An Age Old Debate........
The only correct answer is: Whatever you are comfortable and confident with..... PERIOD.
My Father was a competitive shooter, he preferred revolvers. It is about all he would shoot.
I shot my first handgun over 52 years ago at the age of 6... It was a 6" K-22, then called the Target Master or something like that. It was placed in my unsteady hand by Lt. Bob Swearingin at the old Houston Police Departments Range under the Capitol Ave. bridge.
16 Years later, I shot that same revolver in Cadet Training.. I fell in love with PPC Competition, eventually working my way up to Master with a score of 1485.
I grew up with guns, shot my first NRA sanctioned match at the age a 6 (smallbore rifle), I have continued our family membership in a local Gun Club that we have continuously held since 1956.
I, threw osmosis I guess, 1st learned to shoot Revolver... In the Academy I qualified Distinguished, and held that rating most of my career. Only Falling off of distinguished after switching to an Automatic.
I took to a revolver like a duck to water... to this day, if I see students having problems with trigger control, or a myriad of other bad habits... We switch to a revolver.. Back to basics.
If you want to learn to properly grip a pistol and maintain good trigger control, learn to shoot double action revolver. There is no better teacher for trigger control that balancing a quarter near the front sight, then pull it through double action, dry firing, without knocking the quarter off... Slowly building speed as you go.
I own dozens of handguns, of all flavors types, designs and calibers..
But I am most comfortable with a revolver.... I am most accurate with a revolver....Why, because it is what I literally grew up with.
I later changed to an Automatic, not for speed, or ease of reload, and capacity.... I did it because of weight.... wearing a uniform, with a gun, ammo, handcuffs, radio, baton, etc, sometimes up to 18 hours a day... my back was killing me... so, upon the advise of an Orthopedic Surgeon, bought a Glock....
My back loved it... But 9mm just don't do it for me, so I switched to a Beretta 96 in 40. The weight went back up, but it was a good compromise... I learned to cope.
I shoot them all, am prone to carry them all....
To say that a Revolver is slow to reload.... Just watch any PPC Match with revolvers in play. To those who say that they are slow... just don't know..
When we would load out to kick doors on a dope house, we would often load out with up to 4 handguns... Why? Because if you KNOW there is a high probability of getting into a shootout... it is quicker to grab another gun than to reload... Even if you are really good at it... avoid it if you can.
I know that this sounds contradictory, but the best way to avoid a combat reload is to... well not get into combat... Failing in that... make your first rounds count...
Statistics show that the average firefight lasts 2.1 seconds, at an average distance of less than 7 ft., and an average of 2.7 shots are fired. Belt fed pistols are generally not needed.
Accuracy is certain, and if you can get that with a Revolver, that is what you need to be carrying.. If you are more comfortable with and can master an Automatic, then that is what you need to be carrying.. If you do not feel confident in making rapid center mass hits with a handgun, leave it at home... the spray and pray tactic scares the hell out of me...
Dance with the one that brung ya... and if she happens to be a revolver... go with it..
I believe that the reason us "Old Guys" tend to shoot more revolver is because that was what was popular in our youth... Today, its all Automatics... The market, as previously mentioned, is dominated by auto-loaders... TV and Movies, all auto loaders...
Even My old Department, who when I came on, it was Revolvers only until you had a year on the street, then you could switch to an Auto.. Now, Cadets are given a list of approved autos to choose from, and that is what they train on.
It's a changing world..... But I can still tear a 10 ring up with either, but I you want me to draw smiley faces at 11 yds, and knock a can off a fence post at 50, or roll a paint can at 100, I'll need a revolver for that...
