[Electrode]

Heres my question: What do you prefer the most, a pistol or a revolver? I myself have a .380 Hi-Point, but I still think revolvers are neat. I am not a gun expert by any means, but I will try to list some advantages to both. Feel free to ad more.

-Pistol-
(a) Can fire from pre-loaded clips.
(b) Generally holds more rounds.
(c) Should be able to fire more rounds per minute than a revolver.


-Revolver-
(a) Less moving parts. I'd assume easier to clean and possible longer range?
(b) Easier to load than a clip.
(c) Also has special loaders to load the maximum number of rounds.
(d) You don't have to pick the shells off the ground (though it takes more time ro reload.

I know I didn't cover everything. Feel free to ad anything or just to post your preference.

 

[Rich Z]

One of the benefits of a revolver is that you can use just about any payload you want as a projectile, and you don't have to worry about it working the action as you would in a semi-auto. You could have 6 different types of rounds in the cylinder and not have to worry a bit about how the gun will work with them. They will all fire with the pull of the trigger.

With a semi-auto, you need to make sure that any round you use is reliable in YOUR gun. Meaning it has to be able to push the slide back so the next round can be loaded off of the magazine on the return trip. If the round doesn't provide enough oomph, then you are just SOL if you need a followup shot.

Some of the original Glaser Safety Slugs I got in 9mm would not work the action of my H&K P7 at all.

I used to be a 100 percent semi-auto man, but lately I have found myself more and more interested in the revolvers. 10 years ago, I never even glanced at the darn things.

Granted you will never find a revolver as thin bodied as a semi-auto for carry purposes, but a S&W Airweight in .38 Special isn't that bad of a choice.

 

[Adam]

I'm with you Rich, a few years back I had zero interest in wheel guns, I thought they were only for old men like you Then I got a Vaquero in trade and I was hooked. I know you're a Python man but I would say the Vaquero is on the very top of my list.

If you need 15-19 rounds, a very slim or small gun then you need an auto. Otherwise, I would always carry a 6 or sometimes 7 shooter.

They also can't make an auto as light as some of the wheel guns due to so many moving parts and you'd be very hard press to beat a hammerless S&W airlite for a CCW. Just think their .357 scandium is only 15oz! You're not going to find that in an auto.

 

[Texas Atrox]

I agree. The .38 air light is just to easy to carry and still packs enough punch for concealed carry. In fact in the ankle holster you can forget it is even there unlike the weight of a semi auto.

 

[Rich Z]

Heck, I have a Taurus titanium model in .45 Colt I carry in my pocket all of the time while I am home. Not as little nor light as a S&W Airweight, but I like that REAL big hole at the end of the barrel. I just wish the thing didn't have a ported barrel, though. It is ungodly LOUD to shoot.

 

[Texas Atrox]

lol I bet......And gets everyones undivided attention as well no doubt.




Dave

 

[Rich Z]

Hah! I always thought of the .45 Colt as being an antiquated, rather mild caliber. Sheesh, was I wrong! Anyone looking into the barrel with a .45 hole in it will give it their undivided attention, for sure.

 

[jamullins]

at a convention in Miami some years ago i managed to pick up a pair if Model 1917 Colt revolvers that had been modified for use by the virgining Hong Kong Royal Police back in the twenties. It seems good ol' Colenel Fairbarne had the idea to take the big revolvers and cut the barrel back to 2", cut away the front half of the trigger guard, bob the hammer so as not to snag, no sights at all, and the butts were trimmed to ease drawing out of a coat pocket. They were all chambered in .45 ACP and required half moon or standard moon clips to function properly. From what I understand, these pistols were carried in a pocket made for the task in the uniform coat of the RHKP. reguardless they are niffty and only cost me a grand at auction. I have fired them quite a bit.
The recoil isn't as heavy as i would have thought but the accuracy leaves little to be desired. But it is possible to get them into action quickly. I was even considering a trigger job on them to slick up the heavy double acton pull.

 

[Rich Z]

Lately we have been approached at various places by people begging for money. At rest stops on trips, on parking lots, and at the gas station. I usually carry, but the wife doesn't, even though she also has a CCW. But she's getting nervous about this situation lately. Something tells me I'm going to be out looking for another S&W Airweight for her real soon. She likes the blued ones instead of the stainless, however.

