Observations of Revolver Owners

[TwoNiner]

I've been going to the range more frequently lately, and I have a couple of observations about myself and other revolver owners. I'm interested to see anyone has observed the same things...

First, as a revolver owner, I never go to the range without at least one of my wheel guns. I have a couple of auto-loaders, one of which is a Ruger MkIII 22/45 and is my primary practice gun because I can go through 400-500 rounds per trip and not feel guilty.

However, the range bag just feels empty without wheel gun in it. In fact, it's difficult for me to take choose just one wheel gun to take to the range. They're like a bunch of kids screaming that they all want to go. I think my uncle has the same problem because he brings no less than 5 SA and DA revolvers each trip. Likewise, when I see other 'revolver guys' at the range, they likely will have more than one.

Second, I notice that revolver owners tend to take a lot of pride in the reliability and durability of their gun, and enjoy the dynamic of its operational simplicity. After all, trigger pulls always go bang, no brass goes flying, and reloads are slow and deliberate, with one round going in a time, giving the shooter a chance to evaluate his/her groups after six shots.

In contrast, when I'm shooting an auto loader I feel my focus to be on firepower and burning through all my ammo as quickly as possible so I can get to the finish line, so to speak, and then evaluate my shots. I am always thinking to myself "OK I've got 3 more full mags to go, then I can rest!"

Your thoughts?

 

[HighRoadRover]

I have noticed myself slowing down, aiming a bit more carefully, and enjoying the range experience a bit more, when shooting a revolver.

I also feel like adjacent lane people (many of them youngsters, apparently pretty new to shooting, the kind of people who let a lot of rounds rip but put them all over the paper, and call a magazine a clip) are watching me more often now. And I imagine them feeling a little smug when they see my old fashioned 40 ounce stainless GP100 but having second thoughts when they see all the holes in the black.

 

[CajunBass]

I'm a "revolver guy" myself. I grew up in a time when revolvers were king. Semi's were limited to a handfull of makes and models, and were thought of as a bit of an oddity.

I've been through the semi phase a time or two, and I can't say I shoot them any differently. I don't even load the magazine fully most of the time. Five rounds is a good round number, rather it's a semi or a revolver. It's either one row, or a half a row in a box of ammo. I always hated that "extra" round left over.

I've never done the shoot fast to empty the magazine thing. I think it's because I've never thought of myself as "training" or even practicing. I just go shooting. I'm in no hurry to shoot up my ammo. I'll have to go home soon enough as it is.

About the only person who pays any attention to me at the range is the old fellow who's the rangemaster. He'll check to see, "Whatchatbringtoday" when I start unloading.

I do tend to carry more than one gun, but I do that no matter what. And I REALLY like not having to chase brass.

 

[RUT]

>>I grew up in a time when revolvers were king. Semi's were limited to a handfull of makes and models, and were thought of as a bit of an oddity.<<

Hey, a man I can relate to!

 

[plateshooter]

We as posters in this thread must be all close to the same age.

I grew up with wheel guns too. I used to shoot with a local PD pistol team back in the early 70s where there was occasionally a match for semi autos, but they were rare and had few participants. It was common shooting the PPC that some of the shots were taken at 50 yards and 10 ring hits were expected and very doable with a 6" Mdl 19 S&W or equivalent wheel gun.

I have never been able to shoot my semi auto pistols as well as my wheel guns. For me here in Ohio, when the snow comes down, the wheel guns come out. Brass has a way of vanishing when it hits the snow.

 

[MrBorland]

After all, trigger pulls always go bang, no brass goes flying, and reloads are slow and deliberate, with one round going in a time, giving the shooter a chance to evaluate his/her groups after six shots.

What you describe aren't inherent qualities of a revolver. You're describing a nice Sunday drive in a classic Buick. Push it hard enough, and you'll find the opposite is true on all accounts, and you won't be loving revolvers simply because of how they contrast to semi-autos.

 

[22-rimfire]

In contrast, when I'm shooting an auto loader I feel my focus to be on firepower and burning through all my ammo as quickly as possible so I can get to the finish line, so to speak, and then evaluate my shots. I am always thinking to myself "OK I've got 3 more full mags to go, then I can rest!"

Wow. Sounds like you're just shooting to blow through your ammunition without much purpose. I don't even think of 22LR that way or anything akin to that.

A revolver always goes to the range with me even if I plan on shooting rifles. I can't say that about semi-auto pistols.

Taking a walk in the woods.... the revolver goes. Pretty much the way it is.

