Finally bought a revolver and I hate it

[ArchAngelCD]

p89cajun,
Don't condemn the tool when the worker isn't doing his job. You said the revolver is inaccurate when you should have said I'm inaccurate with a revolver. Like said above, a pistol is very different from a DA revolver and you need to practice a lot to get it right.

There is no reason to bash revolvers just because you can't shoot one well. I can hit 4 out of 5 steel targets from 25 yards. (I'm working at the fifth LOL). I can shoot very well from 15 yards and closer and can achieve tight groups. I couldn't hit the paper from 7 yards the first day I had my S&W Model 638, it all takes practice.

I truly hope you are willing to put in the time required to shoot a snub nose revolver well because it's well worth the time, IMO of course...

Below is a target I shot from 10 yards (30 feet) out, 5 rounds of .38 Special through my M638. (1 7/8" barrel)

 

[22-rimfire]

Personally I like revolvers, but I believe they are more difficult to shoot consistantly than a semi-auto pistol. If you can shoot a revolver well, I think you can shoot a pistol very well. The shooter has to pay more attention to form with a revolver (grip, hand placement, etc.) even in single action. I often relax my grip and have to re-do the grip between shots. Hence, you have introduced a measure of inconsistancy into the process that often doesn't happen with a semi-auto pistol. I honestly probably shoot a pistol better than most revolvers, but it is more about my sloppiness than ability or the revolver's inherent accuracy.

Shoot the revolver in single action until you are consistant and then move to slow controlled double action fire. Heck, I rarely even shoot in double action except for fun or practicing with my carry gun. That's what I have semi-autos for.

 

[19-3Ben]

If you were looking for a first revolver for CCW, i would have pointed you toward an SP101 3". It's a sorta-snubbie. the 3"bbl conceals nicely, but will still give you accuracy, and more controlability. You may have had a better experience. If you like the idea of having a revolver around, why not trade the Taurus for an SP101. Even if you take a loss in trade it will be very well worth it for your shooting experience.

 

[shooter429]

Trade for Model 60 3"

Is what I would do. These are sweet, smooth, comfy shooters that will shoot straight and give you years of reliable service.

If all one can afford is a Taurus...fine, but if you can spend a little more get the S&W and I think you will be much happier in the long run.

Shooter429

 

[Nathanael_Greene]

I for one won't try to change your mind.

You bought the revolver, hate it, and want to move on to something else.

I understand.

And I want to help.

I'll take that nasty, inaccurate piece of Brazilian metal off your hands. I'll even give you fifty bucks.

Really; no need to thank me.

 

[Monkeybear]

I say, from experience, that if you can shoot a DA revolver well you can shoot anything(handguns). I agree that you should have started off with a larger revolver but if you have chosen a difficult platform to learn with you can either say "its hard so I don't like it as much" or you can say "I am having a hard time with this, dose anyone have some tips".

On the other hand if its just not your thing, I will gladly take it off your hands. I'll even pay the shipping and transfer fee.

 

[Elm Creek Smith]

I'll take that nasty, inaccurate piece of Brazilian metal off your hands. I'll even give you fifty bucks.

You're just trying to take advantage of that poor fella. I'll give 'im fifty-five bucks!

ECS

 

[Arcticfox]

eh hem....

Shoulda bought a smith & wesson. Then, you never would've started this thread

 

[Nathanael_Greene]

You're just trying to take advantage of that poor fella. I'll give 'im fifty-five bucks!

ECS

The Nobel Prize Committee will think I'm stumping for votes, but as a humanitarian gesture, I'll go to sixty.

No, wait...sixty one.

 

[sansone]

I had a 4" smith revolver, and my dad had a 4" colt.. Both were as accurate as any 4" auto. I like auto's for capacity, but a revolver lives at my bedside

 

[Hawk]

I have trigger related OCD. My double-action-fu is weak, very weak.

I've been trying to correct that with a fair number of rounds through several recently acquired revolvers. No joy. I still shoot the 4" semi much better than any revolver in double action.

Single action out of the Python is a wondrous thing but one can't really enjoy talking about such things in the revolver forum where real shooters only use double action and some even <gasp> bob the hammers and pay to have the SA sear ground off.

