Running debate with father

J

John Frum

Inactive
I guess this is the old revolver vs. automatic debate.

My father and I have hunted with shotguns and rifles all our lives, but we recently got into handguns. I'd call us novices. We enjoy target shooting out back but don't geek out over ballistics and all that.

Dad had always wanted a .45. Not long ago he picked up a used EAA witness from a friend. It's been a good gun for him and he's enjoyed shooting it. Problem is, with an 8 round magazine, it consistently jams on the 8th round. He fixed the problem by only loading it with 7 rounds.

Recently I picked up a Ruger GP 100 in .357. After shooting dad's Witness my thought was that a revolver would be more reliable (wouldn't jam) and I'd only be sacrificing 1 round. My Ruger also kicks a little more but I don't get the rocking motion with the action cycling. I figure it's potentially more accurate.

I almost have my dad won over and he's looking into a revolver. I just wanted to ask more knowledgable people. Do my arguments hold water?
 
Congratulations on opening one of the 3 largest cans of worms on the board. The other two are:

1) 1911 vs. Glock; and
2) 9mm vs. .45

Seriously, though, welcome to The Firing Line!
 
Get some new magazines that work properly! Shoot whatever you prefer. If it is for hunting, I would chose a revolver. I own several of both but usually carry an auto loader. I don't think we seriously need a revolver vs semi-auto thread or caliber debate. It's been done. It is preference.
 
I have autos, I have revolvers. I carry both. Both are reliable and accurate, and I feel confident with either. It comes down to what trips your trigger.
 
You argue with your Dad? My Dad was always right...always. Let him shoot what he likes, maybe get him a couple new magazines for that Witness and see if that jamming problem stops.
 
I think the features of each have to be balanced to give you the optimum benefits. Why would you try to convince your Dad either way except for a particular application? For example, hunting? There is no doubt that a revolver is the ticket. Personally, I think that is true for new shooters in general. Otherwise, the world's your oyster. There are SO MANY excellent handguns out there today (except Taurus revolvers).
 
Plenty can go wrong with a revolver. Cylinder timing comes to mind.

Thing is about a revolver, though...it functions sort of "in spite of" the ammo. I mean, you can pull the trigger on an empty revolver all day long (at least, a double action one), and it will behave exactly like a loaded one, minus the recoil. On a double action semiauto its not the same. The cycling of the slide, which both ejects the spent casing and loads a new one, doesn't happen unless ammo is there. Semiauto function is very ammo-dependent.

Also there are additional moving parts on a semiauto (slide, barrel). A semiauto is more complicated than a revolver, for the most part. IMHO, at least.

I think this supports the idea that, at the very least, a semiauto is inherently more likely to have reliability problems than a revolver. Specific SA's vs. specific revolvers might come out one way or another, but all things being equal, the revolver sort of has a head-start in the reliability department. IMHO.

A revolver also has a head-start in the group-consistency department, since the barrel does not move.

All that having been said, I have both and I like 'em both. Also, I carry a SA.

-cls
 
Spats McGee said:
Congratulations on opening one of the 3 largest cans of worms on the board. The other two are:

1) 1911 vs. Glock; and
2) 9mm vs. .45
Click to expand...

and pretty much any thread involving telescopic sights...

Good reasons on both sides to carry either, it's a personal preference sort of thing, IMHO.
 
no real reason to try to change him. Let him shoot what he likes. Its like how my brother keeps trying to get me to shoot 9mm but I still stick with the 357 magnum.

Every one likes different things, let people use what they like.
 
Problem is, with an 8 round magazine, it consistently jams on the 8th round. He fixed the problem by only loading it with 7 rounds.
Click to expand...

This is not a "fix".
He should send the pistol and the magazines back to EAA.
 
"both are good"

I carry both at different times, a .22 mag palm gun in summer wear, and a glock 26 in cool weather. Both are good. Just make sure the one u carry functions properly.
 
Your argument seems to be - revolvers are more reliable and more accurate...
so no, your argument doesn't hold much water...in my mind.

They're different platforms - very different triggers ...one is way quicker to reload for most of us ...different sight planes / different thickness of grips ...and on and on ....

I like both ...and have a dozen or more revolvers and a dozen or more semi-autos ....and I like them both for all kinds of different reasons ..
 
I'd say on the whole a revolver is more reliable... but auto still trumps it when it is running as designed.


Who cares though really.... remember the first rule of a gun fight.
 
I once met a guy who had the same argument. I decided that for simplicity it goes like this.
(Pro) revolvers work each time you pull the trigger, bad round pull trigger again.
(Con) Auto loaders pull trigger fire,bad round eject round reload fire.
(Con) Revolver gets worn out,timeing is bad, go to gunsmith get fixed pay for repairs, no gunsmith not repaired gun is club.
(Pro) Auto loader gets worn and loose rattles still shoots, buy parts fix yourself.
Well the debate just goes on and on, so I own both, and learned how to fix both.
Mace

(Personally I want to go back in time and be a Cowboy:D)
 
The U.S. government adopted an automatic pistol 100 years ago, because that pistol demonstrated greater reliability and durability than any competing designs, including revolvers. No reason to think that has changed.
 
I've seen revolvers fail. I've seen Glocks fail. There is no magic gun that never fails, and anyway "autoloader vs. revolver" is so vague as to be meaningless. And as a side note, the Witness is not a particularly good brand of autoloader, so the whole comparison is double-meaningless. Assuming that's even a thing. :D

Here's a thought, though: almost everybody who carries a gun in the course of doing their real-life job is carrying an autoloader.
 
Dad had always wanted a .45. Not long ago he picked up a used EAA witness from a friend. It's been a good gun for him and he's enjoyed shooting it. Problem is, with an 8 round magazine, it consistently jams on the 8th round. He fixed the problem by only loading it with 7 rounds.
Click to expand...
This is a fairly common problem with the followers they put in a 7 round magazine tube to allow loading 8 rounds without extending the magazine. The original 7 round magazines with the G.I. dimpled [SIC, "titted"] follower does not have that problem. Swap out the goofy 8 round follower and springs with standard G.I. components and it is likely the "problem" with your dad's auto will disappear.
 
This is a fairly common problem with the followers they put in a 7 round magazine tube to allow loading 8 rounds without extending the magazine. The original 7 round magazines with the G.I. dimpled [SIC, "titted"] follower does not have that problem. Swap out the goofy 8 round follower and springs with standard G.I. components and it is likely the "problem" with your dad's auto will disappear.
Click to expand...

Pro tip: the EAA Witness isn't a 1911. :p
 
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