Revolver vs Auto for Civilian defensive use

Revolvers or autos, which is best for civilian defensive use?

  • Revolvers are a better choice for civilian defense use

    Votes: 43 21.0%

  • Autoloaders are a better choice for civilian defense use

    Votes: 21 10.2%

  • Handguns of any type are not a good choice for defensive use

    Votes: 4 2.0%

  • Both types work equally well

    Votes: 137 66.8%
  • Total voters
    205
  • Poll closed .
W

WildBill45

New member
This poll is a survey of which type of handgun is best for civilian defensive purposes only.

Definitions:

Civilian Defensive use: Civilian use for defending oneself or others from serious bodily harm or death. This is up close shooting to defend only, not as an aggressive tool to go to the fight, or engage the attacker or enemy. This not about any military or law enforcement actions or weapon needs. This is civilian usage only, and only up close where it is defensive and not offensive.

Revolvers—Plus side: Reliable, strong and can handle high power rounds. If the first or any round does not fire, it can immediately fire a second or more rounds by another activation of the trigger. The revolver usually holds less rounds, but that worry that the next round will not go off due to previous round failing to feed, or it will jam on the next round … is the plus side of giving up a few rounds; especially when most up close defensive gun fights are over in less than two rounds. This is defensive not aggressive.

Revolvers using moon clips are just as fast or faster than autos in reloading.
Revolvers are more accurate in stock guns, and more accurate than autos that cost the same. Moon clips and cylinders are much more reliable than autoloader magazines. Quality magazines are key to any autoloader being reliable.

Autos--Plus side: higher capacity, faster reloads, save revolvers using moon clips, and they can be thinner for high-power models to carry concealed.

Negatives:

Revolvers: less capacity, bigger in size.

Autos: failure to fire is at a higher rate, less powerful rounds available, and are weaker mechanically than revolvers are. If the first or any round does not fire, it has to be removed physically by the shooter to fire the next round. (A quality magazine like a Wilson magazine, can make any 1911 more reliable in my experience)

This is my humble view only. What is your view, vote on the poll questions.
 
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I'm going to agree with post #3. It mostly depends on the shooter, and what they're comfortable with.

I've heard and read the argument that semi-autos are more prone to jamming. This is true, yet a good, tested semi-auto is VERY UNLIKELY to jam in a defensive situation. An advantage of a semi-auto that wasn't mentioned is that it's a lot less likely for a shooter to fire a 2nd round behind a squib load. It likely won't feed another round, so gived cause to check the gun before racking the slide.

I have a Glock 23 that has never jammed, with several hundred rounds through it. I trust it just as much as I trust my revolvers.

So IMO, the argument that semi-auto = regular jams is not much of an argument against their use.

In all seriousness, I'm mostly a revolver guy. I love shooting them, and I like carrying them. That said, for defensive use at close range I'd probably prefer a semi-auto. The higher capacity means I'm less likely to have to reload, and reloading is going to be pretty tough in an arm's length defensive situation.

Also, any slight advantage that the revolver MAY have over a semi-auto in accuracy becomes irrelevant in close range defensive situations.

I own and carry either type with complete confidence in their abilities, as well as my own abilities with them should I need to use them to defend my life. Each has it's limitations and benefits, and either will work well as long as it's well maintained and tested to insure reliability.

Daryl
 
In a civilian defensive situation it is very unlikely that you will face more than one bad guy. Probably we are talking about a situation where a burglar comes into your house. Happened to me once. In such a situation it is very unlikely that you are going to need to reload. A revolver is perfect for this situation because of its reliability. Six shots is more than you will need. The reliability is what you do need.

The other scenario is where you are out in the woods and run into a character or two. Maybe a little more likely that there is more than one bad guy. Here a semi-auto starts to make sense, but a revolver once again is likely quite adequate, and again its reliability is hard to argue with.

My $.02.
 
Pick what you feel is the best choice for you, and preferably, the one you shoot the best with.

Revolvers can jam up just like autos (and it happens more than you might think), and when they do, youre pretty much done at that point. The autos can usually be quickly restored to service with a quick TRB.


Personally, Id prefer to end up with ammo left over in the gun across the entire scenario board, than to feel a dead trigger in the middle of something.
 
I say both. I personally don't see I need to carry anything hi cap or a back gun. For my purposes 5 to shots is plenty. That can be achieved with either of the two.
 
What, pray tell, is a civilian? In my studies I was taught that a civilian is anyone subject to civil law. Only service members, subject to military law, were not considered civilians.

