Why Revolvers/Wheel guns

[1Plowboy]

I like shooting Revolvers. Pretty simple statement but I'm trying to understand why even for myself. Maybe I've never had a good real semi auto pistol in my hand, don't know for sure. I do have 4 revolvers, 2 semi autos, all Smiths and a variety of calibers. I enjoy the revolvers much more to the point of maybe I want to let the auto's go to someone else. What about you folks reading this, what's your preference and why?

 

[DuneShoot]

Last few years I have taken a serious liking to wheel guns and lever actions.
Shot semi's most of my life but something about the wheel guns I really like. Like you I can't figure out why.

 

[STCM(SW)]

For me, well my .44 Spl target revolver are what I like to shoot the most. From a 1923 that has a poor finish but out shoots the 1955, 44 Heritage target.
Only Semi autos I shoot are a Browning HP, Walther PPK/s and my 1941 Luger.....
None can shoot as well as my .44's!

 

[joe44va]

My first handgun was a Ruger 22. I'm sure I'm not alone. But now that I'm an old fart there is something about the simplicity of revolvers that makes them my favorite.

 

[texmex]

Something about a revolvers grip makes them shoot where I am looking.

 

[Struckat]

Why revolvers? Because they are a pure shooting experience. The trigger, the hammer, boom.
No back and fourth pieces and parts moving around distorting the act of shooting, robbing you of pleasure.

It's really very simple.

 

[muggers29536]

For a Fun day I just take my S&W revolvers,624,trr8,686+,629 44mag, and The Governor; and the new King Cobra finds a way to tagalong. Every other range trip usually involve leaving wheelguns behind and taking semis Deagle 9MM, and probably5 or 6 other Smith plastic weaponry.


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[HOUSTON RICK]

I like revolvers for their simplicity, no safety, no magazines, no cycling; I now EDC a revolver, but I also like my semi-automatics. No need to get rid off one for the other, both are fun and have their strengths and weaknesses. Best to train with both. Happy, safe shooting to you.

 

[31FordA]

The first gun I fired was a revolver, and I've always preferred them. Even as a little kid I had more interest in revolvers than pistols. The simplicity of the revolver is appealing, and they seem to be a more natural fit. I shoot a variety of pistols, but the only one that I truly enjoy shooting is the Colt Government Model. 80% of my menagerie of guns are revolvers. If I could only have one gun it would be a revolver.

 

[JayFramer]

I was always a diehard revolver fan, ever since getting into shooting about 15 years back. Even though I'm young by this boards standards, I considered the revolver to be the most reliable and dependable choice for defensive use and I appreciated (and still do) their rich history and awesome, timeless character.

But today, I've since been introduced to and own a number of quality semi automatics such as my SIG P220 and Glock 19 that have changed the way I look at semi-autos. Today's autos are incredibly reliable when fed good ammunition and when properly maintained, and hold a myriad of benefits over revolvers. Their is a reason virtually no Law Enforcement use revolvers in this country anymore, and they are totally extinct in U.S. military service. There comes a time when the revolvers oft-quoted major benefit of sheer reliability is overshadowed by guns 99.99% as reliable but offering tremendously more firepower.

I also actually enjoy shooting my autos just as much if not more than revolvers. That's a totally subjective thing. But for serious uses, I've abandoned the wheel gun in favor of more capable options, as have nearly all armed professionals in this country.

 

[S&WForty]

My first few firearms were semi autos, and for a few years a 686 was my dream revolver. I now have several revolvers. I carried a SW990L compact for a few years, then a Shield40. After I got a 640 Pro, I rotate it with the Shield40, but I also got a Springfield XD-E 45 earlier this year. It gets in the rotation, too.

I feel I have a more natural grip with most of the semi autos I have, but I love shooting the revolvers. Even though all of my revolvers are new production models, I think shooting a revolver vs a semi is like driving a classic car vs a newer model car. Nobody drives a classic car without a smile on their face...

I also have found my trigger control/aim with semi autos improved after my brain/hand had to get accustomed to the longer/heavier double action revolver triggers. Master that long, hard pull, and suddenly the striker fire pistols seem easier to shoot.

