Most important handgun attribute?

[Landgroove]

In your opinion, which changed things the most?

A. Revolver
B. Semi Auto

?????

 

[General Geoff]

Sealed metallic cartridges and smokeless powder. The autoloading pistol is a resulting innovation that wouldn't have been practically possible without those two precursor technologies, so from a representative perspective I'll go with semi auto.

Revolvers have benefited almost as much from both of those technologies in terms of reliability though.

 

[Mosin77]

The percussion cap and the brass cartridge were major developments. The revolver was a huge development in its day, because six shots or even five, is a lot more useful than one. But seventeen + one is, arguably, even better. Trying to parse exactly which is more significant is kind of a coin toss.

 

[LiveLife]

In your opinion, which changed things the most?

?????

"Modernization" of firearm technology.

Like how "modernization" of email/text instead of snail mail/telegram improved communication, "modernization" of firearm technology to use cartridge instead of ball and powder, rifled barrel instead of smoothbore, ammunition storage device/magazine, auto-loading instead of single action, red dot/fiber optic sights instead of iron sights, suppressed instead of hearing damage, etc.

The "continuous improvement" of handguns to me is the most important attribute.

 

[Riomouse911]

Today you can buy a SA revolver from S&W, Colt, etc. that is basically an unchanged design from the 1870’s. DA, from the 1890’s.

Autos can also be roughly turn of the century designs, Luger, 1911 et al, but striker/polymer ones1 are of a lot newer vintage. So, over the past couple of decades autos have truly taken over the vast majority of handgun sales to governments, first time handgun buyers, ccw holders, etc. Revolvers, for all the love we have for them, really are second class handguns in the eyes of the public and the gun makers.

So, like @LiveLife wrote above, to date the modernization of pistol and associated processes is, IMHO, the most important attribute. And most of that is of auto loading designs.

Tomorrow may bring something else .

Stay safe.

 

[Coyote3855]

Most important handgun attribute is reliability.

Today you can buy a SA revolver from S&W, Colt, etc. that is basically an unchanged design from the 1870’s. DA, from the 1890’s.

Other than the 2000-2003 reissue of the S&W Schofield and some Italian copies of it and the Number 3 American, I didn't know of any SA S&W revolvers available for purchase in 2023.

 

[Bcwitt]

It was a bigger technilogical step to get from a single shot to a revolver than from a revolver to an auto. So Im going w revolver.

 

[Riomouse911]

Most important handgun attribute is reliability.



Other than the 2000-2003 reissue of the S&W Schofield and some Italian copies of it and the Number 3 American, I didn't know of any SA S&W revolvers available for purchase in 2023.

That wasn’t worded well on my part, it was rather jumbled and short. I was intending to refer to SA from Colt (.45 peacemaker) & DA from S&W (.38 hand ejectors) since those are somewhat-still-in-production guns with designs dating directly from that era. I guess I put the S&W too soon in my sentence..

Stay safe..

 

[gwpercle]

The Most important handgun attribute to me , be it semi-auto or revolver ...
Is a GREAT Trigger Pull .
I have three handguns , a 22 semi-auto , a 38 special revolver and a 1911 45 acp that have recieved trigger jobs by Clark Custom Guns ... this is for NRA Bullseye Match Shooting ... and the wondeful triggers on those guns make hitting anything a breeze . Shooting them puts a smile on my face and a song in my heart ... Yes Sir , it's a custom trigger job by people who know what they are doing that is most important to me .

If you have never shot a handgun with a custom gunsmith trigger job done to it ...
You have no idea what you are missing ... No Idea how sweet it is !
Gary

 

[Jim Watson]

The great majority of center fire autopistols use the 1909 Browning tilt barrel lockup.
Most recent models are striker fired as was the 1893 Borchardt.
Glock made plastic popular over 40 years ago.
I submit that pistol design is stagnant.

 

[RetiredUSNChief]

I'm going to say the revolver.

This is because the advent of the revolver was the first time firearms engineering had moved into a commercially viable, affordable, multi-shot capacity, single barrel firearm.

Yes, I'm aware of several historical examples of earlier multi-shot firearms. But those never became widespread.

