Revolvers kept clean and loaded with factory ammo, do not fail. I do not think that the average citizen self defense scenario includes crawling through mud all day, and lying all night in rice paddies in the pig manure. So if you want to be sure of your firearm, get a revolver, keep it clean and load it with new factory rounds. No firearm is more reliable.
Disenchanted with Semi-Autos Lately
- Thread starter ColColt
- Start date
flyinpolack
New member
slap the mags?
I've gotten into the habit of slapping the backside twice (primer side) of the mag to ensure that the rounds are all the way back in the mag. On the first slap, I always hear&feel the rounds "settle" into the back of the mag. This helps to ensure that the extractor grabs the rounds more consistently, from what I've been told.
I hope this helps.
I've gotten into the habit of slapping the backside twice (primer side) of the mag to ensure that the rounds are all the way back in the mag. On the first slap, I always hear&feel the rounds "settle" into the back of the mag. This helps to ensure that the extractor grabs the rounds more consistently, from what I've been told.
I hope this helps.
CarbineCaleb
New member
I do think revolvers are more reliable, and if you have a failure to fire, just pull the trigger again... but I am not that worried about that. I just like operating revolvers more than I do semiautos 
seeker_two
New member
ColColt said:
Even though I'm a revolver fan, I wouldn't trash this particular auto just yet...
What kind of ammo were you using? Most of the cheap "blasting" ammo is pretty dirty...and that can lead to a malfunction like you just had. Crud up the chamber and slide enough...and you have a failure to chamber...
Try this before you melt your S&W down....clean it thoroughly and lube it sparingly, then get some good ammo (I like S&B or Winchester White Box in .45ACP). See how many rounds you get through it before it fails again. I'll bet it will be more than 120.....
Dirty ammo will bind up a revolver, too....and a clean gun is a happy gun...and a happy shooter....
When it comes to the defensive carry of a clean, well maintained semi-auto pistol loaded with the high quality factory ammo, the thing that has always bothered me is the number of different ways it can still malfunction on the first magazine, whether or not "user error" is to blame. Most of these do not necessarily involve range training but actual fighting situations. For example: limp wristing while shooting one handed, slide striking a barrier or the shooter or the bad guy grabs it; you accidently bump the magazine release during the hectic situation. This is in addition to the unexplainable jams that tend to occur such as FTF, FTE, failure to go into battery. I've seen them over and over again. I've seen a Glock jam up using factory ammo and it took the firearms instructor shooting it about thirty seconds to clear it. A couple of years ago, I searched the web for instances where a police officer's semi- auto malfunctioned in a real life confrontation. I was looking to see what types of circumstances contributed. I stopped at about 40 instances as there is not much information as to the why. It's just accepted as a part of doing business. The key thing is to test the pistol regularly, understand the things that might contribute to the malfunction, and practice malfunction drills until they become second nature. Or, get a good revolver, test it regularly, keep it clean as a whistle, and load it up with the best. I'll bet it will go bang every time, at least for the first cylinder load.