My favorite thing about revolvers (over semiautos)

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TennJed

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I am a revolver guy at heart, but I have been on an Autoloader kick lately. Been reading a lot more post about auto guns as a result. I noticed everytime I click on a thread about how great such-n-such semiauto is the first sentence is usually something like

"Went to the range today with my new gun and NOT ONE MALFUNCTION. It ate everything I fed it"

Never see this on the revolver threads for some reason. :) Yet I hear alot about how far semiautos have come and reliabilty is not too much of an issue......but (and maybe it is just me) but it does seem like the first words of praise about an autoloader is reliabilty. Six shots without a stovepipe, FTF, or FTE sure beats 12 jams
 
With revolvers you also don't have to chase brass. I have had revolvers jamm on me because of bad factory ammo and once when my ejector rod worked its way loose.
 
And, while it's true that, with the same amount of practice, a revolver takes longer to reload, if you take the time you would have to spend learning tap, rack, and slide drills and spend that time learning to reload, you can do this (26 second video):

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lLk1v5bSFPw

Granted, Jerry Miculek is an alien space robot, but you get my point.
 
One of the strong points for me is that revolvers are not fussy about ammo. You can feed them just about anything in their caliber and they work. Semi autos tend to be fussy so you have limited options, like it or not.

I would consider a semi auto for a carry gun as I know I would be feeding it a specific high performing ammo. For a SHTF scenario I go to revolver as you never know what is going to be available.
 
Oh, yeah. Not having to chase brass is a godsend. I really do not enjoy picking up semi auto brass at IPSC or IDPA matches and love picking up brass at a revolver shoot as it is all either on a moonclip or in a neat pile.
 
I also like the idea of not having to worry about ejection or feeding problems with revolvers. Revolvers definitely have their place in the gun world, and I wish I could afford one...They're a little too expensive for my tastes...At least the ones I like, that is. (S&W and Ruger)
 
I must be doing something wrong ejecting brass from my S&Ws, because I always end up with 4-5 in one place and the missing cases "How'd that get so far away?" ...

As much as a revolver fan as I am, I admit that I've had issues. Get some foreign matter under the ejector star and you'll go crazy trying to figure out why the cylinder isn't closing easily. Have an ejector rod unscrew on a .44 the first time and figure out how to get it open again. And I once watched a fellow spin the cylinder on his Python at a match trying to get some old factory ammo to fire all 6 for the stage. (With a semi-auto that's a tap-rack drill to get those bad rounds OUT and on to the next one that might work. Or go to your spare magazine.)
 
I just think revolvers, at least the ones I want have more personality. That may because the ones I want are older, and "they don't make them like that anymore" or maybe the blue steel and wood combination is just never the same, I don't know. I just know every one of them that I pick up is different. I don't care if they're the same model or not, no two of them are the same.

The fact that they're the guns I used to wish for when I was younger doesn't hurt them either.

With semi-auto's, especially the modern, plastic, black guns, once they got a little wear on them I'd have to look at the serial number to tell them apart. Nothing actually wrong with that. Just not for me.

I like not having to chase brass also. :D
 
I bring two coffee cans to the range with me, one full of ammo and an empty. I just dump 'em into the empty as I go through them. I'm not fond of scrounging around on the ground, either.

There's also something else Ilike about revolvers, especially K-frames. They seem to align more naturally. Semi-autos are blockier and, for me at least, don't point at all naturally. A 4" K-frame just sort of finds its target without much thought on my part while I need to think about shooting with a semi.
 
Simplicity , I never really though how much more simple a revolver is to operate till recently when I broke my right wrist ( I am right handed) and have a cast on my arm up to my fingers.
It is a difficult task to load and operate a semi auto one handed compared to a revolver.
I have practiced in the past just for fun shooting both left and right handed and glad I have.
In the future I will continue to after this experience.
 
For IDPA I like my 1911 or Glock .40, but I carry a S&W revolver. Why? Because I have never had a failure to fire of any sort from a clean, and properly maintained revolver. In the unlikely event that I need to fire a gun in self defense. I'll take 5 or 6 bangs over 15 maybes. I know autos have come a long way, but if you shoot competition for as long as I have you will see them jam.
 
wanderinwalker said:
As much as a revolver fan as I am, I admit that I've had issues. Get some foreign matter under the ejector star and you'll go crazy trying to figure out why the cylinder isn't closing easily.
Click to expand...

