What is it about revolvers we like so much?

[R.W.Dale]

Given that if you have to use the weapon, your life is on the line, why would you choose 5 over 6? Especially when you admit at a higher threat level, you would choose the automatic?

I laid out my reasons for liking revolvers previously. But essentially it's that we have to live with a gun day to day with the likelihood of employing said firearm being exponentially small (however a very real risk)

I'm sure the prepper cowering in his shelter with a rifle across his lap shuns your sub par level of preparedness relying on a whimpy handgun to defend your life and limb.

But that doesn't make his, mine or your personal choice of equipment any more right or wrong than anyone else's.

I'm reminded of a sig quote I see on AR15.com from time to time that goes along the lines of "cardiovascular fitness, exercise, training and good SA are vastly more important to you surving a gunfight than X equipment vs Y"

So the question I pose to you who want to talk down to us revolver guys is just how fare are YOU REALLY willing to take preparedness? Because of its merely choosing a mag over a speed loader you really don't have a very high horse to stand on.

 

[Vern Humphrey]

Firepower and magazine capacity are a matter of mentality. If one is apt to shoot badly under stress, is influenced by cinema then you will bang away and miss because you do not shoot at a target, but in the direction of the target. If you have good nerves, move a little slower, fire an accurate shot and score a hit no need for firepower. I would like to see a case where somebody in a defensive situation downed 6 guys and was still attacked. I was one night faced by seven. I made my plans in which sequence to proceed. The leader must go first in such situations. It did not come to that, somehow me standing there and grinning unnerved them totally. I could only grin because I had a 6" barreled 357. In other situations, a terrible doubt struck me and I was tempted to check if there was a round in the chamber. And such is not good.

Yes and no. Having been a soldier all my life, and having picked up a couple of Purple Hearts in the process, I would never define firepower as " a matter of mentality." Firepower is a matter of reality.

And it is bad tactics to assume that everything will go like you plan. Good tactics assume that things will definitely not follow your expectations -- so you plan for that. That's why you should always have extra ammunition.

Look at it this way -- if you manage to get out of a tight spot with ammo left over, how does that hurt you?

But if you're half way out of trouble and run out of ammo -- that's a different story.

 

[Vern Humphrey]

But that doesn't make his, mine or your personal choice of equipment any more right or wrong than anyone else's.

No. What makes the choice right or wrong depends on who's still standing when the smoke clears.

Remember want Damon Runyon said, "The race is not always to the swift, nor the battle to the strong. But that's the way to bet."

 

[AFDavis11]

Revolvers are far more reliable than autos, exponentially. But, capacity is an issue. Most of us only carry reliable autos, but we know that reliability must be evaluated.

Honestly, given any gunfight I'd hate to be caught with only a single gun. Given two guns I think one being a revolver is ok.

But, there is no doubt that either genetics, political lean, or the movies we watched as a kid places us either in the revolver camp or the auto camp.

I'd be willing to bet that there are varied scenarios where anyone could imagine a preference for a gun with different characteristics than the one they carry.

 

[winfried]

Vern you are absolutely right about a soldier needing fire power, only a fool would dispute this. Generally this is very true, but if my memory is not wrong in the Vietnam war 50000 rounds were fired for every kill. So a little more accuracy/planning/skill would have helped.
I ran a small security team of specialists. When Rhodesia fell and became Zimbabwe, a lot of highly skilled soldiers, some ex SAS had to leave because reprisals against them.
One of them T.L. ex SAS, Tours in Northern Ireland, Falkland and then Rhodisian bush war. He was an excellent shot with the FAL and the most successful soldier in the bush war as far as number of contacts, rounds fired and number of kills. One can not argue with success and here is his philosophy for want of better word.
Given the conditions of extreme heat and humidity in the Zambezi Valley with a temp of 44cels regularly (111F) or more, Soldier suffered carrying full kit and lost efficiency.
He made himself as comfortable as possible by going against regulation in a number of areas. He carried only one magazine with 20 rounds and one extra carton box with 20 rounds of ammo of ammo. While other guys fired wildly direction north, he aimed and fired only at clearly visible targets and scored a kill with just about every shot. Granted, he could do this because of the firepower of his platoon, but you cannot argue with success. But we are talking about revolvers really.
One day I asked him about what back-up gun he would choose, he gave it some consideration and after a minute of deep reflection said "another FAL".
I have tried back-up guns and in my book this is BS for a few good reasons.
Nevertheless, I like the civil tone in this discussion.

