WHEN YOUR BETTING YOUR LIFE UPON IT

[Old TexMex]

Hey, how come nobody mentioned the one failure to fire I've experienced ( with a revolver) : bullet jump from recoil. Only .38spl ammo available was Tula I think, and after my first round there was no next one, and no opening that cylinder. Gratefully, the man next to me was armed with a 1911.
* (I've heard it called "backing out",too)

Since then, I've carried a backup, never needed it.

 

[keith44spl]

Hey, how come nobody mentioned the one failure to fire I've experienced ( with a revolver) : bullet jump from recoil. Only .38spl ammo available was Tula I think, and after my first round there was no next one, and no opening that cylinder. Gratefully, the man next to me was armed with a 1911.
* (I've heard it called "backing out",too)

Since then, I've carried a backup, never needed it.

Oh yeah, that was the deal with that lit'l charter arms 44special when they first came out.

Couldn't use those heavy SWCs, just 200 grainers or less, if I remember correctly.

I guess a poor crimp and a slip fit of bullet to brass would do it every time with any cartridge.

Thanks for the reminder.....

Dave

 

[Rastoff]

Armed with your information I will not repeat my error,
also will limit my Forum time to reading not writing, I find
there is far too many opportunities to innocently stub your toe.

Billy

Don't run off. Just realize that most people become more free when they have the "keyboard filter" between them and others. Folks often say things on the internet that they wouldn't say in person.

Yes, you will get those who disagree with you. Yes, you will get those that insult you. Some of that is unintentional and due to the writer's ability with the writing. Yes, some will complain about [insert any subject] even though they know little about it themselves.

These things, and more, are all just part of forums like this. Please continue to participate.

 

[Biggfoot44]

Looks like most of the shouting is already over , but here goes :

I LIKE revolvers , and frequently carry them. They have many favorable qualities, but I don't claim reliability is one of them. I've seen plenty of revolver malfunctions, and few enough with suitable semiautos. What I will say is that revolvers have a shorter checklist.

Revolver :
1. Quality gun
2. Quality ammo
3. Goes bang

Semi :

1. Quality gun
2. Functions out of box with fmj
3. Break in
4. Reliability check with specific loading of quality duty/ defensive ammo.for X number of rounds
5. Repeat #4 with any other specific jhp loading.
6 Use only high quality magazines of proven reliability. Other than 1911's , that essentially will mean factory mags.
7. Keep clean and well lubricated.
8. Use firm grip and stance. ( Some guns are more prone to limp wristing than others , but it is a real phenomin. Hasn't happened to me personally ( I'm a beefy guy with strong hands ), but I've seen it .

 

[ltgem612]

My thoughts

As you get smaller and lighter with revolvers, N, L, K, J reliability remains about the same. However that is not true for semi-autos. The full size semi-s as carried by LEO's and the military will shoot about anything. But in our quest for the smallest, lightest and most concealable semi we begin to see a higher failure rate. Feed ramps are smaller and cut back. Recoil springs have to be doubled. Magazine springs are put under more pressure. Slide movement is scaled down. Etc, Etc. This all affects reliability. The laws of physics cannot be denied. Most ammunition makers do not make rounds tailored for 8-15 oz guns with 2-3" barrels. In a revolver this causes a loss of velocity and increased recoil. In a small ultra compact semi auto it might affect a lot more. Just my thoughts.

 

[bhayles]

As you get smaller and lighter with revolvers, N, L, K, J reliability remains about the same. However that is not true for semi-autos. The full size semi-s as carried by LEO's and the military will shoot about anything. But in our quest for the smallest, lightest and most concealable semi we begin to see a higher failure rate. Feed ramps are smaller and cut back. Recoil springs have to be doubled. Magazine springs are put under more pressure. Slide movement is scaled down. Etc, Etc. This all affects reliability. The laws of physics cannot be denied. Most ammunition makers do not make rounds tailored for 8-15 oz guns with 2-3" barrels. In a revolver this causes a loss of velocity and increased recoil. In a small ultra compact semi auto it might affect a lot more. Just my thoughts.

Not necessarily.
[ame]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GmMEg4y54Dk[/ame]
Glock 27, the baby 40 cal, stock gun, 180 grain Blazer Brass range ammo at 230 yards.

They are ugly, but who cares? When you pull the trigger they go bang...and are accurate. Its a self defense weapon, not a collectors' item. What else do you want from a carry weapon?

