Young people laugh at revolvers?

[dogngun]

I read a post somewhere about a handgun class...seems only one person brought a revolver, and a lot of the younger studs there thought it was quaint - to the point of being amused that anyone would actually carry such an antiquated thing.

Well, I will certainly admit to being old, and even the auto pistols I normally carry are antique designs - 1911, PPK, and an 80+ year old Spanish .25 ACP modeled partly after the 1906 Browning-but I KNOW they work and they have been effective for a lot of years, and they still are even if they ain't "modern".
FWIW, I have been shooting handguns for over 45 years now, and have only had to pull one for real one time....and those young men DID NOT laugh at that old worn Highway Patrolman... They just kind of turned and went away, quickly.

I still have a Highway Patrolman , right here in fact, and you might think it's an antique but I will bet you can't out run it...

OK, thanks for reading...I feel better now.

mark

 

[03Shadowbob]

Everyone knows the saying about a man who only has one gun, knows how to use it. Along with that, I'd be more scared of someone with a revolver more often than someone with a semi-auto.
Revolvers to me portray confidence and ability.

 

[FirearmsEnthusiast]

I don't laugh at revolvers, I think they're awesome. Don't carry that many rounds, but still great lol. I wonder if they last longer then semi-auto's in the same caliber (without being serviced I mean).

 

[Mudinyeri]

LOL ... glad you feel better.

Although I haven't been shooting quite as long as the OP, I no longer consider myself a young guy (I'm 45). I grew up shooting revolvers, but like many things in my life I'm always looking at the new "tools" that come available. For example, I grew up using an Oxy/Acetylene torch to cut metal. Recently, I bought a plasma cutter. The difference is amazing.

As far as pistols go, I only used a couple semi-autos before I joined the Army. In the Army, I was forced to shoot the 1911 and the M9. While I didn't particularly care for either I realized the value of such a tool and have found similar tools that I really like in civilian life.

In my opinion, neither a revolver nor a semi-auto necessarily say anything about the individual carrying them. Like virtually any tool, guns are largely just an extension of the individual using them. To assume that I'm inexperienced because I'm carrying a semi-auto would be a serious mistake in judgement. To assume that I'm an old fart who refuses to adapt to new technologies because I'm carrying a revolver may also be a serious mistake in judgement.

Carry what you know and practice with it so it becomes an extension of your body.

 

[smoothdraw]

Anybody faster than Jerry Miculek on bill drill using his 45ACP revolver?

 

[keyboard commando]

Old men / Revolvers

Old men with revolvers more than likely know how to use them with great effect.

 

[primetime]

Nothing wrong with a revolver..But, I think the "stigma" is that since a revolver only holds 6.. Most young folks view that as a negative...15+1 sounds more appealing sometimes..

 

[TeamPrecisionIT]

I don't laugh at them because they have revolvers, but I would laugh at them if they laugh at me for shooting both revolvers and autoloaders.

With that said, a lot of the more seasoned among us carry revolvers due to simplicity and/or trust in their firearms.

Damian

 

[Welding Rod]

Every pin shooting match I ever attended the fastest guy was shooting a wheel gun.

I won a couple club speed events in Germany with a GP100 myself.

 

[minutemen1776]

From a technological standpoint, I suppose the gun world has moved on a bit from the golden age of the revolver. They're still lethal weapons, mind you, and nothing to laugh at, but newer semiautos typically offer more rounds and less weight for what is often a lower price point, all the while retaining a level of terminal effectiveness that is suitable for self defense. Sure, we can all buy what suits us best, but it's hard to fault a buyer for seeing the benefits of a semiauto and buying one over a revolver. And while I wouldn't personally scoff at someone's choice to use a revolver, to the uninitiated or young that choice may seem like someone selecting a VHS over a DVD player. Revolvers are not obsolete by any stretch, but they are definitely an older technology. In a technology-centered world, I can certainly see why someone would be bemused by someone who opts for a revolver over other options.

And by the way, being old and having a revolver doesn't make you an effective shooter. It just makes you a revolver owner who is old. There are thousands of revolvers (and semiautos, too, for that matter) that were bought decades ago and have languished ever since in sock drawers and nightstands. In the meantime, most of their owners have achieved very little skill with any firearm.

 

[armoredman]

Many of the younger crowd don't like wheelguns because the movies show people with wheelguns are usually inept or pathetic, and the hero ALWAYS carries some high speed low drag ultra hi cap pistol. More rounds fired, better the excitement in the theater.
I am very fond of my CZ pistols, but my Smith Model 10 38Spl revolver is one that will never be sold.

 

[rondog]

Probably because there's no revolvers in their video games.

 

[md7]

i own both semis and revolvers and recognize that both are very adequate for HD/SD puroposes if you train with them. that said, a blued wheel gun with a little honest holster wear is one of the most intimidating SD firearms that i can think of.

