I'm 44 and I like a single action as much as a Glock or a 1911. Revolvers have more power in a smaller package, but the semi-auto has the advantage when facing more than one opponent. When you read about shootouts, you realize that very few shots hit the target (10 to 20%).
http://www.theppsc.org/Staff_Views/Aveni/OIS.pdf
The above document is full of very interesting figures:
- Most gunfights take place within TWO yards! Rarely more than seven.
Accuracy is a moot point. Power isn't.
- Revolver shooters hit 10% more often. Not much, but it might make all the difference.
I suspect this is because revolver shooters are older, not as excitable.. Age might be a plus here, if the shooter has kept his practice up. I would think that revolver owners are more often than not gun enthusiasts (not all LEOs are).
- Within the study (Metro-Dade 88-94), semi-auto shooters fire on average one more shot (2.5 vs 3.5). No reloads usually take place.
- NYPD: Average of ten shots fired per incident (that's a whole lot more than six!).
(I also have read accounts of upwards of a hundred shots fired from multiple officers at relatively short distances without anyone getting hit..)
Assuming a high average of 30% hits, you might hit four times out of a fifteen round magazine, once or twice, if you're lucky/good out of a five or six shot cylinder. It all depends on how one keeps his cool. I don't think you know how you'll react until it happens to you at least once. I can't imagine anything most frustrating than having a thug shoot you while your trembling hand reloads your revolver.. It is easier to reload a semi-auto while on the move also, and you better not stop moving to reload unless behind heavy cover.
So, if you are good with your big bore revolver and have nerves of steel, you might have a slight advantage over a semi-auto. Bottom line is, carry what you're used to.
I used to own a Glock 17 (which I regret selling!), it NEVER jammed. I have had failures to ignite with revolvers due to slightly off-center primer hits on hard primers (CCI). Both can fail.. I think it important to shoot a lot to iron out the bugs..
If I was a law enforcement officer or carried a gun in a city, I would choose a .45acp semi-auto. A big bore semi-auto will do everything a revolver can, and carry more ammo as far as self defense is concerned. In the countryside, a .45 Colt single action, and a rifle!
See John Taffin's article about "Fighting Sixguns:"
http://www.sixguns.com/range/fh1sa1.htm