Revolver's main advantage?

Biggest advantage of revolver?

  • Accuracy

    Votes: 17 3.9%

  • Power

    Votes: 42 9.7%

  • Reliability

    Votes: 215 49.8%

  • Safety

    Votes: 3 0.7%

  • Simplicity

    Votes: 136 31.5%

  • Ruggedness

    Votes: 13 3.0%

  • Ergonamics

    Votes: 6 1.4%
  • Total voters
    432
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Simplicity, ease of use. Nothing for a newbie to forget or fumble.

Plus they say a big bore stainless revolver is the most intimidating handgun as well. Probably a bit more likely than a P32 to end a conflict with no shots fired. :p
 
Reliability:
I had a S&W revolver refuse to give up its empty cases. Lead in the cylinder effectively soldered the case to the chamber wall until it was allowed to cool.
I had another revolver cylinder simply lock up. I never did fix it. Traded it to a guy who knew about the problem and wanted it anyway.

When a revolver has a problem, they can be very difficult if not impossible to fix in the field. I voted for simple (to operate).
 
I voted reliability - even with a bad round, just pull the trigger again for a new one. Besides, without reliability first,the rest of the choices don't matter to me;)
Best,
 
I voted ruggedness. I think reliability and simplicity kind of fall under this category. I agree with all of the above, but all out ruggedness is what I like about a good revolver.
 
All of the above PLUS:

You can leave it loaded with NO tension whatsoever on any springs. This is just NOT true of an autoloader. (because even the magazine spring is always under tension).
 
You can leave it loaded with NO tension whatsoever on any springs.
Click to expand...
Kick me Dr.Rob . I'm gonna be way pedantic! There will of course be normal tension in the hammer spring (whether leaf or coil) .. as well as the trigger return spring and the hand spring ...........

Dum-de-dum ...... how to be annoyingly picky!! :p Just funnin ya!!:)
 
Simplicity. In a stressful situation there is less to distract you. Reliability was also a factor. If you have a missfire just pull the trigger again to go to the next round.
Jim Hall
 
So you like it cause it is simple and reliable hey?

I like that saying: "Six for sure". I haven't heard that one before.
 
The fact that I have the flexibility to shoot 38Spl and 357Mag out of the same gun. It can be designed with a very small grip (like a Lady Smith) and still pack a whaaalap.

Also, the fact that I don't have to worry about magazine fatigue, fail to eject etc.. Is great. I can leave some 125 grainers in there for a few years, and never have to worry about them. You heard a click when you pulled the trigger... pull it again!! Also, no way to be "out of battery" when you remove it from the holster. Also, if you go hammerless, you can fire from the pocket in case of emergancy..

Simple, flexible, reliable, accuracy.
 
Hey, I'm new and a lot of you guys are cops or experts. I'm just a concealed carry citizen who believes in the right to be armed and protect oneself and family. I handled guns in the service and am not scared of them. Recently bought my first house and wanted to protect my property as I live in a suburb of Cleveland. I mainly rely on revolvers as from what I can learn they are more reliable when you need them to be. I have a S & W Military & Police snub nose .38 and a Colt Detective Special (second series) for home protection and in my cars I carry a S & W Chief's Special .38 and in the car I drive regularly, a Browning Hi-Power 9mm.

I've only fired about 100 rounds with the Browning but I'm really impressed by its accuracy and reliability. It has the 13 round Mec-Gar magazines and hasn't jammed once. As far as the revolvers go, if I carried concealed which I normally don't, not going anywhere dangerous on foot as I live in the suburbs, I'd use the Chief's Special or the Detective Special as they're smaller for concealability. But the old Military & Police (or pre-Model 10) is a really solid gun when fired. I'm confident that if I ever have to repel a burglar it won't let me down. Of course I keep a speed loader handy.

Talking about trigger pull, for those of you who haven't fired a Detective Special, it has a really smooth, easy pull, far better than my other revolvers. My Browning has a harder pull but it is accurate if you don't jerk the trigger. I fired a friend's Glock 19 and it has a really easy pull which leads to real accuracy but as someone said, you feel like you're aiming a box. I prefer the Browning. It's a reliable gun for a semiauto and has been around a long time

If I had to carry something in an emergency situation, considering that I'm not a law wnforcement officer but do have an Ohio concealed carry permit, I'd use the S & W Military & Police on one hip and the Browning Hi-Power on the other. But let's face it, it'd take massive civil disorder for me to have to do something like that. Let's hope it eoesn't happen.

