would you trust youre life on it?

LORD of WAR

LORD of WAR

Joined
Mar 6, 2006
Messages
2,205
Likes
37
Location
northshore, ma
Feedback: 33 / 0 / 0
i was shooting my new kimber this past weekend and had a guy come upto me and ask what i was using...after showing it to him and offering him a few shots with it if he wanted he politely declined...he told me all he shot wererevolvers...and that while my kimber sure did look nice...and i got great groupings with it...he'd never trust anything but a revolver to save his life

now i'm not a revolver guy myself...abd i know many of you on here are but the statement he made just kinda left a bad taste in my mouth...so i implored him as to why he only trusts revolvers...as i kept thinkin to myself that probably at least 90% of all LEO and other government agencies carry autoloaders for duty...and i carry an auto for ccw...

so he said to me "they look nice...and sure you can carry alot of ammo...but they jam alot...especially those 1911 types like you got there...theyre really picky and hardly ever feed...and if they get a lil dirty forget it...itll never shoot like a dirty revolver will"

now in your opinion was this just a guy who was anti auto? like i said there are plenty out there who rely on an auto to protect their lives and the lives of counltess others everyday...i have nothing against revolvers and do agree they go bang just about everytime...but so do my glocks...and my sigs...and my hks...and my new love...my kimber
 
I think that some people form one opinion and never modify it again. You get what you pay for. If you walk around with a basic 1911 that has no upgades, you shouldn't expect it to run like a higher end 1911. Those repro WW2 1911's are great, but my brother in laws won't feed anything but hardball. He doesn't expect it too. My Kimber Pro CDP however, ran through a half a case of ammo in 2 hours last fall. No burps, jams, or hickups. In fact, I slowed as the slide was getting a bit warm. I have always felt that if you are good and comfortable with what you shoot, wether its a mouse or a lion, you are in the zone you need to be.
 
Many folks have strong personal preferences for one type of firearm over another. Sometimes the reasons don't make much sense to anyone else.
If you hang around gunnies long enough, you will see that there are a number of "hot button" topics that generate plenty of sometimes heated discussion with no conclusion.
Here's a few to get you started:

1. Which caliber, 9mm or .45ACP for self defense.
2. What's the best caliber to stop a bear attack?
3. Are revolvers more reliable than semi-autos?
4. Should I carry a single action revolver for personal protection?

When you see one of these kind of topics on the horizon, you will have to decide to either ignore it, join the fray, or just get some popcorn and watch.

I usually pick: [popcorn]
 
Technically, he's right about reliability.

Fire a semiauto one for one with a revolver and you'll most likely find that the semi will choke first if you fire enough. It's a matter of physics, more moving parts, the more likely it will fail.

A descent semi will probably serve you well in the few times that you actually 'need' it.

And, yes, there are revolver 'snobs' out there too.

and

45truth.jpg
 
Here's the best argument that I've seen for a revolver over an autoloader for self defense:

Have you ever had a round that failed to fire? With a revolver, all you have to do is pull the trigger again.

Oh yeah... and while a 9mm might expand, a .45 ain't going to shrink.
 
I don't have a big preference but my reasons for carrying a revolver is:

Compact
Light
Reliable

I know the same can be said about a good semi but for the money I really dont think you can beat a S&W snubby.

I have thought about switching to a PPK or another smaller design semi but just have not made the purchase to satisfy the urge.
 
I think a person can defend almost any position if they want to. I carry a S&W snubby most of the time and a S&W 1911PD some of the time. My nightstand gun is the 1911. Personally I have great confidence in either one. I think the notion that semi auto's are not reliable is a bit dated.

I have had problems at times with both revolvers and semi autos. I have heard dozens of times that revolvers are great because they go bang every time you pull the trigger. That is really over simplified. Revolvers (like semi autos) go bang until they do not. The down side of a revolver is that if it "jams" it will probably not be an easy and quick fix. The "tap, rack, bang" drill does not really apply to a revolver. I was shooting my S&W 15, the best gun I own and ultra reliable when the next round to be fired the bullet became unseated and protruded slightly from the cylinder. When I attempted to fire it bound up the cylinder so badly that it took close to 1/2 hour to free it up. So much for the "reliable" revolver, a bad round brought it to a halt. I love revolvers and I love semi autos.

All opinions aside I will say that it is incredibly rude to approach someone uninvited and criticize their choice of firearm. Certain abrasive individuals seem to relish such behavior. I was once in a gun store looking at a revolver and the guy behind the counter picks up a 1911 and tells me that I should get a "real" gun. I looked annoyed and said something like "Say what?" and he just goes never mind and "Someday when you are a big boy you'll want a real gun." I replied "F" you and walked out. People should mind their own business, especially a**h***s.
 
Adam_MA said:
[laugh2] [rofl] [laugh2]

That's funny right there! I think someone else said something about 9mm being for those who sit down to pee!
Click to expand...

Hey wait a minute! I sit down to pee, especially in public restrooms,I'd rather be facing a door with a .45 in my hand then facing a wall with my wee wee in my hand. LOL!!
 
It's old school thinking and it's very dated.

Like Goose, the only hard-stop failure I've ever had was with a wheel gun - my duty .357 during qualification after two rounds.
 
My Sig 226ST has left a spent casing in the chamber twice on a clean gun. 1911 has done the same. All of them would take the gun out of action. Have not had a revolver fail yet but I don't shoot them anywhere near as much.
 
Pilgrim said:
Technically, he's right about reliability.

