Revolvers are more reliable! I mean, autoloaders! I mean....

[Pond James Pond]

This poll is flawed,

No, it is not flawed. The fact it does not allow you to add your recent GP100 experience does not make it floored, just inconvenient. For you.

My thread and poll was inspired by a post about uber-high round counts and no failures, together with autos being more reliable than revolvers, so my poll reflects that interest.

Current .45acp is about $285/1000

Operative word: current. I did not specify anything about that.

Ammo was not always the price it is today and many members have shot lots of all sorts. I set no date-limit on my poll: votes can be for a revolver shot back in the 60s if that is the case...


Some people complained that 7 options for revolvers and 7 for autos was too much, whilst others want more. I have no monopoly on polls and I don't want to go up my 50rd increments. Feel free to start your own.

 

[P71pilot]

You are jumping to conclusions, for example there are no options under 2k rds and no failures, or "no failures at all" which my 1911 and Walther fit into. I was voting for semi as my only and small revolver experience was rather short and dull, as you know. I chose "2k rds minor failure easy fix" because I have under 2k rounds and no failures that weren't ammo related.

 

[Llama Bob]

Auto-loaders are definitely less reliable. I don't think measuring "rounds to failure" is the right idea however. Many if not most autoloaders suffer from a low level rate of jams with certain ammo that are never fixed because the cause is never really understood.

 

[Rangerrich99]

Never had a revolver have a mechanical failure. My S&W model 19 might have over 10,000 rounds through by now (over 25 years in my possession, bought from a friend).

I've owned a dozen semi-autos over the years, and four have never had any type of failure other than bad ammo issues. The other eight all had some kind of mechanical failure at least once. The most common issue after bad ammo has been magazine issues.

My S&W 1911 SC-E was for a time the most problematic. Twice in the first 1,000 rounds the slide stop lever pin snapped. The first time I sent it back to S&W, no problems, and I got the gun back in a couple weeks free of charge. Unfortunately they just put in an identical MIM part, which lasted about 400 rounds before it too snapped cleanly in two. When I spoke to S&W CS, they told me that if I sent it back, they'd just install another lever exactly like the last one. I ordered a milled example from Wilson Combat. Nearly 3,000 rounds later, problem hasn't resurfaced.

However, a few months ago the magazine release button inexplicably fell out of the gun during a desert shoot. Lost the spring. Retaining pin had cracked. Wilson Combat to the rescue again. Now the gun is fine, though I'm researching what other parts might be MIM and might need to be replaced with milled parts.

My Sig P229 provides another example. Excellent gun and very reliable. However, if I don't clean it, after about 1,000-1,500 rounds it'll start having problems not going all the way back into battery. Minor problem, but it does happen. I bought this one used from a friend as well, so it might need a new recoil spring to make the problem go away.

My S&W 4003, the first semi-auto I ever bought, went about 1,000 rounds before the extractor pin snapped. I replaced it again last year, with roughly 8,000 rounds down the pipe. Just to be on the safe side.

My dad's 1911, my Para-Ordinance P13, my Beretta PX4 Storm .40 cal, and my S&W Shield 9mm have never had a failure of any kind, except dud ammo.

Except the Shield I guess. I've only had it a little over a year and I haven't dropped the hammer on a dud yet (probably just under 2,000 rounds so far).

 

[DoctorWho]

Gamer poll

This poll is based on a lack of knowledge about guns.

When I first served as a policeman in a small Country, my first issue sidearm was a Colt Official Police revolver in .38 special, in those days the ammo available was 158 grain RNL, RP, not a good performer at all !

After a bad incident, I switched to a 1911 model .45 acp pistol with better results.

Reliability is based on many factors, I have used S&W, Colt, Ruger, and other revolvers , H&R, etc with varying results.

Semiauto pistols are reliable depending on factors relating to parts quality.
Sadly, some newer models suffer failures of badly cast parts breaking when 100 year old parts seem to function virtually forever.

 

[Pond James Pond]

This poll is based on a lack of knowledge about guns.

When I first served as a policeman in a small Country, my first issue sidearm was a Colt Official Police revolver in .38 special, in those days the ammo available was 158 grain RNL, RP, not a good performer at all !

After a bad incident, I switched to a 1911 model .45 acp pistol with better results.

Reliability is based on many factors, I have used S&W, Colt, Ruger, and other revolvers , H&R, etc with varying results.

Semiauto pistols are reliable depending on factors relating to parts quality.
Sadly, some newer models suffer failures of badly cast parts breaking when 100 year old parts seem to function virtually forever.

So your grand plan for this poll is to split it all into brands as well as round counts? So what? With your list alone that would make 28 options just for revolvers. That would seem based on a lack of knowledge of useable polls.

In essence, I fail to see how your anecdote would highlight a failure in the poll. First and foremost I was very clear: no failures that were caused by ammo to be included. It's in the OP, in case you didn't read all the way through. So the LRN point is irrelevant

Secondly, if your gun is 1yr old or 100, doesn't matter: put it into the category that fits. And if it doesn't: don't vote. Simples.

I'm not interested in a revolver that fired 792 rds without issue: that for me is not pertinent to the question of which is a more reliable platform. Now, firing 10k without a single issue? That is.

 

[Pond James Pond]

You are jumping to conclusions, for example there are no options under 2k rds and no failures, or "no failures at all" which my 1911 and Walther fit into. I was voting for semi as my only and small revolver experience was rather short and dull, as you know. I chose "2k rds minor failure easy fix" because I have under 2k rounds and no failures that weren't ammo related.

Look. Let's stop and think for a minute about exactly how many options would need to be included to cover all the bases you'd like to see. You've mentioned sub-1000 and also "no failures so far" for each so that would be an extra 5 options, just for revolvers. So ten across the board. That makes 24 total!

Meanwhile let's think about what "2000 rds and no failures" tells us about the overall reliability of revolvers in the grand scheme of things and the whole question of "which is more reliable: wheelgun or bottom-feeder?" (all of which is not supposed to be a scientific project, just some interesting fun and discussion fodder).
It tells us very little. Just that the gun has not failed yet. So what? Not exactly earth-shattering, is it.

Now a gun that hits 10K without a failure, I'd have huge confidence in.

My poll also gives some idea of whether a failure is an easy or tough fix: another point of contention where owners spar over how easy it is to fix their gun compared to others...

So. In conclusion, the poll cannot cover all bases and nor should it.
It does, however, tell me that of the 34 revolver voters at the time of posting this answer, 25 had fired 10K without single issue.
That is useful information for me.
It also tells me that of the 9 that hadn't, 8 had easy fixes.
That is useful information for me.

So the only concession I'd offer to appease the masses is to add "up to " to the first 6 categories for both groups to allow for inclusion, but with 40 votes already in the bag it is a bit late to change the parameters, nor do I think it would add to the usefulness of the information there.

As I said before, you can call this a bad poll in the OP of your own version, citing that as a good reason to start another, if you wish.