Honest Question About Revolvers

[hoodfu]

If you can't rack a glock slide, you're going to have a bad time pulling a 12 pound revolver trigger with one finger. I think the reliability does come up big though. Pull trigger, didn't go bang. Pull it again. With an automatic the whole tap rack bang thing comes in to play and there's a least a few videos of convenience store owners dying while racking their slide. Now that we have very good factory self defense ammo available however, the point becomes less of an advantage.

 

[freddy]

Reason #1. My j-frame 442 is the most comfortable to appendix carry of all my handguns. It also prints the least.

Reason #2. Semi autos can and do stove pipe, the slide can be inadvertently locked open, the mag can be released unintentionally, double feeds, etc. Glocks included. The semi auto is without any doubt inherently less reliable. True, it may be a slight difference... but the semi auto does fail more than revolvers. A revolver cannot be placed out of battery when in contact distance with an adversary. Under the duress of an actual gunfight we can expect more reliability issues with a semi auto than we see while training on the range. Again slight though that may be.

Of course these benefits can be overshadowed by the need for round count, and, rapid reload. I usually carry a semi auto. Maybe 5-10% of the time a j-frame.

 

[Calculon]

Some people aren't comfortable carrying a semi with a round in the pipe even with a good holster or a thumb safety. A revolver eliminates that concern.

 

[Marine Cpl]

Some people aren't comfortable carrying a semi with a round in the pipe even with a good holster or a thumb safety. A revolver eliminates that concern.

How so? Are you carrying a revolver with the first chamber empty?

I see no difference.

 

[Harry Hood]

I carry a S&W model 28 highway patrolman in .357 magnum for a back up gun in the deer woods. It comes in handy if I have to walk through thick stuff that I can't swing up the rifle. Also, enough to put down a wounded animal.

@Willjr75 the transfer bar in front of the hammer will not let the hammer fall onto the primer until the trigger is pulled.

 

[stokes]

I carried a revolver on and off duty for 10 yrs before we switched to the glock.I still carry my .38 mod 60 often.Its light,small and comfortable,and I figure 5 shots is enough.I dont anticipate long running gun battles.Its for personal defense,one,two shots and I'm out,hopefully.I have no problem carrying my glock 19 or my XD .45 but the 1911 is just too big and uncomfortable.

 

[Marine Cpl]

@Willjr75 the transfer bar in front of the hammer will not let the hammer fall onto the primer until the trigger is pulled.

As do most semi autos. No? The trigger has to be pulled.

 

[Tinman]

In my opinion the revolver is generally more reliable than a semi. You pull the trigger and it goes bang. If not, pull again. It will never stove pipe or have a failure to feed.

 

[Ma Deuce]

Because it's better to pistol whip someone with a revolver

 

[wizrd]

Learn to shoot well - problem solved. Read some of Bill Jordan's books, - he is the man that originally influenced S&W to put the .357 Mag. into a K-frame revolver. His revolvers served him well for over a 30 year career in the U. S. Border Patrol.
The more you practice, the less need for the 'spray & pray' school of marksmanship....just saying.

 

[Calculon]

As do most semi autos. No? The trigger has to be pulled.

Agreed. Some new/inexperienced shooters are not comfortable with what they perceive is a very light trigger on a typical single action/striker fired pistol. Revolvers generally have much longer and heavier trigger pulls giving them more confidence it won't fire accidentally. Time and training will typically eliminate that type of thinking.

 

[Deplorable Me]

Some people aren't comfortable carrying a semi with a round in the pipe even with a good holster or a thumb safety. A revolver eliminates that concern.

Under these conditions a Glock would be no different than a revolver, think about it. A trigger snag is a trigger snag, a second trigger snag will do the same thing. It's not like either is a full auto. If you carry any firearm in your shorts without a good holster you deserve to get your balls blown off. Thread, keys, loose coin; anything in you pocket can get wedged in the trigger.

 

[spat]

I've heard that too yet there are semi autos that'll fire under almost any conditions so that negates that point in my book.

A malfunction or misfire on a semi auto requires a special procedure to clear. A revolver requires you to pull the trigger again.

If you regularly train to clear the various faults in your semi, then it's not that big of a deal. But for someone who will have to stop and think for second to clear them, the revolver is much faster.

 

[Darth]

A malfunction or misfire on a semi auto requires a special procedure to clear. A revolver requires you to pull the trigger again.

If you regularly train to clear the various faults in your semi, then it's not that big of a deal. But for someone who will have to stop and think for second to clear them, the revolver is much faster.

But if you jam a revolver, you're fucked. Been there.

 

[Marine Cpl]

But if you jam a revolver, you're fucked. Been there.

Yep. If you do, you need tools to fix it.

 

[dsdmmat]

Yep. If you do, you need tools to fix it.

