Why do So Many People Shun Revolvers?

Cowled Wolf..

Just want to add my .02 and say that you cant go wrong with a Sig P226. Best damn auto I ever owned. Legendary reliability, shoots point-o-aim right out of the box, and as if that werent enough its a Sig (read "top drawer")

Ive got short fingers, and if you do as well, you might want to shell out the few extra bucks for Sig's "short trigger".

Oh, and if I may offer some unsolicited advice..never sell that gun. I pawned mine when money got tight years ago, promising myself I would redeem the loan...but money stayed tight and I lost my pride-n-joy. So dont be a dumb a** like I was...you wont be sorry. :)
 
Why do So Many People Shun Revolvers?
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My pet theory on why revolvers have lost so much,,,especially D/A revolvers,,,is that they aren't an instant - fast food -express lane - immediate gratification type of thing.

Unless the Almighty has blessed you with an inborn capacity to shoot a D/A revolver, it takes a long time to become proficiant with D/A shooting. Darn few people these days have the time and money to invest in really getting good with a D/A revolver.

As a real broad brush rule, a natural pointing semi auto is fairly easy to find. There's such a vast array of them out there that it's the exception rather than the rule that there isn't *something* that "feels right" for someone.
OTOH, a D/A revolver is pretty much a fixed item. There isn't a whole lot of difference in the general "feel" of a Smith a Colt a Dan or whatever.
 
As a real broad brush rule, a natural pointing semi auto is fairly easy to find. There's such a vast array of them out there that it's the exception rather than the rule that there isn't *something* that "feels right" for someone.
OTOH, a D/A revolver is pretty much a fixed item. There isn't a whole lot of difference in the general "feel" of a Smith a Colt a Dan or whatever.
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While you can sort thru all the semi-autos to find one that fits your hand, the revolver adjusts to different hands by a change in stocks/grips.
 
Maybe because some people actually *like* digging through the snow looking for their brass.
While it's not a good idea to estimate someone's skill by the gun they carry, I've observed as a study of the human animal that wheelgun shooters as a whole are more likely to reload, likely to practice more, and more likely to be better shots.
I don't see many bottom feeder shooters step up to the 50 yd. line at the local range.
(This is post 657!!) Hehe.
 
majic,
True enough,,but there's that bugaboo about expresslane/time&money for a lot of people. Selling someone on buying a >$400 Smith and Wesson, then telling them that if they order a set of $89.00 grips for it "it will fit like a glove" is a tough sell. It's tougher yet if they can pick up a wide variety of semi autos and find one in stock form that feels like a perfect fit.

The wider variety of the semi's makes them more of an off the shelf type of item.

(non-gun)
I know myself, I like to pick something right off the shelf that's close to what I want most of the time rather than bother with getting something I plan on making "just right". Most items I buy I'm not real passionate about or have a keen interest in. Cloths - food - appliances (to some degree).
 
I own three trucks and one car because each has a use. I'll be using my PU today to pickup a new dishwasher but my Jimmy works best for hauling around my dogs for bird hunting. My old Cherekee gets used out back for hauling stuff around and my wife's Lesabre safely gets her to work in the big city and home safely.
My revolver to autoloader ratio is about the same 75 to 25% as all satisfy a need for me.

When my friends ask me what gun to buy I first ask them what they want it for. Most are really asking what autoloader and a couple have actually bought wheelguns once being educated about them.
One bought a 1911 for CCW carry because I carry one even though I told him it wasn't the best gun for him in my opinion. He's also the kind of guy to buy a one ton truck for his wife to buy groceries with.

It's all about what someone thinks they need and why the ad guys make all the big bucks. Just like all the Christmas toys that'll be played with once this year.

My first handgun was a M-19 S&W because I just had to have a .357 revolver as it was the hot ticket at the time. Turns out I had the right choice as I still have that old revolver but it was purely by accident and gun promotion of the day that I wound up with it.

Personnaly I like all the mistakes people make when buying the wrong gun for themselves. It just makes the lightly used gun market a good bargain for me.
 
Its true that you have to taylor your gun buying around certian needs. I WANT to get a revolver, but my needs say semi. Not just because they are neat, or what have you, I am going through police academy, and I want the higher capacity of carrying a semi-auto. I do like revolvers, and do think that they are easier to shoot at the range (I keep all my shot brass) due to their non-auto-ejecting style, but I shoot my semi's most because that is what I will be using for work. That said, I will be picking up a small smithy for a back up gun.
 
