Revolvers vs. Semi-autos...
- Thread starter TheRaskalKing
- Start date
Roland Thunder
New member
I like semi-autos better but I could see why an elderly person might prefer a revolver since it might be difficult fo them to pull the slide back on a semi. For that reason, I will probably keep my revolver. My wife is 61 and she already has that problem with semi's so she prefers the revolver.
triage1998
New member
I am an equal opportunity shooter. Anything that goes "BANG" I like.
I guess the bottom line in this discussion for me ...is I just like nice guns...and I like both semi-autos and revolvers...
http://thefiringline.com/forums/attachment.php?attachmentid=81291&d=1336585674
I just added this single action revolver ( it came in last week ) ...and I've been shooting it a lot since it came in about 10 days ago ...and its a great gun. Not a carry gun ...at 56 oz ..../ but it is what it is ...almost a work of art in some respects. This gun is a new Freedom Arms, 4 3/4" barrel, large frame mod 83, 5 shot, in .357 mag...tuned to a 3.5 lb trigger -- with no slack, no creep, no overtravel ...
But I went to the range on Sunday ...with 6 boxes of .357 mag ammo and this new gun / a .22 Buckmark and 500 rds for it / and a wilson combat 1911 in 9mm and 4 boxes for it ....and had a great time ! I can't pick just one platform ...or even one within the revolver or semi-auto world...
Not every fine weapon out there ...needs to be carried / in my opinion.
http://thefiringline.com/forums/attachment.php?attachmentid=81291&d=1336585674
I just added this single action revolver ( it came in last week ) ...and I've been shooting it a lot since it came in about 10 days ago ...and its a great gun. Not a carry gun ...at 56 oz ..../ but it is what it is ...almost a work of art in some respects. This gun is a new Freedom Arms, 4 3/4" barrel, large frame mod 83, 5 shot, in .357 mag...tuned to a 3.5 lb trigger -- with no slack, no creep, no overtravel ...
But I went to the range on Sunday ...with 6 boxes of .357 mag ammo and this new gun / a .22 Buckmark and 500 rds for it / and a wilson combat 1911 in 9mm and 4 boxes for it ....and had a great time ! I can't pick just one platform ...or even one within the revolver or semi-auto world...
Not every fine weapon out there ...needs to be carried / in my opinion.
Justice06RR
New member
As a fair response to that I'd say it depends.
Like we say its apples to oranges, and both have their pros and cons. I would not discredit additional round count in anyway though; there's nothing wrong with having more rounds on hand vs having less. If you are a LEO or competitive shooter, the extra capacity is great to have. Otherwise a 6-shot is just fine.
m&p45acp10+1
New member
I like both.
For carry I like small light semi autos. They tend to be slimmer, and close in weight to most of the revolvers I would carry.(Noting against the ultra light snub revolvers if they were more comfortable to shoot 200 rounds per weekend out of I would have a couple of them.)
For the woods in hog country I prefer large bore revolver. A .41 Mag Ruger Black Hawk to be exact. The brush is so heavy 25 yards is pushing it for a long shot. Most times the visability where I am is 15 yards or less.
For the range I prefer revolvers so I do not have to pick up so much brass. Though I have enough brass for my semis that I could shoot, and not pick up brass for a long time without running out.
Though all said I like both, I shoot the snot out of both every weekend. Last weekend I shot 300 rounds of .45 acp, 200 rounds of 9mm Luger, 200 rounds of .38 spcl, 150 rounds of .41 Mag, and 14 round of 9mm Mak. I spend at least 1 day at the range ever weekend. Most times I spend half of the next day there as well. Mrs. M&P helps me shoot up a lot of ammo as well. That is not counting the 150 rounds fired out of the 4 rifles either.
For carry I like small light semi autos. They tend to be slimmer, and close in weight to most of the revolvers I would carry.(Noting against the ultra light snub revolvers if they were more comfortable to shoot 200 rounds per weekend out of I would have a couple of them.)
For the woods in hog country I prefer large bore revolver. A .41 Mag Ruger Black Hawk to be exact. The brush is so heavy 25 yards is pushing it for a long shot. Most times the visability where I am is 15 yards or less.
For the range I prefer revolvers so I do not have to pick up so much brass. Though I have enough brass for my semis that I could shoot, and not pick up brass for a long time without running out.
Though all said I like both, I shoot the snot out of both every weekend. Last weekend I shot 300 rounds of .45 acp, 200 rounds of 9mm Luger, 200 rounds of .38 spcl, 150 rounds of .41 Mag, and 14 round of 9mm Mak. I spend at least 1 day at the range ever weekend. Most times I spend half of the next day there as well. Mrs. M&P helps me shoot up a lot of ammo as well. That is not counting the 150 rounds fired out of the 4 rifles either.
Some of us just have bad luck.
And those of us who live with that everyday simply cannot afford to risk our lives on a semi auto that might malfunction.
I pocket carry a Model 85 Taurus Ultralight everyday that has become so part of me I forget to take it out of my pocket before going into work almost everyday as well.
The safety of a revolver is that the cylinder must turn first before it will fire unless the hammer has already been pulled back to the single action position.
Not likely in a pocket. and especially unlikely in a revolver like a 642 /442 Smith,Ruger LCR as well as the Taurus Protector series of revolvers.
I don't have to bathe my revolver in oil to make it work.
