What is it about revolvers we like so much?

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Why do we like revolvers?

1. They don't spit out the empties! That's why I don't carry a centerfire automatic pistol in the woods.

2. They're not ammunition-sensitive -- you can shoot anything from a powder-puff load to a full Magnum load in the same gun.
 
I had a SD situation many years ago. Did not have much time on the gun,
My thoughts were: OH FECES!! As I drew, safety, safety off! I hope I remembered to chamber a round this morning?? Bang...Bang It worked, no jam!
In the unlikely event of a repeat, I want no doubts. After many years and untold rounds, I would be much better. But still, I want simple. A jam between shots would have probably killed me.

Daughter likes them also, she is a lefty and does not like having brass fly. Also has good taste. I brought home a 19-5 from a gun show and it was 'hers' before I could even test fire it.
 
I love handloading handgun rounds, and revolvers are vastly easier to handload for than any semi. You have a broad range of options and loads, without concern for whether it will get stuck on something or overtax the action. And this leads directly to the other thing I prefer about revolvers: Bullseyes.

Semis are OK, but even the best of them can't compete with a fine-tuned handloaded revolver. They're boring, basically.
 
Why anything other than a revolver?

Revolvers are simple and reliable. Revolvers are cool. They're made out of real steel and wood. They don't go flinging my brass all over the place.

My wife knows how to shoot a revolver.

The right kind of revolver can ride around in my front pocket all day every day, just like it belongs there, and it draws smooth and natural. No problem...

No automatic cartridge that I know of offers the load versatility that I can get in a revolver, although as I get older I see less and less need for magnum-caliber handgun loads. Just plain ol' .22lr and .38sp, and kinda intrigued by the .44sp and/or .45's of one or another persuasion. Also .22wmr has a place.

Why would I want to rely on anything except a revolver to do what a revolver will do just fine?
 
But, as John Farnham pointed out, "The most common stoppage encountered in the revolver . . . (and) in the autoloaders is running out of ammunition." That's why I carry an M1911 for concealed carry -- plus it's flat and easier to conceal than a comparable revolver.
 
Romance, beauty, history, reliability, power, accuracy, durability, affordability, variety, simplicity .... all this plus the 6 most obvious and sure-fire reasons of all (pun intended)!
 
No bending over to pick up brass - or just even trying to find it!
As accurate as my P7 is, my 66 is even better in SA mode, no mags to worry about getting bent, simplicity in action even though they are typically more intricate on the inside
 
I'm going to be the contrarian on this thread. I prefer the 1911 in 45 ACP and carried one model or another through out my LE career and for most of the time since. It's only been in the last few years as arthritis has turned my hands stiff and less flexible that I find I can't shoot my beloved 1911s any more. After 30+ years of carrying cocked and locked I find I can't always manipulate the thumb safety (like I always could before) and sometimes don't get the grip safety depressed (like I always could before).

I'm now shooting and carrying DA revolvers but I have to tell you all, it worries me. I competed in practical pistol matches for two years with DA revolvers and I had far more malfunctions than I ever did with 1911s. From lead and bullet lube building up in the chambers (making reloading difficult and slow) to lead splatter building up on the face of the cylinder (making the barrel drag) or having an empty case trapped under the ejector star. Revolvers do malfunction and the more you shoot them fast at high round counts the more malfunctions you will experience. I don't trust revolvers as much as I used to trust the Government Model, but I have no choice.

Ain't life a (expletive deleted)!

Dave
 
Well, you all brought up many of the same reasons I prefer them over semi-autos. There is one other big reason I prefer them that was not mentioned unless I overlooked the post.

When you are selecting personal defense ammo, you don't have to spend a ton of money to see which bullets will feed reliably in your revolver! That has always been one of my biggest gripes.

Another reason I just thought of. Correct me if I'm wrong; bullet setback. I'm pretty sure I can empty my cylinder and reload the same bullets as much as I want w/o setback occurring. Not so with a semi-auto.
 
I just think revolvers look like a gun ought to look - that & 1911s.

To me guns & plastic just ain't right.
Plastic is what you shoot at, not what a gun is made of.

Even the gun manufacturers agree - that's why they refuse to call their products plastic.
They call 'em "polymer" - which is nothin but a fancy name for - yup you guessed it - plastic! :barf:

Besides I'm a reloader & I'm getting too old to be runnin' 'round chasin' brass.
Never lose 'em in a revolver. :D
 
I just think revolvers look like a gun ought to look - that & 1911s.
Click to expand...
Amen brother! There are plain few autos in the same league. Maybe add the HiPower and a couple German creations but that's about it.

The plastic guns make for decent, soulless, disposable tools but that's about it. Something to keep in the truck and not cry over when it gets damaged or lost.
 
My love of revolvers is based on the fact that that's what I grew up with. I learned to shoot my first handgun with my stepdad's Police Positive (.38 S&W). I carried both a Model 10 and Detective Special as a young deputy. I've bought and sold a few over the years.

