Revolver Vs. Semi-Auto

[wanderinwalker]

Anybody else have trouble picking a favorite between the two? I know I'm glad I don't have to pick just one, because that would leave me without either my S&W M-19 .357 or my Glock 17 9mm!

I realized today that I seem to shoot one about as accurately as the other. The revolver has been making more range trips lately, but I ran a couple of magazines through the Glock at an IDPA silhouette at 50 yards and was satisfied with the results. (Mostly -0s and -1s, no misses. It's something I like to practice doing for the benefit of the "a handgun is useless past 30/40/50-feet" guys... ) Granted, the auto will never touch the revolver in the horsepower department, but I don't consider the 9mm inadequate for what I might want a handgun to do.

If I ever had to pick just one, I think I would freeze in indecision fearing I would choose poorly!

Who else has this problem?

 

[Arcticfox]

I tend to prefer Revos. 696 is the best I've shot. But I did fire a semi that was made for me; a Witness 40 cal. It fit right, and I hit the bullseye repeatedly. They both have their places, and to each his (or her) own.

 

[forindooruseonly]

I just don't worry about picking favorites. Some days I want to shoot my revolvers, sometimes its autos. I'm glad I live where I can have just as many as I can afford of both. As it is, I have slightly more autos than revolvers, but that doesn't necessarily mean I like them more.

Favorites, lol, my "favorites" change just about every minute. There is no way I could pick just ten, much less one.

 

[The Don]

wanderinwalker,

I know how you feel I have a hard time choosing myself. I have a few selections but tend to stick with my old faithfuls. A Ruger Redhawk .44Magnum and a Russian HiCap Makarov .380ACP. What it all boils down to (for me anyways) is what am I doing and how and I am feeling that day. I carry my Makarov if I want to be "low profile" and the .44Mag. When I want/need horsepower and like Dirty Harry just don't care who sees what.

 

[TennJed]

I tend to be a revolver guy but get on auto "kicks". I always make it back to revolvers though

 

[AK_Maine_iac]

Have both and like both. All depends on it's usage. For anything with two legs i like my 45ACP Semi Auto. If it has four legs i want a Revolver. 44 mag or larger.

 

[Carl Levitian]

All my handguns are revolvers with a sole exception of my old Ruger standard model I bought new for 39.95. It's given 50 years of great service, but I trust a revolver more for all around shooting. The rest of my handguns are all Smith and Wesson K and J frame guns.

 

[BeerSleeper]

Semi-auto. No doubts. No questions.
I couldn't find a revolver with a handle that fit well in my hand. That curve in the top of the handle, which you don't find on semi autos, just doesn't work for me.

 

[StrawHat]

wanderinwalker ...Anybody else have trouble picking a favorite between the two?...

No problem at all. Given the choice, I will pick a double action revolver. Been shooting revolvers for nearly 50 years, so I feel I am familaiar with them. I did carry a S&W M3913 for a couple of years as a back up to the S&W M19 on my duty belt. I trained with it and became very familiar with it but a self feeder does not give me the warm and fuzzy feeling that a good revolver does.

 

[Lawdawg45]

I have your quandary with one addition, a single action revolver! I love the J frames, the Glcoks, 1911's, but my favorite is still my Sheriff's model in .45 Colt!

LD

 

[KennyFSU]

A tough choice indeed! If SHTF and I had to choose one, the Glock gets my vote purely based on capacity.

 

[76shuvlinoff]

If I ever had to pick just one, I think I would freeze in indecision fearing I would choose poorly!

Just don't do that when you hear the frame on the back door crack!

 

[JERRY]

i prefer to shoot a revolver, but for carry im stuck on the capasity faster reload thing.

 

[DeMilled]

I consider my XD Compact in 45acp my main carry gun for capacity and reloading reasons but I love shooting my GP100 much more! If I didn't CCW I would have to say revolvers are my favorite pistols.

 

[bigtubby]

Pretty much settled on revolvers and narrowed that down to Smith's. Had quite a few Ruger's at one point and are excellent quality and will last a lifetime but just liked the Smith's better.

 

[jad0110]

I don't have any trouble picking, I just select the tool I'm most capable and confident with for the specific application at hand.

