Doper handgunners, Semiauto or Revolver?

In My Humble Opinion
1

Just curious what other Dopers prefer to shoot (I tried to post a poll, but it seems to be disabled)

I’ve used both, but always find myself gravitating back to the humble wheelgun, maybe because it’s what I grew up on as a kid, shooting Dad’s Ruger Single Six, maybe it’s because it’s a more “organic” experience, or the feeling that a well-crafted revolver gives in hand, something akin to a fine Swiss watch, there’s something indefinable about the feel of a revolver in hand

Then there’s the technical reasons as well;
when loaded and ready to go, the action components and springs in a revolver are in a relaxed, “at rest” state, in a semiauto, the springs are partially to fully compressed, depending on the gun

A revolver is capable of handling a wider range of power levels and cartridge styles than an autoloader, a .357 Magnum can handle .38 Short Colt, .38 Long Colt, .38 Special, and .357 Magnum, a 9MM (semiauto equivalent) can only handle 9mm, a .44 Magnum can handle .44 Russian, .44 Special, and .44 Magnum, a .45 ACP can only handle .45 ACP, a .45 Colt can handle .45 Colt, .45 Auto-Rim, and (depending on the gun) .45 ACP

Revolvers can handle anything from an ultra-lightweight “Powderpuff” load, to the nastiest “Wrist-Breakers”, semiautos can fire powderpuffs, but they most likely won’t operate the action, so the shooter will have to manually eject and chamber a fresh cartridge

Accuracy-wise I’ll leave as a wash, as that’s far more reliant on the shooter’s skills, however, as the revolver barrel is fixed to the frame and does not move, in theory, a revolver should be slightly more accurate, put in a Ransom Rest and taking the human factor out of the equation, loading each cartridge to the same power level, in theory, there should be little difference

Malfunction drills are generally easier with a revolver, if the cartridge fits into the chamber in the cylinder and the cylinder can rotate, there likely won’t be any feed issues, semiautos can be rather fussy about the lenght of the loaded cartridge and the type of bullet loaded (some 1911’s don’t like Semi-Wadcutter or hollowpoint bullets) revolvers don’t have the “Stovepipe” issue of autoloaders (the ejecting empty cartridge gets trapped by the slide, jamming up the works), but then again, to be fair, if a revolver has a squib load (underpowered round) that stops as it enters the narrel’s forcing cone, it can tie up the revolver to the point where a trip to the gunsmith is necessary to clear it, if the bullet can’t be tapped back into the cartridge with a soft brass rod

The semiauto also has a capacity advantage over the revolver, if you’re in an environment where you need more than six (or seven or eight…) rounds on tap, a semiauto might be a better choice

There’s really no One Right Choice, just what works for you, personally, given a choice, I prefer the revolver, but wouldn’t be opposed to using a semiauto either, but my choice is the revolver

2

MacTech, I agree with your reasoning and conclusion. I’d add that, if I’m in a situation in which I need more than six bullets, I should be either [del]retreating[/del] advancing in the other direction or surrendering.

3

I like both. I have dozens of each, but just for sheer convenience, I’d pick up a pistol before a revolver. Just that the single action, 3-4 lb trigger is a pinch easier than the sa/da of my revolvers. I don’t even own a SA revolver :eek:

These days I’m loving my Ruger 22/45, although I’d love someone to come out with a .22 with more than a 10-round mag.

Mine has a PacLite upper that’s 1/4 the weight of the original steel, and even with a suppressor on the end, it’s still lighter, and oh, so quiet!

Coke cans and apples don’t stand a chance…

4

I prefer a semiauto. I just like the feel better. No other reasons, good or bad.

.

5

I have a .357 magnum with a 6" barrel, and a Taurus PT99 9mm semi.

When I worked Armored, I carried the PT99 with only the clip that was in it, while some of my co-workers sniffed at carrying a 9mm and carried 45-60 rounds (or more) on the theory that they wanted to have enough ammunition to get out of any fight.

My argument was this;
1> I worked the Downtown Minneapolis route. If I fired more than twice, I was almost guaranteed to hit a bystander.
2> If I can’t get out of the situation with 15 rounds, no amount of ammo is getting me home.

We also had two guys (the mechanics) who had been there 30-40 years. In front of some of the Caliber/Ammo Count snobs, I asked them when the last time was that someone used their firearm in the line of duty. They looked at each other and one of them said “I think someone had to shoot a dog back in the 70’s”.

So ok, in living memory, NO ONE had fired so much as a single shot at another human. So what’s the deal with carrying a .45 with 60 rounds of ammo again? What kind of “fire fight” do you think is going to require that kind of throwdown and how the fuck do you think you’re surviving that long enough to go through all that? Hmm?

At home, it is the .357 that sits in the sock drawer with 5 rounds in it, hammer on an empty chamber. That’s the gun that scared off, by mere appearance, the guy who laughed at me while I was holding a butcher knife and calling 911 in my old house, while he tried to break down the door. Once I retrieved the .357 and held it up where he could see it, he took off like a rocket.

When pleasure shooting, it is also a factor of time vs. ammo usage. You can throw a lot of rounds using the 9mm in a short amount of time. When I go shooting, I tend to alot myself 2 boxes of each, and the revolver lasts quite a lot longer.

6

I work in the woods in a rainforest. When I carry a gun, it’s a revolver, for the ease of cleaning, drying, and keeping it oiled up and rust free.

7

“I know what you’re thinking. “Did he fire six shots or only five?” Well, to tell you the truth, in all this excitement I kind of lost track myself. But being as this is a .44 Magnum, the most powerful handgun in the world, and would blow your head clean off, and being that you’re a howler monkey that probably can’t count to five or understand the concept of ammunition, you’ve got to ask yourself one question: Do I feel lucky? Well, do ya, monk?”

