Why do I like revolvers?

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revolver men,john wayne,richard boone,clint eastwood, and if you have to deal with the zombie army there is the new york reload. azrn
 
New york reload LOL I havent heard that one for awhile. I met a guy once which I think that was his plan. The man had 8 guns on him, 2 where full size XDs and the rest was different types of revolvers lol... I think he may have been sleeping with someones old lady LOL.
 
Others have given practical reasons for preferring revolvers, all of which I agree with. But I gotta be honest, those are not my real reasons. My real reasons for liking revolvers are all irrational:

1) A semiauto looks like a box with a handle but a revolver looks like a GUN.

2) Sometimes, a revolver will have "magnum" written on the side. "Magnum" is a word which, even if you didn't know what it meant, still commands power and respect.

3) The cylinder is exposed so you can see the mechanical operation of the gun, which is very cool. With a semiauto the slide moves too fast to see and is not as cool anyway.

4) All the best heroes carry revolvers: Indiana Jones, Harry Callahan, Clarice Starling, Phillip Marlowe, etc
 
agent89 said:
Revolvers have character! Autos are more efficient, but are stamped out. Maybe it's because of my age, but a nice revolver has way more appeal.
I have and love many autos, but it's the lines of a nice old smith that gets my attention.:cool:
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My thoughts exactly. The revolvers grab my attention immediately. And I have never traded a revolver for an autoload without regretting it later no matter how good the "deal" was.
 
why you like them over autos if that's the case with you?
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I'll state right up front that my favorite handguns are my Colt 1911s. Having said that, a close second is the S&W k-frame revolver. And I own more of them than all my other handguns combined. In 22lr, 38spl and 357mag.


The k-frame just feels so... so... so right in my hand. And it looks just right, too. All business, all the time. Not too pretty, not too plain. Especially nice in blue steel w/magna grips. ;)
 
I've never heard autoloader users say they would rather use a revolver in certain situations, unless it is something involving a caliber too large to comfortably use in a semi-auto
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I have! I have heard contrary to what your saying many times and on these threads as well. But it is personal preferance. Not bad mouthing any body's choice of either auto or revolver both have advantage and dis advantage in different ways. If you train around the platform you should be fine. Me, Ill take a revolver any day of the week. It's mostly because its what I shoot with all the time in regards to hand guns. Now again I'm not bashing auto users at all and they are the majority exspecially in leo. But before I decided on a platform I did my own research to see what I should get as far as hand guns ( I grew up on auto's). I wanted to see any expamples of officers or otherwised who were gunned down or disadvantaged by the capacity of a revolver. What I found were a plefora of stories of auto loader failures in desperate times of need. I even found stories of how revolver users good or bad guy for that matter had the winning outcome because their revolver functioned when the oponents auto loader failed. I found this issue a greater occurance over the low capacity revolver being the disadvantage. The first few reliable shots and movements make the fiight. I feel they are a simpler manual of arms for shooting and carry as well for new or civillian defense. JUST MY OPINION.
 
also want to add that I dont want to take a good thread and turn it into a goofey auto versus revolver dead horse thread. I figure since this is in the revolver section I am mostly preaching to the choir. If some one and I am sure many people say " I feel better packing an auto" than I wont argue with them. If they train and are effective withe their weapon thats great. to each their own.
 
I can't keep up with model numbering of S&W but Ole' .357 "19" with 4" bull barrel and fixed rear sight is one hella of gun. Considering no rear sight the accuracy with .38 Winchester Super Match was actually astonishing. In SS it is dreamy six-gun ....and very affordable I might add.
 
I like revolvers because of reliability. I know people say that they can jam but I have never, ever had one do that. I have had a few primer fail to ignite, and I just pulled the trigger again. If anybody tells me that they have never had an auto jam then they have not shot enough. I carry a revolver because I don't think I can screw anything up. Like my hand blocking the slide or forgetting the safety or accidentally hitting the mag release. I let my Grandad shoot my Glock once. The man had never shot a pistol in his life. But he is deadly with a rifle. Somehow or other his hand completely blocked the slide and the gun didn't even try to eject the round. It completely stopped working. That can't happen on a wheel gun. I know all of these problems can be overcome by training but there is no guarantee that in an emergency situation I will be the one with the gun. My wife does not like to shoot, so therefore I keep the simplest tool I can get for her.

I own one auto, my Glock. I may buy another one way down the line but I know I will buy another revolver soon. I love them.


I am a younger guy too, only 27 but I just can't see myself ever fully trusting my life to an auto. I also hate buying mags. I hate wondering if the mags I do have are going to wear out. That about sums it up for me.
 
pezo I think you sum up a large part of my thinking as well. For example as I said in the first post, I grew up shooting my Dad's 357 Colt revolver and his .22 High Standard. Both well made pistols, however the .22 would still have a df, fte, or ftf. Nothing major just a simple strip out and clear. However I dont want to be doing this when I need my pistol the most.
 
I have and like both revolvers and autos but imagine this situation. 2a.m. and your fast asleep, you are awakened by a loud noise and immediately your adrenaline is pumping,slightly confused you reach for your bedside gun which you haven't seen let alone shot in 6 months. Automatic.....Do you have one in the pipe? Do you have to rack a round? Is the safety on? Is it on the left side or right or both? Which automatic is it? Is it single or double action? Revolver...... Cock, lock and rock. My wife, who is not a shooter, can figure out a revolver under stress.
 
