Reliability: Revolver vs. Semi-Auto

[355sigfan]

QUOTE
For those on a budget, the revolver is king. You don't have to run 200 rounds of high-grade ammo though to check reliability. $250 worth of used Ruger or new Taurus will outshoot and be more reliable than any auto this side of $400 and there's few available streetworthy autos below $400, new or used.
END QUOTE

Give me any used Glock for under 400 bucks or used Sig, Beretta ect over a Taurus POS revolver or Auto. Both Taurus Revolvers I owned gave revolvers a bad name. The 605 went out of time after just 500 357 mag rounds were fired through it.
pat

 

[P-35/53]

I have seen trouble from both- When I attended Police Acedemy training in 1978 [yeah last century] the firearms instructor went out of his way to disparage semi- auto's especially the Goverment Model. We saw several pictures of jammed 45's laying besides dead bodies. But my experience was finding the firing pin broke on my Model 10 after a qualification, having the bullets in a 357 pull loose from the case and lock up the cylinder on my 66. More than once. I think that a good quality pistol is usually reliable but if a problem devolops it is easier to clear an auto pistol . If a revolver would go wrong you need tools or a gunsmith .

 

[DAVE RICHARDS]

I agree with your general observaion. i don't agree with the old "revolvers are more reliable than auto's". Horse manure. I have a Sig 245 and a SA 1911 LW Compact both with over 13,000 rounds through them. No failures at all. Nada. I've had a couple of "quality" revolvers that didn't work right from the box. Ever have a revolver cylinder lock up on you? I have. I had to send it back to the factory to get them to get the cylindr loose. I couldn't. At least with an auto most of the time you you can rak, tap, bang and it's good to go.
But yes it usually is an ammo probem that screws up a quality auto. Mechanical problems for revolvers. But i've had problems with firing lots of Blazer aluminum through some of my revolvers. Those aluminum cases seem to get awful sticky after alot of rounds.

 

[ARTiger]

Maybe I'm uncommonly lucky or something, but having owned dozens of both revolver and automatic handguns (all either Colt, S&W or Ruger) I have never had a major malfunction or persistent reliability issue. Never from a revolver and when from my automatics, usually because of my own ignorance in using unsuited loads and/or bullet styles - no fault of the guns'.

Now then, I have "worn out" a gun or two. Like the 1911 that I had to buy a new barrel for after something like 1/2 million rounds. However compared to my long guns and shotguns (Model 700 7mm on it's fourth firing pin; Beretta O/U that seems to break at least one extractor after every 500 rounds or so) I feel my handguns are overall more well made and reliable.

If you buy a handgun with either a wheel or clip from a generally trusted major manufacturer and don't ask it to do more than it was designed for, I think either style is consistently reliable for someone who knows it's limits and also how to take care of it.