Yep, a revolver can jam up, and its usually not a simple, quick or easy fix when it happens. Getting a rim stuck under the ejector star is not quick to fix. And fouling in the chambers will make a speedloader choke. A fouled semi-auto has the power of a recoil spring to get the round to seat. A speedloader works off gravity.

Shoot them enough in training or competition, you'll find out what their quirks are pretty quickly.
 
For a while my Ruger P345 had issues with 185 grain loads but never with 230.
After quite a few more rounds downrange the 185s started feeding. That's the only issue I've ever had with my .45 acp while I've had rounds stuck in my son's 9 shot 22 revolver and my bro in laws S&W 582. It was usually an ammo issue. I've shot the Ruger .41 and .44 revolvers belonging to a friend and haven't had any issues. I think both revolvers and autos have issues from time to time but loading several magazines in advance keeps the lead flying when my son & daughter in law are shooting with me, whereas the revolver takes more time to load. Either way, shooting is fun :)
 
The strongest (and heaviest) part of any gun has to be the chamber, so while I also love revolvers, I am somewhat put off by their inefficient design. Since it can only fire one round at a time, the other cartridges are just getting a free merry-go-round ride in their unused chambers until their turn comes up.
 
"Went to the range today with my new gun and NOT ONE MALFUNCTION. It ate everything I fed it"
Click to expand...

This separates good semi-autos from the bad. If you get a reputable brand, chances are good that you won't have any issues with a semi-auto.

By that same margin, why do people tell you to stay away from certain brands of revolvers? I've seen plenty of people put off by Taurus. My Dad bought a Taurus, and it locks up on him quite often. His plan was to "wait until it locks up consistently, and then send it in for repairs." Revolvers are not magical, and semis are not these Steve Erkels that the revolver community believes them to be.

I own one revolver, and may get a few more down the line, but I definitely prefer the semi-auto for most situations. I don't consider my XDm to have 16 "maybes", because it hasn't failed me yet. However, having put 0 rounds through my SP101 so far, I don't know how reliable it is. It's possible stuff isn't timed correctly and I'll get 5 FTFs. I won't know until I get to the range and see.

That's the thing about semi's - the timing isn't an issue. The round is loaded, and then the hammer falls in the exact same spot.
 
While I have always liked them for fun, aesthetic & historical reasons, my revolver love really has taken off since I started hand-loading, and thus not having to chase brass.
 
I have both and shoot both but what makes revolvers more enjoyable for me is that revolvers, especially Smiths and Colts, have soul. The only auto loader that would even come close to that would be a 1911.
 
When i pick up a gun to handle and to just wipe down its usually a revolver.I like rugers but am really fond of my smiths and colts.
 
I occasionally take with me to the range my Ruger SRH Alaskan and Desert Eagle, both chambered in 44 mag. What I've noticed after shooting 50 rounds through each of them:

Desert Eagle
More picky with ammo. Jacketed/plated bullets only, no lead. Heavy loads only.
Ejected brass is thrown far and a couple managed to smack me in the forehead :uhoh:
Mags are expensive. Reloading 6 mags is not fun at all. Especially the last round which was often a tight fit.
More things to take apart to clean and lube.
Crazy accurate and fun to shoot :D

Alaskan
Shoots anything you can stuff into the cylinder.
Carbon buildup was pretty apparent after shooting 50 rounds. Wheel cylinder didn't spin as freely or close as easily. Quick and easy to wipe down though.
Easy to dump brass and reload.
Easier and quicker to clean.
 
Zombie, I find things different with my XDM vs. my Ruger SP101.

Both
-Handle any factory ammo I put through it. Had bad reloads fail in the XDM (too little powder) and reloads dirtied up the SP101 real quick.
-Accurate

Loading magazines is less fun than loading the cylinder, but once I get going, reloading magazines is more fun.

I don't reload, so catching brass isn't an issue for me.

XDm Pros
The XDm is more fun to shoot, because I have 16 rounds instead of 5.

I find the auto easier to clean, especially when using .38s in a .357 magnum. Just pull off the slide, take stuff out, wipe it off, and put it back together. It's easier to get into the barrel of the auto-loader IMO, and doesn't take but a few seconds to put back. On the revolver, I have to clean off where all of those small parts are on the cylinder, clean each chamber, and get into the barrel. I prefer cleaning a semi-auto by far.
 
Less to clean.
Give the barrel and cylinders a wipe down and your good.
 
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