I think that if I were in a situation where I had to act very fast a revolver would be the gun of choice. BTW: You guys that carry a SA on there belt or in your car,do you keep a round in the chamber to save time?

I agree........but,I still like my semi automatic gun for its capacity.

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How many guns are too many?

There's a round chambered in everything I carry.

With no manual, grip, or magazine safety to fool with I see no advantage to either platform.

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GOA
USA Shooting Supporter

I have said this on the forum before. When I go outside at night to run a bear out of the garbage I leave my Sig .45 in the house and carry my Smith and Wesson model 57. My revolver will always fire. My sig has always been flawless, but if it did fail to fire during a charge it would be slow to clear. If the revolver failed to fire on a round, just pull the trigger again. I also carry a J frame when I ride my bicycle. A .380 may be slightly smaller, but also more likely not to fire.

Anything mechanical can and will fail sooner or later; in 50+ years of pistol shooting to include running qualifications that's been the case.

All I can say is that I have never seen a semi auto that didn't eventually choke for one reason or another. Worse, there are so many variables involved that it's often difficult to determine positively what went wrong and positively fix it. I would go so far as to say if it feeds from a magazine it's going to give you trouble eventually. I recently had a previously 100% BHP 9 with Mec-Gars choke on factory ammo for no reason at all. Startling to say the least, but there it was.

I have seen revolvers malfunction; but the ratio is exactly reversed. It's an unusual event when it does, and the cause can almost always be determined right away. I have a "few" DA revolvers, both S&W and Ruger, and can remember their stoppages like I remember my kids' broken bones: they did happen, and I remember every one, but the total was minuscule compared to all the activity involved.

Probably the most reliable machines ever invented have been the K frame S&Ws and the old Ruger "Six" DA revolvers.

"Six for sure" has a basis in fact.

Looking at the 686 Deluxe with a 3" barrel. Do you think a 4" barrel is too long to carry?

Whats the difference between pulling a trigger on a revolver or on a semi auto when "you have to act fast"?

Also if you want to "act fast" a SA revolver is the opposite of that. You add an extra step to every shot. Instead of pull trigger bang, pull trigger bang, pull trigger ..... You have cock hammer pull trigger bang, cock hammer pull trigger bang ....
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I give the edge to the revolver, but thats just my personal preference. I have both revolvers and semis. Both have been reliable, but for utter reliabilty I would say a K or L frame Smith, or equivelent Ruger.

Seems like 1911 style pistols have been shown to be faster for the past 60 years starting with The Leather Slap Contest at Big Bear.

They of course still dominate all the action pistol games.

It's the S&W Forum so of course we like revolvers.
However it seems to me this debate was long ago decided.

Keep in mind "wolves travel in packs" and most shooting occur in low, altered, failing, or no light circumstances. It's hard to mount a light to a revolver.

And being an ex LEO I've actually trained in different circumstances other than a square range.
Tho auto loader with a weapon mounted light rules the LE and military world for a reason.

That said I still frequently carry a J Frame as a New York reload, and one of my special revolvers
when I'm feeling sexy.

Emory

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Hard To Kill

I love my revolvers but if I had any of my pistols there is a round in the chamber. As far as acting fast, I can tell you that some people can shoot revolvers just as quickly as a semi, but if you are looking only for speed you are in the wrong game. It is better to be a little slower and hit what you aim at then to act fast and put a round into the wall or worse the wrong person.

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Vaya con Dios

I know absolutely nothing about Guns.That being said,I did not think you guys always keep a round in the chamber of a postal. As far as a clip holding 9 or more rounds,the 686 holds 7 rounds.I would hope that I would not need to empty a full clip to get out of trouble.i own an S&W revolver with a 6" barrel that is too big to carry.

420 will you please repost your last and clarify

Why. My last post is in reference to the above conversation.

420, it made sense to me...

This is a great place for knowledge- and a lot of opinions- but it will take a long time to soak it all in. I strongly recommend taking some type of training course to at least get the basics.

As far as a round in the chamber, yes. Absolutely. Otherwise you are starting the fight with an expensive impact weapon.

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Proud anachronism

I worked a lot with a PACT timer on my speed needed to react to a random buzzer, draw and hit the "A" zone of an IPSC target @ 6 feet. I was nearly .2 of a second faster with a S&W revolver vs. my 1911

For ME, nothing works better than a S&W revolver!