Does S&W have any sort of blackened stainless finish for their Airweights? Here in Florida, I'd be concered about the blue finish holding up well without constant attention.

I wish I could find a .44 Special of .45 Colt in a smaller framed revolver. None of the buttbags I have will accept that large frame. I looked at larger bags, but it looks like I have a suitcase strapped to my waist.

Maybe if someone would come out with an Airweight semi-auto I could take a harder look at something like that. I just got tired real quick of the weight of an all steel gun being carried around.

 

[BrianB]

You could look into one of the aftermarket coatings or the S&W custom shop. Should be able to find something amenable and durable.

 

[Glenn Bartley]

I much prefer a pistol due mainly to the ammo capacity. A six shooter might not cut it in a multiple adversary situation, and reloading them takes a lot longer than reloading a semi auto - especially if you don't have a speedloader. As far as concealment goes, I wear a jacket or a vest. I almost always carry on my strong side hip because the gun is easier to control there should someone try to relieve me of it.

 

[Hard Ball]

I Like, have and use both ypes. I try to select the best gun for the shooting I am about to do.

 

[Smarter Gun]

Maybe I, Just, Don't Get It!

Now, I love a good revolver; and, more, I trust a good revolver; but, for the life of me, I can't understand, 'Why' anyone would buy one of those small S&W, 'air-weight' revolvers. They are little beasts to shoot; they kick like a Missouri mule; and, with sustained fire, they can actually hurt the hand. What's going on; is it, only, me?

Personally, I wouldn't go smaller than a Ruger SP-101 w/ a 2 1/2" barrel. I frequently carry an S&W Model 686 with a fully shrouded, short, snub-nosed barrel. In order to make it shoot, really straight, I added a Hogue Monogrip. (beautiful Goncalo Alves w/ white line spacer) I wear it inside a Matt Del Fatti IWB holster; and I use two of Matt's, 'Split-the-Belt' speedloader holders carried at 2:00 on my belt. I like to use Safariland, 'CompII' speedloaders; and I, also, keep a Bianchi, 'Speed Strip' in a front pocket. (Yes, that's 24 rounds!)

This is a good, accurate, easy-to-shoot revolver; and, when it comes to snubbie revolvers this is the only little wheelgun I would truly trust my life to! For backup (and other special occasions) I would down-size to a Ruger SP-101; but this is, absolutely, as small as I am willing to go.

I mean, come on, you may have to use your snub-nosed revolver to save your life! Yes, No, Maybe? :idea:

 

[Rich Z]

Well, from a practical perspective, a carry gun is something you carry a lot and shoot rarely. So I want something that is very light and comfortable to carry around. I want to even forget it is even there and not be thinking the entire time "Damn, I wish I didn't have that boat anchor in my pocket!" So I chose a gun that was light, somewhat on the small side, and made mostly of materials that would not rust like mad in the Florida climate.

If I should ever need to actually USE that gun in a life threatening situation, I seriously doubt I will even notice the gun's recoil and although I won't have time to don ear muffs, probably the noise will be real secondary to my senses as well. Heck a while back I had to go after a wounded rabid raccoon with my Sigma .357 Sig in hand. I always felt the recoil was real stiff and the trigger had too much creep. But when I pulled aside a bush and that raccoon was sitting there looking right at me, I have never felt a cleaner crisper trigger pull. I fired three shots before I could even blink. Muzzle rise? What muzzle rise?

So if you want a gun that is both a plinker and a carry weapon, then you just have to decide which tradeoffs you can live with. Except to take my carry gun out and shoot it every now and again and then clean it, I just don't plan on shooting it much. I have other guns I would prefer to shoot just for fun.

 

[tasco 74]

you are right about loading a revolver with different types of payloads and having them be reliable. i've had some possums around here lately so i loaded up some speer shot capsules with #2 shot for my model 27 s&w. it makes a great 6"shot gun to take care of them. i live in town so i don't want a slug to be ricocheting into the neighbors house and the shot loads are just ticket. the wound on the animal is about the size of a quarter and all the shot stays inside the animal.

 

[Glenn Bartley]

I want to even forget it is even there and not be thinking the entire time "Damn, I wish I didn't have that boat anchor in my pocket!"

