What gives? Pistols vs Revolvers? A rant.

M

MemphisJim

New member
For the sake of argument, I'll be the first to concede I may be more of a literalist than forums like these may care to endure. I was raised to believe that words are like bullets: they should be selected for the specific purpose for which they are intended, aimed directly at the subject and achieve the desired (or intended) result when loosed. In this forum (and others) I continually see the handgun universe broken into two categories: Pistols and Revolvers. What am I missing? As I see it, a pistol is a pistol...is a pistol...ad infinitum. The two primary sub-categories are: Semi and Revolver. Historically, revolvers, and antecedents, have the claim for naming the category. Semis at best have maybe about a 100 years of history. Certainly, within the last 30 years or so semis have become the dominant iteration of the category. Does that mean the word "pistol" should immediately conjure the image of a 1911 in my mind's eye rather than a Colt Navy? (For the record, all but two of my handguns are semis.) Maybe it's just a futile exercise in semantics, but it still bugs me. And I'll probably resist the impulse to go off on "magazines" vs "clips." Maybe.
 
Jim,

You need to unwind. A nice shot of 12 year old single malt is prescribed. Or one diazapam. :D Chill out a little.

Our language evolves over time so if you're a stickler for detail and proper use, then common-usage can drive you nuts.

"Pistol" means a handgun in the broad sense. Early definitions equate it with a "pipe" or a firearm with the breech integral with the barrel - such as a flintlock pistol.

Most early flintlock and percussion handguns were true pistols with the breech at the back end of the barrel. Even multi-barreled handguns that fired all barrels at once were called pistols.

When revolvers came into being, they were initially called either a revolving cylinder pistol or revolving pistol. Buy the time Colt was making them popular, common usage still referred to them as a "pistol". A good example is referring to the Walker Colt as a "Horse Pistol" (Horseman's or Cavalryman's pistol).

Up until around 1890, technically, pistols were usually single shot handguns and multi-chambered handguns - a.k.a. revolvers . Just before the turn of the century, several companies added a new, self-loading handgun to the mix. The semi-automatic (and a short time later full-automatic) these handguns, with names like Borchardt, Mauser, Mannlicher, Luger, et al were still called "pistols" and early on the misnomer of "automatics". Part of this may be due to the use of the word pistole in the official names of the guns.

The term "automatic" as a reference to a semi-automatic handgun was popular in the 1920's and continues today with most people. It's also easier to say "pistol" or "automatic" instead of semi-automatic.

We can look at is as being within the class "firearm", where "Pistol" is the root word or family under which the genus could include flintlock, percussion, revolver, semi-automatic and automatic.

But, folks being lazy, they tend to call a semi-automatic handgun a "pistol" (which it is) and a revolving cylinder handgun a revolver. Arguments can be made that the revolver is not, technically, a "pistol" at all, but I'll leave that to language purists.
 
Some people get their panties in a wad over the darnest things. While growing up I learned from everyone around me that a gun was anything that used gunpowder to launch pieces of lead and a pistol was a handgun. A semi-auto was a special class of handguns and was rare around my area except for the .25 auto. :)

Today you will get called out on this or any Internet forum for calling a revolver a pistol or (the greatest sin of all) calling a magazine a clip. I do computer support and I know the necessity of using correct terms as in "My computer won't run" and finding out that their password has expired. :mad:

As long as we both know what is meant, as in I know that a 1911 uses mags and not clips then I have no problem. However saying that I can't get my 1911 to shoot and finding out that you are trying to load 9mm in your .45 clip is a different story.
 
Using the strict definition, any handgun where all shots are fired from the same chamber is a pistol. Technically semis and single shots are pistols. Single shot pistols were around long before revolvers and when revolvers came on the scene a different term was needed so people knew which type of gun you were talking about. A revolver is a revolver because it has multiple chambers.

Many people use the term pistol to mean any handgun. While technically incorrect most know what they mean and do not make a big deal over it. Just like using the term "clip to interchange for "magazine". That is technically incorrect as well and some people are quick to correct anyone who uses the wrong terms.

I generally try to use the correct terms in daily conversation, but sometimes incorrectly refer to revolver as a pistol. I do not worry about it too much. Over time many words meanings change.

If you are the type of person you say you are I'm surprised you are not anal about using the correct terms.
 
