Question for Die-Hard Revolver Fans

[gnappi]

I think that only the truly myopic handgun shooters devote all of their attention to only a narrow type of firearm or caliber. Be it polymer, 1911's, single shot, military or revolver etc. IMO they don't get the whole scope of enjoyment possible with handgunning.

That said my first handgun and probably dozen after that so very long ago were revolvers but over time I began to compete with 1911 and Tanfoglio autos, and carry Beretta or S&W autos. Today I only carry a 1911 in .38 super but still enjoy the rest as range toys.

 

[RustyRevolver]

This is in no way an attempt to denigrate revolvers. I, for one, love and prefer revolvers (both SA and DA). But I am curious what semi-auto pistol is there, if any, that you find as fascinating as a revolver. For me, its the 1911. Ever since I bought my 1911 I can't stop playing with it and shooting with it every time I get a chance to go to the range (4 trips and 500 rounds since I purchased it 6 weeks ago and planning to run another 100 next Monday). I am curious to hear what semi-autos you die-hard revolver fans really appreciate.

I really hate picking up brass. I do have a brass collector that's great for rifles, but not as great for handguns (standing up shooting vs sitting down shooting).
I'm really into revolvers, primarily for the big bore stuff. .44mag, .460 S&W, .480 Ruger. (and some .357 mag). Not a lot of choices in semi-auto's for the big bang stuff. (Maybe a Desert Eagle).

Anyway, the semi-auto handguns I shoot the most are Ruger Mark III or IV's (have several), all .22 LR. So I sweep the brass instead of picking it up.

 

[Buzznrose]

I did not read the entire thread, just the first couple pages, so if this thread detoured from that I guess I responded to soon….but here goes.

Funny how folks place so much emotion into this gun or that. Revolvers are beautiful/artsy/refined…semi’s are functional/tool like/cheap…except their 1911/old berettas/old Walthers.

Maybe I’m the guy who is “soulless”, but they are all just guns to me. Sure, I like some better than others for one reason or another. Some are more reliable, some fit better, some are more fun to use, etc, but in the end, they are all just pieces of metal/wood/plastic and they all sling bullets to some degree.

I think, at least I hope, that for most of you, it’s not the gun itself, but maybe some memory that you have that makes this or that more special. Maybe grandpa taught you how to shoot on it, or maybe it was the first gun you bought as an adult. Maybe it was the gun your father carried, or the one your mother kept in her purse.

I get the feelings…I’m actually starting writing my memoirs, not because my life is/was special, but because I want my grandkids to know me better than they’ll be able to understand me by the time I take my dirt nap and head home. Guns will be in the memories, but only as props during special times with family, friends, and service mates.

Tom Gresham recently shared on a Gun Talk episode about an epiphany he had in the last few years about hunting. He realized it wasn’t the game he killed (or didn’t kill) that made his hunts special…it was the event, the people, the places, the struggle, the success, and the failure that made the memories he created.

I don’t know…maybe I’m all wrong…certainly wouldn’t be a first time.

YMMV.

 

[CraigC]

I don’t know…maybe I’m all wrong…certainly wouldn’t be a first time.

We all romanticize the past to one degree or another. Whether it's our own past or the past in general. Or maybe just a specific part of history. Before I became self employed, I had some crappy jobs. When I think back on it now, I remember the bad parts but don't focus on them. I remember the good parts. The people I worked with, the every day enjoyment I tried to find while doing a not so pleasant task for a paycheck. As a student of history, I'm also fascinated by the way things used to be. Old ways of doing things and the material culture of the past. The things they made, the tools they used and the skill with which they used them. Revolvers are very much an old way of doing things. The design and construction of the "modern" revolver (the era of Colt forward) hearkens back to a highly romanticized part of American history. Depending on the specific example, they're like little $500 time machines. The sort of thing that inspires lyrical descriptions such as this from John Taffin:

"Pick up a Colt Single Action and you can hear the tickling of the ivories in the saloon on Main Street in Dodge City. You can smell wet cattle as they are driven north through the wind and rain and dust. You can taste fresh cooked bacon and beans over a campfire in the mountains of Montana. And you can see the history of our country stretching over a century."

I think it is very similar to the appeal of a mechanical watch. Sure, you have a phone in your pocket and a $30 quartz will tell the time and do a whole lot more with no fuss, just like a Glock will send rounds downrange with boring regularity, yet people will spend tens of thousands of dollars on a mechanical watch. Why? It's the old way. The old way required a massive level of engineering, knowledge and skill. To make all those tiny parts work like a symphony on your wrist to tell you the time of day.

 

[IWAC]

This is in no way an attempt to denigrate revolvers. I, for one, love and prefer revolvers (both SA and DA). But I am curious what semi-auto pistol is there, if any, that you find as fascinating as a revolver. For me, its the 1911. Ever since I bought my 1911 I can't stop playing with it and shooting with it every time I get a chance to go to the range (4 trips and 500 rounds since I purchased it 6 weeks ago and planning to run another 100 next Monday). I am curious to hear what semi-autos you die-hard revolver fans really appreciate.

A Browning Hi-Power or any of the modern clones that have solved the "hammer bite" problem. Several now exist for le$$ money than the originals, and seem to be decent quality.