Auto's vs revolvers, the conversations & debates will continue forever on this forum with which one is faster and more accurate in a time of need. We all have our favorites and the one you feel most comfortable with is what I believe is the best choice.

Teddy Rooselvelt commented that it is the accuracy of the first shot that is more important. In 1895 he was quoted with the following:

"No possibility of fire can atone for habitual carelessness of aim with the first shot." I think he was right.................

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Sierra 255
Ret. LEO/ NRA-LIFE

It is good conversation---the idea that you need a gun is of course is paramount.
I prefer Semi's for carry---just because they are easier to carry and carry safely. Since they are easier to carry it is more likely that you WILL carry than if you have to rig up, to carry.
NOW, on reliability. Sure nuff revolvers are reliable buttttt I am not convinced that semi's are unreliable.
Now I do some stuff to my semi's that most don't so I am pretty dogone sure they are reliable.
My form of carry is just sticking the dang ol thang in my pants--so I do little in the way of rigging-up.
You do it your way boys-----just do it.
Blessings

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TEXAS, by GOD

I agree with the above post from Mr. Layton.

I've had revolver cylinders lock up on new weapons. I've had very few problems with selfloading weapon.

As above, choose something you'll actually carry without thinking.

I have .45's that go on and off me during any given day, but I have a pocket sized .380 that's always there. It's like another wallet. I assume that's why pants have two back pockets!

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GOA
USA Shooting Supporter

The old empty round in the chamber was for black powder revolvers with no safety notch between chambers. In automatics it is often used by inexperienced people with very small cheap single action semi-autos that must be carried cocked with safety on. Usually in a pocket or purse. (Neither of these type handguns is my concern).

Quality guns do what they do best very well. When empty a revolver is easier to see the moving parts when cycling the action. A slight normal wiggle of the cylinder play of a revolver (with factory ammo) indicates it is 99.99 likely to shoot (no high primer or dirt under ejector, or really dirty chamber preventing cartridge from fully seating). Quality semi-autos are about the same. The first shot is 99.99 (my guestimate) likely to shoot and for most of us that one shot is all we will ever need. The reliability of the ammo in the magazine is almost as good as a revolver if it is fairly new and has been reliable on the range.

From what I have read the loose tolerance war built semi-autos do better when shooting for many hundreds or thousands of rounds than revolvers?

Back years ago (maybe still?) 1911 45 auto magazines had guide ears sticking up a bit on the magazines. An ex army ranger friend once told me that the only problems they had with 45's in Vietnam was people putting magazines in their back pocket and sitting on them bending the ears.

ALWAYS!!! Keep a round chambered, ALWAYS!!! Kinda useless without one. Even the guns in my safe are chambered. Unless you are buying some obscure gun from the 30s all modern guns are safe to carry chambered.

Whats faster to shoot? Assuming both guns are loaded, equally fast for your avg shooter. Reloading, most people would be quicker with a semi auto nut probably not buy much.

You can hope that you dont need that many rounds but just recently a homeowner emptied her revolver into an intruder and he just ran away. Yes he ran away so his criminal act has ceased but she was out of ammo. What if he had not run away but instead attacked?

Just as an example. A 686 weights 2lbs 32oz) and hold 6-7 rounds. A Kahr CW9 weighs 15oz (thats almost a pound) and carries 1 more round 7+1. The TP9 carries 8+1 and is 18oz (just over a pound)

There is a more to consider for carry than just how fast it is

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NOW--I did not SAY that I didn't carry a revolver or two
Blessings
The Hawaii shirt has folage that covers the undergrowth.

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TEXAS, by GOD

Hi:
My answer to this question is that I CCW both (at the same time)

I'm with Jimmy on this one.

Besides, if you shoot enough, any gun will have problems. My "bulletproof" Ruger Mk II Target requires a spring change about every 20,000 rounds. My "perfect" Glock 17 once went full auto due to a worn sear, in a match no less. Even my "incredible" Performance Center 586 choked once, the ejector rod backed out and tied up the cylinder.

That is why Clint Smith advocates a second, or third weapon.

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I hope I copied that right

Two people have responded about Single Action revolvers, but I believe his "SA", in the first post, is "Semi Auto", and he's asking about carrying an automatic with the chamber loaded.