Really enjoyed reading all your posts. Thanks for the ideas and info.

Best,
Bill in Cleveland
 
I don't know that you can make those broad claims about revolvers, or any gun in general...

ACCURACY
My model 442 is a very accurate gun with handloads. Most people, however, cannot shoot it well without extensive practice. Neither design is more inherently accurate. Revolvers don't deform bullets, but can get out of time. Autos don't get out of time, but can be poorly fitted.
Advantage: Neither

RELIABILITY
I have several autos that have been quite reliable. I have had some that weren't. I owned a Taurus revolver that would not shoot a full cylinder. Revovlers do have the advantage though in that even an auto has been 100% flawless, you cannot shoot very reduced loads through it. Sure, you might be able to load a few hundred FPS slower, but think about the difference in fps in a .38 SPL to .357 Mag revolver.
Advantage: Revolver

ERGONOMICSI like the fact that you can put any kind of grips on a revolver to fit your hands. I also happen to think that the Colt SAA "plow handle" design is the most awkward, un-natural design that anyone could possibly come up with. Many larger revolvers are also very muzzle-heavy. Advantage: Neither

SAFETY Maybe DAO revolvers have a better track record, but I'd be willing to bet just as many people had negligent discharges from loading 6 rounds under a single-action revolver without a transfer-bar or hammer block safety as have Glock owners.
Advantage: Neither

POWER
Maybe. Depends on if you're going by virtue of the cartridge, or the combined effectiveness of the cartridge and how many rounds it holds. .460 S&W is pretty formiddable, but with a gun that large and heavy you might as well have a rifle. For guns that can actually be carried practically, the advantages are about equal between autos and revolvers. Advantage: Neither

RUGGEDNESS is hard to call. Revolvers tolerate neglect better while Autos are more resistant to abuse.
Advantage: Auto

SIMPLICITY
Autos: Insert loaded mag, rack slide, fire, and gun ejects cases. Pretty much the same across the board. Only consideration is the addition of a manual safety.

Revolvers: Method of inserting cartridges may involve opening a cylinder, rotating a cylinder, "breaking" the gun open, or completely removing and reinserting the cylinder. Ejection may be automatic, or it may require the use of an ejector rod. The ejector rod might have to be pressed once, or many times. The ejector rod might not even be an integral part of the firearm.
Advantage: Neither

I think many people are quick to say that revolvers have all of the above advantages. Closer examination, however, reveals that in most cases, advantages are the result of the design of a particular firearm, and not simply whether it is a revolver or semiauto. The main advantage of a revolver to me is that I don't have to look for my brass, and I can load as light as I want to. Neither of those is really an advantage if you ever had to defend yourself with a handgun though.

What it all comes down to is how well suited the design and construction of the particular firearm are to the intended purpose of the gun.
 
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Simplicity and versatility. You can do just about anything with a 4 or 6" revolver in, say, .357mag. From hunting to home defense, it does it all!
 
I was going to add to the why I think revolvers are awsome but John Wayne killed my buzz. Hes a bigger buzz kill then Buzz Killington :p
 
accuracy if youre a target shooter, reliability if you use it for self NOTE some of the bullets will actual recoil out of the cases with non-crimped ammo in a lightweight revolver).
 
I've never, ever, had a revolver that exceeded the accuracy of a comparable pistol!

Outisde of .22lr, I've never, ever had an inexpensive revolver to shoot. In semi-auto centerfire cartridges, the 9mm is the cheapest to shoot, by far. Less than the .22 magnum, even.

For carry and for home defense though, I'll take the less accurate, more expensive to shoot, revolver. My favorite is a 2 1/4" SP101, in .357. It gives me a comforting, warm and fuzzy feeling. I know that it will work.
 
A more correct way of discussing a revolver's reliability...

"A revolver will tolerate neglect more so than semi-auto..... A semi-auto will tolerate abuse more so than a revolver." (I borrowed that one from another member on this forum.)

Example:
You can pick up a loaded revolver that has been sitting in your dresser for the last 20 years...and it would most likely go "bang" when needed. I'm not sure I can say that with regards to semi-auto.

However, I can't think of any revolver that can stand up to the torture tests done on Glocks and other semi-autos.
 
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