I don't have to rack off a safety.
I could carry it for years and never have an issue and use it at a moments notice if needed.
If the ammo I am using has a very rare failure (as for self defense I do buy quality ammo),I just repull the trigger- the round is dispatched to the next- and I still have rounds to save my and my wifes life with.
Even if I get a semi auto some time in the future as I am presently pining for a Walther PPS or a Smith M&P40c or something in between that is a quality semi auto,I will likely never go without a revolver on me somewhere or have it close to me at all times.
My wife can use my revolver in a moments notice to save her own life without much training if necessary.
My wife 95% of the time does'nt even know I have my revolver on me to protect us so I don't have to hear the 'music' of her discontent if she so choses to tell me.
I've even thought of simply forgoing a semi auto and carrying two snub 38 revolvers-one in each pants pocket with two speedloaders on my belt.
Imagine a bad guys disappointment when he's counted your five rounds down and says -you are empty and the second revolver comes out.
I should darn well hope out of five I've hit him with some already but the reload is immediate that way and the reliabilty and pressing into service is immediate.
You simply cannot believe how a snub revolver can disappear on you if you try to live with it.
Most of the people who know me never know I am armed and I like it that way.
The gun will never come out unless I really need it but it's there,hidden for me to use to stop a bad guy to save my life or a life if need be.
I would love to carry a Smith M&P40c in a high rise brown leather Galco holster on my right side but ,wow,the grief I would catch everyday simply would not make that worth the effort.
But a Smith M&P will fit in a pocket-like an encyclopedia- but it will fit.
I like the Walther PPS but I like a manual safety lever on my semi autos too.
In any case,my little Taurus 85 has never failed me,I shoot it straight,easily holding five rounds in a chest size target at ten yards quick and for now that's good enough for me.
I gotta get those speedloaders though and maybe trim the grip of the Taurus a little to use them.
One thing I do on every revolver I buy ( Taurus,Smith,any) though is CAREFULLY take off the side plate,clean out the action with gun cleaning spray and lubricate the action with a small amount gun grease and oil.
I do that once unless I fire the revolver through thousands of rounds or years have gone by.
Never fails to smooth out any new guns action as you dry fire it and fire it at the range into service.
And those of us who live with that everyday simply cannot afford to risk our lives on a semi auto that might malfunction.
I pocket carry a Model 85 Taurus Ultralight everyday that has become so part of me I forget to take it out of my pocket before going into work almost everyday as well.
The safety of a revolver is that the cylinder must turn first before it will fire unless the hammer has already been pulled back to the single action position.
Not likely in a pocket. and especially unlikely in a revolver like a 642 /442 Smith,Ruger LCR as well as the Taurus Protector series of revolvers.
I don't have to bathe my revolver in oil to make it work.
I don't have to rack off a safety.
I could carry it for years and never have an issue and use it at a moments notice if needed.
If the ammo I am using has a very rare failure (as for self defense I do buy quality ammo),I just repull the trigger- the round is dispatched to the next- and I still have rounds to save my and my wifes life with.
Even if I get a semi auto some time in the future as I am presently pining for a Walther PPS or a Smith M&P40c or something in between that is a quality semi auto,I will likely never go without a revolver on me somewhere or have it close to me at all times.
My wife can use my revolver in a moments notice to save her own life without much training if necessary.
My wife 95% of the time does'nt even know I have my revolver on me to protect us so I don't have to hear the 'music' of her discontent if she so choses to tell me.
I've even thought of simply forgoing a semi auto and carrying two snub 38 revolvers-one in each pants pocket with two speedloaders on my belt.
Imagine a bad guys disappointment when he's counted your five rounds down and says -you are empty and the second revolver comes out.
I should darn well hope out of five I've hit him with some already but the reload is immediate that way and the reliabilty and pressing into service is immediate.
You simply cannot believe how a snub revolver can disappear on you if you try to live with it.
Most of the people who know me never know I am armed and I like it that way.
The gun will never come out unless I really need it but it's there,hidden for me to use to stop a bad guy to save my life or a life if need be.
I would love to carry a Smith M&P40c in a high rise brown leather Galco holster on my right side but ,wow,the grief I would catch everyday simply would not make that worth the effort.
But a Smith M&P will fit in a pocket-like an encyclopedia- but it will fit.
I like the Walther PPS but I like a manual safety lever on my semi autos too.
In any case,my little Taurus 85 has never failed me,I shoot it straight,easily holding five rounds in a chest size target at ten yards quick and for now that's good enough for me.
I gotta get those speedloaders though and maybe trim the grip of the Taurus a little to use them.
One thing I do on every revolver I buy ( Taurus,Smith,any) though is CAREFULLY take off the side plate,clean out the action with gun cleaning spray and lubricate the action with a small amount gun grease and oil.
I do that once unless I fire the revolver through thousands of rounds or years have gone by.
Never fails to smooth out any new guns action as you dry fire it and fire it at the range into service.
Back in my reloading days-which will come again-I preferred revolvers-except in 22RF-because they didn't toss my brass all over the countryside. I found some of my semiautos-my S&W M-639 and M-659, e.g. very persnickety where it came to firing lead bullets and I did run into problems wilth malfunctioning magazines. The plus side of many autos is that they are easier to diassemble and reassemble,.easier to change parts-barrels. e.g.