Nightstand (well, Gunvault) duty: S&W 686 Plus (used only to safely get to my Mossberg 590A)
Pocket carry: S&W 642, this one is easy because the 642 is my only pocketable handgun
IWB carry (depening on attire, threat level of where I'm going and if my lower back is acting up): S&W 66 2.5", Ruger Police Service Six 4" or S&W Model 28 4"

All are revolvers and have the same basic manual of arms. I have 2 semi autos, but I don't trust either from a reliability standpoint (not yet) and I just don't shoot them as well as revolvers, consistently.

 

[KennyFSU]

Very nice revolvers jad. Do you mind sharing which two semi-autos you own?

 

[Guillermo]

different guns for different jobs

a Kahr PM9 or a HK P7 if I have to wear under the shoulder.

Colt Diamondback on the hip most days

K-22 and Colt Officer's Target for range time plinking

Browning Buckmark for suppressed fun

686 for the trail or hunting

XD45 for trips to the bad part of town

Smith Model 41 when I want to be a long range hero with a .22

The list goes on and on...

 

[Ankeny]

I was an old school revolver shooter for many years. Shot a lot of PPC (High Master), shot the early Bianchi/NRA Action, and I even made Master in USPSA shooting a revolver. Having said all of that, I haven't owned a revolver for several years and I don't plan on having another. I just shoot a semi-auto so much better when time considerations enter into the picture.

 

[easyg]

Autoloaders all the way!

 

[HDCamel]

Semi-auto. No doubts. No questions.
I couldn't find a revolver with a handle that fit well in my hand. That curve in the top of the handle, which you don't find on semi autos, just doesn't work for me.

Then you need to try a Dan Wesson.

On-Topic: I like autos a bit more, but I still love wheelguns.

 

[roaddog28]

Revolvers first and semi-autos seconc.
Howard

 

[KennyFSU]

What's third?

 

[jad0110]

Very nice revolvers jad. Do you mind sharing which two semi-autos you own?

Thank you. Those are just the ones I currently rely on most of the time for serious purposes. I've got a few more in the safe that I play with but don't currently use for SD.

My semis are a 5" Springfield Armory 1911 Mil-Spec in 45 ACP and a CZ-75B in 9mm. I may add a Browning Buckmark and a CZ-82 at some point as well.

I used to carry the 1911 frequently, about 5 to 7 years ago. Was 100% reliable with all ammo except 230 grain CCI Blazer FMJ. In my leather Gary Brommeland Max Con V, it was a dream to carry. Then one day at the range it started choking on whatever ammo I fed it, including 230 grain Remington Golden Sabres and Federal HiShocks that it had previously fed like a champ. It did it on all magazines about equally. I tried replacing the main/recoil spring to no avail. I've suspect the extractor may be bad, but I basically replaced the 1911 with a 2" S&W Model 15 as my primary EDC (which was soon replaced by the previously mentioned Ruger and S&W 66) and never looked back. This spring I plan to tinker with it and get it up and running reliably again. I may even sell it and buy an older Colt Series 70 Government Model in a polished blue finish. I'm a sucker for blued guns with wood stocks.

The CZ is almost new, I've only got 175 rounds through it (all cheap steel case Tula stuff). So far so good, but I got a number of jams on one mag. Could just be the crap ammo, but only one mag was giving me trouble. Only time will tell. Nice gun though, feels good in my hands and points very instinctively, and the manual of arms is more revolver-like than my 1911. I shot it pretty well, though not as good as my S&W Model 19 that I had with me the same day. Probably attributable to the awful factory trigger on the CZ, which is rough and gritty with a sharp, jerky release in both DA and SA. It's gotten better with tons of dry firing, so at this point it has risen to the level of "mediocre".

Yeah, I'm still a revolver guy at heart. But if that CZ and all it's mags prove to be reliable over the coming year, and if I can shoot it as consistently as my revolvers (a tall order), I may just start carrying it. Sometimes anyway. I don't know if I will ever completely trust an auto, but that's just me. That goes back to the fact that I've experienced not only more failures with autos, but the most severe gun stopping crap out I've run into happened on one.

 

[Super Sneaky Steve]

Revolvers are still the best. .357 Magnum and .45 Colt are two of the finest cartridges.

A good 1911 isn't too far behind however.