Why a Revolver?

Why a Revolver?

  • Just Because

    Votes: 49 8.7%

  • Simplicity

    Votes: 65 11.5%

  • Reliability

    Votes: 115 20.4%

  • More Power

    Votes: 21 3.7%

  • Style

    Votes: 29 5.2%

  • Traditional

    Votes: 19 3.4%

  • Shoot Them Better

    Votes: 16 2.8%

  • Intimidation Factor

    Votes: 2 0.4%

  • All of the Above

    Votes: 214 38.0%

  • Other Reason(s)

    Votes: 33 5.9%
  • Total voters
    563
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Originally Posted By: Evyl Robot
I hope this doesn't sound stupid, but a good revolver is prettier and more romantic than an auto. Even people who hate guns feel a little more at ease around my .44, even though it would take a leg or head off far easier than a 9mm. Revolvers just have style and class to them that can't be matched by a pistol. --and that's coming from a 29-year old!
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Very Well Said Sir!​
 
I haven't found many semis that fit my hand. They tend to be designed around the cartridge not the person. While they have greater capacity, I also find them to be slower to draw and fire than a wheelgun. My goal with the short gun is to be first to fire, not to get into a sustained firefight. So capacity isn't as important. I also like the revolver's adaptability and ability to fire a wide range of loads.

Beyond this, yeah they have a class few semis can match. They speak to me.
 
It's not for practical reasons, because I shoot and reload semi-autos faster and more accurately. But damnit, they don't make an autochucker that looks as good as a Smith N-frame.
 
revolvers are like 1911's evryone should have at least one, they round out a collection nicely, and they are just fun too shoot. i am a big fan of .357 not just the performance of that particular rd but also the fact that .38 spl can be used which makes for a good fun to shoot range gun. they are simple, no manual safeties, great for teaching new shooters, and small framed folks that you want to get into the shooting wolrd but not scare them off with some of the other choices out there. they just look awesome, and are all around great guns. i think there is too few people that enjoy the revolver like they should and i believe that especially the young folks these days just go for the high cap polyguns and they think that is the end all be all. now i love a good polygun myself and i love my xd's but i will always shoot revolvers, they are what i was introduced to shooting with and i plan to shoot them forever.
 
To the OP----my thoughts----I voted "all the above"
I have several wheel guns----mostly SA 6 shooters,,,,,,,,good to learn on and to teach basic safety skills with,,,,,,,,,,,but IF you are trying to get a new "shooter" interested in shooting,,,,,,,,,,try a good semi auto 22
Less work involved----stick a loaded mag in it----rack the slide-----and pull the "boom switch"----------easier than a SA for sure,,,,,,,,and more fun than a DA.
Once "they" like the idea-------bring out the SA/DA revolver-----show them the difference--------maybe the semi auto will "jam" just once,,,,,,,then you can explain why a revolver is BETTER for HD than a semi auto.
A good poll on here would be---how many "guys" have a semi for CCW and their SO's have a revolver on their side of the bed or in their purse!!
I carry a Beretta 92 9mm, but IF I had a SO, she have a revolver!!!
UJ
 
Revolvers, even the ugly old Webleys, have a beauty and elegance to them that few autoloaders can match. Indeed, I wanted to quote the line about lightsabers and blasters by Sir Alec Guinness, except paraphrasing to insert revolvers and autoloaders.

Revolvers have grip frames HIGHLY ammenable to custom tailoring to your hand.

Even the most pimped out, super heavy duty .357 MAXIMUM can chamber, fire and cycle a puny little .38 S&W. Versatility in power levels on your average .357 Magnum allows rounds for anything smaller than an attacking brown bear, while having ammunition on hand for bagging a squirrel without blasting it apart into stew-meat. The Magnum Research BFR revolver, the Smith and Wesson 460 X-frame, and the Ruger Super Redhawk all not only handle rounds more powerful than the .50 Arts and Entertainment, but can feed and cycle happy, lighter "plinking rounds" like the .44 Russian, .45 Schofield, or whatnot, while subloading a Desert Eagle means you've got a "pump action" semi-auto.