Revolvers

Something that likely turns some off of revolvers is their first exposure to them, I used to work for TDCJ, now retired, but at the annual training session they had us shooting ss Colt's .357 with wcs loaded to about 700fps.
You could almost see the bullets travel to the targets, the triggers varied from rough to sorry,the sights were square blade front and milled notch in the top strap.
Grips were a spongy rubber one size fits all mess and we had to shoot double action, with a pull of 12 -15 lbs.
I have been shooting NRA since the early 60's and I just did qualify the first round, some of the poor people had to do 4 rounds, with each round being graded more loosely than the last to qualify.
With such worn out junk to start on I can easily understand people developing a distrust of revolvers.
.
Don :(
 
well here's my story.

I started out thinking about CCW and went to get a semi. I ended up w/ a S&W CS45 Chief's Special .45acp. Not knowing any better, I was pretty fond of this "new" gun. After a few trips to the range, I had a chance to shoot a SIG 1911 .45acp. Right at that moment I realized the CS45 was NOT what I wanted. I searched and ended up w/ a Dan Wesson PMA-S 1911 5". I currently shoot this gun most accurately. I then got a KIMBER Ultra CDP for my carry. It has been the best decision. The flatness of the 1911 style as well as the ease of shooting and comfortable consistent grip of the 1911 style was the driving force.

On the other hand my wife being more of a newbie at this whole CCW thing has been struggling w/ a Walther PPKS InterArms model .380acp. It is a great shooting gun although you have to watch the hammer bite, but my wife has trouble w/ operating the small slide as well as her head wasn't right about carrying w/ a round in the chamber. So I suggested a revolver (although at this time, I was still anti-revolver). She was hesitant for months and just went about carrying the PPKS unchambered......:rolleyes:......

A few months ago, we were at a hunting store up north of us in Willow Grove, PA, and I noticed 2 .357mags. A S&W M66 4" and a S&W M686 7shot 6". I talked to my wife about getting one of these (leaning towards the 686). She thought the 686 was too heavy but liked the 66. So we got both and proceeded directly to the range to try them out. Well we were 2 happy campers. The 686 was beyond my expectations for a revolver. I was hooked. I got the revo bug. My wife also loved her M66. She felt like she hit a milestone going from a .380 to shooting .38sp/+p (she tried the .357mag rounds and felt that it was too much but really likes how a .357 frame shoots .38sp and .38sp +Ps. Over a period of time, we went revolver shopping and I now have:

S&W 686-4 7shot 6" Stainless .357mag
S&W M19-3 Nickel 6" .357mag
Ruger GP100 6" Stainless .357mag
Ruger GP100 3" Blue fixed sight .357mag
Colt Python Blue 6" .357mag
Colt Python 4" Refinished HardChromed .357mag

My wife has:

S&W M66 4" Stainless .357mag
Dan Wesson 715 Stainless 4" .357mag
Colt Python Nickel 8" .357mag
Colt Anaconda .45LC/.454Casull

I have shot .44 mag and really didn't like the recoil and I don't feel that I can shoot a .44 on a regular basis. That may be in the future though as a curiosity. Right now both my wife and I enjoy the .38sp/.357 versatility and I get my .45acp practice in on my DW and Kimber Ultra.

For a person that believed revo's were ancient news, I have come around to really enjoying the revolver. I enjoy the challenge of placing a shot w/ w revolver. I enjoy the "real gun" feeling of a revolver. It reminds me of my childhood when I was playing w/ cap guns. I enjoy the challenge of shooting DA whereas my 1911 is pretty much monotonously accurate and predictable. Last of all, I really enjoy the simplicity of the revolver.

My wife carries a Ruger GP100 3" now also. She feel a lot more comfortable now carrying and after carrying a revo, she no longer is afraid of carrying one in the chamber in the PPKS.

So I no longer shun the revolver like I used to. IMO, revolvers should be the first kind of gun to own for a newbie (of course you won't convince a newbie of that very easily). Revolvers are great for people who have a hard time racking a slide. I didn't realize it until I got into shooting, but a lot of women have a hard time racking slides on a semi (no offense to any women here), but I see this issue a lot. I also feel more comfortable that my wife is comfortable carrying a revolver. I know it will go BANG when she needs it, and less likely to cause a malfunction at a crucial moment and she won't ever have to worry about racking a slide or clearing a stovepipe, or even better, in the heat of a panic reaction, forget to flick the safety off.
 
Now that I have proven to myself that I can indeed, at least, put rounds into the black with my 28-2 at 25 yards, I am seriously considering it as a carry gun!!

The 357mag is, in my humble opinion, still the premier self defense round!!

I was once into revolvers in my youth. Methinks it's time to return!!
 