Doesn't mean the revolvers are for sale, just means they're usually fired single action. In the event of a "serious" encounter where I find myself with a revolver, I'll simply aim a yard low and left of where I intend to hit.

 

[James T Thomas]

good boy!

I have a feeling that the "old curr dog" of a revolver, will grow on you.
Haveing him around for awhile, you will find yourself growing to like him more and more.

 

[Bo]

I've got a 650 ss also. Great pocket pistol! It doesn't have to be that accurate, it's a up close and personal gun. Shooting 357's through it will definately make your hand sore. Keep practicing, it's a good pistol.

 

[The_Shootist]

Snubbified

Ok - got to shoot my Taurus 85 today - a true snubby vs my SP 101 in 3 " bbl. It was quite the shock compared to the Ruger.

I found, at seven yrds, if I didn't concentrate on the sight picture, my shots were easily going 6-7 inches high. Concentration on the sights and aiming put them either dead on or within 1-2 inches of POA.

Now I realize that 6-7 inches high might still be considered "minute-of-bad-guy" but I sure wasn't used to being off that much with any revolver. With my SP 101, even careless aiming puts me within 3-4 inches of POA at seven yds.

Now if any self-dense encounter took place when armed with the Taurus at 3 yds or less (as FBI stats indicate through the rule of 3's) I suspect accuracy will be sufficient. But I kinda like every edge I can get, and if in a real encounter, taking place at 7 yds with people shooting AT ME, I wonder how able I will be to concentrate and get the needed accuracy?

Another shocker was the FBI load in the Taurus. Most of the rounds where standard pressure 158 gr wadcutters and recoil was negligible - even in a revolver of such light weight. But when firing off the FBI load, it was like going from the FBI Load to Full House Magnums in my SP 101!! Fortunately, with a bit of concentrating, that proved to be a pretty accurate (albeit unpleasant ) load to use.

I didn't fire many rounds today - it was just too hot/humid (and sunny) for a change. I will keep at it, as the Taurus is just too easy to carry. But you have to be reasonably competent with what you carry and for this, my first real snub, its going take some practice.

 

[greyling22]

what makes the snubbie revolver so much more difficult than a snub automatic? I've always thought an auto was much more difficult to hit with than a revolver. what am I missing?

 

[The Lone Haranguer]

For your first revolver, you picked the most difficult (IMO) of all handguns to shoot. They have relatively poor sights, heavy trigger pulls, point high and have little grip to hold onto, which is necessary for deeper concealment but magnifies the already heavy recoil. Had you chosen a medium-frame revolver (e.g., the S&W Model 10s shown in multiple threads on this page), I think your opinion would be much different.

 

[glassman]

I like revolvers for their simplicity and reliability. No FTF, FTE and it is very forgiving. If it fails to fire, just pull the trigger again..no wasted precious seconds needed to rack the slide. Someone here wrote that a pocket snubbie is a gun that "should be seldom fired but often carried". I disagree in the sense that if you carry it, you should be proficient with it. Yes, the recoil is nasty and at first, it may seem inaccurate. I think if you shoot the beast you will become adept with it and learn to like it for what it was meant to do.

 

[Biff]

Hey, I'll go seventy-five!

Seriously, my Taurus 606 (6 shot 2" .357) has a set of grips that fit my hands so well that inside ten yards hitting what I am looking at is actually pretty easy.

 

[Rufus Pisanus]

I would be very surprised if - all else being equal - a revolver was less accurate than a semi-auto (pretty much the same situation as a bolt action rifle and a semi-auto rifle.) The revolver (like the bolt action rifle) doesn't have much mass in motion while the bullet is accelerating in the barrel so it's easier to make them accurate. Clearly technology can make the semi-autos more accurate to the point probably of being as accurate as the revolver, but more? I doubt it. The only benefit could perhaps be that the mechanism reduces apparent recoil and thus may make it more controllable and easier to shoot.

The big if here is of course the "all else being equal" which has to do with mass, barrel length, shooter skills, etc etc. Thus, I am sure that one can find a snubby in 357 less accurate than an accurized 1911 in 38 super...

