ezypikns
Member
I haven't been shooting too long. Almost all my experience has been with semi-autos. Why do folks enjoy shooting revolvers rather than automatics?
I'm truly curious.
I'm truly curious.
Why a Revolver?
- Thread starter ezypikns
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Brian Williams
Moderator Emeritus
No mags
Do not have to pick up brass
Consistent trigger pull
Very accurate
Besides Revolvers have an inner beauty because of the cycle of the cylinder goes round and round
Where Autoloaders are bottom feeders.
Do not have to pick up brass
Consistent trigger pull
Very accurate
Besides Revolvers have an inner beauty because of the cycle of the cylinder goes round and round
Where Autoloaders are bottom feeders.
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ducktapehero
Member
Although I have heard of revolvers jamming I have never seen it in person, I can't say that about auto's.
greyhound
Member
Well, the legacy way back to the Civil War blackpowder for one. The 1911 devotees might be able to make an argument there, but from what I've learned here .38 revolvers played a big part in WWII, even if they weren't the standard sidearm....
i like to shoot both .. course ya cant shoot the really big boomers in a auto i really like shooting my 454 casull depends what im shooting on what platform hunting and such i like my wheelies ... selfdefense i carry a auto ..target usually a 45 auto of some style all depends what i doing
MrTuffPaws
Member
Pull trigger, go boom. Always.
Okiecruffler
Member
For whatever reason, I just shoot them better. And 5 rounds of 357 at the ready is awfully comforting.
Jim March
Member
It'll feed any bizarre ammo shape you want. Speer is now taking advantage of this with JHP designs with such a "flying ashtray" profile they'd be impossible in autos, such as the 135grain 38+P, 200gr 44Spl/44Mags, 250grain 45LC. They're probably the biggest vendor doing so but smaller outfits have been doing the same for years.
A revolver has no lower power limit needed to operate the action. A magnum revolver can take anything from bearstopper-grade monsters down through "special" plinking ammo that won't mess up squirrel meat.
With the barrel and sights one fixed piece, accuracy for a given price range is MUCH higher with a wheelgun. $200 worth of low-end Taurus 38spl in good condition will shoot groups tighter than most $400+ brand new semi-autos.
In a close-range fight, a wheelgun can't go out of battery on muzzle contact. A 38 or 357 5-shot snubby is the most difficult handgun type to grapple away from you; when combined with the muzzle contact issue, it is THE dominant defensive weapon when the range closes to 5ft or less.
It's much easier to make sure a revolver is in good shape before you buy it, even without shooting it. See also the "revolver checkout thread", this forum.
A revolver has no lower power limit needed to operate the action. A magnum revolver can take anything from bearstopper-grade monsters down through "special" plinking ammo that won't mess up squirrel meat.
With the barrel and sights one fixed piece, accuracy for a given price range is MUCH higher with a wheelgun. $200 worth of low-end Taurus 38spl in good condition will shoot groups tighter than most $400+ brand new semi-autos.
In a close-range fight, a wheelgun can't go out of battery on muzzle contact. A 38 or 357 5-shot snubby is the most difficult handgun type to grapple away from you; when combined with the muzzle contact issue, it is THE dominant defensive weapon when the range closes to 5ft or less.
It's much easier to make sure a revolver is in good shape before you buy it, even without shooting it. See also the "revolver checkout thread", this forum.
PinnedAndRecessed
member
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Guns are like women. I love 'em all.
(Oops! Here comes my wife. Gotta run!!!!!!!!!!!)
(Oops! Here comes my wife. Gotta run!!!!!!!!!!!)
Like a light saber, they have more class. Good examples are boringly reliable, have very good triggers, excel in accuracy, and are versatile and elegant.
No doubt there are high-speed low-drag operations where a semiauto is preferable, but 99% of us cope well enough with a classic wheelgun 99% of the time.
If I felt an imperative need for a semiauto I would arrange to have a appropriate long gun nearby for a quantum improvement...
No doubt there are high-speed low-drag operations where a semiauto is preferable, but 99% of us cope well enough with a classic wheelgun 99% of the time.
If I felt an imperative need for a semiauto I would arrange to have a appropriate long gun nearby for a quantum improvement...
Ex-MA Hole
Member
They can be shot from withn your pocket in the event of a car jacking.
They don't jam.
They don't jam.
Jeff Timm
Member
The revolver is more reliable than a semi-auto, but not by much.
The revolver is more difficult to shoot under stress, holds much less ammo and is slow and relatively difficult to reload.
The real advantage of the revolver, is power, single action accuracy and flexibility of ammunition.
I can take my .357 Ruger and carry it with anything from snake shot loads to 158gr flat nose gas check bullets that leave the barrel at 1200 fps, and get all these rounds over the counter at Wal*Mart or other common sources.
I also note my Ruger .44 Magnum Super Blackhawk is less expensive, lighter and more accurate than a semi-auto pistol in the same caliber.
Geoff
Who needs more practice.
The revolver is more difficult to shoot under stress, holds much less ammo and is slow and relatively difficult to reload.
The real advantage of the revolver, is power, single action accuracy and flexibility of ammunition.
