Is the revolver now a 'hobby gun'?

[Andyd]

Guns Are My Hobby

I am writing this from the premise that guns and the shooting sports are my hobby. I enjoy shooting, reloading, collecting and to explore the rich history of firearms. Thus, my revolvers probably fit perfectly well into the description of hobby guns and it explains why I prefer revolvers with longer barrels.

Anyone who believes that a revolver is fool proof, simply has not shot enough rounds to find out the reality because the firearm is only part of the equation and ammunition has a good part in absolute reliability.

One of the worst stoppages, that made one of my Colt Pythons stop working immediately and left it inoperable at the range, was caused by .357 Magnum factory ammo. I had a case separation, where the front of the brass case had ruptured and was lodged into the forcing cone, with a part still in the cylinder, it blocked the cylinder from opening and turning. It was little fun to remove, too .

A blown primer can lock a revolver up as easily.

And not just my revolvers are range toys, so are my Swiss SIGs and I also prefer to shoot the Luger Parabellum solely for fun and somehow cannot see myself carrying it everyday with FMJ.

 

[lowriderfxr]

If revolvers are hobby guns, I participate in my hobby every day, I carry my 340 in my pocket daily.

 

[Johnnu2]

It's sorta like Constitutional law....It all hinges on what the TV and movie producers put forward for the next generation to view.......Me, I'm still shooting what Hoppy did....

IMHO of course,

 

[IrishFritz]

Let me speak some heresy. The myriad reasons hi cap semi autos make sense for law enforcement do not always translate to civilian self defense.LEO's face risks every day of their working lives that civilians do not as police are required to enforce the law. We on the other hand only need to survive the encounter. Our objective should be to imobilize an attacker so that they may not harm us. There are ample examples where bad guys have received multiple hits yet because they were high on adrenaline or substances have staid in the fight long enough to kill. We also may have to deal with the issue of ballistic armor. There is a reasonable question whether 9mm, 40, 45acp and even 357 will have enough energy to rapidly disable and that heavy calibers like 41 magnum, 44 magnum, 45 Long Colt +P, and other large bore calibers commonly available only in revolvers might be a better choice.Yes, heavy calibers demand a lot from the shooter, and, no I don't want to stand in front of a 9mm. Food for thought.. IrishFritz

 

[biku324]

If I could spell 'eloquent' without spell check, that would be my description of your post.

 

[7tenz]

Guy coming through the window at night would hate to take lead from either. Having said that I have both types, prefer the autos.

 

[rjroberts]

I look at my revolvers as contemporary practical kit. K-22; 629-4; 69, plus a Henry carbine in .44mag, makes a useful setup, especially when there might be shortages of certain ammo. Yeah, I have a couple M&Ps in 9mm, but I could live without them. Autoloaders have the advantage of flatness for carrying, though with a relatively basic DeSantis holster, my 69 conceals well IWB.

Irishfritz is quite right, the requirements for police are quite different (more capacity and rapid fire) than those for us who hope our firearms remain just a hobby. As the saying goes, one can tell the difference between a police officer and a criminal: A police officer runs toward the gunfire, a criminal runs away. I just want to be able to get out of a situation I was not able to avoid.

 

[ShootMeStraight]

I live in Canada so every handgun is a hobby gun used only at the range. I prefer revolvers and if I lived in the USA I would certainly hunt with them.

 

[Gene L]

I like them both and have both types. The OP begs the question "What is a hobby gun." Basically, the way I read it, the answer is Yes. The transition away from revolvers in professional use (military) is over 100 years old (P 08, example) and the changes were not for high capacity, as the early military autos only carried one or two rounds more than a revolver. LEO agencies started transition a lot later, but spoke the death knell for revolvers as "working" guns.

In some cases, a revolver is the logical answer and in a few cases, it's the ONLY answer. I couldn't replace my Ruger Redhawk with any auto. And wouldn't want to.

As for protection, it would be difficult to argue that a .38 revolver is MORE effective than, say, a modern 9mm pistol. But fact is, a J-frame revolver is in almost all cases, adequate. There is always the methed-up aggressor who eats five rounds of .38 and continues the attack but these cases are so rare as to be statistically insignificant. As a fan of reality TV crime shows, I see more cases than I would have thought of murders done with a .25 APC.

Revolvers are and never were free from problems as a type. Even back when revolvers were the choice of LE agencies. Autos weren't either...in 1911 days, they would jam with anything but ball ammo. And sometimes with ball, but they've come a long way in the last 30 years and are now extremely reliable. That which has made the auto pistol more reliable than previous autos has made the revolver less reliable. A 15 year old auto over a 15 year old revolver? You bet.

I reserve the right to carry whatever type of handgun I feel like, knowing my chance of using one to protect my life is extremely unlikely. Equally unlikely in my case is using one to hunt with. But I can get either job done with my choice of handguns if need be.

 

[Claymore33]

Is revolver a HOBBY GUN?

Not until they make a semi auto 44 Magnum

 

[7tenz]

Not until they make a semi auto 44 Magnum

Your in luck. The Desert Eagle. I have a collection of S&W 29s myself.

