Why do you prefer a Revolver to a Semi-auto??

I'm new to revolvers, but arent these three problems you mentioned MUCH more common with cheap ammo or reloads, which you shouldn't use for SD anyway? Just saying they would rarely cause a problem in a well-maintained revolver with quality ammo in a life and death situation. Please correct me if I'm wrong.

"High primers--cylinder won't turn

Bullet moves forward at recoil from rounds left in cylinder-cylinder won't turn

Unburned powder falls in bolt opening-cylinder freewheels"

High primers are not uncommon in factory ammo and tight tolerances in good revolvers makes this a good possibility as it only has to be a little high. The gun starts gumming up as you shoot it from powder burning causeing those tight tolerences to be even tighter.

Ewate said it well and I will only add to his reply, the gun acts like a bullet puller when it fires. Recoil causes bullets to jump forward and stop the cylinder from spinning and sometime from opening:eek: :eek: Your gun is down bigtime then.

As for unburned powder in bolt opening it depends alot on caliber and type of powder used. Big calibers use large grainular powder that doesn't all burn. When you push out your empties the unburned powder can fall into bolt opening and jam bolt. You gun is down bigtime then.

The worst problem that can happen to all guns and I have seen this in everything from 22LR to MP5s is a bullet stuck in the barrel due to poor ammo. With a revolver you can easily make the mistake of pulling the trigger again making your gun blow up. Reaction drill for an auto is a little different but they blow up too if you shoot another round through.

Guns have to be mastered if you want to carry one.

25
 
Drive and auto and always have. Will probably never buy an auto handgun.

My love of revolvers began as a newbie shooter. At first, they're just easier to use. Then you start dry firing that sucker all the time and you learn to really know your gun. Then you take a look at another model that looked identical when you were shopping and didn't know better and now you see all kinds of subtle differences. Then you start looking at 150 year-old guns and notice how few changes there are. These two clashing principals make for a fascinating machine. Then before you know it, your plan to maybe buy a second is a plan to definitely buy this one next, this one after that, this one if you can find it online, this one if you get the money and this one as soon as the company releases it.

As someone said to me after I went from being a range rental junkie to owning my own revolver: We've all bought our first revolver, but none of us has bought our last!

Edited: By the way, I'm a young (34) shooter, at least at all the ranges I tend to go to. I hate to generalize, but I've found an interesting trend. Older guys: the more money they have, the fancier their auto is and the less money they have the more classic their revolver is. But for the young guys, my age and below, it's flipped: the ones with no money are going semi auto on the cheap trying to look like 50Cent while the young professionals with money are all shooting revolvers (usually nice S&Ws).
 
Occasonally I go to a range that requires the use of their ammo. The last time I went, they had some cheap PMC target ammo made in ROK. It shot ok, then after about 30rnds, the gun got so dirty, the cylinder wouldn't even turn! I complained to the salesclerk, only to be told that the problem was with my gun, and not the ammo. Haven't had the problem since, and haven't been back there since.
 
I've always prefered revolvers for home defense because I don't have to worry about magazines losing tension by rotating and/or not loading all the way to capacity. I've enjoyed having my GP-100s and 66 S&W fully loaded with a couple of speedloaders for each. Then my kids got bigger and it makes the revolvers not such a good idea anymore since the kids can actually cock the hammer and that trigger is not much to pull at single action mode. Now I have 1911s with loaded mags and empty chamber for HD. I usually carry my revolver as a side arm when hunting or hiking. No chance of jamming with reliable hollow points or flat nose bullets. I feel they are just more reliable than autos and I love all my semi auto handguns too. josh
 
It's all pretty much been said.

One thing that I've noticed is that the semi-auto crowd at the range set their silhouette targets at 7-10 yards, while most revolver shooters set them at 25 or 50 yards. Some of us revolver shooters are knocking down animal silhouettes out to 200meters, offhand, sitting or prone. My Ruger Super Blackhawks in 7 1/2 and 10" were supremely accurate. With careful handloads, it was easy to hit a pie plate at 200 meters with iron sights, from a prone or sitting position.

I've always liked revolvers and have had several S&Ws, Colts, and Rugers. I was a police firearms instructor and found that I could teach a cop to fire double-action accurately within half an hour. Semi-autos were much harder to learn to shoot well.

In a combat situation, I'd prefer something other than a handgun, but would like to have at least one of each type. A semi-auto for firepower at close range, especially indoors, and a revolver for accuracy and more power to shoot through metal, etc. Shooting a 4-inch .357 indoors in a typical house will make you wish you hadn't and will make your ears ring for at least three days. A .40 or .45 auto won't tend to do that.

