why do so many people say revolvers are more reliable than autoloaders?

[Guy B. Meredith]

jdh,

My experience is that unless you're using dirty .38 spl ammo it takes more than a few hundred to build up enough carbon to cause problems with tossing in some .357 magnums. I use plated bullets with nary a problem and jacketed bullets should work fine as well.

I've had stovepipes, FTF, etc. with a semi and ejector rod and mainspring problems with revolvers. A touch of blue loctite on the mainspring tension screw and the ejector rod has kept the problem from happening more than once each in over 25,000 rounds of .38 spl and nearly another 10,000 .357 magnums. A touch of white grease cured most issues on one semi auto.

While I favor revolvers I can see that semi autos are convenient for SD. However, semis are finicky feeders so when the "right" ammo starts getting scarce they can become problematic while a revolver will happily devour just about anything that pretends to be the correct caliber.

 

[allaroundhunter]

My other point is no one has disputed my statement that the revolver is superior in close quarter battle. I am not talking about those silly hide behind cover, tactical reload games. That is offense action. I am talking about when you and your attacker are physically fighting and your last chance is to draw your roscoe, press it against his body and pull the trigger until he stops. and that may friends IS THE ROLE OF THE HANDGUN.

How is a revolver superior in this instance? A pistol will not stop working just because you are up close and personal with an attacker...If you are saying it will fail to go into battery, I highly doubt that.

 

[Smith357]

I just find it hard to believe that you've never successfully test fired one complete magazine through a borrowed semiauto in 35 years of shooting.

I have put countless thousands of rounds down range through both semi's and revolvers not to mention every style of rifle and shotgun. I own both and have been shooting both for many many years, in all that time and in all those rounds I have had a revolver malfunction one time. I can't even begin to count the number of times semi autos have had stoppages. I have built 1911 race guns from the frame up and can tear down and fine tune a DA S&W revolver. I just got done doing a Burwell trigger job to my plastic bottom feeder M&P45 so I sort of have a clue. I would not bet against your semi working right, but Mr. Murphy has a way of rearing his ugly head at the worst possible moment, that is why I choose to bet my life on those slow, old, antiquated, wheel guns.

 

[M2 Carbine]

why do so many people say revolvers are more reliable than autoloaders?

Because it's true.

Think not? How about this?

Put a thousand dollars in a pot, then have a revolver backer put a thousand in the pot. Count the semi autos that come into the range until one malfunctions.

Then count the revolvers until one malfunctions.

My money will be on the revolvers every time.


It's so rare for a revolver to malfunction at my range I can't remember the last time.

The last semi auto malfunction? What day is this?

 

[loneviking]

Allaroundhunter---take a snap cap and load/chamber it into your brass chucker. Jam the barrel into your couch cushions and press the trigger. Odds are that the gun won't fire as it will be out of battery.

And yes, wheelies are far less picky about ammo (esp. Reloads) than semi autos. Straight walled case, no taper needed. Far stronger action than a semi-auto which is partly why your big bore guns are usually revolvers.

 

[Smith357]

-take a snap cap and load/chamber it into your brass chucker. Jam the barrel into your couch cushions and press the trigger.

This is really not a valid argument, I can grab a DA revolver and keep the cylinder from turning so that you can not fire it. If the bad guy gets his hand on your gun he may be able to keep you from firing it whether it's a semi-auto or a round gun. In this particular scenario they are equal.

 

[allaroundhunter]

Allaroundhunter---take a snap cap and load/chamber it into your brass chucker. Jam the barrel into your couch cushions and press the trigger. Odds are that the gun won't fire as it will be out of battery.

I have jammed my Glock 19 into the side of a feral dog and fired 3 times. The gun did not fail to fire, it did not jam. 3 pulls of the trigger, 3 rounds discharged.

And as Smith357 said, you can jam the cylinder of a revolver...

 

[BSA1]

How is a revolver superior in this instance? A pistol will not stop working just because you are up close and personal with an attacker...If you are saying it will fail to go into battery, I highly doubt that.

If you will examine a semi-auto you will discover that the slide can be pushed out of battery from the front. In CQB situation one of two things are highly likely to happen with a semi-auto; a) the slide will be out of battery or b) the gun will fire but jam on the persons clothing rending it useless.

You probably have not experenced the CQB I am describing so it is difficult for you to recognize this shortcoming.

 

[allaroundhunter]

You probably have not experenced the CQB I am describing so it is difficult for you to recognize this shortcoming

Reread my post just before yours. I have had to jam my firearm into a living animal and fire, which I doubt you have had to. My gun did not fail to fire. I do understand that the gun can be pushed out of battery, but you do not have to jam a gun into a person as if you are stabbing them just because it is a close quarters engagement. You can push it up against the body without pushing the gun out of battery, it actually is not that difficult.

But also, close quarters is when shooting from retention can be very beneficial, whether it is with a revolver or semi-automatic.

 

[scythefwd]

all rounder.. out of battery.. especially if he is leaning on it is possible. Unless you can stop me from cocking my revolver on draw.. I don't need my cyl to move on that first shot. You've stopped followup shots though. Now, the web of your thumb in the hammer.. that'll do the trick.

 

[Smith357]

Unless you can stop me from cocking my revolver on draw

Using SA mode on a DA revolver is not a defense technique that any credited instructor or school teaches. In close quarter drills DA revolvers are always used DA, and should only be used in SA mode for shots taken at a long distances. The theory is too much time and motion is wasted thumbing the trigger, and many older revolvers actions are so slick they have the proverbial "hair trigger" that is generally not the best setup using a 2.5-3 pound combat magnum under stress. Now I'm not saying anyone here follows those rules but......just sayin'

 

[jad0110]

If you will examine a semi-auto you will discover that the slide can be pushed out of battery from the front. In CQB situation one of two things are highly likely to happen with a semi-auto; a) the slide will be out of battery

Some autos are more sensitive to this situation than others, depending on make and state of repair. allaroundhunter didn't have an issue with the particular weapon he used, though a different one in perhaps less than ideal mechanical condition might have been another issue entirely.