Personally I like the feel of sort of a clunker on my hip. I have gone out fully tac'd up, wearing all my gear, on my way to work or just out to the store, and suddenly I realized something was really wrong. This has happened about 3 times (max. 4 times) in 24 years. I actually made it all the way to work like that once. It is a bad feeling and you can guess what you think about where you LOST your gun.....

The thing is thought, that I realized my gun was missing, and I am not sure I would have with a lightweight. You know why I knew something was wrong - because when I moved I missed the feel of my gun on my hip - the weight just was not right. It also happened once when I was chasing a guy down the streets of Calexico, Ca. when I was a Border Patrol Agent. My Colt Lawman flew out of my holster during the chase. I never would have known it had I not felt the weight difference. I did not see it, I did not even hear it when it hit the pavement, but I sure felt the lightness on my right hip!

Besides all that, for you who have perfect memories and perfect leather gear (I bought a new holster pronto after the amazing Border Patrol flying Colt trick) I never want to forget that I am wearing a gun because it is so darned comfortable. I know others (three guys who own these super light weights) who have said they forget all about it being there. In a firefight I don't want to forget, and you just may forget you actually have it, and then hesitate for a moment if it is that comfortable. Or worse yet, you may someday forget it at home (like me we all have brain farts now and again) and never realize it because you normally don't feel it. I know you think either of these situations will never happen, but all it takes is a moments short circuit of the little gray cells to screw up a life. That little extra weight lets me know my gun is right where it belongs, and to me, at least, that is a good feeling.

If you do carry one of these super lightweights, I suggest always carrying it in the same position. That way you are not likely to forget where it is on your person because it got so comfortable you no longer felt it.

Be careful out there.
Glenn B

 

[Smarter Gun]

Glen, You're Cracking Me Up!

:beer: Two, maybe three, years ago. I decide to take the wife and our two dogs out for a Saturday afternoon car ride. Well, an hour or so later we're in the middle of the Delaware State Forest and coming around a curve on a God-forsaken back road. Here, in the middle of the road is a stopped car.

Some guy is chasing a woman around the car. I pull up to about 25 feet of them. She starts screaming for help; he gives us an evil look and keeps circling around the car trying to catch her. He does, and starts to push and slap her. My Pit Bull is going crazy; my wife is saying; 'My God we, just, can't leave her.'

So I put the SUV in neutral, and stepped out the door to say; 'Hey, enough. Cut it out!' He throws her up against the car; and reaches inside the vehicle for something. Well, I brush my jacket back and put my hand inside to my holster. This is when I realized that my holster was empty! He sees me do this, gives me a long hard look, and walks off the road into the woods.

She comes over to our truck, acting hysterical; and, I don't know why, but, I thought a little too melodramatic. About five minutes later he comes out of the woods, seems a lot more calm, and stays by his car. We offered this woman a ride; but she was more afraid of my dog than she was of him; and after giving us their names and his license plate she got back into the car with him; and they drove off.

My wife and I debated what to do with their information; I finally decided it was best to forget about the whole thing. I kept the paper with their names for a week or two; and when nothing appeared on the news I threw it away. What did I learn? Well, Glen, pretty much what you posted about: There is such a thing as a gun that is too comfortable to wear. (I had removed it to relieve myself, just, before leaving the house and forgot to return the gun to the holster.) Today I reserve my German Walther PPK-S for Brooks Brothers suits. :eek2:

Regards, 'AA'

PS: I was, however, carrying two loaded clips on my left hip. Yeah, like if it all went wrong, I could have thrown the bullets at him, or something!

 

[Rich Z]

Well, the airweights are light. but not THAT light! You still know they are there, and yes, I understand the habit of feeling something on your body. My keys are ALWAYS in either one of three places: In my left front pocket, my hand, or my dresser drawer. They are in the third location ONLY when I am retiring for the night.

I have a little leather pocket holster I stick in my right front pocket. When I get up and crank up the computer, I reach over to the side shelf, and stick my Taurus Titanium .45 Colt revolver in that pocket, and it stays there until I am done for the night.

Those Airweights (and the lightweight Taurus models) still have some heft to them, but not so much that they are a burden. And I am real certain that Murphy's Law is just laying in wait for me the ONE time I do happen to walk out of the house, half naked without my gun on me.