Advantages of revolvers over semi autos
- Thread starter Photon Guy
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Photon Guy
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We're well past the days of Dirty Harry.
Cosmodragoon
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That movie did a lot to popularize .44 magnum and helped cement it in the public consciousness. Reasonably, the .44 magnum was very powerful then and remains more powerful than what most of us carry on a daily basis today. Given the existence of .454 Casull back then, that famous speech has never been true. It's just so much less so today!
Photon Guy
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Well most rifle rounds have always been more powerful than the .44 Magnum but yes, they did have the .454 back then and now days the .500 Smith & Wesson would dwarf the .44 Magnum. I've got both guns.
How's the recoil on those behemoths, Photon. I've always wondered if a 2nd shot was possible, or would I be looking for my Smith in the alders while listening to a bear the size of a Buick was searching me out.
My S&W M69 at 39 oz. is a handful with full house .44 Magnums, but its grip is the best for handling that level of push back is the best I've ever tried. The same grip is on my 629 with a full length lug on its 5" bbl. Again, the grips make it usable.
Best Regards, Rod
My S&W M69 at 39 oz. is a handful with full house .44 Magnums, but its grip is the best for handling that level of push back is the best I've ever tried. The same grip is on my 629 with a full length lug on its 5" bbl. Again, the grips make it usable.
Best Regards, Rod
The differences are, as they say, what makes the world go round. Personally, I have always found the stock S&W grips some of the worst for handling recoil at the .44 Mag level.
This is one of the reasons I like the magnum class semi autos, the totally different shape of the grip (and the weight) give the recoil a completely different feel, one that I don't find painful, which is not something I can say about the S&W M29/629 with stock wooden "Target" grips.
Photon Guy
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The recoil with the .44 isn't so bad if you use proper technique and if you get used to it. I used the .44 in a shooting class and I did quite well with it and a 2nd shot is possible and not all that hard to do once you get the hang of it. As for the .500 I've only fired it a bunch of times and its recoil is significantly greater than the .44 but I suppose even that can be used quite skillfully and a good 2nd shot can be taken with enough practice.
Cosmodragoon
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The XVR does a surprisingly good job of taming felt recoil. For instance, shooting .460 S&W from the full-size XVR feels a lot better in my hands than shooting the less powerful .454 Casull from guns specifically chambered for it. It has a lot to do with the gun:
- It's very heavy (but still handier and easier to carry than a comparable rifle)
- It comes with two very effective and interchangeable compensators, one for lead bullets and one for jacketed. The longer barrel helps too.
- It has extremely comfortable grips that cover the back strap and cushion the hand.
Note: The X-frame and L-frame can use the same grips so for a treat, try them with .357 or .44 magnum.
SauerGrapes
New member
My wife is the same way,,,,lmao!
She also doesn't have the hand strength to rack semis.
Personal preference
If you reload (handload), shooting a revolver is more convenient not having to pick up brass all over the place, especially in an indoor range. There are more things to watch for in handloading 9mm than 38 special. (This is not to generalize across all semi-auto/rimless cartridges).
Also never had to worry about bullet setback when loading/unloading a revolver. Not a burdensome concern, but it is something to watch out when cycling thru your pistol.
Family finds shooting easier on the striker-fired pistol, but racking the slide takes a little more work for those who don't have hand strength. By the same token, while the revolver is easier to load, the 10+lb. double action trigger is a little harder to master.
If you reload (handload), shooting a revolver is more convenient not having to pick up brass all over the place, especially in an indoor range. There are more things to watch for in handloading 9mm than 38 special. (This is not to generalize across all semi-auto/rimless cartridges).
Also never had to worry about bullet setback when loading/unloading a revolver. Not a burdensome concern, but it is something to watch out when cycling thru your pistol.
Family finds shooting easier on the striker-fired pistol, but racking the slide takes a little more work for those who don't have hand strength. By the same token, while the revolver is easier to load, the 10+lb. double action trigger is a little harder to master.
