Revolvers versus Semi-autos
- Thread starter Rogervzv
- Start date
Single Six
New member
P.S. : As for being made by my employer to carry that piece of junk Sig, all I can do is hedge my bets as best as I can...which I do, by carrying a DA revolver [Ruger SP-101] as a backup. 
We do this overy so often....
A thread search will provide hours of reading, and cover anything and everything that can be said in this one. Everybody has their own idea about which is best, and for what.
Both designs have their drawbacks, neither is perfect. Handgunning is about more than just combat/self defense/police use. Although serious social use of major importance to many of us, if it isn't your job, it's very rare you are going to experience it.
Revolvers make better sense for some things than semi autos. Semi autos make better sense for somethings than revolvers. And for some other things neither is clearly superior.
Pay your money, take your choice.
A thread search will provide hours of reading, and cover anything and everything that can be said in this one. Everybody has their own idea about which is best, and for what.
Both designs have their drawbacks, neither is perfect. Handgunning is about more than just combat/self defense/police use. Although serious social use of major importance to many of us, if it isn't your job, it's very rare you are going to experience it.
Revolvers make better sense for some things than semi autos. Semi autos make better sense for somethings than revolvers. And for some other things neither is clearly superior.
Pay your money, take your choice.
Single Six
New member
44 AMP: I'm on the same page with you here; check my first posting on this thread....it just so happens that you said it better than I did!
One thought on this topic that isn't often mentioned.
Especially with revolvers like the SP101 or GP100 which have very small grip frames, the grip can be customized over a tremendous range of size and shape. Semi-autos have grip size minimums that can't be overcome due to the fact that the magazine typically fits in the grip and gives it a minimum size. You do have some leeway in terms of making much larger grips for a semi-auto, but even then you won't have as much flexibility in shape as you would in a revolver.
So revolvers tend to be a good choice for those with unusual grip requirements. A user can fairly easily customize the grip or purchase custom grips to fit their "non-standard" hands.
Especially with revolvers like the SP101 or GP100 which have very small grip frames, the grip can be customized over a tremendous range of size and shape. Semi-autos have grip size minimums that can't be overcome due to the fact that the magazine typically fits in the grip and gives it a minimum size. You do have some leeway in terms of making much larger grips for a semi-auto, but even then you won't have as much flexibility in shape as you would in a revolver.
So revolvers tend to be a good choice for those with unusual grip requirements. A user can fairly easily customize the grip or purchase custom grips to fit their "non-standard" hands.
What do you think the same kind of squib will do to a semi auto?
I'm not saying semi automatic pistols don't have their fair share of positive attributes (because they have many), but being immune to the disabling effects of a squib load isn't one of them. If a squib doesn't have the poop to push the bullet out the end of a revolver's 2" barrel (for instance), then it won't work any better on a 3" to 4" barrel semi auto.
Leejack, that needed to be said, thanks for doing it. I think that sometimes these self defense forum threads are becoming some kind of self-perpetuating worry machine, with logically minded people going in one end, and worry warts coming out the other.
I really like my semi autos - they are the reason that I'm a gun enthusiast. But for carry purposes, I feel just fine carrying a snub revolver, and I'm not going to spend my life worrying about some long-odds scenario that'll require me to be armed like a police officer or Marine. I'm not on the offensive like they are -I'll be on the defensive, which is very different. I'm sure my snub, which I carry far more often than my semi autos, will do as well as any handgun I own, and maybe even better.
jcsturgeon said:
brabham78 said it well. Unless you need to take an offensive role, a civilian's primary use is defensive. Given that stats tell us most gunfights are over after 2-3 rounds are fired, the difference in capacity isn't that important.
We could turn that around and ask why anyone serious about LE/SD/HD would carry something with low stopping power like the 9mm or .40, instead of a .357 Magnum, .41 or .44 Magnum. Revolvers can chamber cartridges with considerably more power than 99% of autos.
Perhaps it's better to say that wheelguns are "old school" guns. In the day of the police revolver we were taught to shoot two rounds, momentarily evaluate and, if necessary, rinse & repeat. If the tactical advantage slipped, you'd seek cover or concealment and shoot only when you had opportunity to make a hit or when necessary for defense.¹
Today's method seems to teach shoot-to-slidelock, reload and look for more targets. Videos have shown officers firing 5-12 times in some encounters with either little effect or only minor hits.²
In a gunfight, I think what is more important than the type of gun you use, is your confidence in making hits based on your practice, the ability to remain calm and analytical during the shooting and the ability to avoid tunnel vision so you can respond to additional threats promptly.
¹ Many officers carried a 50-rd box of ammo in their briefcase, or as one partner did, 8 spare speedloaders!
² Almost any shooting is a high-anxiety situation and miss rates tend to climb in proportion to distance.
Straightshooter629
New member
Revolver: no failure to feed, no failure to eject, no "stovepipes", no "tap/rack" drills. Revolver is an old man's gun? I'm an old man and I love revolvers, so I guess it's true...lol!