 

[wanderinwalker]

Agreed with MrBorland. I'm a revolver owner. I've been recognized as "Oh, you're the revolver shooter!" at the range before. But I drive them as hard as I drive my semi-autos; rapid fire, reloads, and shooting for 25 and 50-yard accuracy. The myth of revolver simplicity dies fast if you start doing any kind of shooting that requires movement, reloading and multiple targets.

That said, I much prefer to master the DA revolver. Shooting a 1911 well is almost boringly easy in comparison.

Having said all that, I hope to someday be half the wheelgunner MrBorland is.

 

[Throwingdown]

I like both. Each has their pros/cons. I look at it his way. If 15 rounds of 9mm or 6 rounds of full house 357 won't get the job done - you should have been using a rifle.
I shoot both, carry both but I must say the reason I like revolvers is because I like the older craftsmanship and the high quality materials. To purchase a similar quality 1911 would be a minimum of 1800.00 and up. So I don't see 5-800.00 for a nice old S&W to be "too" expensive.

My first two guns were a colt 357 and a S&W 38snub. Many years later a friend got me back into shooting wheelies. He has an amazing collection of wheel guns

What I enjoy most about them is their quality, their solid feel and with the magnums, the amount of sheer power. I also believe that if you can accurately shoot a revolver in double action, a semi is cake.

 

[stanmo]

I think the OP needs a .22 revolver.

 

[Esoxchaser]

I plink and hunt with revolvers. I carry a semi for it's thinness and capacity.

 

[Sam1911]

What you describe aren't inherent qualities of a revolver. You're describing a nice Sunday drive in a classic Buick. Push it hard enough, and you'll find the opposite is true on all accounts, and you won't be loving revolvers simply because of how they contrast to semi-autos.

Ha ha! That's exactly what I was going to post!

What is a sidearm FOR? Yes, they're good for hunting, they're fun target plinkers, and they have a classic kind of elan that really appeals to a lot of hobbyists. But that's not why they were invented and developed. They are defensive tools, FIGHTING tools, tools for stopping someone from killing you as fast as humanly possible. There's nothing leisurely, sedate, and pedestrian about that.

These days a lot of folks look at what revolvers aren't (autos, Glocks, "tactical") and instinctively decide that that then defines what they are (plinkers, antiques, slow and deliberate, etc.) But that's not how Bill Jordan, Jelly Bryce, and Ed McGivern, thought about them.

There are some of us -- not just a few -- who, when we pick up a revolver, are still looking at it as a fighting tool, or at least a competitive tool to be run as hard and as fast as we're able. Against a timer, all shots scored for record, or possibly landed where it will make a very bad guy stop what he was doing. My revolvers don't ride to the range in a case or rug, they're loaded and holstered. When my 6 shots are spent, my brass flies as fast and as far as I can smack the ejector to make them go. My reloads go in 6 at a time, fast and smooth -- well, I try anyway . I'm not gazing at my hits, I'm (again, trying to be) calling my shots as the trigger breaks and transitioning to the next target, or moving position as fast as I'm able.

 

[rich636]

I will say that shooting the revolver DA feels more participatory and deliberate compared to my autos. As the hammer comes back and falls I get a feeling synonomous with drawing the string back on a bow and releasing it. So in that sense I feel more connected to each round fired. However when I'm shooting on the clock I don't know that I would notice what gun was in my hands if it weren't for round count and reload method.

 

[Walkalong]

It is kind of fun to see the tupperware youngsters eyeballing your revolver at the pistol pit.

When I shoot on the 100 yard line the older shooters take it in stride, but the young guys really take notice.

 

[KenW.]

Sounds just like rimfire day at my range. I seem to be the only person without a 10-22. I still shoot the .22 that my father taught me with some 40 years ago: Savage 72. Octogon barrel, single shot, exposed hammer...

 

[420Stainless]

I tend to shoot both rather deliberately. I do appreciate that the brass stays put and tend to shoot more revolvers when visiting the indoor range where I can't chase a good percentage of my brass. I like the idea of action shooting, but not enough to have actually tried it yet.

 

[Kleanbore]

As Sam points out, it's a matter of what you intend to use the handgun for.

It it's to shoot bulls eyes, minimizing group size is your objective.

For hunting, you have to factor in both the speed it takes to acquire a moving target timely and the accuracy needed to hit the vitals at some distance.

For practicing for defensive shooting, groups cease to be important once you have mastered the fundamentals of grip, sight picture, and trigger control. Your main objective is to maximize the speed at which you can make repeated hits on a CoM target.

