Revolvers v. Semiautos

[PowerPenguin]

I currently have an obsolete revolver that I'm looking to replace eventually. I've tried probably half a dozen semiautos and a few other revolvers, but I'm still not completely sure what will best serve my needs. Below is my current interpretation of the pros/cons of the two:

Revolver:

*I'm most familiar with this form factor
*It's reliable-fewer moving parts to worry about
*Easy to clean/maintain
*Easy but slow to load
*Supports a limited number of rounds

Semiauto:

*Many models are also very reliable
*Easy/fast loading with a magazine
*Supports more rounds per load
*Often more light weight

What I'm looking for is something that is compact, and can be concealed carried (though I'd probably open carry most of the time). More than anything, it has to be reliable, and popular enough that finding ammunition for it isn't a scavenger hunt. My current .32 is nearly impossible to find rounds for, and it's getting to be more trouble than it's worth. Finally, I'm looking for something with stopping power- so probably a 9mm, .357, or .45. I like target shooting, but the real purpose of the equipment would be self defense. I'd eventually like to get a quality rifle for sport further down the line.

What are your thoughts?

I currently own and have had a lot of good experiences w/ S&W, but I'm open to other brands if they have a good reputation and have products that meet all of the above requirements.

[Pat McCotter]

I like my Ruger SP101 spurless in .357Mag with Crimson Trace Lasergrips. Yes, it double action only, but lighter springs and deburring of all action pieces helped there. It is a 5 shot revolver.

I  don't know how they are going to do but Fedreal Cartridge have come out with what theyl call the .327Magnum and Ruger has made a version of the SP101 to use it. This revolver will hold 6 rounds.

I currently don't have the strength to rack the slides on many semi-autos, so the revolver is my choice by default.

[Ron Helwig]

You should come to church some time when Carl is here. He can fill you in on pretty much anything you'd want to know about most any model. We usually have a decent selection of stuff to try out as well.

[Jim Johnson]

What is an obsolete revolver...  a factor doesn't make ammunition for it anymore?

Revolvers are superior to automatics in all but three ways:

Rate of fire.
Speed of reloading.
  Magazine capacity.

[41mag]

What is an obsolete revolver...  a factor doesn't make ammunition for it anymore?

Revolvers are superior to automatics in all but three ways:

Rate of fire.
Speed of reloading.
  Magazine capacity.

Jerry Miculek might disagree with you there.   

[ColdSoul]

What is an obsolete revolver...  a factor doesn't make ammunition for it anymore?

Revolvers are superior to automatics in all but three ways:

Rate of fire.
Speed of reloading.
  Magazine capacity.

Jerry Miculek might disagree with you there.   

From the info you posted he can dump 5 rounds in .57 seconds. This has nothing to do with speed of reloading. In order to load a revolver quickly you have to have specifically made loads that allow you to load the whole revolver with one holder, but it's still nowhere near as fast as someone who has been trained in loading a magazine. I can hold 19+1 9mm rounds with a XDM and most mags hold 13-15. You would have to reload a the revolver 2 times or more to get that many shots off.

Even the speed shooters will use a semi auto shotgun or rifle as well in speed or competition shooting. The only thing I can say is if you plan to carry a gun in your pocket for 20 years and plan on it working when you pull it out use a revolver, if you plan on shooting it regularly, maintaining it, and having access to replacement parts you can use a semi fine. My grandfather uses a 38 revolver in his pocket and he has never had to use it, but he uses a revolver because he knows that even with a little lint, or a miss-fire he can just click and the next round will be fired instead of having to rack the gun to load a new round. That is the major time saver of a revolver everything else is slower.

It's a lot more cumbersome to carry a round re loader than to carry a mag that holds 2 or 3X as many rounds as well.

[Jim Johnson]

What is an obsolete revolver...  a factor doesn't make ammunition for it anymore?

Revolvers are superior to automatics in all but three ways:

Rate of fire.
Speed of reloading.
  Magazine capacity.

Jerry Miculek might disagree with you there.   

I'll stand by my original statement.
Because someone is well practiced does not change the characteristics of the two types of weapons.

I recently found out that a one handed man finds an automatic very troublesome.

[anthonybpugh]

Go and try shooting several revolvers and shoot several autos then buy whichever you are most comfortable. 

Rate of fire doesn't matter here either.  If you are unloading a pistol in under a second you are not likely to hit anything.  I personally think the most important consideration here should be which pistol feels best in your hands.   

[Jim Johnson]

Go and try shooting several revolvers and shoot several autos then buy whichever you are most comfortable. 

...which pistol feels best in your hands.   

Hold it, close your eyes, aim at your target, open your shooting eye... the gun that points at your target is your gun.

Then take pistols of your choice to a range and lay them on the bench fully loaded.  Pick each up and fire with intent a separate (for each gun) target.  The targets will tell you which one you should own.

[Pat McCotter]

I recently found out that a one handed man finds an automatic very troublesome.

Who would that be, Jim?

[Jim Johnson]

 

[KBCraig]

I recently found out that a one handed man finds an automatic very troublesome.

Everyone who chooses an auto should also practice weak hand only drills, and one hand drills with both hands that include reloading.

[Lloyd Danforth]

Hold it, close your eyes, aim at your target, open your shooting eye... the gun that points at your target is your gun.

One of the advantages of the Luger is that the above occurs for almost any handsize.

[Puke]

Oh, the single handed point is a good one.

Charging the slide would be a rather difficult task.

[KBCraig]

Oh, the single handed point is a good one.

Charging the slide would be a rather difficult task.

You can rack the slide using your holster, if it's rigid, or the heel of your shoe. Or a rigid corner, like the edge of a desk or table or the outside corner of a wall, if it's available.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kUkiu-oiq0A