I can take my .357 Ruger and carry it with anything from snake shot loads to 158gr flat nose gas check bullets that leave the barrel at 1200 fps, and get all these rounds over the counter at Wal*Mart or other common sources.
I also note my Ruger .44 Magnum Super Blackhawk is less expensive, lighter and more accurate than a semi-auto pistol in the same caliber.
Geoff
Who needs more practice.
Ex-MA Hole
Member
How do you figure?
I'd say the revolver is easier to shoot under stress once you have mastered it, and point you to names like Bill Jordan and Jelly Bryce (http://www.gutterfighting.org/jellybryce.html). Even Cirillo "made his rep" with a revolver. LEAs found that after the large scale switch to "easier to shoot under stress autoloaders," the hit ratios remained the same--LEOs shot more rounds with autoloaders but placed the percentage on target. When you move out of LE there's always McGivern who amply demonstrated that a revolver is capable of very fast and very accurate shooting.
As for reloading, a good revolver man with speedloaders will always beat average man with magazines--it's all about practice. I've seen far too many fumbled, dropped, inserted backwards magazines to give them any kinds of "always better" waiting.
What tends to underemphasized anymore it that speed and accuracy of fire (where revolvers excel) is more important than volume of fire (where autoloaders excel).
BTW, I like and shoot both (and have carried both).
Little Loudmouth
Member
Reliability
Durability
Accuracy
They come in .41 mag. What else needs to be said?
And of course, the fun factor (Autos are fun too, but I like revolvers better)
Durability
Accuracy
They come in .41 mag. What else needs to be said?
And of course, the fun factor (Autos are fun too, but I like revolvers better)
Not quite true as people forget one important fact. The magazine is a part of the pistol. You can certainly reload a cylinder faster and easier than you can reload a magazine. Now you can switch out magazines rather quick, but a point in time comes when you run out of pre-loaded magazines then where is all that speed?
Revolvers can shoot MUCH more powerful ammo. . .conversely, revolvers can also shoot MUCH less powerful ammo than an autoloader. Example, my .454 can fire anything from the very light CCI shotshells, or cowboy-action .45 Colt rounds lumering out of the barrel at 750 fps, or I can load a 360-gr pill at a tad over 1500 FPS.
I can shoot revolvers more accurately than autoloaders.
I think they're more elegant.
As far as capacity, it suffers in relation to people who carry vundernines. But look at the popularity of big bore autoloaders, particularly .45s. A six shot revolver gives up little to the .45s, and something like a 686 plus, with 7 rounds of .357 magnum, gives up one round compared to a full-sized 1911, on the initial load. Reloads for both charge the weapon with 7 rounds. Besides, most of us are not going to war, you're not likely to run either type of gun dry in a civilian role, despite what hollyweird shows you.
For me, the rounded butt of the revolver is easier to conceal. I carry IWB, so the length of the barrel (up to about 7.5") doesn't make a difference, neither does the cylinder width, however, the square butt of the autoloader IS harder to conceal.
They don't make plastic revolvers.
It's a preference thing. Rent one if you can and try it. Some people don't like them, some love them.
I can shoot revolvers more accurately than autoloaders.
I think they're more elegant.
As far as capacity, it suffers in relation to people who carry vundernines. But look at the popularity of big bore autoloaders, particularly .45s. A six shot revolver gives up little to the .45s, and something like a 686 plus, with 7 rounds of .357 magnum, gives up one round compared to a full-sized 1911, on the initial load. Reloads for both charge the weapon with 7 rounds. Besides, most of us are not going to war, you're not likely to run either type of gun dry in a civilian role, despite what hollyweird shows you.
For me, the rounded butt of the revolver is easier to conceal. I carry IWB, so the length of the barrel (up to about 7.5") doesn't make a difference, neither does the cylinder width, however, the square butt of the autoloader IS harder to conceal.
They don't make plastic revolvers.
It's a preference thing. Rent one if you can and try it. Some people don't like them, some love them.
P5 Guy
Member
The badguy looking at the business end can tell it is loaded!
Highland Ranger
Member
Aesthetically pleasing . . . .
Highland Ranger beat me to it. They just look nicer. I also appreciate the part about not chasing brass all over the field. For defensive use there are no safeties to remember how to use under stress. They come in truly powerful calibers. A misfire requires only another pull of the trigger rather than a clearing drill.
Semis and revolvers each have their strengths and weaknesses. I like and own many examples of both. I carry both. But being old and conservative in my tastes I generally prefer the wheel guns.
Like this one. How could life get better than a pristine 5 inch Model 27?
Semis and revolvers each have their strengths and weaknesses. I like and own many examples of both. I carry both. But being old and conservative in my tastes I generally prefer the wheel guns.
Like this one. How could life get better than a pristine 5 inch Model 27?
Fumbler
Member
My reason: Variety.
One day I'd like to have at least one of every major firearm action type.
