Need help with less obvious advantages of semi-autos

I've never had a jam in a semi that could not be fixed by racking the slide again. Never had a jam in my glocks at all. I've had jams in 2 revolvers (a .22 and a .357) that totally siezed the cylinder. It took a lot of fiddleing to free those revolvers. Good thing my life did not depend on those guns at that moment. That being said I have a .38 that has functioned flawlessly so far, I carry it quite a bit.

If you can't be trusted w/o an external safety on a dao pistol then you probably shouldn't be trusted with a gun anyway.
 
How bout this Bog? I'm generaly an auto guy myself, and for the most part agree with the "pucker factor induced de-escalation" being more likely with a semi-auto. A small auto tends to look much scarier than a small revolver...to the non-gunnuts anyway (to many episodes of Andy Griffith? Can't tell you how many times I hear my revolvers refered to as "Barney Fife guns").
But there are exceptions. I personaly think my tiny little *&* 360PD looks pretty intimidating. 11.4 ounces of pure business.





<<before anyone rips me a new one, those are dummy rounds and the camera was on a timer.>>
 

Attachments

  • mvc-027f.jpg
    mvc-027f.jpg
    119.5 KB · Views: 56
Last edited:
Funny I always thought revolvers would be more intimidating. Mainly because of seeing those hollowpoints staring right at you from the cylinders.
 
Geez, you all forgot something: all other things being equal, a semi-auto has less perceived recoil due to the semi-auto mechanism itself. The slide spring absorbes some of the recoil. If you go with a tupperware gun, the polymer frame absorbes even more.

I also consider it an advantage to have a gun that doesn't spout ten inch fireballs out of the side.
 
Another thing that hasn't been mentioned is that semi-autos come in all sizes, as small as the Keltec P32 to as large as the Desert Eagle 50AE. There is a lot more variety in sizes, calibers, and capacity, so it's easier to find something that's a perfect fit for your situation.
 
I own a S&W M65 357 magnum revolver with a 3 inch barrel. I don't like it. I don't like revolvers at all. The long hard DA trigger pull sucks. My shots are all over the target with out any grouping at all. My carry pistol is a Glock-17 which I shoot much better. The Glock has a lighter trigger & I've gotten an even lighter trigger installed so my accuracy has improved. A SA pistol or a DAO pistol with a ligher trigger is more accurate. So my point is with a revolver i get poor marksmanship with a semi-auto pistol my marksmanship improves. I would like to comment on your ammo choice. Your using a 38.+P rd in a 3 inch magnum barrel. Not a good choice. 38. rds are shorter than 357. magnum rds. The tip of the 357 rd ends at the end of the cylinder. The tip of the 38. rd ends inside the cylinder. The 38 bullet must travel thru the cylinder to get to the forcing cone then down the barrel. Even more velocity is lost with a 3 inch barrel. 38 +P rds keep more velocity when fired from 38 revolver with a 4 inch +P rated barrel. With a 357 magnum revolver your better of with 357 magnum loads for defense. Even with full magnum rds because of the 3 inch barrel you'll lose velocity. I would recomend a 125 gr Remminton Golden Saber 357 magnum load.
 
Thanks for all the replies and help. Got my report finished yesterday. Union Rep who was initially not all that supportive of the idea, actually showed a lot of interest in my points and is going to pass it up to special group that specifically negotiates these type of issues, also some copies going out to other avenues once I collect all the signiatures of all the officers in our district. Really too long to post and I've just got the rough draft on the home computer, but if anybody wants to read it just as a matter of interest feel free to drop me an E-mail.

Appreciate the help, Blueduck

P.S. Also as a matter of interest to anyone interested in what parole officers carry and what they can and cannot do in various states the followng link provides state by state information in the "2001-2002 Firearms Survey" Section: www.appa-net.org
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top