Personally, I can shoot my SW model 19 and a friend's 686 much more accurately than any 40 SW or 357 SIG pistol (including Glocks, Berettas and SIGs) that I have tried. On the other hand the revolvers might have been heavier than at least some of the semi-autos so this is not a good test either...

 

[Eyesac]

+1

For your first revolver, you picked the most difficult (IMO) of all handguns to shoot. They have relatively poor sights, heavy trigger pulls, point high and have little grip to hold onto, which is necessary for deeper concealment but magnifies the already heavy recoil

 

[sandy4570]

p89cajun
Get yourself a set of snap cap and starting reload for your snubbie because that will be only way you can hit anything with it. I won't dare get a snubbie of my own until couple of years ago when I start to reload because I knew then as I know now that without practice I will never hit anything with this snub nose (I still work on 15 yards because my target still look like a shot gun pattern ) . I can't argue about accuratcy of the revolver because I seem to hit tighter group with 9 mm pistol but then again they are bigger , heavier and have longer barrel than snubnose revolver .

 

[MrBorland]

The revolver (like the bolt action rifle) doesn't have much mass in motion while the bullet is accelerating in the barrel so it's easier to make them accurate.

I recall the revolver-vs-semi accuracy issue was addressed here some time ago (probably many times). IIRC, the consensus was that, as far as inherent accuracy, each platform had it's own strengths and weaknesses, and in the end, all else being equal, the revolver mayyyyybe be a teensy bit more accurate. Mayyyybe.

As far as the "mass in motion while the bullet is accelerating" argument, I've heard this before, and I'm skeptical. I used to think this was true as well, but then I saw a high-speed movie of a pistol being fired, and it was clear (from this movie, anyway), that the bullet clears the barrel long before the slide even begins to move. If this weren't true, semi-auto rifles, such as an AR15, would be more inherently inaccurate than pistols.

 

[Hawk]

I don't claim any expertise on the matter but, intuitively, I can't picture the revolver being as accurate as a semi when fired by normal mortals.

But mechanical accuracy perhaps is not relevant. Tack-driving accuracy isn't what most of our handguns are about. The much-maligned phrase "combat accuracy" likely makes sense in the context of a "packable" CCW.

Triggers matter.

It's been my experience that the best Python trigger is long, heavy and nasty compared to even a low cost 1911's trigger. Comparing the trigger of a more pedestrian revolver to a well-tuned combat single action semi is impossible - it's like they're from different planets.

People a lot smarter than I advocate disabling the single action functionality of any defensive revolver. Several models come that way from the factory. I'm reasonably accurate with my revolvers when fired single-action but the range babes look at me funny when I do that. One can no doubt get proficient in double action, as exhibited by some in this thread, but it's going to take practice, a lot of money for ammo or componenets, determination and no small amount of talent to do what is much easier with a single action semi. One can put all the time and money thus saved into training and more practice.

I hear there are semis with grotty triggers. However, I have steadfastly avoided them and acknowledge their existance as an article of faith.

 

[MrBorland]

I don't claim any expertise on the matter but, intuitively, I can't picture the revolver being as accurate as a semi when fired by normal mortals.

There's a lot to be said for rendering a defense-only revolver DAO. OTOH, not all revolvers are defense-only, so, in these cases, it's a nice option to have, so long as you're proficient shooting DA.

The above statement implies big differences in inherent accuracy of the 2 platforms, which, isn't really that big. To be more accurate, I think it should read "I can't picture any shooting being as accurate with a revolver as with a semi". I, for one, will tell you, I'm at least as accurate with my revolver (shooting DA) as I am with any semi I've shot (and it's nice to know I can pick up a semi and shoot a nice group). I personally prefer revolvers, though, so I practice a lot with one. As said before, one should shoot what they prefer and what they're willing to practice with, but know up front that becoming a good shot with a revolver just takes more practice.

 

[doc2rn]

I know that the exotic alloy Taurus are just like my 642 some of them rounds hurt my wrist. You might wanna consider some pretty light wadcutters to practice with first.