semi auto vs revolver

revol-semi

I have 2 big name semis in 9mm. And 2 big name 357s. When you really think about it revolvers dont JAM. At the range I have seen glocks, smiths, kimbers Jam. I dont care how much you paid for it if it has a clip it could JAM.Not really what you want when you c/c. I carry 357 snubbie
 
I once had a Taurus 617 in titanium. It was a snubbie and held 7 rounds of .357. It was a bit thick, almost small enough for ccw. Un fortunately, it did jam often and I got rid of it. Having said that, I wish S&W would make a 7 round .327 mag snubbie. I might try that for ccw.
 
I spent a good chuck of money on a S&W 640 for self defense carry and have never had a moments concern about its reliability and power. But recently I bought a Ruger LCP. I have fired several hundred rounds with not a single misfire of any kind. While the 380 auto round is not as good as the 38+ or 357 that I keep in the revolver, the small thin size and my experience with it so far have made a believer of me. I can slip this little semi in a pocket holster into my jeans, or jacket or anything else much easier and more concealable than the J-frame 2 in revolver that I bought for the same purpose.
 
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Been out for a long, long time. It's called the .357 mag 158 grain.

I'm sure that that cartridge is an excellent manstopper, but IMO, it suffers from the same problem as the .41 and .44 magnum: it's just too much gun for the job. The recoil is rather punishing and makes it difficult to get quick follow-up shots, especially from short barreled guns, and there's also the risk of overpenetraion.

I carry the 125 grains in my .357 and don't lose any sleep over the fact that I'm only getting a 96% one-shot stop rate. Anyone who is trying to improve on that is dealing with the law of diminishing returns.
 
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I'm sure that that cartridge is an excellent manstopper, but IMO, it suffers from the same problem as the .41 and .44 magnum: it's just too much gun for the job. The recoil is rather punishing and makes it difficult to get quick follow-up shots, especially from short barreled guns, and there's also the risk of overpenetraion.
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Depends on your point of view. I don't find the 158grn .357's to recoil much more than full-power 125grn loadings. I do however, find the flash and noise to be significantly less. As to penetration, the 125grn loadings are no slouch in that department either and you run the risk of overpenetration with either. Besides, many of us like the extra penetration. In a short barrel gun, the 158grn loads don't typically "lose" as much velocity as the lighter loads do. Finally, 158grn Magnums are easier on guns like K-Frame S&W's than their 125grn counterparts.
 
I dont often carry my Model 19, when I do its chambered in 158 grain Federal Hydra-Shok JHP. Yeah, its a hand cannon but for me if I'm gonna carry a 357 mag I want the best round available. I carry .357 Sig as my EDC. I keep a .45 ACP on my night stand but I love my Model 19! The muzzle flash is excellent!:eek:
 
Can anyone show me a documented case of a legally armed U.S. citizen who was severely injured or killed and such circumstances are directly attributable to his or her gun running out of ammunition?
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The question is phrased in such a way as to make it difficult to provide an answer.

If you phrase it a different way it's not difficult to find supporting examples.

"Are there documented cases where legally armed U.S. citizens either reloaded or transferred to another gun after running dry in a self-defense encounter." The answer to that one is yes.

That said, I don't think rapid reloads are a MUST for a self-defense gun, although I do think that maintaining a reasonable capacity is important. As Lance Thomas discovered in his first gunfight, 5 rounds is pushing the limits. He was faced with two attackers and needed 3 rounds to neutralize the first attacker. Fortunately the second attacker chose not to fight--perhaps because only the first attacker was armed. Thomas purchased additional revolvers positioning them around his shop in lieu of reloads--it was a strategy that worked for him.

Everyone has to find a balance that works for him.
 
Just an observation; during the late 80' through the mid 90's I lived in Az and New Mexico and was fortunate enough to befriend and shoot with several different Lawmen from city cops, sherrifs to state troopers. they carried many different sidearms, Glocks, 1911's, 686's etc. But there were three very experienced officers that I knew, one in particular that had the duty of patroling I25 north of Santa Fe at night, a very notorious corridor, that were adament about the Ruger Security Six for their carry gun. This was the gun that they chose to protect themselves with among the many options that they had.
This made me a believer. Although any well made modern sidearm is the right choice if you are comfortable with it these three men who put themselves in harms way for a living were adament about the Security Six with 158gr. Remington HP's.
Something to think about.
 
Having said all of that, I am convinced beyond all doubt that the best sidearm that ever was or ever will be is the 1911. End of story in my book. JMHO.
 
to DG45 ;
My Kimber Custom Classic has not "Hiccupped" in the last 10,000 rounds that I have put through it in IPSC or practice for matches.
No problems in ten years or 10,000 rounds tells me that I can trust the gun with my families life.
 
I shouldn't have singled out 45 auto's.