WAH

 

[arspeukinen]

Why are revolvers cool? Look and feel. Accuracy. Trigger. Sound. History.

Hunting with handguns is verboten in Finland, as is self defence, so I won't comment on those.

 

[Mp7]

we can actually understand how they work,
without having to take them apart ... and joining a forum

 

[DeMilled]

So what is it about revolvers that attracts you? Could it simply be the look and feel of steel and wood?

Look, feel, classic style, just plain fun to shoot, more personal than an semi-auto and I just kinda connect with them.

I carry a SA XD 45 Compact. It's a tool and an ugly one at that, but it performs great and I am accurate with it, holds plenty of 45ACP and is reliable.
The Xd is just a tool though. It simply does not have the feel and soul that my revolvers do.


I have a Ruger GP100, blue, 6" barrel, full lug, Bowen rear sight, stock grips and that thing is my favorite gun I have ever owned! I hand load some pretty stout 357 with H110 and use it like a big kids pellet gun; I'll shoot frogs, cinder blocks, stumps, dead trees, just about anything and I wear this big ol' dumb grin the whole time I do it.

Revolvers are fun.

My wife agrees. I got her a police trade in S&W M64 and she'll plink away all day long. Just plain fun in a way that semi-autos are not.

 

[HexHead]

I like a revolver for the same reason I like mechanical watches. I appreciate the lock work, the mechanical nature of pulling the trigger which moves the hammer back, which rotates the cylinder. Sure, they're both anachronisms in today's world, a throw back to a simpler time, but they just plain work.

 

[Vern Humphrey]

Vern you are absolutely right about a soldier needing fire power, only a fool would dispute this. Generally this is very true, but if my memory is not wrong in the Vietnam war 50000 rounds were fired for every kill. So a little more accuracy/planning/skill would have helped.

A lot of shooting in Viet Nam was with automatic weapons, often mounted in helicopters or aircraft. And in jungle fighting, you rarely see the enemy -- you have to "work" the area where you think he is. That takes a lot of ammo.

But you are right that better training would help -- I taught my company to shoot, and charged $50 for firing full automatic from an M16.

Given the conditions of extreme heat and humidity in the Zambezi Valley with a temp of 44cels regularly (111F) or more, Soldier suffered carrying full kit and lost efficiency.

Conditions were very similar in Viet Nam.

He made himself as comfortable as possible by going against regulation in a number of areas. He carried only one magazine with 20 rounds and one extra carton box with 20 rounds of ammo of ammo. While other guys fired wildly direction north, he aimed and fired only at clearly visible targets and scored a kill with just about every shot. Granted, he could do this because of the firepower of his platoon, but you cannot argue with success.

As I said, I forbade full auto fire in my company.

But we are talking about revolvers really.
One day I asked him about what back-up gun he would choose, he gave it some consideration and after a minute of deep reflection said "another FAL".
I have tried back-up guns and in my book this is BS for a few good reasons.
Nevertheless, I like the civil tone in this discussion.

He was absolutely correct.

 

[tomrkba]

But, there is no doubt that either genetics, political lean, or the movies we watched as a kid places us either in the revolver camp or the auto camp.

I don't know about that. I use and carry both, usually one of each. It really depends upon wardobe and perceived level of power required for the task. My 629 is far more powerful than my Glock 26, but the 26 works with a wider variety of outfits.

I think it is far more important to attend formal training with you carry guns regardless of type. Too many guys carry a revolver with little or no training in running that gun in a tactical manner.

 

[Legionnaire]

I've not read the entire thread ... skimmed a couple of pages.

In addition to the look, feel, power, accuracy, and reliability of revolvers, as a reloader I like them for their versatility. I like the fact that I can load everything from mild .44 special pressure loads up through full-house hunting loads for my .44 magnums. Same with the .357s. I can load intermediate power loads between the specials and magnums. I can play with different projectiles and shoot comparatively inexpensive hard cast lead. And (drum roll) ... I don't have to chase the brass! What's not to like?