Not necessarily but, you will need a good bit of pressure on the cylinder to get it out of the frame. I have seen a high primer prevent and an improperly crimped bullet (moving forward) from a cylinder turning. If you don't carry reloads for defense it is highly unlikely to happen.

 

[Criticalt]

I dont believe there has to be anymore of a reason than you prefer a revolver.
I have a GP100 and an SP101. I often carry the SP and rarely the GP.
Im very accurate with th SP and believe it will do fine in a self defense situation.
Im pretty fast and tactical. If im in a self defense situation I will only fire enough to gain enough time to escape the situation.
Most self defense situations are a few rounds fired while everyone tries to get away, and most bad guys are not good shots and have no tactical capabilities.
If I can get 4-5 well placed rounds, they will be dead, or I will be gone.
Of course things can go wrong but im pretty good at staying off the X.

 

[Marine Cpl]

I dont believe there has to be anymore of a reason than you prefer a revolver.
I have a GP100 and an SP101. I often carry the SP and rarely the GP.
Im very accurate with th SP and believe it will do fine in a self defense situation.
Im pretty fast and tactical. If im in a self defense situation I will only fire enough to gain enough time to escape the situation.
Most self defense situations are a few rounds fired while everyone tries to get away, and most bad guys are not good shots and have no tactical capabilities.
If I can get 4-5 well placed rounds, they will be dead, or I will be gone.
Of course things can go wrong but im pretty good at staying off the X.

I disagree. For the most part, 1 to 3 shots is all that's needed. I can't argue with you there. But there are situations you can get yourself into that you'd curse yourself for bringing a knife to a gunfight.

For example, you are trapped in a bank robbery gone bad that they have now decided to kill hostages after being surrounded.

Yes,. It is rather unlikely, but still possible. There are many situations where one is trapped and your only hope of survival is dependent on the taking down of multiple targets.

 

[livingston]

My sister has arthritis in her hands . She said she cannot rack the slide very good. That is why she opted for a revolver.

 

[JaguarJaguarGolf]

Anybody else besides me ever draw their semi-auto handgun to find the magazine gone somewhere in the woods and now you have a single shot pistol?

 

[Marine Cpl]

Anybody else besides me ever draw their semi-auto handgun to find the magazine gone somewhere in the woods and now you have a single shot pistol?

No. And I go hiking a lot.

 

[nortatoga]

There really is no right answer to this!

Carry what you like best!

Carry what is most comfortable!

And what is the most important, Carry what you shoot the best!

 

[Darth]

Anybody else besides me ever draw their semi-auto handgun to find the magazine gone somewhere in the woods and now you have a single shot pistol?

No!?

But, it supports why I abhor magazine safeties.

 

[Darth]

And now we've made @JaguarJaguarGolf feel bad, but it happens to the best of us.

I've never had your situation, but one time I had my Glock under my towel as I went in the hot tub, forgot I had it there, and had it hit the deck.

We all make mistakes.

 

[Marine Cpl]

There really is no right answer to this!

Carry what you like best!

Carry what is most comfortable!

And what is the most important, Carry what you shoot the best!

I agree which is why I asked the question. And also to have a gun related thread. You can thank me now.

If a revolver is what you shoot best, cool. Not for me though. I get less recoil with an auto and although I may probably only need 3 rounds, I won't download my magazine from 10 to 5. I like having 21 to 31 rounds minimum in the off chance I'd need them.

That's why I carry a gun in the first place. For the off chances.

 

[Catskillkid]

I have a soft spot for wheel guns. I kind of like carrying my J-Frame, though, it's mostly around the property. All the issues that are brought up in this thread are valid though.

 

[4excal]

And where is @HighlandLofts isn't he the "WheelGun Master"?? Or I'm confusing him with someone else that posts the bazillion revolvers on a wood table

 

[Marine Cpl]

And where is @HighlandLofts isn't he the "WheelGun Master"?? Or I'm confusing him with someone else that posts the bazillion revolvers on a wood table

Lol. The newest revolver thread is what sparked this thread. There were plenty of revolvers on a table in that one.

 

[Phauxtoe]

Smith 60 is s perfect carry gun!
5 rounds of 357 mag (best self defense round)
I have been shooting smiths for 40 years, I can't remember a single stoppage, sure it Could Happen!
I have also shot glocks, rugers, Sigs, Brownings, Colts, etc and can't remrmber one that haven't failed!

Go with a smith 686 and we are talking s one hole gun !

 

[Podmonkey]

I am not really a revolver guy myself but I see the two chief advantages as:
1 access to .357 magnum, the ultimate defensive caliber, in a practical carry package.
2 If in very close contact you can jam a revolver barrel hard into a body and fire. Doing this with an automatic may cause the slide to go out of battery leaving you with a dead trigger in a desperate situation.
Also a .38 snubie is pretty easy to conceal just about anywhere, good backup gun if one felt the need for one.