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I always take precautions

I would feel confident with any of my Semi-autos or any of my revolvers. This is why training is so important. Know your weapon, learn to clear a malfunction in it. Short of a catastrophic failure I can get my weapons back into the fight very quickly.

I only knew 2 people that carried cheap .22 pistols with the chamber empty. Most of the really cheap pocket pistols I was familiar with are no longer made, or no longer made in California.

If one of these was all I could afford I would probably carry it with chamber empty. You can rack the slide on little 22 rimfires pretty fast when they are already cocked.

Do an Image Search for Bryco, Jennings, Raven - but do not buy one unless it is still being made and you are aware of the materials being used, or you are desperate.

In other words, if money is tight, do your homework then buy a used Sigma.

Saturday night special - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
(About ten paragraphs down)
The demand for inexpensive handguns still existed and a number of new companies were formed to fill that gap. In an effort to cut costs, many of these guns were made with cast zinc components, rather than the more typical machined or cast steel. While zinc is far less strong and durable than steel, it is strong and durable enough for the small-caliber defensive handguns in question. It is also rust-proof, which is an advantage for defensive users who often invest less effort in maintaining their weapons than sporting enthusiasts.

This is one hell of a forum.I learned more here in a short time then if I went to a training secession. I realy love my S&W 357 Magnum,but it is too heavy and too big to carry. I think my choice will be a small,lite semi.

With a DA revolver you just start pulling the trigger and it shoots.

With a revolver you don't leave evidence at the scene.

Also the wife says. "If you can't hit your target with 5 shots you need more practice."

I've got degenerative peripheral neuropathy causing weakness in my right hand and wrist. I decided on a revolver because I kept reading how pistols are susceptible to malfunctions caused by limp wristing. With a revolver I know that it will function properly even when gripped improperly. I can shoot a revolver with either hand and be secure in the knowledge that it'll go bang until empty.

The how many cartridges discussion is a bit like the old math problem.

Q - You have seven birds sitting on a fence. You shoot one, how many is left.

A - None, the others flew away.

No one is born knowing about guns...we all had to start learning at some point. I can't speak for everyone else, but I am still learning.

A minor point, but it does stand out to most people: the proper term is "magazine" and not "clip." There are a few handguns which do use a clip, but they are very few, and using the correct terminology is one sign of knowledge.

As far as keeping a round in the chamber, revolver or semiauto, I counter that most people DO. Once you are familiar with and comfortable with a gun, you will see that it isn't an unsafe condition, and in fact is safer for you...especially if you need to bring a semiauto into action very quickly in a self-defense situation. With a revolver, you can just pull the trigger to advance the cylinder to the next round, but with a semiauto you will need to rack the slide to charge the pistol, which has every chance of failing under stress, unless you become very, very proficient with practice.

In short, regardless of your preference, "one is none, two is one."

To 420 - It's a magazine, not a clip.

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Old Cop
LEO (Ret.)

When I first worked in gun towers (1960’s) in California Correctional Institutions we were required to keep the chamber under the hammer empty. S&W model 10 no less. Naturally the shotguns and rifles had empty chambers. The psychologists and politicians that ran the prisons back then were really smart at some things. They could sit around and ask each other the most intelligent questions, but no one ever had the answer. Needed a lead dog on that sled worse than any Eskimo.

Maybe I forgive them a little for not understanding revolvers. When San Quentin bought new guns they had to get rid of some old ones to make room in the armory. We got sent some old 45 Reising Rifles - semi and full auto. One day during a disturbance in the yard they hastily put officers on the roofs with whatever rifles. When a fight broke out one guy with a Reising switched to full auto decided to fire a warning shot. As the barrel went upward on full auto recoil he almost hit some other officers on the Main Kitchen roof.

Sometimes the guys at the top, that (proof read and correct) the new rules are more than worried about what they got themselves into.

I think the question of which is the fastest to get into action, between the revolver and pistol depends on what you are the most comfortable with.

Personally I'm faster with a revolver, WHY?, because I like revolver more, I practice more, therefore I'm faster and more accurate.

How ever if I practiced as much with a pistol, I'm sure it would be just as fast and accurate.

Having said that, I still can reload a pistol faster then a revolver, maybe that would change if I used moon clips, but I use speed loaders.

Moral of the story, just pick one and practice. The more the better.