pros and cons of semi's and revolvers
 

What are the pros and cons of semi auto's and revolvers for self defens?What cal's would be a good choice and what type of load?

RE: pros and cons of semi's and revolvers
 

I haven't had too much experience with handguns. I have shot a friends S&W .357 Mag. a bunch and my fathers old single action sixgun and other than that I just bought a 1911 clone. If I were asked for my opinion, I would have to say that revolvers have the semi's beat, hands down, in reliability. Simply because there are fewer components involved to operate properly, i.e. magazines (will the rounds feed properly everytime, are the lips bent? etc.), safeties, various springs, slide stop, the slide itself, along with the fact that certain ammo doesn't always feed properly in semi's such as HP, Semi Wadcutter styles, etc.

And I could be completely wrong on this, as I know you could probably buy a high end semi and get as reliable a handgun as human hands can make but I have had to really tinker with mine a lot to get to a point where I would consider it dependable.

But that's just my take, I am really interested to see what other guys post, I am sure concealability, controlability, and other handling aspects will be mentioned, I just don't have the experience to offer any considerations on such topics. Sorry....

RE: pros and cons of semi's and revolvers
 

Revolvers are simpler, more reliable and safer. Pistols are lighter(or can be), more compact to carry but may require a bit more maintenance and cleaning and a bit more practice to use them safely.

RE: pros and cons of semi's and revolvers
 

Revolvers are much simpler, far more reliable, and can easily be made in magnum chamberings.

Semi's generally have a higher capacity, and should be a bit easier to conceal as they can have a flatter profile.

Anything .38/ 9mm and up should be a decent self defense round as long as the proper bullets are selected.


On a side note: in just about every privately owned gun shop I got to, the people working there seem to prefer to openly carry 1911's locked and cocked. Its a pretty darn intimidating sidearm when carried that way, but I think they also choose this weapon to show wthat they mean business.

RE: pros and cons of semi's and revolvers
 

Revolvers are simple but not the best choice. If they were the best do you think the police would carry one. I have both and I think the semi is better in self defence. Theres semi that don't have to be cleaned as good as some. The Kimber is a great gun the only problem is its made to good. The tolerances in the building of the gun are so close that when it gets dirty it may jam. The tolerances in a Glock are much different, test show that you can do almost anything to the gun and it will still fire. Check back in the first models of the M-16, tolerances were very close and there was problems.

RE: pros and cons of semi's and revolvers
 

I didn't read any of the other posts, but here's my pros and cons of both:

Semi-autos:

Pros: Higher capacity, easier reloads, lighter trigger pull (SA's), easy to manage recoil wise

Cons:more apt to jam, less powerful (although .45acp is hard to beat), shorter range (not important usually), usually more complicated to handle.

DA Revolvers:

Pros: If you get a jam, you did something wrong, very powerful, no do-dads, just shooting

Cons:Overly powerful occasionally, high recoil, relatively SLOW reloads, lower capacity, heavier trigger pull

SA revolvers:

Pros:Intimidating, powerful, no-jamming

Cons: Harder to shoot fast, less capacity, higher recoil usually, VERY slow to reload, occasionally over powered

I personally back up my shotgun with a .45acp DA/SA Ruger P-97DC, loaded with hydroshocks or hollow points, hopefully will stop in the wall if I miss.

Truth be told, very few of us will ever fire a shot even if we're forced to draw our SD/HD gun, so having 8-10rnds vs. 6rnds is usually a moot point, the over powered issue IS something to consider, and the reliability of Autos is something to keep in mind...although there's no reason you shouldn't trust a proven .45acp, I've ran about 2500rnds through my Ruger P-97 since I bought it, I've only had one "jam", the shot was quiet and sounded muffled, and the bullet was slow enough to see it in flight-at 20yrds! The primer was backed out and hadn't re-seated, it half ejected and jammed-didn't even get to stove pipe, case mouth stuck at chamber mouth...I'll call that one a light load, NOT a jam.

Use what you've got if you've got it, but if you're buying for it, buy a .40S&W or .45acp in a polymer frame DA/SA auto, unless you've got kids then get a SA manual safety model.

RE: pros and cons of semi's and revolvers
 

What you shoot better is my answer. I have run into so many people that have to have a semi-auto only to shoot it like crap. PUt a revolver in their hands and they are much more comfortable. Personally i like semi's cuz i am used to them. I like the capacity they can hold too. But there is nothing wrong with revolvers if you shoot them better or they fit your hand better. A gun is only as worthy as the shooter.

RE: pros and cons of semi's and revolvers
 

Police care semi's cause they felt the need for repeat fire and more capacity. I don't necessarily think they needed it. But I don't know one law enforcement office that don't have the wheelgun as thier backup. And there is a reason for that.