 

[rwsmith]

My 686 with 6" barrel is a 'Hobby Gun'...

Not that it couldn't be used for HD, but I have three other revolvers for the same reason and possible carry if I should want to.

My wife's HD gun is a Model 10 4"

I have a model 36 and a model 38 that are HD guns that I could also carry.

Of course I have some semi autos that are suitable for both.

 

[American1776]

The interesting thing about this thread isn’t “revolver vs auto” (which has been done to death) but “hobby vs non-hobby”.

Its like hunting. For most of us its a hobby, but for some people its a living.

If you carry a gun for a living, its not a hobby.

If you carry a gun because you want to, its a hobby. Most people in the world get along fine without carrying a gun.

I used to carry a gun for a living - not a hobby.

Now I carry one because I want to - hobby.

Oddly enough, the more you are “into” it (paid training, tons of gear, studying different loads, etc) the more of a hobby it is.

The OP’s point is well-taken. Amongst the not-a-hobby group the revolver is a dead duck and the quality of modern guns has suffered for it.

No offense to those of us in the hobby group. I’m sure you take the protection of yourself and your loved ones seriously. Some folks skydive for a hobby and I bet they take that seriously too.

Finally, someone who actually read my thread, thought about it, and gets what my point was. My thread is *not* a revolver vs. auto. It's not a thread about 6 rounds not being enough, and it's not about the technology itself being obsolete.

Thanks sigp220.45; I appreciate your feedback.

I thought it was me.

 

[7tenz]

Thanks for all the comments. I think some folks misinterpreted what I meant by ‘hobby gun’. My post was NOT to argue that the technology is obsolete.

Instead, my point is, the new models being made today have not been my most reliable guns (due to the many mechanical and QA issues I’ve documented on these boards). I’m having a hard time feeling good enough to carry a *new* revolver over a new Beretta 92, HK USP, or Colt 1911, given that so many of these auto loading models I’ve owned were stone cold reliable.

Since the new revolvers seem to have real documented issues out of the box, my thoughts are, they really aren’t defense guns anymore; just a range gun.

Only gun I had to send in for warranty work was a S&W Model 69 a few years ago for the front crane lock. Other than that gun was fine.

 

[7tenz]

Finally, someone who actually read my thread, thought about it, and gets what my point was. My thread is *not* a revolver vs. auto. It's not a thread about 6 rounds not being enough, and it's not about the technology itself being obsolete.

Thanks sigp220.45; I appreciate your feedback.

I thought it was me.

Yea, we do go off on a tangent a lot around here.

 

[Skeet 028]

The interesting thing about this thread isn’t “revolver vs auto” (which has been done to death) but “hobby vs non-hobby”.

Its like hunting. For most of us its a hobby, but for some people its a living.

If you carry a gun for a living, its not a hobby.

If you carry a gun because you want to, its a hobby. Most people in the world get along fine without carrying a gun.

I used to carry a gun for a living - not a hobby.

Now I carry one because I want to - hobby.

Oddly enough, the more you are “into” it (paid training, tons of gear, studying different loads, etc) the more of a hobby it is.

The OP’s point is well-taken. Amongst the not-a-hobby group the revolver is a dead duck and the quality of modern guns has suffered for it.

No offense to those of us in the hobby group. I’m sure you take the protection of yourself and your loved ones seriously. Some folks skydive for a hobby and I bet they take that seriously too.

I have tp disagree with some of your points. I once did a job for my living...I carried a gun to protect my life...if necessary. Police carry a firearm to protect their lives and yes the lives of others. Police officers are usually in a reactive situation rather than proactive. Meaning they usually have to deal with a situation after it has happened. Hey it is the nature of the work just as it was when I was a firefighter. The average police officer never fires his weapon on the street. Most seldom need to take it from their holster. I carry to protect my life also...hoping I will never HAVE to need to fire it...or even have to draw it. While many of the people on this board are firearm savvy...the average police officer is usually not a gun guy. at least almost all the ones I knew. I am hoping that police officers are better trained in firearms use than they used to be...and I feel they are...,it is a different world these days. Police are issued what they carry or are limited to what they can carry by their departments. Is a semi auto better than a revolver?? Is a revolver just a hobby gun? ...not for the person who carries one to protect their and their families lives It's just as serious to them as it may be to a police officer. Shooting is a hobby for the average person. Protecting a life isn't.... civilian or police officer...carrying a gun surely isn't a hoby to me no matter what I carry. BTW...I carry either or. Not dissing the police officers anywhere. They have a thankless job. I know and have known too many and wouldn't ever want to do their jobs...and I did wear a badge for a short time...Key word is SHORT. I consider collecting and shooting firearms as a hobby...but whatever I carry for serious is not a hobby piece. OH and BTW...people whoi jump out of perfectly good airplanes are CRAZY not skydivers LOL I must admit...I considered it once for all of 5 seconds

 

[Ingramite]

My idea of a hobby gun is one that shoots hot glue out of the muzzle