Why would anyone choose a revolver over semi auto?

[Hawk]

Revolvers are, at least for the moment, apparently exempt from the microstamping madness. I expect a pretty good spike in sales in California in the not too distant future. Who knows? Maybe microstamping will do for the wheelgun what the '94 magazine capacity restrictions did for single stack .45s.

They're definitely already the right choice for those who shoot them better than semis or for those that keep waking up in the middle of the night worrying over their semi's next show-stopping glitch. It simply wouldn't do to not have confidence in one's choice of weapon.

But.

Reliability - enh. If they tie up less often, they tie up better. Most of my wheelgun jams have taken a fair amount of time to clear. Not to be confused with "tap rack bang".

Simplicity - feh. Open one up. As the other poster noted, get the Kuhnhausen manual - I did. It's interesting.

Shoot from pocket. Just because something can be done doesn't mean it should be done and the former does not necessarily an "advantage" make. If it's too close (moderately tight jeans, say) you get to, at once, get off a shot as likely as not to take out your own femoral artery and / or simultaneously cut and cauterize parts you'd rather keep from cylinder / barrel blast. If it's in a James Bond trench coat and aimed, it's held far enough from the body you probably look like an asymmetrical Batman and will likely be answering a lot of pointed questions about why you fired from concealment rather than drawing and possibly benefiting from the deterrent factor we're constantly yammering about.

Semi pushed out of battery - this, I submit is about as likely as body contact resulting in the cylinder getting jammed up with a load of belly-button lint, rendering the thing inoperable. Miscellaneous pocket detritus getting between the cylinder and top strap is pretty effective at ending the festivities.

Revolvers have advantages. Some, I submit, are more far-fetched than they need to be.

I'll grant this may simply be a failure of imagination on my part.

 

[searcher451]

Here's one reason:

http://www.thehighroad.org/showthread.php?t=356595

 

[19-3Ben]

Searcher- that's a crazy story. Wow.

 

[txoilman]

easy to please

My son the cop took one look at my S/W 13 and said whoa..The puppy is great - 38's in the house and 145/158 grain when on the road...

 

[paul105]

For practice self defense use?

Everyone's situation is different. I live in the northern rockies and am out woods bumming, hunting, or fishing everyday. I don't live in a big city and am not likely to encounter multiple attackers in town. It is not out of the realm of possibility to encounter bear (both black and griz), moose, wolf, mtn lion, etc during one of my daily outings. My gun of choice is a S&W Model 329 PD in .44 Mag. It's easy to carry, and has a power to weight ratio that is ideal for my purposes. I don't take it off or change it for a different gun if I stop to pickup some groceries on the way home, or if I'm running some other errands.

FWIW,

Paul

 

[theotherwaldo]

I have just introduced one of my co-workers to the joys of shooting revolvers.

He can't use semi-autos.

His left hand is gone, just above the wrist.

 

[btg3]

It may be easier to use a revolver with one hand, but it's certainly possible to shoot, reload, and clear jams single-handedly with an autoloader. If you CC an autoloader, it's a good idea to learn and practice the techniques as they could save your life.

 

[bulbboy]

My wife doesn't have enough strength to pull back some slides of autos

 

[btg3]

A technique recommended for females to rack the slide is to:

1. Grip the gun normally with the strong-hand.
2. Lay the off-hand palm on the slide with thumb pointed down the barrel.
3. Close off-hand onto the slide such that the slide is gripped with 4 fingers along one side and the heel of the hand on the other side. (Do not just pinch the slide between fingers and thumb).
4. Hold both arms straight. Do not bend elbows.
5. Keep arms straight and PUSH the gun with the strong hand by slightly rotating your shoulders.

Keys are:
-- Proper grip on slide with off-hand.
-- Arms straight.
-- PUSH the gun, rather than PULL the slide.

 

[Warner]

Animation please?