Revolvers often have better names too. Colt Python. Airweight Bodyguard. Combat Magnum. Blackhawk. Cobra. Aesthetic appeal.
 
Sure, bad ammo can tie up a revolver too, but I think the margin for error is better for the wheelgun.
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If you have a misfire, though, you can just pull the trigger again and the next round will advance and fire.

I'd feel a lot better about loading a revolver with whatever ammo I happened to have, than a semiauto. That doesn't mean I think that plinking ammo is ideal for HD, but it'll work a lot better than nothing, or a jammed gun.
 
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When empty, 48 ounces of solid steel revolver can do a lot more damage when thrown than can 20 ounces of plastic semi.
 
in a semi, if you have a misfire, you have to clear the malf round and rack again...for a revolver, you just go to the next chamber...
 
Reliability, practicality, and elegance. Not many modern day tools can claim that today.

And the passage of time only makes it more apparent.
 
They don't leave brass scattered everywhere for the police to put little plastic markers over for the CSI guys. :what: Sort of ruins "microstamping" for the moron gun controllers.

ECS
 
For DougDubya:

Your father's revolver. This is the weapon of a gentleman. Not as clumsy or random as a semi-auto; an elegant weapon for a more civilized age.
Click to expand...

Insert your own nouns as needed.

Cheers.
 
I voted other reasons, as only about half of the factors apply. I've got a .357 snubby, so more power and intimidation were not primary concerns. Tradition was part, but a smallish part. I don't really shoot it any better, and while I like the style, it doesn't necessarily have anything over autos in my mind.

There are some other reasons I wanted a revolver. I'd never owned or fired one, so I wanted to become familiar with the feel and manual of arms for a revolver. I also didn't have a concealable pistol at that time, so CCW-capable was a consideration. Above all, it was about variety: A revolver broadened my options and experience.
 
i guess my vote is strongly influenced by tradition. in my family pistols, were considered "maypops".

all things even (good ammo, correct maintainence,etc.) i believe the double action revolver has the edge in reliability. another plus is the ease of use (no levers, buttons, slides) a pull on the trigger= bullet out the muzzle.

again i go back to tradition, the S&W mdl.39 was the start of, the end of, the revolvers reign in the U.S.A.
now as more youngsters are introduced to the shooting world, they are introduced to the pistol, which will become their tradition.
 
in a semi, if you have a misfire, you have to clear the malf round and rack again...for a revolver, you just go to the next chamber...
Click to expand...

And, if it was a squib, you've just exploded your revolver.

I don't find the "reliability" thing at all compelling. My first light strike FTFs were in wheelguns. Obviously, no one here has ever had an extractor back out requiring a business card, length of string and long walk to a volcano to sacrifice an integral lock. Bullets jumping crimps is evidently unheard of as well.

Revolvers should be ten times more reliable than semis: they easily take one hundred times longer to clear. (one second for "tap, rack, bang" vs 100 after an extractor backs out).

I like my revolvers fine but I'm relatively new in the hobby. I guess after a few years my glasses will take on a rose-colored tint and I'll develop blind spots as well. I'll look forward to it :D
 
The revolver was engineered in a time when a man's skill with his tools made him a revered expert at his craft. And, a man's shooting skill was expected to be at least good enough to hunt successfully. And, a man that was a poor shot was not much of a man.

Nowadays, people try to make up for their lacking skill with more bullets or ever more neato gadgets and trinkets.

The revolver is a throwback to those days when skill and intelligence defined men. And, these days, most find the double action revolver a harsh teacher that they're content to leave in the safe and show from time to time in preference to the latest and greatest.

But, for those who appreciate the rewards of the discipline of mastering the self through a tool, there's really no substitute in the handgun world.
 
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