 

[tomrkba]

And (drum roll) ... I don't have to chase the brass!

If you are not chasing brass, you are not practicing properly (at least for self-defense).

 

[CraigC]

I reckon I'm not "practicing properly".

 

[tomrkba]

Well, CraigC, you can do what you want, how you want. But if you're dumping brass in order to practice a reload in a self-defense or competition context, the brass goes all over the place.

 

[hipoint]

I really enjoy hearing the "click click" of a revolver, also I am personally far more accurate with my wheel guns, with my .41 I have no problem taking a 100 yard shot here on the farm, my .357 is still a little new to me so I'm still getting the hang of it.

I've only got one auto left, an old school P89 and I think it's going the way of the dodo for a good .22 ruger...

There is something comforting about having 15 rounds in a mag, but in my day to day existence being a farmer, if I can't take care of it with 5 rounds of .357 or .41 mag, then I'll save the 6th round for myself! Not to mention, 99% of what I shoot at are deer, while a 9mm could certainly drop a deer given the right circumstances, a .41 or .357 will do it better.

I used to carry rifles for my farm chores, but anyone who's ever carried a rifle on a tractor can attest, all that vibration is way too hard on a scope or rifle action... revolver on my side and I am never without a firearm capable of getting rid of one of those dang blueberry stealing varmints!

 

[Chilibreath]

Vern, with all due respect (and I mean this sincerely) no one can assume to know what "surprises" are in store for them when they leave the comfort and security of their home; so we can either walk outside looking like a Spec Ops agent wearing full-on tactical gear and back-ups for the primary back-up, or (my personal choice) we can step out the door as well intentioned citizens carrying whatever trusty defense firearm we choose to pack and knowing that for 99.9 percent of most potential encounters we are adequately and suitably armed for the occasion. This is not to say that as free and independent thinking Americans we can't agree to disagree, we are after free thinking, but I would no more question what another man/woman carries for protection than I would want them to question me about what I carry. I choose to carry a 5-shot snubby for those times when I do decide to leave my home armed because I trust the simplicity of design and the almost failsafe nature of the gun; and I am not easily swayed by arguments to the contrary because (1) I've done my homework, (2) I have lived my life with and around guns both privately and professionally, and (3) when it comes to guns I believe in the old axiom: KISS.

So, once again, unless I know ahead of time that I am going into a potential "combat" situation against blood thirsty zombies who feel no pain, I will usually carry my S&W 422 tucked in an IWB holster, and if called upon to actually engage a hostile I feel confident that I will be returning home safely after the ensuing police investigation and requisite breath and blood tests.

 

[Vern Humphrey]

Vern, with all due respect (and I mean this sincerely) no one can assume to know what "surprises" are in store for them when they leave the comfort and security of their home; so we can either walk outside looking like a Spec Ops agent wearing full-on tactical gear and back-ups for the primary back-up, or (my personal choice) we can step out the door as well intentioned citizens carrying whatever trusty defense firearm we choose to pack

The parts of the argument don't match. If you pursue the first part of the first sentence, you conclude no weapon is required.

The point is, you cannot leave the house saying, "Today I will only meet a threat I can handle with a stern glare, tomorrow I am likely to need a gun, but only a little one, and day after tomorrow I'll need something really powerful."

 

[Chilibreath]

Like I said, we can agree to disagree and be done with it. As my dear departed dad used to say: Son, opinions are sphincters, everyone has one.

 

[OilyPablo]

One thing I like about revolvers?

Tear a semi-auto down all the way. Take a revolver all the way apart. Reassemble both. A revolver to me is tons more satisfying when back together. Opinions may vary.

 

[Vern Humphrey]

It's also a bigger relief to get it back together and have it still working -- any amadan can put an automatic back together.

 

[OilyPablo]

Well yes I mean back together and working Haven't failed yet........just slower than molasses and sometimes I will admit to sweating!

 

[brutus51]

I choose semi auto, only because if I had to use it I would rather the police confiscate a cheap semi than one of my beautiful irreplaceable Colt or Smith revolvers.