 

[Mr. Designer]

Find me an autoloader that weighs 12 ounces and can shoot a round as powerful as the 357 magnum. Once you do, I'll switch. As of now, I carry a S&W 360sc

 

[FranklyTodd]

Find me an autoloader that weighs 12 ounces and can shoot a round as powerful as the 357 magnum. Once you do, I'll switch. As of now, I carry a S&W 360sc

+1
S&W M&P340 w/CT

 

[Hawk]

Find me an autoloader that weighs 12 ounces and can shoot a round as powerful as the 357 magnum. Once you do, I'll switch. As of now, I carry a S&W 360sc

Makes me hurt just thinking about it.

Does one practice with .357s or is the practice with .38 Spcl with the .357 carried?

 

[.41Dave]

Semi autos are just as reliable nowadays

Not in my experience. I have had significantly more failures with semis than with any of my wheelguns.

...hold way more ammo

a 1911 holds only 1 more round than my 686 Mountain Gun. Frankly, I'm not sure having 15+ rounds on tap isn't a disadvantage. When ammo is limited, you try to make each shot count. Many people tend to miss a lot really fast when they think their ammo supply is nearly limitless. A number of studies back in the late 80s & early 90s have shown that when different police agencies switched from revolvers to semis, their hit:miss ratio got significantly worse. As for me, I am not an uber-kommando nor a tactical SWAT ninja. If I'm still in trouble after firing six rounds, having 11 more in gun probably isn't going to get me out of it.

...much more customizable

A look at some of the gun rags from the 80s will disabuse you of that notion. Not to mention that the grip, which is arguably the most crucial bit of ergonomics and can make the difference between a natural shooter and minute-of-barn is vastly more customizable on a revolver than a semi

...much easier to actually shoot

Personally, I find revolvers much easier to shoot quickly and/or accurately.

less recoil, etc. etc.

Recoil is a personal issue. Some people are more put off by the slide banging around than the straight push of a revolver.

And as DougDubya said, "Style, baby, style". Here in Texas, you gotta have a Barbeque gun. With the exception of a very few classics like the 1911, trying to make a semi into a barbeque gun is like putting lipstick and jewelry on a pig and calling it a hot date.

 

[Hawk]

I have just introduced one of my co-workers to the joys of shooting revolvers.

He can't use semi-autos.

His left hand is gone, just above the wrist.

I'd guess a lot of that has to do with what one is used to. A traditional 1911 (FLGR need not apply) with or without 10-8 sights is amenable to one handed operation.

Also, both revolvers and semis are represented by a wide array of product. As noted above, single stack 1911s don't have much of a capacity advantage. On the other hand, I can't offhand think of a more difficult firearm to one-hand than the Taurus revolver that incorporates both the Dan Wesson and S&W type cylinder releases on the same firearm.

Much like semis can't be said to have a higher capacity than revolvers as a blanket statement, revolvers aren't always easier to one-hand. One in particular would appear next to impossible.

 

[DougDubya]

BTG - or she could just use a revolver.

 

[mavracer]

Does one practice with .357s or is the practice with .38 Spcl with the .357 carried?

I've shot plenty of both through my M&P340 even shot some 145 silvertips, not fun but no crying either.I've setteled on 357mag 125 golden sabers they shoot minute of pie plate to 25 yards and are the hottest I can shoot without adjusting my grip between shots.

 

[btg3]

or she could just use a revolver.

DougDubya--I've seen plenty of ladies shoot IDPA, but none with a revolver. A few may exist, but if so, they're relatively lonely. Since their choice seems not to favor revolvers, the better response may be to support their preference with good instruction rather than select a different gun for them.

 

[DougDubya]

We're talking people who need self defense, but are not physically fit. Grandmothers with arthritis, not gameswomen who engage in playtime at the local range, where, if they can't manipulate their weapons, they only lose points, not their lives.

The IDPA shooters are more likely to be fit and well-trained. Utilization of autopistols for defense is not a problematic issue for them.