 

[Laketime]

I shoot a 1911 better than any other gun.But my passion will always be towards a revolver.For me it's like comparing a mechanical watch against a quartz or digital watch.

 

[Imissedagain]

1. No chasing brass with revolvers.
2. Cleans up easy.
3. X frames are available!!!

 

[steelslaver]

Power and velocity, Revolvers win hands down. In every class.
22 Jet
327 mag
357 mag
41 mag
44mag
45 colt (loaded to potential)
460 mag
500 mag

I guess my contenders and XP100s will get do it, But the semis don't get it in the power race. Doesn't mean they don't have their place. Have several 22 semis and a nice 1911 clone. If I absolutely knew I was going into a gun fight with multiple opponents I would chose a semi over a revolver, but then I would chose a short semi rifle over a pistol. The chances of me being in a gun fight where more than 5 or 6 rounds are going to change my out come are slim to none.

The no chasing brass thing is a valid point. At 68 bending over or crawling around on my knees sucks. If I do something that requires quick reloads I use a moon clip gun and bring one of those magnet on a extending tube handles. It grabs 6 rounds off the ground easy.

 

[S-W4EVER]

No malfunction drills (tap, rack, bang!) with a revolver, just pull the trigger again in the unlikely event you have a fail-to-fire.

 

[Goldstar225]

I had been shooting and carrying revolvers for 20 years before I got my first duty semi-auto. It took me a while before my accuracy with the semi matched my revolvers.

For me the revolver takes me back to a simpler, less complex time. It lets you slow the pace. Every action is controlled by the shooter, from loading to ejection of the spent brass.

While I now use the semi almost exclusively for defensive purposes, a revolver will always play a role in recreational use. Besides that, IMO only a 1911 approaches a revolver in pleasing the eye.

 

[brucev]

Started out w/ Colt Commander. Then a 19-3. My brother gave me a Ruger Single-Six and later a nickel plated S&W 59. From there on out, shot lots of both semi-autos and revolvers. Since about 2007 I have gravitated to revolvers more than anything else. Hard to beat the 226 Legion. Just about ideal in every respect. Must say, love the N-frames but my last three revolvers have been K-frames ... model 66, 19 and 15. Day by day, the K-frames are my favorites. Sincerely. bruce.

 

[Engineer1911]

My first three revolvers were Ruger Single Six 22 LR, Ruger Security Six 357 mag, and Colt Trooper Mk3 357 mag. In the early 1980's a fellow shooter told me, "If you can shoot a revolver double action accurately, you can shoot any handgun accurately." I believed him and started practicing. The pistol league we shot in saw the winning average increase from 380 to 415 points out of a possible 420. My best was second place with a 413 average.

Today, I can outshoot myself with any revolver I own compared to the groups from a 1911 -- even the two that have electronic dot sights. Oh and with a revolver you don't have to chase brass.

With a group of co-workers at an outdoor range, I did hit two 1 gallon water filled milk jugs at 100 yards with my first two shots from my Colt Gold Cup. They were correct, "You will never do that again!" .

 

[MJK-MOD-547]

For those of you that don't own a revolver you should. The revolver grip is a great "muscle memory" training aid.
Practice DA on a revolver and your SA will improve on your auto.

The revolver grip seems to get the upper part of your shooting hand more involved which strengthens your shooting hand and improves your grip on the auto.



I shoot S&W wheels good but the autos I shoot better!

 

[lrrifleman]

Personally, I find revolvers to be great teachers. Ninety-eight percent of my revolver shooting is done single action, unless it is with my Model 36. My revolvers were purchased for target games: bullseye, metallic silhouette, and PPC. One K38 wears a target trigger and hammer, the other wears it's service trigger and, hammer (my PPC revolver).

I have found the a competent person with a revolver can clear a set of plates or bowling pins faster than some crew served 9s, solely because the revolver shooter knows that they must make every shot count when shooting against the clock, something many semi-auto shooters don't grasp!