RE: pros and cons of semi's and revolvers
 

would FMJ's be a good round?

RE: pros and cons of semi's and revolvers
 

I say no. Too much penetration and not enough energy transfer. For self-defense, I strictly use jacketed hollowpoints.

RE: pros and cons of semi's and revolvers
 

I'll have to argee with Semi on shooting what YOU like best. From my experince most people tend to shoot semi's better than revolvers. It has to do with the angle of the grip. I like Semi's best because of the feel and the extra firepower. They are not as reliable as a revolver. I shoot a Sig so it's not an issue for me. I think semi's are safer than revolvers. I keep my magazine in my Sig loaded but, nothing in the chamber. I would not even consider keeping a loaded revolver around.

My dad was a cop and he used a revolver as a back-up. The reason was not realibality. It was because he had enough crap on his person already. He had a S&W snubnose in .38 spl.. It was small and light. Not to mention cops usally have to buy their own back-up weapon. Unfortantly they are not the best paid profession on the planet. Revolvers generally cost less than semi auto's.

I would think in a revolver the .38 spl. would be fine. For semi-auto's I would say the 9mm, .357 sig, .40 s&w, or 10mm. First choice.40s&w then 9mm. I like jacketed hollow points. FMJ's are good for plinking ONLY!

RE: pros and cons of semi's and revolvers
 

Oh my goodness, I have heard it all now.

RE: pros and cons of semi's and revolvers
 

Barring my race guns, I've yet to buy a semi-auto that cost more than any of the revolvers I've bought...they pretty much cost the same from a quality standpoint, yes you can buy a cheap revolver for a couple hundred, and a glock costs nearly a grand, but that's comparing the cheapest old ford with a brand new cadillac, you can buy a new llama semiauto for cheaper than a used Ruger vaquero wheelgun, it's all relative.

RE: pros and cons of semi's and revolvers
 

Both have pros and cons.A revolver is more reliable but limited to 5 or 6 shots as a rule.To me a semi auto is easier to conceal and more comfortable since they are flatter in design.The semi auto mags have a higher capacity.The modern revolvers with the Transfer bars might be a little safer to carry.Ones with the shrouded or concealed hammers are a pleasure to carry.My carry gun is a Glock model 27. No exposed hammer which it a plus for carrying concealed.I do prefer carrying a semi auto.Any gun you carry being a wheelgun or a semi auto needs to be fired allot to check for reliability. Especially a semi auto.Allot of people carry semi auto (Eg 1911's Browning HP's etc) cocked and locked.I've never liked that idea myself.I've done it but was never comfortable doing so.My Glock has three safeties built in to it. I carry mine with one in the pipe ready to rock-n-roll.When your life is on the line and seconds count ,you don't have time to be jacking in a round.For someone experienced with semi auto's it's good choice. For the novice a revolver might be a better choice.
Ruger Redhawk

RE: pros and cons of semi's and revolvers
 

Auto-
Pros-rapid fire, some have hammerless designs, more magazine capacity.
Cons-Some say they are more succeptable to jamming, a little more complicated to shoot.

Revolvers-
Pros-point and shoot, easy to operate, come in stout loads like a .357 mag, rarely jam.
Cons-pack a few less bullets in the cylinder, some might say not as fast to shoot.

I choose to own both! There are all sorts of opinions, just go with what you can shoot well and what feels comfortable.

RE: pros and cons of semi's and revolvers
 

Depends what you want to use it for... With alot of the new pistols, reliability is not really a issue. I prefer to carry a Ruger Blackhawk in 44mag while hunting, cuz it is as simple and rugged as can be...

RE: pros and cons of semi's and revolvers
 

Choose the accurate one.

RE: pros and cons of semi's and revolvers
 

HMMMM, might want to ask around about wheel guns for a BUG. Alot of people carrying "baby" Glocks now, i.e., Glock 26, 27 & 33.

I like both, carry both, and have used both as a duty weapon. It all comes down to what you like, what you feel comfortable with wearing and shooting. Both guns can have problems, wheel guns can jam, ever get a raised primer and you will find out. Granted wheel guns tend to be more trouble free, even though my Glock has never malfuncitoned.

RE: pros and cons of semi's and revolvers
 

Jeez, where do shop?

I can buy new glocks all day long for less than $600 out the door.

RE: pros and cons of semi's and revolvers
 

Why not have a home defense gun that you could hunt with also. The 6" 357 mag will shoot 38 special for home defense and loaded hot the 357 will kill deer or pigs. I like revolvers. I have only had one jam and that was my own fault. I didn't crimp the bullet good enough on my reloads and the bullet creeped out from the 44 mags recoil so that the cylinder wouldn't revolve.

You can also get shot ammo for snakes.