 

[scythefwd]

smith, of course they dont. It isn't wasted movement though. In no way does it slow the draw. I can draw as fast as I can, and even my single action revolvers are cocked by the time I get 1/2 to my target. They don't teach it because of one simple fact.. it takes a long time to get right.. and they teach skills that show improvement immediately, not 1000 draws down the line.

 

[Usertag]

With a Autoloader there are many reasons why it can fail: an under pressure round, if it isn't clean, the feeding ramp, the magazine lip, or just the round itself. Also an Autoloader has many more moving parts, which tends to have more issues, than a simpler design; such as a revolver. While a revolver mechanically chambers a new round without the need of a gas or blowback assist and there is no chance of jamming; when the round is already in it's own chamber. But on the rare occurence that a revolver does jam, it is because of the revolver design itself; like one that accepts a Moon Clip. Also a revolvers other flaw is a round misfiring, which can happen to the best of any firearm. Just sometimes it could be fault of the revolvers hammer and/or spring not functioning correctly.

 

[45_auto]

While a revolver mechanically chambers a new round without the need of a gas or blowback assist and there is no chance of jamming

Pretty obvious you haven't shot enough to see a revolver try to "chamber a new round" while it has a round with high primer in the cylinder ....

 

[scythefwd]

Or he only shoots quality ammo. I don't think I've seen a high primer in my 14 years of shooting.. what are you seeing it on? Now, most everything I've shot, save for military weapons, has been reloaded... and high primers don't happen if you are actually doing any sort of QC on your reloads.

 

[easyg]

Here's something to consider...

A DA/SA autoloader, or a DAO autoloader, or a cocked SA autoloader, or a Glock style striker fired autoloader, with a round in the chamber, is almost guaranteed to fire on the first trigger pull.
It might jam on the second round, but the first round is virtually certain to fire.

 

[scythefwd]

easy.. same could be said for a da/sa revolver, sa revolver...

 

[allaroundhunter]

easy.. same could be said for a da/sa revolver, sa revolver...

Not necessarily. The cylinder can be jammed up and you won't know until you try to pull the trigger (or cock the hammer)

 

[beehlebf]

I have shot a beretta 92 that had fte all the time. Idk if it was the cheap ammo as it was a friends gun. He had no problems so it might have been me holding it to lightly. However this shows how inexperience with a particular firearm can lead to problems

 

[easyg]

easy.. same could be said for a da/sa revolver, sa revolver...

Not necessarily. The cylinder can be jammed up and you won't know until you try to pull the trigger (or cock the hammer).

Exactly.

Basically, for the first shot the autoloader might actually be more reliable.
But not necessarily for subsequent shots.

 

[BSA1]

Not necessarily. The cylinder can be jammed up and you won't know until you try to pull the trigger (or cock the hammer)

That is just plain silly. If revolvers were that prone to malfunction our nation's leo's and across the world would not have carried and trustd their lives to them. Bullets jumping their crimp will only happen after the first shot but has anyone seen factory ammo have this problem?

High primer can cause problems in both revolver and semi-autos alike.

The fact is with good quality factory ammo a revolver is extremely reliable.

The fact is with good quality factory ammo a semi-auto can and often do jam whether due to mechancial (feedway issue) or shooter induced (limp wristing, improper grip).

 

[BSA1]

I have jammed my Glock 19 into the side of a feral dog and fired 3 times. The gun did not fail to fire, it did not jam. 3 pulls of the trigger, 3 rounds discharged.

That is sure to give you a lot of self confidence in your gun although having to shoot three times a contact distance doesn't say much for it's stopping power. Imagine what a 45 Colt, 41 or 44 Magnum would have done. (I don't like things that can bite me back).

 

[jdh]

BSA1 question for you. Winchester loads both the 10mm auto and the 41 Mag revolver with 175 grain bullets. Which one is faster/more powerful?

 

[allaroundhunter]

That is just plain silly. If revolvers were that prone to malfunction our nation's leo's and across the world would not have carried and trustd their lives to them.

So pointing out that a semi can be pushed out of battery is not silly? Police officers get into struggles with suspects and in some situations are forced to fire from contact distance. If their guns would fail to fire would they carry them?

That is sure to give you a lot of self confidence in your gun although having to shoot three times a contact distance doesn't say much for it's stopping power.

Actually, the stopping power has nothing to do with it. Just as you don't, I don't like things that can bite me back. I fired those three shots in rapid succession, I didn't wait to see if the first one had a deadly effect, because I know what these feral dogs are capable of. In one instance, we had a cow kick a feral dog and break 3 of its ribs (which we found after cutting the dog open); the dog continued the attack and pretty much tore the cow's throat out.

A .44 magnum is not practical for carry on the farm because follow up shots are not as fast, and shooting a running dog is not always a one-shot deal.

The fact is with good quality factory ammo a semi-auto can and often do jam whether due to mechancial (feedway issue) or shooter induced (limp wristing, improper grip).

I think that even those promoting revolvers will disagree with you here. With quality factory ammunition, semi-autos most definitely do not jam "often". It also seems that you do not have very much experience with semi-automatics if you are making that type of statement.


With quality ammunition, I will trust either a revolver or a semi-automatic. For my personal use, I just prefer to have more ammunition available before a reload becomes necessary.