View from a newbie....

Before purchasing my first handgun 2 months ago I found the opposite to be true....

When discussing what gun to buy with local dealers and shooting buddies (CCW holders), everyone listed various pros for revolvers over semiautos for various reasons.

Pros...not in any order here:

1. First handgun....for defense\plinking.

2. Reliability...much less likely to have a problem when it is needed the most. This was the biggest factor.

3. Easier to maintain...easier to use\load. Some might argue that it is easier to clean.

4. Although it only has 5-8 round capacity (max), more shootouts are over in first several rounds (personal view based on research). Regardless I have two speedloaders at the ready.

5. For a beginner...hammer is more clearly visible so you know when it drops and it helps with shot placement (IMHO)

6. Performance....357 mag was the top of the list for putting the BG down. Closest auto was 45\40\357 Sig.

7. Price....see #6. I prefer quality over quanity, and most semiautos in #6 were more expensive (new only).

I believe the choices people make are based on what they want the gun for in addition to other preferences. If I was going into serious Bear country I want a 44 at a min, as most semiautos don't fit the bill. If its CCW, then I would lean torwards a semiauto based on personal opinion that they are thinner and more concealable (not to say there aren't good snubbies).

If a person is making a decision simply based on the "coolness" factor :cool: then I consider them an idiot and want to be as far away from them as possible.

My .02...
 
I blame it all on Lethal Weapon. Cool and edgy Mel Gibson had the swoopy autoloader, while stodgy ol' Danny Glover had the boring ol' revolver. :D

I'm happy with this state of affairs, as it helps keep down prices on boring ol' revolvers. ;)
 
Reading some of the posts, it dawned on my that when I started this thread, I failed to mention that usually, the only time I hear people recommend a revolver is to someone who has little to no experience with guns (usually first time gun owners). The assumption is that, for someone who does not know the muzzle end from the back end of a handgun, a revolver is the best gun because it's simple to operate and fairly safe.

I think these people miss the mark (if that's the only role they see for a revolver). Wheelguns have much to offer the novice and pro alike.

I carried my 686P 4" as a sidearm when we went on a pig hunt this weekend. Everyone else carried their 9mm, 40 and 45 autoloaders. Wow, that's bold, even for a last resort gun. A 9mm to stop a charging boar!?!?!?!?! Wow!

Needless to say, I felt much better-prepared with my 357. What a versitile gun! When I got to the hunt, I took my 115 grain Corbon self-defense loads out and loaded it up with Speer 170 grain bonded-core soft points. Not that Would have gone out and hunted pigs with the 357, but did double duty as a self defense sidearm and an anti-pig sidearm all at the same time! Let's see an autoloader match that versitility!

Not that I don't like autos (I own them too), but versitility is the wheelgun's best feature.
 
first off i wanna start by saying ALL GUNS ARE BEAUTIFUL !! :D

and i like both, for reasons already mentioned, capacity being the main thing, and the ease of reloading an auto i carry autos... for me wheelguns are reserved for the heavy calibers... i like a .44 mag super redhawk... very sweet weapon... but not all that practical for concealed carry.. as far as good fun tho u cant go wrong with a nice wheel gun, they do have more muzzle flip and more recoil than most automatics, but thats part of the fun.. in order to master the art of shooting in general u must explore all avenues of the sport... IMO.

it comes down to personal preference, i like both types of guns and any gun that goes bang, their all beautiful and fun. but lets face it.. a wheelgun isnt as practical as an auto... much harder to reload... in a situation where you have to reload, given the option ill take the half second it takes to slap in a fresh magazine over having to flop the wheel open dump your shells and drop in a fresh 6 even from a speed loader... which can malfunction... takes more time and time is of the essence in these situations..

i enjoy shooting any and all guns from old school single action revolvers up to todays latest designs in automatics, long guns, shot guns, even air rifles. their all good fun =)
 
Drinks,
What model Colt was chambered in .357mag, had a squared front sight, fixed milled frame rear sight, and in Stainless Steel?
 
Colt

Majic;
I have no idea, but TDCJ has several thousand of the woreout clunkers.
Every control tower has one, along with an 870 and an ar15, and the several training academies across the state have hundreds of them in the armories.
It is a 6 shot ,4" barrel with black semi soft rubber grips that fit almost no hand and has a double action about as smooth as dragging a railroad spike across a brick, at least the 9 I shot in my time with TDCJ.
All I wanted was to get the silly training farce over with and get back to home and work. Also. the 870's were the first pumps I ever shot, made me realize why I only have ba ss and ba sxs shotguns.
Don :barf:
 
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