Currently have a couple Highway Patrolmans, a Taurus M94 ,22, a S&W 442 .38 (replaced the Detective Special), a 1994 Colt SAA .45 Colt, and a couple Cimarron Arms SAAs .45 Colt.

I just love how they work. I like my 1911s and other semis too but revolvers are special.
 
-No mags to buy.
-The guts of it are sealed and less prone to be exposed to dirt like a semi auto that opens up to expose its guts to the world every time it is shot.
-It will shoot any ammo that fits so you can use the cheap stuff.
-It does not jam as often as a semi auto does.
-No worries about limp wristing.
- Easy to replace grips.
- How many semi autos do you know of that can shoot 2-3 calibers without changing anything?
- They work better with snake shot
- They are more manly
- Easy to see if they are loaded or not.
- Can shoot them SA or DA. Try that with a Glock sometime.
- Put one away in a night table drawer and pull it out 25 years later and it will go bang. Try that with a semi auto sometime.
- They are so retro that they are cool again.
- Usually made of all metal making them good for pistol whipping a bad guy. Try that with a Glock and see how much damage it does.
- Did I mention how manly they were?
- No worries about accidently hitting the mag release and dropping all of your ammo on the ground.
- No magazine springs to worry about.
- No guide rod springs to worry about.
- No slide bite to worry about.
- No hammer bite to worry about.
- No more of your valuable time wasted trying to explain how that jam was not really the fault of the gun but due to some external factor.
- No need to spend a fortune trying to find ammo that works and then spend more to run a 100 rounds of expensive carry ammo through your gun.
- No more need to spend even more to buy 100 rounds of different carry ammo when the first kind you bought jammed a few times.
- No more worrying about if your gun makes you look more manly. A revolver always does.
- Last but not least, if you pull it on a bad guy he will hesitate trying to figure out what that metal thing with the round body is in your hands and that will buy you the time you need to shot him down.
 
Since I am a reloader and bullet caster, I don't like picking up empties, so that is why I prefer revolvers in center fire but love my Colt match target 22 and huntsman 22 autos.
 
From a practical point of view:
- reliable
- simple (my wife wants revolvers for HD. So do I.)
- as a reloader, they are VERY versatile and forgiving
- handle more ammo in one platform like 38 special in a 357, etc.
- can be single action as well as double action in a DA
- spent brass stays where I want it, not all over creation at ground level
- no magazine springs to worry about
- No semiautos in 44 special
- black powder cartridges in a good single action are just so cool
- helps me conserve ammo and appreciate each shot
- you get the idea

Esthetics:
- I just plain like the looks and feel
- They remind me of my first guns: a pair of Roy Rogers cap pistols for my fifth Christmas
- They fit my philosophy of valuing the old but effective, along with a 60 year old Gillette safety razor, bolt action rifles and SxS shotguns, manual typewriters for drafts, hand tools for wood working and carving, cards, board games and jigsaw puzzles for entertainment, and so many other things. This whole electricity thing is just a passing fad. :D

I use and enjoy semis. My wife's target shooting (except for SD practice) is with semis in 22 and 9mm and she is good. But NOTHING beats a good revolver.

If I missed anything, see Olddog's post above.

Jeff
 
Revolvers are cool the same way an old cabin, old barns, picket fences, bamboo fly rods, railroad lanterns, side by side shotguns, ect. ect. No tangible reason is nessessary, the are cool just because they are.
 
I think a lot of us grew up with all the old, corny westerns where the good guys in the white hats (that never came off in a fight) always won against long odds, with fair play and high moral standards, and carried .44 sixty eight hand gun and had a lever .44 in the saddle scabbard that was only used for 1000 yd shots.
We knew it was all BS...but it gave us some warm and fuzzies and a bit of a moral compass that does not seem to exist today.
Personally...I miss those days of mythological security.
So, since they're gone, I do my best to bring that confidence in the security of my world back by carrying a 5 or 6 gun (that actually needs to be reloaded) and feeling pretty damn good about it.

My 1939 S&W 38-44 Long action N frame 4" with an Elmer Keith 173 gr. cold hardened lead slug is far and away my favorite. It just FEELS good.
Truthfully, I don't carry it often, but when I do....:evil:
 
I'm turning 32 in a week. I find myself bring my wheel guns out shooting more and more. There is no brass to police up. I'm more accurate with them as a whole. I enjoy the BOOM of the magnum varieties whether it be my 357, 41, or 45LC. I've got DA and SA. I've loaded them from mouse fart (if i can say that here) levels to rip roaring 45LC Ruger only loads with heavy lead gas checked projectiles. It's funny how 38 special has become my 22lr equivalent lately. My newly aquired (and fixed) Smith 586 has seen over 1500 of those 38 special mouse fart level loadings. It's amazing how far a pound of powder can go. And really, at today's market, it's cheaper than 22.
 
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