I really think the 9mm parabellum round is underpowered. In an emergency, I would not grab a 9mm semi-auto if there was a more powerful choice. If I had to choose a semi-auto, the .357 Sig is the one I'd carry for most combat situations. Game wardens report that it dispatches wounded animals more quickly than either the .40 or .45 and is close to a .357 Mag in power.

I've only had a few semi-autos, mostly 22s. I actually prefer semi-auto .22 handguns because they are more accurate and easier to shoot. I don't own a .22 revolver any more, mainly because they're too slow to load, especially single actions. The ejector rods on single action .22s is almost the same size as the cylinder hole, making alignment much more difficult than with a large bore centerfire.

I had an accurized Colt 1911 that shot well, but I hated finding and picking up cases to reload them. It also pointed like a crooked stick.

Picher
 
I like and own both, but prefer the revolver. I can shoot a revolver better, and can tune the actions easier. Although I do like the extra capacity and reload speed of my semi-autos.
 
I was just wondering, sort of to myself: I wonder if the same folks who are fond of wheel guns also drive vehicles with manual transmissions.
Click to expand...

Well, no, my wife's car and my truck are both automatics. Not by my choice, however. I prefer a manual transmission in a truck or small car as they deliver more control and better fuel economy, but my wife just can't get the hang of driving a manual and has absolutely no desire to learn how. That, and a manual can get to be a hassle to drive in stop and go traffic.
 
My first gun was a revolver .... I have several automatics now, but I still shoot a revolver better than an automatic...'cept maybe a .22 auto. Though I do have an old S&W 6" revolver thats a tack driver.
I like my cars (and trucks) with a manual transmission too ....mostly for the reasons previously stated ....more efficient, better mileage and they usually live longer... though I must admit I've owned and seen examples of cars with automatics that lasted 200K and 230K miles with no problems. And today, I own both....automatics are easier to drive in traffic and the wife can't/won't drive a stick well and some battles just aren't that important to win.
But if I had to pick ONE gun, it would be a .357 mag revolver....simple, powerful, and versatile. And if your extra ammo isn't already in a speedloader or a clip, a revolver is faster to reload.

-Cajun_kw
 
Until about 2 years ago, all I owned was autos. I got to a point in life where I was not able to practice much so I reasoned a revolver would be a wiser choice for HD under these circumstances. I traded for a 686-3 and found that I could shoot that revolver better than any auto I'd ever had. Then I got hooked and bought a 686 no dash complete with the box and tools and I'm presently waiting for a 27-2 to be shipped that I bought from one of the auction sites.

Besides the fact that I seem to shoot the revolvers better, they seem to have something about them that most modern autos don't. Call it elegance or sex appeal or whatever they just make me want to buy more. I reckon the engineer in me is fascinated by the remarkable number of processes accomplished with one simple pull of the trigger. Open the side plate on a revolver, pull the trigger and one gets a glimpse of mechanical ingenuity, 19th century style.
 
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Reason #1: I hate chasing my brass. Seriously. That's my #1 reason. I reload and I really, really hate chasing my brass.

Reason #2: I like being different. Everyone else shoots auto's...I just like to be different...
 
Actually, I prefer semis now to revolvers. I'm discovering more and more my arthritic hands can only handle the larger, full steel revolvers. I can no longer fire the lightweights in any size without a lot of pain to my hands. I can't take the impact of the recoil going directly into my hands.
This includes the 642 and 386pd, neither of which I own any longer.
 
Why do I prefer revolvers?
If for a carry weapon, revolvers for reliability.
If for fun, pistols for easy reload, faster (for me) shooting. There's just something about emptying a magazine very quickly that's plain fun.

Guns owned by wife and me:
S&W 317 .22lr revolver - no problems
S&W 642 .38 Spl. revolver - no problems

Kahr 9mm P9 pistol - no problems
Ruger .22lr Mk III 22.45 pistol - fail to feeds often
Bersa .380 Thunder pistol - fail to feeds periodically

Based on my experience, I just don't have confidence in the reliability of semi-autos.
 
I prefer the revolvers mainly because I know the olny reason a revolver would not go off in a tense situation is because of a faulty primer in a shell. I have shot autos in the past and they would jam and not fire the second shell. Also the clips in an auto can wear and not deliver the shell correctly to the receiver. Simply the revolvers are dependable!

Shooter11
 
Just about every reason has been stated.....
Don't like magazines
Like to keep things simple
Appreciate the elegance and beauty of a wheelgun
Love the lightweight carriability of my S&W 642


R/fiVe
 
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