 

[btg3]

Grandmothers with arthritis, not gameswomen who engage in playtime at the local range

uhm...I think that's YOUR assumption, which I have no problem with other than you waited until now to say so.

 

[mavracer]

OP

Why would anyone choose a revolver over semi auto?

Bulbboy's answer

My wife doesn't have enough strength to pull back some slides of autos

BTG3

A technique recommended for females to rack the slide is to:..............................ETC

take your own advice

the better response may be to support their preference with good instruction rather than select a different gun for them.

 

[Confederate]

Well, it depends on what kind of auto you're talking about. If I were a police chief, I wouldn't let my guys carry Glocks. Not that they couldn't learn to carry them safely, it's just that accidental discharges tend to be more of a problem with them. There will always be cops who can be trusted with them, but there will always be cops that can't.

Here's one of my favorite articles, taken from the Associate Press:

SAN ANTONIO Apr 21, 2005 — This is one story they'll be telling around the San Antonio Police Department for a long time. An off-duty officer was at a San Antonio auto auction house yesterday when nature called, a police spokesman said.

Officer Craig Clancy strolled to the appropriate facility and was lowering his trousers when his pistol fell from his waistband. When Clancy fumbled for the falling firearm, it went off, twice.

One of the bullets nicked a bit of floor tile into the leg of a man who was washing his hands nearby. That man was taken to a nearby hospital for treatment.

Police internal affairs [department] is investigating.

And who can forget that DEA agent in Washington who explained how he was an "expert" in the use of the Glock, then proceeded to almost blow his foot off by accidentally discharging the gun? Another officer lost his life when his Glock fell off of a table as he was preparing to clean it. He fumbled for it (a purely instinctive reaction one does without thinking) and his finger hit the trigger. It fired once and he was dead.

In Washington, D.C., they're still having accidental discharges, and the D.C. police changed to the Glock a few years ago. When Glocks first appeared, they had stiff trigger pulls and that's why I wouldn't have anything to do with them. Then they lightened the triggers so that having a cocked Glock was like having a cocked revolver. Sure it won't go off if the trigger isn't pulled, but putting a safety on a trigger is like putting a brake on an accelerator. What's the logic in that? Anyway, they make me nervous. I don't like the idea of carrying them or even being around them.

As far as out-of-the-box 1911s, I haven't seen too many that I would feel comfortable betting my life on. The design was good for it's day, but most 1911s need substantial work to get up to the standards of today's auto pistols. I've shot my S&W autos enough to make me trust them thoroughly, but I'd still take my Ruger Speed-Six 3-inch with me if I knew I was going to get into trouble. There's no really good reason except that it's the one I'm most familiar with and most comfortable with.

There are other great autos. Sig Saur and others have really surprised me at making autos that are virtually flawless. But there are still a number of good reasons to go with revolvers. Automatics are getting awfully expensive, but this is mitigated somewhat by the fact that one can still pick up used Smiths and other guns for much less than what a new auto would cost.

 

[btg3]

mavracer -- consider the possibility that you have confused ability with preference regarding Bulbboy's post

 

[MarkDido]

None of you should have revolvers. You should leap into the 21st Century and only carry autoloaders!

You can send your antiquated old revolvers to me, Markdido at P. O. Box.....

 

[Jkwas]

When I hold a revolver, it becomes part of me, like an extension of my arm. When I shoot an autoloader, I have more of the sense I'm operating a machine. I have both, and each has their place.
Recently I was torn between purchasing a Beretta 92, an elegant pistol I've always admired, and a Used S&W M64-1 revolver. I just had to go with the revolver. For me they are a joy to shoot and for nightstand duty they are superb. Anyone in my house can pick it up and shoot it with it's simple manual of arms and low recoil. And they won't get "happy finger" and spray the whole house down with bullets.
I use my autos mostly as CCW guns for reasons of capacity and concealability.