 

[spiroxlii]

I'm 25. My daily carry is a S&W J Frame model 637.

I do not laugh at it, but I do smile whenever I put it on and remember how comfortable it is to carry an Airweight.

 

[bwsmith2850]

I got an amused reaction when my S&W Model 19 .357 came to the range after qualification for a 'just for fun' PPC course in the academy. (We had some extra time and I was out of 9mm for my 5906.) After looking at the targets several people had to shoot it too.

I still get the occasional 'antique' comment when I stroll in before work with that .357, but not from people who have seen it shoot.

 

[ny32182]

As a "younger guy shooting an auto", I don't "laugh" at "old guys shooting revolvers" any more than they laugh at me I guess. We were all born young and impressionable at one time or another, and grew comfortable with the standards during our impressionable time. Some people are going to accept and appreciate newer platforms and some aren't. Proficiency comes from practice, not age or platform choice.

 

[Manco]

Obviously these "kids" didn't grow up on Westerns and Dirty Harry movies like many of us did. They view Clint Eastwood as just some old geezer who likes Hmong cuisine. Although I can and do appreciate the advantages that semiautomatic handguns have, I can never quite dissociate the image of a revolver and the idea of a sidearm. I may currently use a semiautomatic for home defense and like it a lot, but it's more of a tool while revolvers, in my mind, are REAL GUNS. It's totally unfair, but I can't help it. I guess the current generation of young adults and children simply have the opposite view based on what they've grown up with--largely media brainwashing, just like with many of the rest of us. I wonder if they realize what advantages revolvers have to offer; I guess they will have found out by the time they're as old as we are.

Probably because there's no revolvers in their video games.

Except for Red Dead Redemption (the sequel to Red Dead Revolver), I guess.

 

[benEzra]

Probably because there's no revolvers in their video games.

Actually, there are, and they're typically cast as more accurate and more powerful compared to semiautos (Half Life 2 comes to mind), even thought that is not necessarily the case.



I personally prefer semiautos in real life, but wouldn't mind owning a something like an S&W 686 in .357 someday.

 

[Sniper X]

And thats a six inch Python in that game, those writers have class!

Minuteman, you missed a few costs and benifits on both sides of the discussion on your description there mate!

 

[Sniper X]

I also think it (the revolver stigma) has a lot to do with the fact the younger crowd sees nothing but autos and the old spray and pray deal in movies, not only autos but FULL auto handguns with huge long magazines.....in fact when was the last movie produced where a wheel gun was the focal point of the movie? probably the last Dirty Harry before even they changed him to a Automag in Sudden Impact. I was happy to see on eof the main charachters in a fairly recent movie using a wheelie, in Se7in, Morgan Freeman had what looked like a model 19.

 

[minutemen1776]

Sniper X, enlighten us then. I didn't intend to give an exhaustive list of the benefits of one platform over the other. There are countless threads on that subject already.

 

[speaksoftly]

Probably because there's no revolvers in their video games.

My weapon of choice in Modern Warfare 2. ;-)
.44 mag goodness



As for the OP's topic, I would imagine that there's less laughing at revolvers going around as there's just a choice for semi's. Personally I think that my leaning towards the semi market is that I looked at a gun with 6 rounds and then the 15 round gun sitting next to it that was the same size. I really can't imagine a situation where one wouldn't want the extra ammo and easy reloading. Also, though they may still be more reliable than auto's, I hardly think that Mr. Murphy completely steers clear of revolvers. I've seen revolvers break down as I've seen auto's do the same. I have nothing against revolvers and enjoy shooting them, however for self-defense I stick with what I consider an improvement on the handgun design.

Just my two cents as a yougin (or at least what I'm sure will be considered a youngin in this thread haha)

 

[Bullnettles]

I'm 23 and will admit I wanted an auto first, but the more and more I mess with my wheel-guns, the more I become infatuated with them. I think both have their place and I love my 10MM to death, but nothing feels better than my m19.

 

[rondog]

Probably because there's no revolvers in their video games.

I was just being sarcastic, of course. But I really miss the two 6" M19's I used to own. Damn, those were nice!

 

[BullfrogKen]

Semi-auto's are viewed as high-speed/low-drag, and anything less is not up to par.

I really can't imagine a situation where one wouldn't want the extra ammo and easy reloading.

Because capacity doesn't matter nearly as much what fits someone's hand properly, what he can control, and make work the best.

And reliability matters most of all.


Six shots from a revolver will change the dynamics situation. Just the presence of a gun changes behavior. This deference to larger capacity is a game I've never really thought needed playing. In .45 ACP, the 1911 held seven in a magazine, and people seemed happy for quite a while with it.