And that's true whether you are shooting a pocket semi-auto, a service semi-auto, or a revolver; for the latter, that obviously means shooing double action, a point stressed by Ed McGivern.

It's not a matter of "burning through all ...[your] ammo as quickly as possible ...[to] get to the finish line", it's a matter of scoring hits quickly so you can do the same thing on a rapidly approaching target.

A really good way to do that is to shoot at steel plates, so you can distinguish between hits and misses in real time.

 

[scramasax]

My first issue gun was a S&W md 10. It was also the holster on my issue SWAT vest. That should date my age a little. The only autos that were in common use were the 1911,BHP, and PPK. Plenty of others in the mix but these were the most common. I always have a wheelgun with me at the range. Just a habit. Still prefer blue steel over stainless.
And have gotten rid of any polymer gun I have ever owned. No problem carrying an auto for SD or fun, just depends on my mood and destination. Love my N frames, nothing else lpleases my eye as much in a handgun.

 

[CraigC]

These days a lot of folks look at what revolvers aren't (autos, Glocks, "tactical") and instinctively decide that that then defines what they are (plinkers, antiques, slow and deliberate, etc.) But that's not how Bill Jordan, Jelly Bryce, and Ed McGivern, thought about them.

Amen! I'm glad I'm not the only one who doesn't get it. I 'like' most types of guns and own at least one of everything (no modern muzzleloaders) but I am an absolute sixgun nut and anyone vaguely familiar with me on this forum should know that. When I shoot my sixguns, I'm not taking my time, slowing it down or equating it to a leisurely stroll in the park. I'm trying to get better. No, not all shooting is serious. I do a lot of shooting just for fun but the intent is usually clear. I'm working on my point shooting, shooting small targets out to at least 50yds, reloading as quickly as possible, practicing with the weak hand and shooting from leather.

 

[sidheshooter]

I don't have the same length rap sheet around here that CraigC does, but some may know me as the guy who starts threads about one-handed and weak hand-only reload drills for the revolver...



I prefer revolvers, and train with them as if they were going to be the primary tool at hand in a serious situation because, most likely, one will.

I also like semis too, though, and train with them as well, mostly because 9mm is cheap and lots of classes skew in favor of semis. That said, my favorite "class" gun is a DAO S&W 3953, which is really sort of like an honorary revolver anyways.

 

[buck460XVR]

When I shoot on the 100 yard line the older shooters take it in stride, but the young guys really take notice.

Same here. I generally set up for the day at 75 yards with my handguns. Many times other hand-gunners will show up after I'm set up and will wait for me to finish. I always offer to let them shoot with me, but seldom do they accept the offer. Most of the time, I'll take a break and let them shoot their box of 50 @ 7 yards. It generally only takes them a few minutes, usually less time than it takes me to pick up their empty brass. Always, if they are bottom feeder only, show interests in my revolvers and seem like good folk, I offer to let them shoot a few cylinders worth.

I shoot slow/deliberate and fast/furious with both autos and revolvers. In hunting scenarios, I'm more concerned with one good shot than peppering the target. In SD scenarios, I like to move and double tap. Same old, same old gets real old, real quick. Like sex, variety in shooting keeps it fresh and entertaining and leaves a taste in your mouth for more.

 

[bluetopper]

The myth of revolver simplicity ends when you open up the sideplate on one of them and watch the internals working.

 

[CraigC]

The simplicity of the revolver lies in its operation, not its construction.

 

[sixgunner455]

I've learned to take a spare sixshooter to my club shoots ... because if it goes down, you're done without a spare. Semiauto, taking it apart and getting it running again, if it didn't actually break, can sometimes be done while you're still on the line, still being timed, but not so much with the revolver.

I like to shoot both.

 

[Panzerschwein]

I don't really agree with the OP.

I enjoy shooting both automatics and revolvers. At the range when I'm shooting at paper, I'm totally focused on being as accurate as possible and making tiny groups, I don't feel like I need to shoot anything fast. I reload at a leisurely pace and pick up my brass as I go.

However, if I'm at home in my little backyard shooting range I will usually be firing more rapidly and will practice "real world" drawing and reloading. I won't be going for max accuracy but will be practicing for a more realistic shooting encounter. I shoot at steel poppers and fruit/trash most of the time.

My theory is that the slow accurate shooting at the indoor range I go to will help me stay more accurate when I'm doing those "real world" drills and of course if I'm ever in a real self defense situation.