So when do you know you've crossed over?

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To being a wheelgunner?

I am in the market next month for a new handgun. I have been wanting to buy a CZ-85B, a SW99/45 or the new Ruger P345.

However, I cannot shake the desire to chuck those choices in favor of a Ruger SP-101 or a SW 640.

Where was your personal point of departure into wheelgun favoritism, if you had one, and have I become incurably addicted when semis don't catch my fancy as much as they used to?:confused:
 
I bought my first wheel gun, a Ruger Speed-Six 27 years ago. I bought it a few months after buying my first handgun, a Series 70 Colt 1911. I bought the revolver because I wanted something that was unquestionably reliable. Still have both guns but rarely shoot the Colt.

I own more revolvers than semis. Revolvers are something of an acquired taste especially for people who have only shot the semi-autos. Once the technique for shooting a revolver in D/A mode is learned it becomes addictive and revolvers become addictive. I think it has something to do with the two soft clicks and the inertia of the moving wheel before the BANG.

I think that revolvers are the Zippo Lighters of the firearms world. Instead of the click of the cover and the swish of the steel wheel on the flint followed by the click of the closing cover you have the movement of your thumb on the cylinder release, the movement of the cylinder opening into your left hand cradling the gun for a reload and then the closing of the cylinder. The repetition of all of the events surrounding the shooting of a revolver builds a tight bond between the shooter and the gun.

I believe there is a tighter bond between revolver shooters and their guns than there is with semi-autos and their users. A possible exception is the 1911 and all of the nostalgia attached to that weapon.

Bill
 
2 years ago I found myself shooting the revolvers more. Then I got a 625 and now I am considering selling all my autos except for the 1911s and the hi-power. The only auto I prefer over a revolver is the Ruger MK II for a .22.
 
Bought my first revolver back in 1970 with my paper route money (I supplied the cash, pop signed the dotted line) and never looked back. Today there are 3 1911s (don't everybody have one), 2 High Standards (my one real bottomfeeder weakness), and a CZ-83 (my S/O just had to have) somewhere in the safe packed full of revolvers.
 
I've always been a revolver guy. I've had to accommodate myself to shooting semi-automatic .22 match pistols, but if I could still shoot rapid fire with a revolver, I'd do so in half a heart beat.
 
I have one gun.

(My paperweight Pheonix Arms HP22 doesn't even come close to counting... :rolleyes: )

This gun is a S&W 686 4". It was my first gun, and for some reason, I bought a revolver.

I grew up around rifles and shotguns, and ALWAYS, wanted a semiauto handgun. They just look so damn cool. You get to rack the slide, and the brass flies out all over the place, you get to drop and load clips. How cool is that?

But, for some reason, when I realized that I was going to buy a gun, I started looking at revolvers. When I finally realized that I was going to buy a revolver over an auto, I surprised the hell out of myself.

I bought the 686, and it's the greatest gun ever. The Zippo to revolver analogy is perfect. I have an old zippo too, that makes me all warm and fuzzy inside... :p

My friend has a great SA TRP 1911, and it's a very cool gun. He hasn't really warmed up to my revolver, but I just love this gun. It's so fun to shoot, and those 2 faint clicks before the huge BOOM are so reasurring and comforting.

So, in conclusion, I NEVER wanted to be a revolver lover. They just never seemed as cool to me. I am now in the market for an auto of some sort, most likely a CZ P-01, but every time I walk into the gun store, I find myself wandering over to the revolver case first. I even caught myself thinking about buying a Ruger single-action revolver of some sort...

If loving revolvers is wrong, I don't want to be right... :D
 
I went over when I saw the guys at my IDPA club shooting them. They require a lot more skill to shoot well than a semi does. There is just something classic about revolvers that a traditionalist likes.
The advantages are
-reliability
-high power to size ratio
-accuracy
-price. You can find a Smith model 10 for about 200 bucks and it will shoot better and last longer than any auto for the same money.

That said, I still love my SIGs and the P-7.
 