8

I gots to know…

9

There are literally thousands of valid arguments for and against both. About the only argument that doesn’t carry any weight with me any longer is that revolvers are more reliable and less likely to jam. Properly maintained, any good firearm will last you for as long as you care to own it. Don’t take care of it and any of them will fowl and jam on you.

My personal preference is a semi-auto. Just prefer the feel.

One error in your OP. “when loaded and ready to go, the action components and springs in a revolver are in a relaxed, “at rest” state, in a semiauto, the springs are partially to fully compressed, depending on the gun”

With the hammer pulled back, both the revolver and semi have maximum tension on the spring. When decocked, both have the spring fully relaxed. Except for models which require hand cocking, the hammer is pulled back when you pull the trigger. The difference is that this is done every time for a revolver but only the first for most semis. The action of the slide ejecting the cartridge recocks the semi. The hammer can later be released (decocked) for safety and to remove tension on the spring if you don’t intend to fire it immediately.

And the other question you didn’t ask. You’re in the wrong forum for polling. Polls are only available in IMHO.

10

Good guess on the .44, I really didn’t know where you were going with the howler monkey until I reread my post. Contrary to the impression I gave, the rainforest I work in is in Alaska and all we have are bears. :slight_smile:

11

I’m always going to prefer the gun I can shoot better and for me it’s a revolver. Good OP, I endorse it thoroughly.

My last 2 purchases have been pistols though, nothing at all wrong with pistols. :slight_smile:

12

Split opinion. I own a number of both, and each type offers a different shooting experience. I even keep one of each loaded by the bed: Model 28 S&W .357 and a Browning High Power 9mm.

13

I own both. I *much *prefer the semi-automatic. I love the semi’s light trigger pull, low recoil, and removable magazine. The only good thing I can say about a revolver is its better reliability.

14

I’ve a .357 Ruger GP100 6" and a Ruger Mark II .22. I enjoy shooting both, but also always come back to the GP 100. The revolver. But those are the only handguns I own.

I also have a number of rifles in assorted caliber. From .22, 30-30 up to a .356 Marlin. The .22’s are fun and cheap to shoot, but I really enjoy shooting the larger calibers.

15

Modification to my above: I own both, but the numbers are very unbalanced - 2 revolvers, 10 semiautos.

.22
.22
.32
.357 ®
9X18
9X18
9mm
.40 S&W
.44 Special ®
.45
.45
.30 Carbine

16

Another reason I (currently) lean towards revolvers is that, as a reloader, I hate to lose brass, every time I went to the range with my ratty old Kimber Custom II (bought used in 85% of new condition) I always came back with less brass than I started with

Once I started seriously using my Ruger New Model Blackhawk .45 Convertible (.45 Colt and .45 ACP cylinders) for target shooting, I loved not having to search for brass anymore

So, that’s mainly why I traded the Kimber towards a Ruger Super Redhawk in .44 Magnum, yes I lose two rounds of capacity (or three if I use an 8 round mag), but I gain;

1; no more searching for brass, something any reloader will appreciate
2; the ability to try multiple differnt bullet weights and powder charges, from powderpuffs to stompers
3; the cool “Magnum” stamp on the beefy side-frame

the SRH is one massively overbuilt revolver, it looks like a baby version of Hellboy’s revolver :wink:

At some point, I’ll add another .45 ACP semiauto back to the collection, but I was never really happy with my Kimber to begin with, and putchased it only because the price was right, it was my first 1911, and I had no frame of reference for what I wanted in a 1911

it had MIM parts (Metal Injection Molded), the thumb safety, mag release, and grip safety were MIM, and I hate MIM parts
It wouldn’t reliably eat my target/plinking loads and really only liked factory 230 Grain FMJ rounds
It would occasionally stovepipe jam on me
And finally, the last time I had it out on the range was almost a year ago, I had been shooting my .45 Colt Blackhawk far more, and I reload for both of them, cost of ammo was a non-issue on that front

Besides, if it ever came down to using a handgun devensively (something I hope I NEVER have to do), I think a revolver presents a more intimidating view to the perpetrator, something about being able to see the projectile in the barrel itself, as well as the other rounds in the cylinder as well, seeing the nose of all those “missiles” in their “launch tubes” has to be quite intimidating

On one of my gun forums, there’s a memorable signature quote I found quite amusing;
“With a revolver in hand, I feel like Eliot Ness pursuing Al Capone, or Indiana Jones chasing a Nazi tank on horseback, or Phillip Marlowe going down the mean streets of L.A. With a semiauto in hand, I feel like I’m holding a hair dryer.”

Oh, and if you want to see some cool slow-motion videos of bullets in ballistics gel, check this out
In particular, check out 9mm, .357 Magnum, .44 Magnum, and .45 ACP…

17

Same here. For reliability though, a ‘wheel’ gun never ‘hangs’ up. :smiley:
I also prefer my S&W over the Colts and Rugers, due to the swing out cylinder. Much quicker reloading time, with the use of “Speed Loaders”. :wink:

(Although, if you can’t hit it with six rounds, you’re doing something wrong.)

18

I wouldn’t say “never” because I have had it happen once. I was using some .44 loads in my Redhawk that my dad had loaded using IMR-4227. For some reaon, he really liked that power. He left behind 300-400 rounds loaded with it when he died. That stuff burned dirty in the Redhawk. I went through a box of 50 one session and by the end of the box, the powder residue had built up so bad around the cylinder axis that the cylinder wouldn’t turn when I thumbed the hammer back.

19

And chipmunks.

20

See, I shoot both revolvers and autoloaders, when I come home from a match at the range I have much of the brass that the other autoloader guys have left behind! So I always have plenty of 9mm and 40 S&W brass to reload. Revolver shooters are selfish!:smiley: