Feeling more secure with a revolver vs. a semi-auto?

[magnum0710]

I'm the same way, I definitely prefer a revolver. I love semi autos too and I do carry a semi auto quite often but my main carry gun is a 3 inch 357.

 

[walkin' trails]

Do you have any evidence for this generalization? Experience would indicate you are incorrect.

I don’t have any evidence, just experience. Pre lock S&W Js, Ks, and Ls in .38 Special/.357 Magnum that I’ve owned or shot over the years have generally been pretty reliable and I never experienced a lockup. I had a 940, however, that spparently over heated and locked up on me. Had to cool down before I could open the cylinder. Some Ruger GP100s acquired by the Border Patrol in the early 90s would lock up during a 72-round qualification course that required the expenditure of duty rounds (Federal 110 grain .357). I thought it was caused by heat, but there may have been something else out of spec. I’ve seen ejector rods on 686s come unscrewed during qual courses and pretty much make the gun useless until the rod was painstakingly rotated back home. That could happen to any revolver. I’m experiencing a bit of grief right now over a S&W 43c that I really wanted to work right the first time. It initially spit lead, locked up, required excessive force to eject. Revolvers are mechanical devices. They’re subject to design flaws, manufacturing quality lapses, and end user lack of attention or abuse. Occasional bad ammo lots will also cause function issues.

And I had a Colt Detective Special once that when I installed Pachmeyer grips, the pin holding the main spring would quickly work its way out causing the gun to go wildly out of time. Fortunately the problem manifested itself self with misfires rather than something worse.

But I’ve had problems with semi autos too, over the years. Nothing is a “load up and forget” as folks want to claim.

 

[ec fan]

Snatch and grab , purse with money, credit cards, keys AND GUN all gone.

Need to teach woman to carry on their person.

I agree 100%, and I'm a woman.

It also takes too long to get a handgun out of most purses.

I like pocket carry, although I don't always carry, and most women's clothing pockets are ridiculously small. When I do it's usually my little M&P Bodyguard .380, which is DAO hammer fired, in a pocket holster. I want the new BG 2.0 but don't have one yet.

A chambered semi auto, like a loaded revolver, belongs in a proper holster. No gun, regardless of make, model, or "safeties," needs to be floatin' around anything.

I agree on this as well.

Even the semi-autos and revolvers I keep loaded at home are in simple holsters.

I consider a striker fired pistol with a round in the chamber (the way I keep mine) to be a cocked firearm, although some of them technically aren't, and they do have striker safeties inside. I nevertheless personally like a thumb safety on a striker fired pistol, and fortunately S&W offers that option on many of theirs. I understand why many people don't like them, though. It's good to have choices. I still want them in a holster when they are loaded. (Guess I'm a belt-and-suspenders type! LOL)

Probably my favorite pistol to shoot is my Shield Plus, with the thumb safety option. I like the style of its thumb safety too; easy to swipe off with the SIDE of my thumb, a little different from the larger thumb safeties.

Btw, I have quite a few semi-autos and revolvers, and none of the semis have as light a trigger pull as my revolvers (cocked) in single action, nor would I want them to have. I still want them in a holster, though.

 

[Puller]

The famous Miami FBI shootout is a great example of how many LEOs can’t hit Shinola, and how the wrong conclusions were derived from the experience.
Their conclusion was to switch to .40 automatic calibers…. when in fact, it was a .38 revolver which ended the confrontation.
Doh.

You probably need to google the story again.

 

[Darkenfast]

I was a revolver guy many years ago. I've also always been interested in the concept of one gun that can handle just about anything a reasonable person would want to do with a handgun. While I ended up with a couple of 9mm Parabellums (BHP and an early Glock 17L), I figured that eventually I would scratch the "one-gun-for-everything" itch with a 686+ sporting a four-inch barrel, and that's probably a very good choice for many. Besides, I thought I'd like to have a good revolver.

What I ended up with was a 1911 in 10mm, paired with Wilson Combat nine-round magazines. About the same weight, but a lot flatter (especially the reload), and 9+1. Significantly higher power, and after a lot of drills, I feel that the 1911 is an extremely safe firearm. The trigger is oh-so-nice. I will never be able to shoot a DA revolver like I can an SA semi-auto.

So, for me, I feel more secure with the right semi-auto than with even a really good revolver. Your choice can (and should be) your own.

Some extraneous notes:

1. I'm not interested in overly hot loads in any of the calibers I own, although I think that reasonable +p in 9mm is okay. I believe the 10mm is a better .357 magnum, and any attempts to make it more than that is counterproductive. I think its "sweet spot" is 1200-1250 fps with a 180 gr. bullet from a 1911, and the .357's is 1200-1250 with a 158 gr. from a four-inch barrel revolver. That's just me.

2. The 1911 is kinda heavy to carry. You know what they say about "jack-of-all-trades". But, so is that 686+. Interestingly, the BHP, while eight ounces lighter and extremely thin in the slide, doesn't feel that much different, when both are carried in an IWB holster. Just my build, I guess. If I ever get serious about CCW, all of this may go out the window.

Thanks for reading all this!

 

[SGT ROCK 11B]

b737lvr said:
This is an argument I’ve made about carry before. Imagine for a moment that you were in a super rare defensive shooting, say, you were parked in the parking lot of a grocery store while the lady is inside.

@Smoke
Why is your woman Inside and protected while you're sitting in a car in the parking lot?

Answer from Friday, June 9, 1961:

Police Officer George Elder was shot and killed while attempting to apprehend two armed suspects as they robbed the Star Market on Garvey Avenue at 8:45 p.m.

Officer Elder was in his car, waiting for his wife, when he witnessed two men running out of the store. He exited his vehicle and pursued them. He was found on Alhambra Avenue, shot in the head and chest with a .38 caliber revolver and a .22 caliber pistol. He died en route to the Bella Vista Hospital after describing the suspects and the getaway car.

The suspects had robbed the store at gunpoint and stole over $1000. Bullet holes in the suspect's vehicle from Officer Elder's return fire led to the suspect's arrest in Whittier a week later.

George’s brother Jon was an officer too and went on to become Chief and retired in 1987.

 

[crasig]

At first I felt more secure with revolvers, but as I got more experience, learned about, & could afford reliable self loaders - I switched over. I have some revolvers I could carry - but are heavy & lumpy. Now I prefer narrow steel small DA/SA semi autos for chambered pocket carry. In cooler weather, & clothes with bigger pockets - I carry my tried & true 9x18 mm Makarovs,
warmer weather = my 9x18 Polish Radom P-64. Although not range toys, but completely tested, 100% forgiving & reliable.
I've made improvements on both & LOVE THEM, & trust completely.

 

[03hemi]

At first I felt more secure with revolvers, but as I got more experience, learned about, & could afford reliable self loaders - I switched over. I have some revolvers I could carry - but are heavy & lumpy. Now I prefer narrow steel small DA/SA semi autos for chambered pocket carry. In cooler weather, & clothes with bigger pockets - I carry my tried & true 9x18 mm Makarovs,
warmer weather = my 9x18 Polish Radom P-64. Although not range toys, but completely tested, 100% forgiving & reliable.
I've made improvements on both & LOVE THEM, & trust completely.

I too carry a DA/SA 10mm Compact, double stack mag sometimes. 6 just ain't warm and fuzzy any more.

 

[babaylan]

Snatch and grab , purse with money, credit cards, keys AND GUN all gone.

Need to teach woman to carry on their person.

Maybe you should spend some time wearing women's clothing. Women's clothing has a tendency to be very closely tailored and doesn't always provide ready means of concealment, especially since most women's clothing is purposely designed to be revealing to be pleasing to men. It's easy for men who aren't facing society's expectations and demands of women to opine on what women should or shouldn't wear and how we should or should not carry weapons. Walk a mile in my heels.

While I agree that on-body carry is best, it's not always practical or feasible. Sometimes, off-body carry is necessary. Yes, it's inherently more risky, and it does require greater vigilance.

 

[F224]

I hope this question is in the right Forum.

I like both and my collection reflects that but I still feel more secure about my revolvers than I do with any semi-auto I own. I carry either depending on my mood but when the SHTF it's the revolver that will go bang every time.

Does anyway agree? Disagree?

With over 50,000 gunfight videos reviewed. Active self protection recommend a few things:

A reliable pistol with 15 rounds in the magazine is best.
Not a single video of a civilian where a reload was performed during the fight.
Civilians almost never shot through concealment, but treated it as cover.

Carry a revolver if you want, but you will be starting the fight with a handicap. Bigger, faster, and more is always better. Having survived a few gun fights myself, it's sound advice.

 

[ARgon]

I’m comfortable with both. My Sigs never fail, nor do my S&W’s.

 

[biku324]

Clean, well-maintained revolvers or semi-autos in normal weather both have my confidence. In severe blowing dust, sand, or separately in thick mud, I prefer semi-autos.

 

[RevV67]

Got my permit in 2000. Carried when I felt the need--cities, malls, movies, date night, etc.--until the Mother Emanuel shooting in 2015, which happened just a few miles away from where I was serving.

Since then, as a Pastor I have felt the conviction to protect my flock to the best of my ability, and I have a gun on me at ALL times, except in the shower or pool and rare, unavoidable trips to places like the P.O.

I started shooting my dad's 38 snubby 50 years ago, and 38 snubby is still my favorite carry gun.
In church and other higher risk environments I carry a Glock 26 with a G17 mag back up.

I shoot Glocks pretty well, almost all 9 or 10 at 15 yds., but I shoot snubbys better.

Training under stress has taught me that one does not always have a perfect grip or firm arm extension, and that can cause problems with a semi-auto, especially a small one like a G26, and even more so with a Hellcat or 365.

I have shot snubbys with a grip that was ridiculously poor (even weak hand with the gun upside down) and they have been 100% reliable with grips that would choke a semi-auto.

Right now, despite carrying a Glock 26 every Sunday, I prefer 5 for sure over 10 that require a good grip and decent posture.
That might change in a high crime area, but I avoid those.
I thank God for every law-abiding carrier, regardless of their choice of carry.

 

[Phenix]

Revolvers can lock-up or misfire just as easily as a semi-auto.

I don’t think I’d go that far.
I have had factory ammunition-related feeding and jamming issues with 3 of my autos in the last 4 months with certain types of ammo.
It has been decades since I have had a single failure with a revolver.
I will say that when an auto jams, it can often be cleared quickly. If a revolver seizes up, you are usually a screwed pooch for a while.

 

[roundels]

Whether it's round or flat, IMO the best gun for everyday carry is the one you are most comfortable with. Shooting a thousand rounds a month through a gun that doesn't fit your hands is like flushing your money down the toilet because if you don't love it you won't carry it.

 

[Petrov]

I have to disagree. My very first S&W was a Perofrmance center 627 that would star "Jamming" with factory 38 winchester white box ammo.
Due to the amount of heat and dirt and soot factory ammo generated the cylinder face would bind up on the forcing cone causing a very inconsistent and difficult trigger pull after about 180 rounds.
You mentioned SHTF. Ok that is a whole another ball of wax. SHTF for me is natural disaster, no lights me falling on my ass in snow or mud or dirt. Revolver has a LOT of way to scoop up dirt inside its action and cause problems, yes semi autos have that problem too but to a much lesser extent and I was in enough classes in bad weather where I have "scooped up" plenty of dirt, mud, ice, snow.

I do prefer revolvers for certain things semi autos. If I have to use one defensively from the inside of the car especially and most likely with one hand I 100% want a revolver. No limp wristing or jamming there from a poor grip with one hand. Also that .357 mag does really well shooting IN and OUT of the car through glass.

 

[Cartwright Jones]

I tend to agree with one caveat. If a revolver does jam you are probably done. An auto gives you a chance to recover. That concerns me more than capacity.

That statement is true and the one I USED to use way back when trying to convince others to switch to an auto. There are two methods of binding up a revolver that can put it momentarily to completely out of action and they both come from short-stroking the trigger. The first is a release just enough to reset the hand on the cylinder ratchet while the trigger sear is still forward of the double-action lever. This results in the cylinder rotating while the hammer remains contentedly at rest - no fire. This won't "break" the gun, but I have seen people shooting against the clock literally rotate 3 chambers in rapid succession without ever cocking the hammer!
The second is the most deadly (to the defensive shooter). This is where the trigger is released just shy of full forward before being rapidly and forcefully yanked again and the trigger sear meets up with the double-action lever at just the right point to completely bind the gun! Under the adrenaline fueled stress of a defensive situation, shooters have applied so much force to the trigger that the internal parts were damaged, rendering the gun useless - as a gun, but still useable as a bludgeon.