 

[rock_castle]

Many may say that my lack of confidence in semi-auto
pistols is due to my being of the old school and probably some what goofy, both of those allegations might have value.
However, with the myriad of problems that many semi-autos encounter regularly that causes immediate disablement, what successful gambler that relies upon playing the odds will risk their life on a gun that has experienced a fail to fire in the past?

The first time a thief steals is the hardest, the first time a wife or husband cheats is also the hardest but in both situations
each time thereafter become incrementally easier, therefore,
if a semi-auto fails to fire or eject the first time, the odds on it happening again are greatly increased.

In view of the fore mentioned, the odds tell you when it comes to betting your life upon it, carry a REVOLVER!

Billy

Try a Glock. You can bet your life on it.

This is from a guy who carries a J Frame all day every day.

 

[Rastoff]

As you get smaller and lighter with revolvers, N, L, K, J reliability remains about the same. However that is not true for semi-autos.

Not necessarily.

The video you posted shows that a small gun can be shot accurately. That has nothing to do with reliability which is what Itgem612 was talking about.

Try a Glock. You can bet your life on it.

This is from a guy who carries a J Frame all day every day.

You could say that about any gun.

Look lazy-b has made a comment that cannot be denied; the revolver is ultimately more reliable than a semi-auto. While we can all come up with instances where revolvers have failed, the number of those failures will be exponentially smaller than with semi-auto pistols. That's just the way it is. Anyone saying different is just blowing smoke.

I hear a lot of people say that the Glock is more reliable than other pistols. My experience has been that this is not true. In fact, I've seen more Glocks have malfunctions and failures than any other model. Now, I understand the law of numbers. So, it's entirely possible that the reason I've seen more Glocks fail is due to the fact that I see more Glocks in classes and competitions. Nevertheless, I've seen more of them fail.

That doesn't mean the Glock is unreliable. It just means I've seen many of them fail. What's really surprising to me is that, out of all the guns I've seen, the 1911 has had the fewest failures. This always surprises me because of how old the design is. Still, it's what I've witnessed and I've seen many hundreds of guns, used by hundreds of people and this is what I've seen.

 

[lazy-b]

Another question of mine on the revolver vs semi-auto pistol is the fewer
moving parts involved, I have heard since I was a kid that the Ford
Model " A " or " T " ( forget which ) was such a good vehicle for it's
era because of the simple engine and minimum moving parts, could
this apply to a gun equally as well?

 

[ATF]

Another question of mine on the revolver vs semi-auto pistol is the fewer
moving parts involved, I have heard since I was a kid that the Ford
Model " A " or " T " ( forget which ) was such a good vehicle for it's
era because of the simple engine and minimum moving parts, could
this apply to a gun equally as well?

Probably true but a horse and buggy had even less moving parts and cost less to run and less to buy.

A semi-auto gives more capacity a faster reload and faster rate of fire than a revolver so there will be more moving parts thus it will be by logic more unreliable or more prone to failure. However a revolver failure will probably leave your weapon totally useless as in the horse and buggy scenario the horse dying whereas 99.99% of semi-auto failures will be a jam that can be cleared by a competent shooter very quickly. For example a flat tire on a car.

Semis need more maintenance and training but the trade off is huge. I like revolvers and own some but I would bet my life on more rounds rather than less. For a less experienced shooter or someone who doesn't shoot regularly definitely a revolver.

Another point that hasn't been mentioned is mileage the Model T or car was chosen over the horse and buggy because it could go further faster. Personally I wouldn't attempt to shoot hundreds of thousands of rounds through a revolver but I'm sure someone has tried. There are many semi-autos that have had around or close to 500,000 rounds put through them without major issue. A semi will get better the more you shoot it (up to a point) a revolver won't. You'll run that horse into the ground

 

[steelslaver]

I love my revolvers and have a bunch of nice S&Ws from 22 on up to some 45s. I,J,K,L,N,X frames. I carry a revolver.
But, if I had a job where I had greatly increased odds of being involved in a shoot out or a situation where it was more probable than not I would chose a Commander sized 1911 that I had checked out and run a bunch of rounds through. Big bullets, easy to pack mags, quick reloads and extremely reliable. Yes, I own one.

 

[yashua-p]

Only problem I have ever had was a chronic case of primer flow in a Charter .44 Sp. It would totally lock up everything. Made no difference whether it was factory loads or otherwise. I was no longer able to trust the little revolver so I passed on my misery.

regards

yashua

 

[badge 851]

Why don't you just come out and say it?

Revolvers were made by God and semi-autos were made by Satan

Works for me! LOL!!!!!