I really was thinking about semi-autos as a group and shouldn't have singled out 45's in particular as jammers; in fact a govt. model 45 is one of only two autos I've ever even considered buying. I bought the other one I considered. It was an East German Makarov 9 x 18 and it's never jammed either, but then I haven't shot it nearly as much as you've shot your Kimber, or as much as I've shot my revolvers. Like you, I too would be happy with any gun that fired 10,000 rounds without a malfunction, but I've seen a lot of autos, and I include 9mm, 45ACP, 380's etc. that have jammed at the range, and I'm sure that you've made the same observation too since you've obviously done a lot of range shooting - and as I said I think its mainly lousy cheap ammo that causes most of the jamming in semi-autos. I don't keep up with gun brands anymore. To me they are nothing more or less than a delivery system for the ammunition they shoot. I think it's the reliability of that delivery system and the shooters ability to use his/her particular gun that's important. Other than that, what's important is the type and quality of the ammunition itself. I want my guns to deliver a round to the target the way they're supposed to every time I pull the trigger. There is nothing more important in shooting to me than that. I don't care if that delivery system gun is a Colt revolver or a Kimber semi-auto, or a Rossi - well, ok, maybe I've overstated my case with the Rossi - but my point is that I want a gun that delivers the goods. Your Kimber sounds like an expensive gun and a lot of the semi autos I see look quite expensive. So, I was just saying that if someone's going to put a lot of money into what is essentially an ammunition delivery system it seems foolish to jam it up with lousy cheap poorly made cartridges - and if you've fired 10,000 rounds with no misfires, I'll bet you don't shoot crap in yours.
 
Depends on your point of view. I don't find the 158grn .357's to recoil much more than full-power 125grn loadings.

Well, my carry piece has a short barrel (2 3/4") and in that gun the 125 grain bullets deliver about all the recoil I think I could handle in a personal defense situation. If I carried a revolver with a longer barrel, I might consider the 158 grain bullets, but I don't.
 
Well, my carry piece has a short barrel (2 3/4") and in that gun the 125 grain bullets deliver about all the recoil I think I could handle in a personal defense situation. If I carried a revolver with a longer barrel, I might consider the 158 grain bullets, but I don't.
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I guess everyone's different. I like the 158grn because of it's reduced flash from my 2 1/2" S&W M66
 
There's a reason why almost every police department in the USA switched from revolvers to semis. Firepower. We carry guns for personal defence when we're not at the range. Todays semiautomatics (Springfield Armory, Glock, S&W, Kimber, etc) are so much more reliable than semis were 20-30 years ago.

From my perspective, a quality .45 with 14 rounds beats any 6 shot reveolver.
Even if you only need 3-4 rounds, it's better to have the extra rounds and not need them than to need the extra rounds and not have them.
 
To answer the OP's question, I can think of only a few reasons to switch platforms. We assume that his choice of bottom feeders have proven reliable in normal use.

1. Desire - he wants to carry a wheelgun for his own reasons. Good 'nuff.
2. Shooting from a pocket - something most autos fail at.
3. Illness, disability or concern of same.
4. Change of likely threat status.

Most pistols don't work well when fired from a pocket. The hammerless and shrouded small pistols will fire from a pocket in most cases (one should trim loose threads in the pocket however).

Certain types of injuries to the hand/arm can make shooting a semi-auto very painful or difficult. So can many short-term illnesses (due to heavy fatigue) and some treatments for serious illnesses. Many of us have been there - a low fever that makes the whole body ache, lack of energy, feeling "weak as a kitten", a huge desire to just sleep, etc. At these times, a revolver is easier to operate and is more forgiving of a weak hold.

I know one lady who had a small 9mm pistol who injured her strong arm. After 2 rounds of 9mm the next few rounds would FTF/Stovepipe because the pain of firing prevented a solid hold to resist the slide motion. Her solution was a 3" Model 10 .38 with the heavy barrel. She's delighted with it, even shooting +P ammo.

Your expected threat level might also decrease. A threat gets locked up; moves away, etc. Or perhaps you change from a city to a rural locaton.
 
4513tsw

Hello,

I just purchased a used 4513tsw. After I fired the weapon, I took it home and stripped it to the frame. Once I assembed the weapon, I tested the weapon, with an empty magazine. At this time I noted that the weapon would only fire once in the double action mode. My other .40 S&Ws will continuously fire in double action, with any empty mag. in place. Did S&W modify the 4513TSW so it won't fire cont. in double action. I did notice a few small changes between the .40 and the .45TSW but nothing significant. Can anyone help me?
 
You should probably open new thread with this question

I just noticed that this is your first time on the forum. I think you probably wanted to post your question as a new thread; not as an additional question under this thread. I assume the gun you're asking about is a semi-auto so should probably be posted as a new thread on that particular forum.
 
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