They have more accuracy built in, with better triggers. Barrel is fixed in place. Most are steel, not plastic.

Match grade 45 acp auto loaders can be very accurate. Pray & Spray autos not as accurate, but are built for close range, special purpose.

Hard to not like them all. Buying a new gun liked even more.

Kleanbore said:

Most realistic defensive shooting drills, other than hostage rescue scenarios, involve fast shooting at "Tueller distances" and should prepare one for stopping moving attackers.

Speed will bee more meaningful than the kind of precision we would want for bulls-eye shooting or shooting tin cans.

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True, but it's amazing how much one can miss by at close range. As mentioned, if I hurry too much, my first shot goes low. Now a hit in the groin is going to hurt, !!!! but I'd much rather put that first shot in the chest. I've also learned that taking head shots while staying under two seconds is a good way to miss the bad guy completely. I certainly don't strive for the kind of precision to take head shots.

I shoot my GP100 5" best. Could be because I'm shooting 38 spl in DA mostly.

I can't think of anyway to determine which I shoot better without some additional context.

In the context of qualifying for my carry licenses I've always chosen to use my Colt Detective Special. Could I have chosen one of my semi-automatics instead? Sure but the old DS simply provides me the confidence to accomplish a relatively imprecise but necessary task.

Shooting a handgun at much longer distances? I usually find my Dan Wesson 15-2 Monson 38/357 with the 6" barrel shoots better for me. Mostly though that is simply the result of the longer sight radius and the fantastic trigger. Could I do as well with a semi-automatic? Likely if I had one with a similar sight radius but none of my semi-automatics have something that long.

Daily carry? Generally one of my semi-automatics but not because I shoot them better but simply in general they are thinner and so less conspicuous.

I voted "about the same". But, with adjustable rear sight on my Blackhawk, I shoot that the best. The SA replicas, still a bit of a learning curve as one shoots "truer" than the other.
Learning curve.

WrongHanded said:

Forgetting about size, weight, capacity, speed of reloading etc.

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I said equal because all these and trigger make more difference.

Sigs and 1911s only for autos in order to match accuracy of Smith revolvers

I changed my vote from revolvers to about equal.
I have had/have some really accurate revolvers and some decent semiautomatics. I think it would be hard for a open sight semiautomatic to compete against a long barrel scoped revolver, but I can't shoot the revolver as fast with good accuracy.

SA revolvers and autos equally, DA revolvers less so.

About the same if I’m comparing to a semi with a long DA trigger. Rapid fire comparisons are more difficult though because of this.