In a close range fight, if the bad guy knows what he's doing, he could simply grab the cylinder. It takes a WHOLE LOT of force (so much it can't be fired at all) on the trigger to get the cylinder turning if there's that much force holding the cylinder still. Think about it, some revolvers wont shoot DA if the rear of the cylinder is dirty, that doesn't cause even a fraction of the drag a man's fingers on the cylinder would. I love my revolver, but it, and no firearm, is perfect.
chaim
Member
For the most part the answers are here. Even though it means repeating here are my reasons (no particular order):
-Far more reliable. All my autoloaders are generally reliable and I would be willing to rely upon them to save my life. However, all my autoloaders (and all my best friend's, and he has some pretty high end ones) have failed at least once. I can't say that about most of the revolvers I've owned. Thus, in a life or death situation, while I trust an autoloader, I feel better with a revolver that has never bobbled in any way.
-If it does fail, it is usually faster to get back into action. Autoloaders take several steps to get back into action, unless it is a catastrophic failure in which case it isn't getting back into action. With a revolver you simply pull the trigger and the next round fires, unless it is a catastrophic failure.
-At contact distance I'd much rather have a revolver. An auto pushed up against someone will often be pushed out of battery and if it is out of battery it won't fire. A revolver will fire no matter how hard you push it against someone or something. I know Fumbler mentioned that a bad guy could grab the cylinder, but they could grab the slide of an auto at close ranges as well so that isn't a weakness of a revolver that an auto doesn't share (I also suspect that the slide is a larger and more ergonomcially shaped "target" than the cylinder and thus easier to grab). Also, that involves the BG needing to do a specific action, while going out of battery when you put the gun against something does not require the BG to do anything.
-In most defensive shootings there are no more than 3 shots fired. A 5 shot snubby is more than enough, and certainly a 6 or 7 round revolver should be quite comforting. If more are needed, with practice one can get pretty fast with a speed loader (sure, maybe not faster than a mag change, but for most of us the difference won't be decisive).
-With all the worry over whether or not hollowpoints will expand, I feel more comfortable with some of the shapes available in revolvers that won't work in autos. From the ancient and effective SWC-HP where if the HP doesn't open you still have the sharp cornered, full caliber Semi-Wadcutter to the "flying ashtrays" you have many options that will never work in an auto.
-Caliber. You won't find .357mag, .45LC or .41mag in reasonably sized and priced autos (2 of those you won't find in any autos). Loaded right, all of these can be as or more effective than .45acp.
-Looks. I just like the looks of a nice revolver more than most autos.
-Simplicity. At 3am if I wake to someone busting in the sliding glass door, I don't want to have to worry if there is a round chambered, if the safety is disengaged, if the mag is fully seated, etc. "Point and click" simplicity (though there will be no "click" if you pick a loaded gun ).
These are just a few off the top of my head. There are many other good reasons as well (though I did try to stay with the more practical reasons, with one exception, and with the same exception I mostly stayed away from the more subjective reasons).
-Far more reliable. All my autoloaders are generally reliable and I would be willing to rely upon them to save my life. However, all my autoloaders (and all my best friend's, and he has some pretty high end ones) have failed at least once. I can't say that about most of the revolvers I've owned. Thus, in a life or death situation, while I trust an autoloader, I feel better with a revolver that has never bobbled in any way.
-If it does fail, it is usually faster to get back into action. Autoloaders take several steps to get back into action, unless it is a catastrophic failure in which case it isn't getting back into action. With a revolver you simply pull the trigger and the next round fires, unless it is a catastrophic failure.
-At contact distance I'd much rather have a revolver. An auto pushed up against someone will often be pushed out of battery and if it is out of battery it won't fire. A revolver will fire no matter how hard you push it against someone or something. I know Fumbler mentioned that a bad guy could grab the cylinder, but they could grab the slide of an auto at close ranges as well so that isn't a weakness of a revolver that an auto doesn't share (I also suspect that the slide is a larger and more ergonomcially shaped "target" than the cylinder and thus easier to grab). Also, that involves the BG needing to do a specific action, while going out of battery when you put the gun against something does not require the BG to do anything.
-In most defensive shootings there are no more than 3 shots fired. A 5 shot snubby is more than enough, and certainly a 6 or 7 round revolver should be quite comforting. If more are needed, with practice one can get pretty fast with a speed loader (sure, maybe not faster than a mag change, but for most of us the difference won't be decisive).
-With all the worry over whether or not hollowpoints will expand, I feel more comfortable with some of the shapes available in revolvers that won't work in autos. From the ancient and effective SWC-HP where if the HP doesn't open you still have the sharp cornered, full caliber Semi-Wadcutter to the "flying ashtrays" you have many options that will never work in an auto.
-Caliber. You won't find .357mag, .45LC or .41mag in reasonably sized and priced autos (2 of those you won't find in any autos). Loaded right, all of these can be as or more effective than .45acp.
-Looks. I just like the looks of a nice revolver more than most autos.
-Simplicity. At 3am if I wake to someone busting in the sliding glass door, I don't want to have to worry if there is a round chambered, if the safety is disengaged, if the mag is fully seated, etc. "Point and click" simplicity (though there will be no "click" if you pick a loaded gun
).These are just a few off the top of my head. There are many other good reasons as well (though I did try to stay with the more practical reasons, with one exception, and with the same exception I mostly stayed away from the more subjective reasons).
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