I Did not know this.......Technically speaking

[Sullyman]

I was listening to NPR today about Glocks. The author of a book about Glocks referred to a "pistol" as a semiautomatic handgun like a Glock as opposed to a revolver. A pistol and a revolver are subsets of a handgun. I guess I always thought a "pistol" could be a semiautomatic, derringer, single shot or a revolver. But even going to Wikipedia (for what it is worth) there is a distinction. A Revolver is a Handgun with a revolving cylinder with multiple chambers. A Pistol is where the Chamber is integral to the barrel.

Hence a revolver is not a pistol.

 

[spazzymcgee]

Correct. Calling a revolver a pistol is like calling a magazine a "Clip".

 

[Sullyman]

or any tissue a Kleenex

 

[newbuckeye]

^^^^some people will quietly correct you, some will sigh and remain silent.....

 

[Carl N. Brown]

A Revolver is a Handgun with a revolving cylinder with multiple chambers. A Pistol is where the Chamber is integral to the barrel.

ATF Federal Firearms Regulations Reference Guide

Pistol. A weapon originally designed,
made, and intended to fire a projectile
(bullet) from one or more barrels when
held in one hand, and having (a) a chamber(s)
as an integral part(s) of, or permanently
aligned with, the bore(s); and (b) a
short stock designed to be gripped by one
hand and at an angle to and extending
below the line of the bore(s).

Revolver. A projectile weapon, of the
pistol type, having a breechloading chambered
cylinder so arranged that the cocking
of the hammer or movement of the
trigger rotates it and brings the next cartridge
in line with the barrel for firing.

Technically a pepperbox is a pistol, not a revolver.

The division of handguns into pistols and revolvers was formalized in my memory by the 1968 Gun Control Act, (which is now Title I of the Federal Firearms Regulations, with the 1934 National Firearms Act conprising Title II).

There will be a test next Thursday.

 

[mgmorden]

This has been a change in terminology that people who write dictionaries have been trying to force on us for quite a while. Everyone I know uses "pistol" as a synonym for "handgun", and it's the people, not some arbitrary committee, that make our language what it is. I'll continue to consider any handgun a pistol (though in truth I rarely even use the word anyways, preferring handgun instead).

 

[Sullyman]

Ok thus far the three people who have responded knew the distinction. There have been over 60 views. How many others did not know?????????

Am I the only one who did not know a revolver is not a pistol?????? If so I'll crawl back into the corner and do remedial training

 

[Sam1911]

I'm going to take the liberty of quoting member Loosedhorse here:

The Gun Control Act of 1968 established a point system (for "sporting purposes" features) for importation of foreign-made handguns. There are two separate point systems, one for "revolvers", one for "pistols."

The GCA defines a pistol as

A weapon originally designed, made, and intended to fire a projectile (bullet) from one or more barrels when held in one hand, and having (a) a chamber( s) as an integral part(s) of, or permanently aligned with, the bore(s); and (b) a short stock designed to be gripped by one hand and at an angle to and extending below the line of the bore(s).

A revolver is

A projectile weapon, of the pistol type, having a breechloading chambered cylinder...

So, I guess a revolver is of the "pistol-type" but somehow not a pistol. What do you expect when you let gun-grabbing legislators define gun types for you!

Quick quiz: A pepperbox (with revolving cylinder AND multiple barrels that are all integral with their chambers) is a pistol or a revolver?

I believe that the GCA is the single source of all "a revolver is not a pistol" nonsense. As has already been mentioned, this is what Colt's thought:

 

[Coyote3855]

You say tomato...

I knew the difference. I don't really care. USPSA shooters were adamant about the difference between a clip and a magazine. I don't really care.

As for what Sam Colt would have thought, had he been alive with the SAA was invented, I don't care about that either, except in 1873 they didn't have any name for a semi auto.

 

[The Lone Haranguer]

 

[ApacheCoTodd]

I bow to Hatcher's "Textbook of Pistols and Revolvers". After all, he da man, or was, anyhow.

 

[barnbwt]

Revolver. A projectile weapon, of the
pistol type, having a breechloading chambered
cylinder so arranged that the cocking
of the hammer or movement of the
trigger rotates it and brings the next cartridge
in line with the barrel for firing.

Jeez, I wonder what the Mateba Unica 6 was classified as by the ATF since it was recoil operated...

TCB

 

[khegglie]

So the Rossi Ranch Hand is a pistol....

 

[FMF Doc]

Why are we allowing the government to dictate to us what we shall of shall not refer to an item by? Don't them control enough of my life without telling me what I should call my BOOM STICK!

 

[316SS]

Oh dear, this again. As has been discussed once or twice before on this forum, the word came from the Middle French pistole and referred to a small weapon capable of being fired from one hand, i.e. a handgun. It predates the autoloading design by centuries.

It all depends on what your definition of the word "is" is.

 

[JohnBiltz]

Revolvers are pistols. There is 50 years of history and writings between the invention of revolvers and pistols that pretty thoroughly establish this. I don't know where this latest thing about about revolvers not being pistols comes from but its nonsense. As far as the fed goes they bought a lot of pistols that were revolvers before the 1911 was invented and they can call ketchup a vegetable but it doesn't make it true.

 

[exavid]

I seem to have several handheld firearms of various types in my gun safe.

 

[kozak6]

You should have made this a poll.

Personally, I side with Sam Colt.

 

[silversport]

so when in the days before semi automatic pistols they called revolvers "pistols" they were really talking about something that hadn't been invented yet???...really???...

(whoops...I see this has already been covered...nothing to see here...)

Bill

 

[Sauer Grapes]

A revolver must be a pistol. Over top of the door at my club it says, "Pistol Range"....lol. Either that, or we just don't have a revolver range.

 

[Fiv3r]

I never knew it was actually factually defined between the two. I always thought it was the old "Every square is a rectangle but not every rectangle is a square" thing.

A revolver is a pistol. A pistol MIGHT be a revolver or a semi-auto. A semi-auto is never a revolver, etc. I generally call a revolver a revolver and a semi-auto a semi-auto. Unless I'm buying a magazine. Then I might say to the guy behind the counter, "I am looking for a magazine for my pistol". Semantics aside, I have never been in a gun shop that started looking for something that would fit a revolver when I say that

Actually, if I'm in informed company, I usually refer to my handguns by make and model. Most shooters know what a Glock is. Most know what a Blackhawk is, etc.

 

[Old Fuff]

Prior to 1900, handguns of all kinds were called "pistols," although they might be described in more specific words, such as revolver, six-shooter, single-shot, etc. This continued to a degree after 1900, but after the introduction of Colt and other box-magazine fed pistols came about these were often called " automatic pistols," or "automatics" for short. Today the word "pistol" has largely replaced "automatic"

Somehow I'm not going the lose any sleep over all this.

 

[jdh]

Why are the called revolvers when the cylinder rotates?

 

[rcmodel]

Revolve, Rotate, same differance.
Would you call them Rotators instead of Revolvers?

re·volve [ri-volv] Show IPA verb, -volved, -volv·ing.
verb (used without object)
1. to move in a circular or curving course or orbit: The earth revolves around the sun.

2. to turn around or rotate, as on an axis: The wheel revolves slowly.

rc

 

[modifiedbrowning]

The revolver is a pistol that has come to be better known by its nickname.