Which means that every sworn law enforcement officer in the United States is a civilian. We are all subject to civil law.

We simply must get away from the idea, wrongly adopted, that the police are somehow different from the rest of us, and subject to another legal code. I've been fighting this misrepresentation for thirty years now, both in uniform and in civilian law enforcement.

I'll get off my soapbox now.
 
To PawPaw

I've been fighting this misrepresentation for thirty years now, both in uniform and in civilian law enforcement.
Click to expand...

This is a very good point!

Citizens and cops are both civilians, and subject to the same laws. Speaking for myself, I think cops say that when they are trying to delineate a cop's perspective from a Non-cop's perspective that is based on actual street experiences. There are no specific names that come to mind in a conversation setting otherwise. Cops could say something like non-cop, and some say citizens, but again, we are all citizens!

I think the thinking is since you as a cop work for the Government, saying civilians is appropriate, but as you point out it is not accurate.

But, and there always is a but in life, who doesn't have shortcomings?
 
Your analysis of the strengths and weaknesses is a reasonable summary, except for two things:

(1) As mentioned earlier, the risk of failures by semi-autos is often overstated, and

(2) You mentioned "worry if it will go off." Please, let's not perpetuate the myth than any gun will spontaneously fire if not mishandled. A properly maintained and unmodified semi from a major manufacturer does not "go off" unless someone pulls the trigger. Revolvers "lack" safeties, but are not considered unsafe. Semis with similar trigger weights and/or with mechanical safeties are, when properly stored, worn, and handled, as safe as revolvers.

Climbing down from soap box, with apologies to those who have suffered my rant before.
 
I love both the revolver and the autoloader. I tend to be an autoloader guy more though. As far as reliabilty I trust every weapon I own with my life. Any weapon I felt I couldn't trust I have sold. I don't have near the extensive collection some people might have so I feel it's important to be able to trust all my weapons. I think what's more important than autoloader vs revolver, is to train with what your most likely to defend yourself with. I train with autoloaders far more than a revolver so I feel more comfortable with my Semi's. That being said I still think a good quality revolver is an excellent choice for self defense. I voted for both.
 
You mentioned "worry if it will go off.
Click to expand...

I may not have been clear and will correct this, but, I meant "not go off" when you pull the trigger due to jams, and if it doesn't go off what you have to do to make it do so... I agree with you 100 % that guns do not GO OFF all by themselves!:D
 
It depends on what you believe in.

Autos are reliable. If they do malfunction then it can be corrected. If you refuse to believe autos are reliable then I can't really discuss this any further.

A handgun is a handgun is a handgun. "High power" handgun rounds are really wimpy in comparison to rifle rounds (and even rifles require you to fire more than one). Do you believe it only takes one of X caliber to stop someone?

Do you think a self-defense scenario will always last X number of seconds?

Do you believe that a self-defense scenario will always take place at X distance?

If you believe that X number of rounds is all it takes to stop someone for sure then consider the following: people miss under stress
and people have survived being shot in all parts of the body multiple times (including the head) from every caliber under the sun (especially when drugs are involved).

I'm not sure if revolvers are faster at reloading than autos when they use moonclips but even if they are then it is only 5 or 6 rounds... at least when an auto reloads it is 7 or 8 (or 17 or 19) rounds and it requires quite a bit less skill (harder to mess up under stress).

I do believe that revolvers are more accurate than autos (but since "most defense scenarios" happen at close range why does that matter?).

"...weaker mechanically..." I'm not sure what you mean by that. I'm sure quite a few people consider X brand/type/model auto to be very tough, rugged, durable, et cetera. I mean if you believe that autos won't hold up to the stresses and rigors of using them to defend yourself reliably then I can't really continue this discussion. Sometimes things don't have to be built as strong as possible... just strong enough.
 
Let me clear up my personal view on Autoloaders...

I want to make sure that no one here is interpreting my poll to say that I do not like autoloaders, which is far from the truth.

The first fifteen years of my career I carried a Model 19, which is a S&W .357 revolver—for you new guys, and the last 15 I carried autoloaders. In either case I carried a backup gun!