Thanks for the presciption, BillCA. I spent all morning yesterday at the orthopod's office. By lunch he had good news and bad news for me: "First the bad news: the left knee is seriously arthritic and that's incurable. Now the good news: it's only bursitis in the left leg and we can 'cure' that so you'll only be in half the pain." Doesn't good news like that just make one's day? Single malt might not index well with the short-term medications so I'll save that indulgence for somewhere down life's highway in the not-too-distant future.
 
I had this same conversation with my seven year old grandson about three months ago. He is very serious about guns. Come to think of it he's way too serious about everything to be seven. Anyway it looks like he was right and I was wrong. I still personally prefer to speak of anything with a revolving cylinder as a revolver and anything with a slide as a pistol. For me the atypical pistol was something like a luger circa 1940. Guess I should listen more to the grandson. BTW, he's really down on beer and wine and lectures me and his grandmother about it from time to time.
 
Going further back, the British used the term "gun" for shotguns. H&H and others were makers of guns and rifles. Even today, shooters at a driven bird event are also referred to as "The Guns". You can let it bug you, or you can sip that single malt prescribed earlier. (I agree with you though; and don't EVEN go there on clips/mags and the there/their/they're scenarios!!..:D)
 
Many people use the term pistol to mean any handgun. While technically incorrect most know what they mean and do not make a big deal over it.
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Just curious - what is your source? Colt made a "revolving pistol", so seems like "pistol" is synonymous with handgun with revolver and semi-auto being subsets.

Lee
 
I suspect that many of us who pay attention to the differences...

... fall into one of two categories, with some possible overlap.

1) the super-literal, precise types;

2) those who have been through some form of boot camp or basic training ("This is my rifle, this is my gun; this one's for shooting, this one's for fun" ring any bells?)

For category 1, any verbal imprecision causes varying degrees of discomfort.

For category 2, "guns" often describe naval artillery (or other items, in rhyme form...), and "magazines" are not "clips." Discomfort is caused less by the love of English, and more by memories of push-ups, sit-ups, and distance runs resulting from use of improper terminology.

For most other folks, I don't think it matters too much.
 
Colt made a "revolving pistol", so seems like "pistol" is synonymous with handgun with revolver and semi-auto being subsets.
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I agree.

I generally try to use the correct terms in daily conversation, but sometimes incorrectly refer to revolver as a pistol. I do not worry about it too much. Over time many words meanings change.
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Language is fluid, much like the climate. Don't get in a tizzy over a little variation here and there.
 
welcome to the internet forum, where people will argue everything ad naseaum. semi vs revolvers, pump vs semi, ar-15 vs ak-47. sega vs nintendo, glock vs sig, glock vs hk, hk vs sig (god forbid), mossberg vs remington, etc etc etc

its cause people are bored and we have nothing better to do than to argue and try and prove we are smarter than you.

which i am. :p

oh, and thats why we have the general term, firearm. it is not literally meant to be an arm thats on fire that you club people with. but hey, if you were to break down that word into its components, it would not, in the strictest literal definition represent what we mean to be firearms :p
 
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Any language evolves over time. Meanings shift, new words arise and old words fade.

It seems like a lot of gun-interested folks make a pistol-as-semi-only distinction but the general public seems to use the traditional, pistol-as-any-handgun meaning. Maybe "pistol" will become a specific technical term to gun folks while staying as it is in common usage. Time will tell....
 
MLeake, very perceptive analysis on your part. I was blessed with a Christian raisin' and an 8th grade education (to paraphrase an old Willy Nelson song). Plus 4-1/2 years in the Army with some intense infantry training periods as well as studying nation building and conflict resolution in the Southeast Asia "live fire" exercise doubtless also influence my thinking to this day. And the Navy sure had some big guns back in the day, didn't they?
 
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I also thought this was weird and at least as far as common usage is concerned the categorization used in these forums seems incorrect. Never really bothered me, but I certainly noticed.
 
I find inproper use of various terms helpful, nothing lets you know who you are dealing with faster than someone telling you about their "shotty";)
While it can be irritating, It doesn't drive me into a fury like it does some.
 
I remember a time 36 years ago when some gentlemen at a place called MCRD would become soooooo upset when you referred to your 7.62mm M-14 as a "gun"

Up and on shoulders forever... ready, begin.


mike
 
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