Then there is the dreaded failure of the cylinder to latch in after a panic-fueled reload due to unburnt powder granules becoming stuck to the inside face of the crane or frame, adding just enough thickness that the cylinder cannot lock into place. This is not easily sorted out, and certainly not in the middle of a defensive shooting, but thankfully, private citizens almost never reload, which is why it's not common, but it can, does, and has happened.

Then there is a malfunction that used to be unique to Ruger double-actions. Back in the heyday of the revolver we used to place great stock in having close barrel-to-cylinder gap for maximum velocity and there IS a significant difference between a .012" gap and .006! However, when shooting full power .357 magnum rounds as rapidly as possible, the Ruger Security Six would seize up due to the forcing cone expanding and binding against the cylinder face due to heat expansion. I discovered this little peccadillo during my early transition to autos, and this is what really put me on the other side! Of course, S&W cylinder gaps are much more generous and not subject to such binding.

Then comes the fact that it's possible to bend the ejector rod - primarily on a .357 magnum due to case expansion.

Eons ago there was a book in print by George Nonte pointing out the deficiencies of the revolver as a "combat" weapon. I was issued and qualified with a .45 in the Army, but they don't let you really get into it like you can when your on your own dime, and when I got my first Colt 1911 I discovered WHY the auto beats the revolver - for sustained combat shooting. While the revolver builds heat due to the cases, the auto shucks them out in the blink of an eye taking that heat with it. The trigger sear of a 1911 has no internal interference that can cause binding, just a fantastic, linear pull against the single-action sear. Reloads are much faster, smoother, and less "fumbly" than loading a revolver. The auto does require one major thing on the part of the shooter - a firm grip and forceful presentation to allow the recoil operated mechanism to work. Glocks are more forgiving due to nearly all their mass being in the slide, which helps recoil inertia. Of course it helps if people DON'T install extra power recoil springs that work AGAINST reliable cycling.

For general, self-defense, civilian carry, a small pocket revolver makes sense. Odds are you'll never need it. If you need it, odds are you'll never shoot it. If you need to shoot it, odds are you'll never need to fire more than two shoots to achieve the expected outcome, thus the odds are you don't even need to carry reloads. In fact, a better approach would be to carry TWO compact, 12 ounce revolvers for those who feel the need, but the statistical probability of a private citizen becoming embroiled in a cartelesque firefight are much closer to never than ever. Also, smaller revolvers present far less potential for trigger short-stroke, and thanks to modern computer design, the internal lockwork on newer guns has revised geometry that make it much harder to induce a trigger-hammer bind.

 

[Law-dog]

With over 50,000 gunfight videos reviewed. Active self protection recommend a few things:

A reliable pistol with 15 rounds in the magazine is best.
Not a single video of a civilian where a reload was performed during the fight.
Civilians almost never shot through concealment, but treated it as cover.

Carry a revolver if you want, but you will be starting the fight with a handicap. Bigger, faster, and more is always better. Having survived a few gun fights myself, it's sound advice.

You are citing statistics and data, and probably facts. Nobody wants to hear that. We will do what we do because we are smarter than that and know better.....lol. Thanks, important data.

One caveat. When a wheel gun fails, the reason is usually the same as when a pistol fails, the guy that owns it did something wrong to make it fail.

 

[RevV67]

I have to disagree. My very first S&W was a Perofrmance center 627 that would star "Jamming" with factory 38 winchester white box ammo.
Due to the amount of heat and dirt and soot factory ammo generated the cylinder face would bind up on the forcing cone causing a very inconsistent and difficult trigger pull after about 180 rounds.
You mentioned SHTF. Ok that is a whole another ball of wax. SHTF for me is natural disaster, no lights me falling on my ass in snow or mud or dirt. Revolver has a LOT of way to scoop up dirt inside its action and cause problems, yes semi autos have that problem too but to a much lesser extent and I was in enough classes in bad weather where I have "scooped up" plenty of dirt, mud, ice, snow.

I do prefer revolvers for certain things semi autos. If I have to use one defensively from the inside of the car especially and most likely with one hand I 100% want a revolver. No limp wristing or jamming there from a poor grip with one hand. Also that .357 mag does really well shooting IN and OUT of the car through glass.