You must remember I have shot thousands of rounds just in training and qualifying each month for job related shooting only … not to mention almost that much on my home range back in Colorado. This means I had plenty of time to have Murphy find me on occasion! Murphy found me more times when I was shooting an autoloader, but there were a rare occasion with revolvers. The ammo was in question in most of these troubled times. Hot & high-pressure reloads, as young men like, did once have a primer back out and jam up my model 19 (my own hot reloads). Various reasons caused my Colt 1911(s) to jam or cease to function, Colt was my most frequent brand of autoloader to give me trouble. My Glock never did, although I didn’t keep it that long. My Sig was good, but my Springfield gave me fits with hardballs. My most reliable autoloader, which I carried to back up my S&W issued 9mm, was my Wilson .45, CQB. The first issued, and then brand new model and line for Smith 9mm, stainless DA/SA duty gun was a JAM-A-MATIC it was terrible. It would jam all day and even keyhole. Eventually they replaced that S&W with version number TWO, and number TWO never jammed for almost 15 years, or at least that is what I remember, it was that reliable!

This weekend however, I bought my first KEL-TEC, and at this moment it is a JAM-A-MATIC! I did a test shoot with my newest member of carry pistols, and it did not fare too well, which you can watch here on Youtube:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A9rk2gJ1PrI

I will be trying other ammo, which may be the root of the problem, and also only shoot it one-handed. I think my big hands are not working with that small grip, but with only one hand, point shooting, it seemed to work better. Maybe one hand under speed makes for a better and stable platform for the mini-gun! I was pleasantly surprised how well it shoots though, even from 25 yards. It out shoots MY Seecamp by quite a margin!

I have had a history of unreliable .380 autos, as I have owned a bunch: Walther PPK and PKKs, Mauser, and others, and they all had problems. I do not know if I personally had bad luck with .380s, or the cartridge itself is problematic?

I will be working with the KEL-TEC MORE. New ammo, handhold, etc…

So, this is story on Autoloaders. I love them, but as an older retired guy I went back old school and carry my S&W 325, the better of two worlds! 45 AUTO caliber, and Revolver reliability…
 
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Um no offense to anyone who strongly believes in or loves the brands of guns you have named. But most of those guns are inexpensive and of older design. The reason why most people still love revolvers so much (myself included) is because of those designs. There are new ones now. Try one of those. Or better yet try one that has a track record of reliability.
 
iMagUdspEllr

I forgot one of the older guns, my CZ 75, which I used for Action pistol competition in the World Police & Fire Games in 1993! It was excellent and one of the most reliable autos that I have owned.

I have owned newer models lately. The S&W M&P in .40 cal. and it was excellent, and the Walther PPS in 9mm, it worked well too, maybe one jam when breaking it in. I do not like striker triggers much though. My worse JAM-A-MATIC were my Two, Colt Double Eagles!

I am not saying all autos jam all the time! I have shot enough to find weaknesses in a few of them, that is for sure! Like another member previously said, when they failed I sold them, that is all...
 
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What ever works

Pistols vs revolvers are a fun debate. The same for caliber. The decision is one that must be answered by the end user. The question is:

1. Do you hit the target?
2. Does it put the perp on the ground?

Any other question is for academics and purist. We all know about purist. They are those with their noses so high that they cannot smell what life is made of.

For those who believe that autos are unreliable, the only total malfunction I have ever experienced, in over 40 years of pistol competion, occurred with a revolver. The cylinder locked up and I could not continue to fire.

In the 5th Army matches I had the buffer spring portion of the barrell bushing break off and the spring go down range. I completed that portion of the match and still came out as one of the top shooters for that part of the match.

My point is training and practice. Thanks to SFC Reed of the 5th Div MTU I was prepared not to panic and overcame the glitch.

PS. If anyone knows were SFC Reed is I would like to thank him for his efforts.
 
One other consideration that I didn't see mentioned yet is the strength of the shooter. I'm a trainer and I've had a fair amount of women in class who have trouble racking the slide on some semi-autos. I'm not sexist, it's an observation based on experience. Some women have little upper body strength or the srength required in their shoulders, forearms and grip to effectively operate the slide.

For that reason, a revolver can be a better choice for them. Of course, some DA and DAO triggers can have a heck of a pull, too. It's important to match the shooter to the gun.

My .02,
Major
 
I think the revolver makes the better "house gun" for the house where not everyone is interested in being well trained.

My wife would like to go shooting with me but can't (for various reasons). So her pistol proficiency is fairly low. But in an emergency, she will know how to make a revolver fire. Everyone can figure that out, trained or not. So the bedroom gun is a revolver.

Against revolvers I now have the personal exerience of seeing my hiking carry revolver have 2 light primer strikes (FTF) in a cylinder of 7. I shot that gun about 50 rounds when it was new and hadn't fired it in over 10 years of dayhiking carry (I know, I know....). Main spring to hammer strut area was binding and needed oiling. Recheck of 30 rounds was flawless.
 
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