I just took inventory and it's 15 wheelguns and 8 autos. I guess it started slowly last year when i found myself grabbing a couple of wheelguns instead of one of the Glocks when i was headed to the range. Since i was raised on S&W wheelguns i guess i'm just getting back to my roots.
 
When you lose any and all desire to add any more bottom feeders to your stable, you've crossed to the dark side.

I have picked up the occassional auto here and there over the years, but I think the last auto I purchased was back in '96. And, I've yet to shoot it.

The only bottom feeder I shoot with any regularity is a MKII, but that's just a little bitty .22 and hardly counts. :D

First handgun I bought was an N frame and I've been hooked on wheelies ever since. Now that I think of it, my most recent purchase was also an N frame. :evil:
 
When I decided to get my CCL, all I had was a .22lr pistol. I wanted a dependable concealable weapon for CC and after much research on TFL I decided on a Sp101 3†.357. I guess it’s the simplicity of the revolvers that drew me to them. Since then I added a 642 and Taurus 94 snub. :cool:
 
There's still a little bit of hope for me. If I'm not looking at Smith revolvers, I'm looking at 1911s. These are the only types of handguns that interest me.
 
When you walk into a gunshop without any particular pistol in mind and find yourself spending %80 of your time looking at revolvers, thats when you know you have crossed over.
 
Two years ago I purchased a thirty year old SW Model 49 for my backup piece. Amazingly I found myself growing increasingly interested in the little J frame. About that same time I picked up a copy of the classic Keith on Sixguns and it was all over. I've since developed an addiction for N frames. I've also added a 686+, a Colt Offical Police and a GP100 to my collection. In the process I've traded off one of my AR-15's and a S&W 39 (1980's vintage), but I don't care. I have to have wheelguns. I can't fight it.

I'm still holding onto my Sigs and my Hi-Power though. Somethings I won't let go of.
 
When have you crossed over?

When you realize that they are low cap- not that more dependable (if any)than semi- autos - generally harder to conceal than a semi - recoil is stiffer, they shoot junk out the side, etc. etc.... and yet you are still fascinated by them and want to own one of each.
 
So when do you know you've crossed over?
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When I realized I don't shoot for only self defense, but for fun too. That took a couple years. (I started with a SIG P229 6 years ago).


I believe most of us shoot 99+% for fun or practice, and hopefully less than 1% for actually protecting ourselves or loved ones. I aim for a 100% / 0% ratio personally. ;)

Once that *dawned* on me, I realized I didn't need those 13 & 15 round magazines for fun, and the revolvers became much more enticing. No magazines to clean, no brass to chase, no hurt fingers when reloading. Revolvers got style, substance and finese that rarely a semi-auto possesses. I'm now down to only three semi-autos - 2 SIG's and a 1911. I have no need for any more. But I can't get enough revolvers. So many shapes and sizes to choose from.... I can't keep up.

-Robert
 
Where was your personal point of departure into wheelgun favoritism,...
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When I got my 629 back from the Smith custom shop after some warranty and tuning work. The level of confidence I have with this gun convinced me to make the switch from SIG to Smith-Wesson. I traded my relatively new P220 for a 625. The single thing that convinced me was that in order to shoot the P220 adequately, I had to be fully engaged, whereas with the revolvers, it seems more natural. I took this to mean that in a SHTF situation, I'd be better off with a revolver. Reliability was never the issue with the SIG's, especially my trusty P226.
Not every saddle fits every horse. N frames just happen to fit me.
Steve
 
I think the thing about revolvers is the rhythm -- pop out cylinder, load 6 cartridges into 6 separate chambers, close cylinder, deliberate, aim, fire, aim, fire (repeat 4 more times), open cylinder, eject brass (collect for reloading), load 6 more cartridges... repeat forever. Kind of like fly fishing ("A river runs through it" for handgunners!). A more contemplative experience-- wheelgunning is a state of mind.
 
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I was a confirmed wheel gun lover by 1964...maybe earlier, I just knew it by then. I do have two semi autos, but I like shooting the revolvers. :D
Mark.
 
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