Are revolvers louder than pistols?

[MikeSp]

Obviously I am a newbie to wheel guns but have a number of autos in various calibers. In the case of small calibers starting with .22's, when fired in a pistol as well as in a revolver with both having the same length barrels and using identical ammo, will they have a report with an equal volume or will the revolver be louder due to the space between the cylinder and the barrel (or other factors) and if so, will it be a lot louder? Let's not consider porting or any other exotic options. TIA

Michael S.

 

[Mal H]

All else being equal, I believe the revolver will be louder for the reason you mentioned - the cylinder gap. The one exception might be for bullets that go supersonic in the pistol and subsonic in the revolver.

 

[coop57]

Very interesting question. I am no expert but I would venture to guess that the revolver is louder because of the cylinder / barell gap. I know when I go to the range I can tell even before entering the room if someone is shooting a 357 magnum revolver. It is a very loud and distinct report.

 

[Brad Johnson]

By "loud" do you mean overall sonic pressure or perceive volume by the shooter? If you mean sonic pressure there is no difference. If you mean perceived volume then the cylinder gap can play a role. Even louder is a compensated high-pressure round (say, a ported .357 Sig).

Brad

 

[MeekandMild]

YES. Try shooting one in the dark if you want to see the gap effect.

 

[Wedge]

It doesn't have to be dark

Shooting .454 Casull or 300 gr. Corbon .45 Colt and you can see the flash and everything else from the cylinder-barrel gap in broad daylight. This is on a .005" gap'd gun. The concussion standing slightly behind and to the left of the .454 shooter is impressive in and of itself!

 

[M58]

Huuuuh?

 

[P95Carry]

Broadly it would be expected that the revo be louder .. for reasons mentioned ....... there is more blast/shock wave coming back closer to shooter.

But ...... I think there can be cases where hot loads thru a real short barrel semi, can be very loud ..... for example a sub 3" .45 acp compact will be pretty loud.

 

[mr. e]

I thought revolvers were pistols?!?!!???

 

[Mal H]

Well, they are. But in modern terminology semiautos are now being called 'pistols' and revolvers are called 'revolvers' only (or wheelguns, etc., but not pistols). I guess the change came about to help distinguish the two types in text.

 

[P95Carry]

I thought revolvers were pistols?!?!!???

If you define ''handgun'' as ''pistol'' - as a lose and general term then yeah.

However, it is more usual (IMO) to make a distinction between ... handgun - semi automatic - viz ''pistol'' ........ and handgun - ''revolver''.

Might seem pedantic but it is what I have followed for decades.

 

[P95Carry]

Oops .... beat me by a few seconds there Mal!

 

[7.62FullMetalJacket]

Be careful not to compare apples to oranges. A revolver will ALWAYS be louder than an autochucker because they typically use very different ammunition. A .44 mag is much louder than a .45 acp. More to go boom. Refine the question to consider whether or not the same cartridge is louder in either, then I think we will have a wash.

 

[Stevie-Ray]

Refine the question to consider whether or not the same cartridge is louder in either, then I think we will have a wash.

Not likely. My Ruger Redhawk is quite a bit louder than my buddy's Desert Eagle, both shooting the same PMC 240gr JHP. As above, I put it off to cylinder/forcing cone gap. Standing to the side of a .44 magnum is inadvisable as with the .454.

 

[MikeSp]

7.62fullmetaljacket--if you check my original post, I really did state the conditions (in order for a fair comparison) that the calibers were the same as were the lengths of barrels, and the kind of ammo--especially starting at .22 caliber. Therefore, I did try to reduce the number of variables to just one--the amount of noise produced in the report as perceived from a pistol and a revolver.

Michael S.

 

[7.62FullMetalJacket]

I know that you started out with thr .22 comparison, which is fair. Others were comparing fruits.

The semi-auto does not hide the sound. The pressure wave is still there. It is a matter of where the pressure wave is directed. Yes, a revolver will allow some of the pressure wave to escape from the gap, but the total noise generated is the same. So, if the question is "perceived noise," then the revolver wins from the shooters perspective. If, however, you are being shot at, the SemiAuto may win!

 

[Eric Bryant]

But ...... I think there can be cases where hot loads thru a real short barrel semi, can be very loud ..... for example a sub 3" .45 acp compact will be pretty loud.

Idunno - from what I've heard (literally), 3" .45 ACPs aren't that bad at all. While it's not like I'd want to fire one without hearing protection, it's hardly any worse than a 5" barrel.

It's just rather difficult to make an easy apples-to-apples comparision for most people - I know I've yet to be around an auto and a revolver chambered in the same round and have a chance to compare them.

 

[WonderNine]

I think a S&W 19 firing .357's is much louder than a 9mm. It's one of the main reasons I don't carry a revolver. I wouldn't mind a .45 snubby though as you can get loads with alot of power that still stay subsonic.