Advantages of revolvers over semi autos

revolver vs simi auto in likeability

some people just like a revolver, just like some people like older cars, or older motorcycles
no mystery there
 
I favor revolvers, but all things being equal, the semi-auto has a power advantage due to the revolver's cylinder gap.
 
I favor revolvers, but all things being equal, the semi-auto has a power advantage due to the revolver's cylinder gap.
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I don't think there's much loss in power there, at least not with revolvers with the proper gap size. Also, I've seen some high-speed photos of semi-autos being shot in low light, that show a lot of flash coming out from places on the gun other than the muzzle ... there's a lot of leakage out of the ejection port, even when the barrel is still locked. And for revolvers and semi-autos with the same official barrel lengths, the revolver actually has at least an extra inch of true barrel length, because the semi's "length" includes the chamber, and because the revolver accelerates the bullet some even before it gets to the barrel riflings, in the last portion of the cylinder, and in the forcing cone.

Also, I can comfortably conceal-carry my .44mag Model 69, but I never could hope to conceal-carry the few semi-autos chambered in .44mag.
 
I favor revolvers, but all things being equal, the semi-auto has a power advantage due to the revolver's cylinder gap.
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With semi autos some of the energy is used to chamber the next round which would otherwise be used to throw the projectile so they have less power than revolvers of the same caliber although the difference might be marginal.
 
With semi autos some of the energy is used to chamber the next round which would otherwise be used to throw the projectile
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I have a hard time accepting that premise.

With a locked breech semiauto, the bullet is out of the barrel (propelled by expanding gases) before the slide starts to open.

That opening is caused by recoil, not by gas pressure. So, while the bullet is in the barrel, its a closed system. 100% of the preasure is being used to drive the bullet down the bore.

Once the bullet clears the muzzle, it doesnt matter what the gun does. The bullet is already in free flight.
 
With semi autos some of the energy is used to chamber the next round which would otherwise be used to throw the projectile so they have less power than revolvers of the same caliber although the difference might be marginal.
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No, sorry this is WRONG!! The energy used to chamber the next round comes from the spring(s), and the energy used to compress those springs is RECOIL energy. The same energy that is wasted in a revolver, because in a revolver (or a single shot) the recoil energy does no work, other than to pass into your hand.

Newton's third law, again. Equal and OPPOSITE reaction. Recoil energy is the opposite reaction, and does NOT have ANY EFFECT on the bullet velocity.

Also, I can comfortably conceal-carry my .44mag Model 69, but I never could hope to conceal-carry the few semi-autos chambered in .44mag.
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Really?? You don't own a jacket???? :D:rolleyes:

I don't own a model 69, but I do own a Desert Eagle, LAR Grizzly, Wildey, Coonan, and Auto Mags. Also a 6.5" S&W M29, 7.5" Ruger Super Blakhawk,and a 10" T/C Contender, among others.

All of which effectively disappear underneath an old GI field jacket. Not that it matters. There are more uses for handguns in my world than just defensive concealed carry, and not every gun I own has to fit into that niche.
 
44_AMP said:
Quote from me (Mike Fontenot):
"Also, I can comfortably conceal-carry my .44mag Model 69, but I never could hope to conceal-carry the few semi-autos chambered in .44mag."

44_AMP's response:

Really?? You don't own a jacket????
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I conceal-carry from pajamas-off until pajamas-on, every day, summer and winter, same rig. It needs to work even when it's too hot to wear anything more than a light short-sleeved shirt and pants.
 
The "don't own a jacket??" was intended as a joke. Hence the smilies, :D:rolleyes:

My point is (and was) that while you have a personal situation, and a system that works for you in it, it simply doesn't apply equally to those who are NOT in that same situation.

And using what works for you as general justification of an advantage of revolver over auto, or vice versa, is not applicable to those who do something different than you do.

I have a number of revolvers and semi autos, and carry rigs for them. Each one does something a little better than the others. Each one doesn't do something quite as well as one of the others.

I'm in a different situation than you are, in several ways. For one, I haven't worn pajamas since I was about 10 years old. :D
 
NONE!