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Some of y'all need to spend time working on your reloads. If you rely on a revolver for SD/HD, you should have a good and efficient reload, and that only comes with lots of practice. IMO, then, not having to pick up brass shouldn't be one a reason for preferring a revolver.
Not having to pick up my brass was the reason I bought a Ruger .45 Convertible. I already had a .45 auto, and thought it would be a good gun to plink with, and not have to search for my brass in the weeds.
I made one small mistake. I shot a box of .45 Colt loads first, before I ever put any ACP in the gun. Oh was I impressed! When I did shoot some ACP it was ..meh...
in the 33 years I've had that gun, it has had several thousand .45 Colts fired, maybe 300 ACP.
I like revolvers, have a dozen or so, mostly Ruger SAs and S&W DAs. I'm a bit of a rarity, I'm not particularly concerned with the speed of my reloads. I have speedloaders for several of my revolvers, and I do use them, but I don't try to set any speed records. So far, that hasn't caused me any difficulty in life. Your situation is most likely much different, and being fast (and the practice needed for that) certainly does no harm.
I made one small mistake. I shot a box of .45 Colt loads first, before I ever put any ACP in the gun. Oh was I impressed! When I did shoot some ACP it was ..meh...
in the 33 years I've had that gun, it has had several thousand .45 Colts fired, maybe 300 ACP.
I like revolvers, have a dozen or so, mostly Ruger SAs and S&W DAs. I'm a bit of a rarity, I'm not particularly concerned with the speed of my reloads. I have speedloaders for several of my revolvers, and I do use them, but I don't try to set any speed records. So far, that hasn't caused me any difficulty in life. Your situation is most likely much different, and being fast (and the practice needed for that) certainly does no harm.
Pond James Pond
New member
OK. It's morning for me and I've only had one coffee, which may explain the fact that you've lost me, but....
....how do smooth reloads have any bearing on where brass does or doesn't go with a semi-auto?
Pond James Pond
New member
The complaint from some was that they prefer revolvers precisely because, when shooting one, the brass doesn't fly to the four corners of the globe the way they might with a semi-auto.
Even if people practice "stressed" reloads, I still think all six case will pretty much land in the same spot on the floor at the users feet in a more predictable fashion....
I think the only way auto's will beat that is with one of those brass-nets that you can set-up in the area where a given gun flings its cases.
Even if people practice "stressed" reloads, I still think all six case will pretty much land in the same spot on the floor at the users feet in a more predictable fashion....
I think the only way auto's will beat that is with one of those brass-nets that you can set-up in the area where a given gun flings its cases.
testuser79
New member
I know this one was a little ways back, but couldn't help to read...
Every police officer in my community is issued both a fullsized autoloader and a backup revolver. At extreme close range, where capacity is a non issue and reloading is impossible, a small back up revolver is still a viable and often preferred choice.
Every police officer in my community is issued both a fullsized autoloader and a backup revolver. At extreme close range, where capacity is a non issue and reloading is impossible, a small back up revolver is still a viable and often preferred choice.
walnut1704
New member
For sporting use, revolvers. Unless you just like Autos. Shooting for fun you get to use whatever you want since it's supposed to be....fun! I prefer revolvers for the aforementioned brass retention feature. Plus the cartridges are simple to reload and they are versatile, you can load wild to mild, whatever floats your boat. But if you don't agree or care about those qualities use what you want! There is no better-or-worse when it comes to recreational shooting.
In a gunfight I'd prefer an auto, yet I keep a revolver for a house gun. I'm not the only consideration there. But if I knew I was walking into trouble and had to pick a gun just for me, it would be an auto that holds a lot of rounds.
In a gunfight I'd prefer an auto, yet I keep a revolver for a house gun. I'm not the only consideration there. But if I knew I was walking into trouble and had to pick a gun just for me, it would be an auto that holds a lot of rounds.