Fire a semiauto one for one with a revolver and you'll most likely find that the semi will choke first if you fire enough. It's a matter of physics, more moving parts, the more likely it will fail.

A descent semi will probably serve you well in the few times that you actually 'need' it.

And, yes, there are revolver 'snobs' out there too.

and

45truth.jpg
Click to expand...

Let's not forget .40 S&W [smile]
 
A friend asked for my comment so here goes.

A long time ago in a land far away many debates were held regarding revolver vs semi auto. I have carried both at different times for different purposes both serious and fun. I am a Revolver Shooter. There, I said it [wink]

A revolver will be very reliable until they break. When they break, they break for real. When a semi auto breaks, many times a tap rack bang will take care of it. Many times it won't. So, which one will I stake my life on? I prefer the revolver, but any firearm I own will do the trick. They all work. When I carry a semi auto, I usually have a J frame somewhere easily accessible. When I carry a small revolver, I just carry spare ammo.

Having stated my preference, I will add, any quality firearm (REPEAT QUALITY) is as good a carry gun as the person carrying it. The person you ran into most likely had a bad experience with a semi auto OR no experience at all.

My answer to him is, many times people will think you have no idea what you are talking about. Why open your mouth to convince them they are right.

Remember, Wheel Guns are the Real Guns

[rofl] [rofl] [rofl] [rofl] [rofl]
 
The Goose said:
I was once in a gun store looking at a revolver and the guy behind the counter picks up a 1911 and tells me that I should get a "real" gun. I looked annoyed and said something like "Say what?" and he just goes never mind and "Someday when you are a big boy you'll want a real gun." I replied "F" you and walked out. People should mind their own business, especially a**h***s.
Click to expand...

[rofl]

Ever notice that you all most never see the guys from the gun store at the range? If you listen to them they will tell you that they fired the gun lots, but I always wondered where they were shooting it, as I had never seen them at any of the numerous ranges I frequented.

I don't mind if they don't know something, as long as they are professional and courteous. With very rare exceptions I have found most of them to be full of it when they start bloviating.

B
 
bpm990d said:
Ever notice that you all most never see the guys from the gun store at the range? If you listen to them they will tell you that they fired the gun lots, but I always wondered where they were shooting it, as I had never seen them at any of the numerous ranges I frequented.

I don't mind if they don't know something, as long as they are professional and courteous. With very rare exceptions I have found most of them to be full of it when they start bloviating.
Click to expand...

Some guys that work at shops are super-knowledgable. I know a few that have probably forgotten more about guns than I'll ever know. However, I've also met a few that will likely get someone killed at some point. Like the guy that was telling a newbie that he could fire .45 GAP in his .45 ACP 1911 because it was just like "firing a .38 in a .357".
 
kendall-op said:
E.C. said it best if the revoler fails just pull the trigger again, nuff said.
Click to expand...

That is easy to say, but I once had my 2.5" 66 totally lock up on me. It was a catastrophic failure that required me to open the cylinder with tools. The bolt broke off so the center pin would not move to release the cylinder. That would have been a serious problem in a close encounter.

Like I said, when a revolver breaks, it breaks. No warning and many times its only use at that time is as a club. (A poor club at that)

Any gun can break whether it is semi auto or revolver or single shot. I have seen a lot of failures of different types in the 30 plus years I have played at this. Some day I may get serious [wink]

Ever watch Quigly down under?



Edited to add: Murphy's Law "If anything can go wrong, it will"

Murphy was an optimist.
 
Last edited:
blood hound said:
now in your opinion was this just a guy who was anti auto? like i said there are plenty out there who rely on an auto to protect their lives and the lives of counltess others everyday...i have nothing against revolvers and do agree they go bang just about everytime...but so do my glocks...and my sigs...and my hks...and my new love...my kimber
Click to expand...

Sounds like the guy you met is one of those old gun shop commando
types, probably just too cheap to buy a good auto and shores up his
inferiority complex by making blanket statements like that. He could
have just said "I'm a revolver guy" instead of being a moron about it.

Revolvers can fail too, no if ands or buts about it. Regardless of
what firearm one uses, if you want to bet your life on it you should
maintain it properly.... which fixes most of the issues with any
gun.

-Mike
 
Last edited:
Your right any gun can have a failure but most of mine and ones I have seen have been a autoloaders. But again I have used a seen more auto's in action.
 
Round Gun Shooter said:
That is easy to say, but I once had my 2.5" 66 totally lock up on me. It was a catastrophic failure that required me to open the cylinder with tools. The bolt broke off so the center pin would not move to release the cylinder. That would have been a serious problem in a close encounter.
Click to expand...

RGS, My comment was in reference to a round that fails to fire - which I'll venture is a much more common occurence than a catastrophic failure in any kind of handgun. MTBF aside, this gives the revolver an advantage (I know, I'm preaching to the choir).

If you're in a fight and get a FTF in a revolver, you can just pull the trigger again. You can tap-rack-bang if it happens in an autoloader, but if you're in a fight, you could end up tap-rack-dead.
 

Similar threads

What shroud looks better on my Suomi M31?
Replies
3
Views
108
yanquidog
Y
Finally did it
Replies
10
Views
552
edin508
edin508
Waiting on LTC, anyone willing to help?
2
Replies
33
Views
769
Mark from MA
M
Revolver Guys: Would You Consider? What Caliber?
Replies
13
Views
613
PATRON
PATRON
  • Locked
How to sell firearm on this website?
Replies
11
Views
417
fencer
fencer
Back
Top Bottom