Revolvers, like 1911's, are antiques! There is NO advantage anymore! LOW round count, DA triggers, no matter how good, are NO match for the striker fired wonders of today! Reliability and accuracy have come to surpass that of revolvers YEARS ago! As for concealability, they SUCK, no matter the model! As long as they sport a cylinder, this goes without saying. For nostalgia, or movie props, I guess they have their place.
 
Reliability and accuracy have come to surpass that of revolvers YEARS ago!
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I just don't see that.

you can't get better than 100% reliability, and I know people who claim 100% for both their revolvers and their autos, so, I think that's a wash.

Accuracy? I own examples of both that, when I do it right, will put 5 shots in one ragged hole at 25yds. Better that that is, I suppose, possible, but I can't use it, so its of no matter. IF you compare the best of the best, I think its also a wash there.

One brand of the striker fired wonders of today that I have tried had an absolutely miserable trigger pull. They aren't all the "perfection" the advertising slogans claim.

And, revolvers do have one "advantage" over semis, you don't have to bend over and search in the weeds to recover your brass!
 
Ya know guys, I think in this day and age of dependable semi-autos, really guys that carry revolvers just like the dang things, and ya know what?

Let em.

They're well armed. While I personally want more than the six shots a revolver gives you for personal defense, I think that in the vast majority of circumstances that is enough. Statistics back that up as well. I like a good semi-auto due to greater capacity and faster reloading time among other reasons such as generally being slimmer which for me is the biggest issue in printing while carrying, but I won't kid someone and say a revolver won't do.

Most of the time, they will.
 
B92fs
Spoken like a true internet commando...

Perhaps when all the men and women who've used a revolver for work, play or self defense are gone, and all their progeny are gone... then maybe, and just maybe the revolver will be an antique.

I think the real breakdown in this argument is lack of experience and real knowlege. No insult to anyone but some (just a few) of these arguments wont hold water. The biggest real argument as I see it is that the revolver has a lower capacity, and takes longer to reload. And that the autoloader is less reliable and subject to bad magazines and incompatable ammo.

All my opinions are based on my own personal experience, education, and anecdotal information that matches my experience and education.

Revolvers have proven themselves over and over for a long time. IMO they need no defense. Autopistols have improved by leaps and bounds. Ammo productions and standards have improved to as reliable as they can be. Magazines have imroved and become 99% reliable as well.....

The real difference is the needs of the end user. Firearms choice is a personal one. Each person must make that choice based on their own threat perception, work or pleasure needs, or whats authorized for their carry.
 
It seems some of the more recent posters in this thread failed to read all prior posts. If you had you would see that the advantages of revolvers are myriad. Do we really have to remind folks that the use of handguns extends beyond the personal self defense use? Really? Personally I prefer to not be the Johnny come lately.
As was covered extensively in prior posts, with the exception of capacity and speed of reload, the revolver matches or exceeds semi autos in the other categories. But those two advantages of capacity and speed of reload for certain uses can be overarching and most important (say for perhaps self defense or law enforcement) but but to all you internet commandos who shoot your one glock twice a year and carry it occasionally, I understand that you have a hard time conceiving any advantages to a different platform.
 
But those two advantages of capacity and speed of reload for certain uses can be overarching and most important (say for perhaps self defense or law enforcement)
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Not necessarily. IF the adopted self-defense strategy is to deliver a small number of carefully-aimed, accurate, very powerful rounds (like mine is), then nothing I can full-time conceal-carry can compare with my .44mag S&W69 5-shot L-Frame revolver. But I'll agree that the vast majority of shooters these days like the opposite strategy: lots of rounds delivered very quickly, and that favors a high-capacity gun (with a firm, rigid, high grip) that has minimal muzzle-rise.
 
I was talking with a friend earlier, and the subject came up, and he came up with one advantage to a revolver that so far, I have not seen anyone mention...

With a revolver, there is no way to put a round in BACKWARDS!!! :D:p
 
44 amp said:
With a revolver, there is no way to put a round in BACKWARDS!!!
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You must not shoot at many public ranges. :D:eek:

You may find this thread interesting:

I went shooting with my friend a few days ago, and he accidentally loaded the ammo on the opposite side of the cylinder. Now they are stuck and I can't get them out.
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https://thefiringline.com/forums/showthread.php?t=471752

This picture of the revolvers with the rounds loaded in the cylinders backwards is from that thread:

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