I'm more of a defend the castle than bug out person, even if bugging out has better chances of long term survival. I know where I am going when my time on earth is finished.

That said, if I were to bug out, my beloved revolvers would stay in the safe and I would take my Glock 26, 19, and Ruger 9 mm PCC. Revolvers need more cleaning and are harder to fix in the field.

 

[RevV67]

That statement is true and the one I USED to use way back when trying to convince others to switch to an auto. There are two methods of binding up a revolver that can put it momentarily to completely out of action and they both come from short-stroking the trigger. The first is a release just enough to reset the hand on the cylinder ratchet while the trigger sear is still forward of the double-action lever. This results in the cylinder rotating while the hammer remains contentedly at rest - no fire. This won't "break" the gun, but I have seen people shooting against the clock literally rotate 3 chambers in rapid succession without ever cocking the hammer!
The second is the most deadly (to the defensive shooter). This is where the trigger is released just shy of full forward before being rapidly and forcefully yanked again and the trigger sear meets up with the double-action lever at just the right point to completely bind the gun! Under the adrenaline fueled stress of a defensive situation, shooters have applied so much force to the trigger that the internal parts were damaged, rendering the gun useless - as a gun, but still useable as a bludgeon.

Then there is the dreaded failure of the cylinder to latch in after a panic-fueled reload due to unburnt powder granules becoming stuck to the inside face of the crane or frame, adding just enough thickness that the cylinder cannot lock into place. This is not easily sorted out, and certainly not in the middle of a defensive shooting, but thankfully, private citizens almost never reload, which is why it's not common, but it can, does, and has happened.

Then there is a malfunction that used to be unique to Ruger double-actions. Back in the heyday of the revolver we used to place great stock in having close barrel-to-cylinder gap for maximum velocity and there IS a significant difference between a .012" gap and .006! However, when shooting full power .357 magnum rounds as rapidly as possible, the Ruger Security Six would seize up due to the forcing cone expanding and binding against the cylinder face due to heat expansion. I discovered this little peccadillo during my early transition to autos, and this is what really put me on the other side! Of course, S&W cylinder gaps are much more generous and not subject to such binding.

Then comes the fact that it's possible to bend the ejector rod - primarily on a .357 magnum due to case expansion.

Eons ago there was a book in print by George Nonte pointing out the deficiencies of the revolver as a "combat" weapon. I was issued and qualified with a .45 in the Army, but they don't let you really get into it like you can when your on your own dime, and when I got my first Colt 1911 I discovered WHY the auto beats the revolver - for sustained combat shooting. While the revolver builds heat due to the cases, the auto shucks them out in the blink of an eye taking that heat with it. The trigger sear of a 1911 has no internal interference that can cause binding, just a fantastic, linear pull against the single-action sear. Reloads are much faster, smoother, and less "fumbly" than loading a revolver. The auto does require one major thing on the part of the shooter - a firm grip and forceful presentation to allow the recoil operated mechanism to work. Glocks are more forgiving due to nearly all their mass being in the slide, which helps recoil inertia. Of course it helps if people DON'T install extra power recoil springs that work AGAINST reliable cycling.

For general, self-defense, civilian carry, a small pocket revolver makes sense. Odds are you'll never need it. If you need it, odds are you'll never shoot it. If you need to shoot it, odds are you'll never need to fire more than two shoots to achieve the expected outcome, thus the odds are you don't even need to carry reloads. In fact, a better approach would be to carry TWO compact, 12 ounce revolvers for those who feel the need, but the statistical probability of a private citizen becoming embroiled in a cartelesque firefight are much closer to never than ever. Also, smaller revolvers present far less potential for trigger short-stroke, and thanks to modern computer design, the internal lockwork on newer guns has revised geometry that make it much harder to induce a trigger-hammer bind.

I BRILLIANT comment! Thanks.

I gave up shooting semi-autos from reset because using that style of trigger manipulation sometimes carried over to my revolver shooting and contributed to the revolver issues you described. No matter what I'm shooting, I let the trigger travel its full distance. Yes, I'm a few milliseconds slower than good semi-auto shooters, but not shooting semi-autos from reset allows me to easily transition between semi-autos and revolvers.