The engineering advances which allowed this were significant beyond that of semi-autos, because those same engineering advantages were the precursors to semi-autos.

Higher quality steel, mass production technologies, cartridge technologies, more innovative and complex mechanisms, advances in ergonomics, concepts such as safeties, etc.

 

[Bcwitt]

I'm going to say the revolver.

This is because the advent of the revolver was the first time firearms engineering had moved into a commercially viable, affordable, multi-shot capacity, single barrel firearm.

Yes, I'm aware of several historical examples of earlier multi-shot firearms. But those never became widespread.

The engineering advances which allowed this were significant beyond that of semi-autos, because those same engineering advantages were the precursors to semi-autos.

Higher quality steel, mass production technologies, cartridge technologies, more innovative and complex mechanisms, advances in ergonomics, concepts such as safeties, etc.

Yes. Exactly.

 

[UncleEd]

Smokeless powder was one of the biggest single advances in any
firearms development.

The concept of a auto was perhaps known by the1850s
but after a shot or two, the mechanism would be gummed up.

Although the Gatling gun was an advancement, the black
powder could make the gun inoperable in short order.

Once smokeless power was wedded to self contained
metallic cartridges, the concepts in firearms rapidly advanced.

 

[sgt127]

As others. I’m going with the jump from single shot, maybe two shot handguns to the revolver was the biggest jump.

 

[Bronco72]

Most important to me is to know the firearm well and practice with it endlessly! If you know it well you will know its weaknesses and strengths. If you practice with it endlessly you will be able to operate it without thinking ( much)
Now you choose the firearm and apply advice

 

[CDW4ME]

Two different questions.
Most important attribute - it works
Changed things - Over a hundred years ago the 1911 started the trend with the military, by the early 1990's Glock, S&W, Beretta were in common use by LE.
Once semi autos were proven reliable (it works) the change from revolver to semi auto in military and LE began, over a hundred years ago.
Civilians followed with the change and most civilians carry a semi rather than a revolver. Handgun sales changed to semi autos selling more than revolvers.

 

[tws3b2]

Revolver

 

[Pudge]

I don't know history well enough to state this with certainty, but I get the sense that handguns were not widely used by the populace prior to the development of revolvers, and revolvers made civilian use of handguns far more reasonable and common.

 

[lsudave]

I don't know history well enough to state this with certainty, but I get the sense that handguns were not widely used by the populace prior to the development of revolvers, and revolvers made civilian use of handguns far more reasonable and common.

Once you look at things in this light, I think it's apparent the revolver is the correct answer. Even removing "civilian" from the statement, it stays the answer. Prior to it, you'd likely be better served with a good knife to defend yourself from attack from ... anything, basically. You get one shot, and if you miss or there are more threats, you're stuck with using your now-empty handgun as a club.

 

[ArchAngelCD]

Accuracy and reliability without a doubt are the most important attributes of any gun, no matter which style or construction.

 

[JTHunter]

There is one thing that a revolver can do better than a pistol - caliber size. IIRC, the largest caliber in a pistol is the .50 AE in the Desert Eagle. However, revolvers can go larger such as the .500 Linebaugh (sp.?). I'm not a fan of these "hand cannons" but I believe there are even larger ones out there with bullets heavier than the .50 AE.

 

[ArchAngelCD]

There is one thing that a revolver can do better than a pistol - caliber size. IIRC, the largest caliber in a pistol is the .50 AE in the Desert Eagle. However, revolvers can go larger such as the .500 Linebaugh (sp.?). I'm not a fan of these "hand cannons" but I believe there are even larger ones out there with bullets heavier than the .50 AE.

You are correct on the larger part. One example is the 500 S&W Magnum.

 

[tws3b2]

Most important is that it goes bang when it's time to go bang. Come to think on it, I've been shooting for something over 60 years and I really can't remember any revolver I've shot fail to go bang except maybe a bad round or two. Can't say that about semi autos.

 

[Hangingrock]

Function!

 

[Uffdaphil]

Consider that naval boarding parties used to carry 2-4 single shot pistols then had to rely on a cutlass. Four revolvers would equal 24 single shot pistols! A seven shot 1911 was better, but not nearly a great an improvement in 1918.