Pancho said:
I have and like both revolvers and autos but imagine this situation. 2a.m. and your fast asleep, you are awakened by a loud noise and immediately your adrenaline is pumping,slightly confused you reach for your bedside gun which you haven't seen let alone shot in 6 months. Automatic.....Do you have one in the pipe? Do you have to rack a round? Is the safety on? Is it on the left side or right or both? Which automatic is it? Is it single or double action? Revolver...... Cock, lock and rock. My wife, who is not a shooter, can figure out a revolver under stress.
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I agree with you on all but one part... If you haven't seen a firearm in 6 months it better be locked up in the safe. I have two defense weapons out my p3at and my Mossberg, both of those get inspected and atleast wiped down weekly. Its just a habbit I think everyone should get in, lubes on firearms can dry up over time when left out and a dry firearm won't run as well, also I want to make darn sure that it is ready to go when needed.

With that being said I am sure many people do put their firearms somewhere and never look at it... but this is very poor practice.
 
I started with cap & ball poorly made Italian replicas (almost 30 yrs ago. Today they are great!). Then, when I was old enough to buy "real" guns, I got autos.. I went to bigger calibers, up to the Desert Eagle .44mag. I loved the big fat cartridges and the power, but the gun was so heavy! Then, I tried a friend's .45 Colt SAA replica for a review.. It points so well! The ergonomics are just perfect. I have a Pietta 1858 cap & ball, which I love shooting; back to revolvers, full circle. The exception I will probably make in the future is a Glock 19. Everyone should have one, just like a Ruger 10/22 and an AK-47 ;-) I also remember my Coonan .357mag 1911, it would be good with a Ruger GP100 and a lever action .357... Revolvers for me are somehow related to the outdoors, while semi-autos are related to shooting bad guys breaking in your house.. I'll have a G19 for that, but in the mean time, I'd rather plan for pleasant outdoors adventures packing a good old .45 Colt...
 
The reasons I like revolvers:
They are works of art
If you need more than six shots, you're probably in trouble
.357 magnum feeds in a revolver regardless of the bullet design
Did I mention that revolvers are gorgeous works of art?
 
I don't hate autos, just prefer to shoot revolvers. I carry autos a lot. They're cool. Just a PITA to chase the brass. I reload for everything I shoot.

Revolvers do tend to be more accurate and simpler than autos and are chambered generally for more powerful rounds. That makes 'em TOPS in my mind for my outdoor activities and NOTHING out there is more rugged than a Ruger Blackhawk save perhaps a single shot TC Contender/Encore. :D
 
I have a couple of Kel-tecs including my p3at (everywhere gun). They are reliable and practical for what they are and from a distance I think they're even kinda cool looking, sort of stealth, like most polymer guns. But they are NOT works of art. Revolvers are functional art. A S&W M10 is a work of art. A LadySmith is a work of art. A M29 is a work of art. I could go on. In addition to being art, they are practical, reliable, and offer some big BOOM. I've regretted parting with every revolver I've ever let go.
 
I'm a relative handgun noob and started out with autos, believing, like many, that revolvers were obsolete, antiquated, nostalgic pieces... basically sold only to retirees that were used to them from yester-year. Then a range officer let me shoot his DAO, 6", slab-side, S&W Model 10 with his wad-cutter reloads :eek:. Smoothest, most accurate handgun I've ever shot in my life. I immediately fell in love with revolvers.

I find revolvers more involving to shoot than semis.... same goes for bolt action rifles. It's kinda like driving a stick shift vs an automatic or even a paddle-shift car. Yeah, maybe it's a bit slower, but you are in total control, everything that happens is because you make it happen, not the "machine."

I also find a semi's recoil-induced racking of the slide (or bolt) to feel sloppy, unnecessarily dramatic, and a bit annoying/distracting. In comparison, the revolver (or bolt action) simply feel crisp and concise to me. You also tend take your time to savor every shot with a revolver/bolt action vs the "spray and pray" of a semi.

I do tend to rely on semis for self defense more, but I definitely enjoy shooting revolvers and bolt actions more.
 
I'm also a relative noob. I bought a 642 and a sig auto in a 6 month period. I liked them both a lot and expected to like the auto more. There's something about the loading process and handling the revolver that just felt better to me. Versus loading a magazine and chasing brass. I sometimes miss the sig but like what I have just fine.
 
I think for me, I like my revolver just because I get restless hands. It's more fun to reload the revolver, cock the hammer, spin the cylinder, etc etc. Plus I don't burn through ammo as fast as I did when I had a semi-auto with a 15 round magazine :p
 
The only two pistols that I have SO FAR is a Springfield 1911 and an old single action .22 revolver. Don't get me wrong, I love my 1911, but I can promise you that the next pistol that I buy for myself is going to be a revolver. There's just something about them that I can't quite put my finger on, but I like them better.
 
agent89 said:
Revolvers have character! Autos are more efficient, but are stamped out. Maybe it's because of my age, but a nice revolver has way more appeal.
I have and love many autos, but it's the lines of a nice old smith that gets my attention.:cool:
Click to expand...

Autos are stamped??? That's like saying Rugers are as flimsy as Smits and Wishons, I assure you my Les Bare has no stamped anything on or in it, and my Dan Wesson Valor has absolutely no MIM parts in it, or cast parts. aThey are better self defense weapons than any revolver. But I hunt strictly with revolvers, big game to tree rats, well once in a while a 22 auto (with some stamped parts) a Ruger MK II Target. But for hunting, and especially if it is dangerous game, the revolver is king, more power, and world class accuracy, for reliability make mine a single action!! I don't play with them so this is what works for me,and why I use them.
 
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