Hammer Time or Not?

[neilin]

Anything can happen, Murphy says so. Personally, I have never had a revolver fail, unlike with semi-auto's.

I have shot them a great deal, especially the Colt Python .357 (made in the 70’s), and S&W Model 19 .357 (made in the 70’s). The extractors will slip over the .357 brass cases if you don’t clean well after using .38 Specials in them, or not allowing the .357’s to go into the cylinders, thus, not allowing a reload. Powder residue will collect under the extractors, not allowing the cylinders to close after a reload, due to improper cleaning or the powder/lube. Doubling occurs during rapid fire, due to short stroking. All these have been detrimental to defensive shooters at times throughout the years.
And, yes, autos will jam, too, even my favorite Colt’s 1911A1 Government .45 auto. Practice and more practice will bring up the causes of its failures before you have to use it in a defensive situation.

 

[neilin]

Ammo is a variable. I am referring to the mechanics of the gun(s) and failure(s) due to that alone.

If I absolutely need a gun to fire 5 or 6 rounds in a difficult situation, without fail, I have more faith in the wheelgun.

Is good that we have a choice

Choice is good.

 

[neilin]

I can only speak from experience, and I have never experienced a revolver fail to function.

I cannot say that about semi-auto's.

Have you had a Ruger revolver fail to function?

Actually, I feel, any revolver can fail. A big variable is ammo. A friend had bought Remington .38 specials, a few short years ago. His snub Ruger kept jamming on him and he asked me to check it. The Remington ammo (10 boxes) came from the factory uncrimped! I crimped them for him, and that solved the problem. An example of how practice draws out a problem.

 

[JackBull]

I agree with what you say, except for, “less chance of a mechanical failure” in revolvers. I am a revolver man from way back, and in my experience revolvers do have mechanical issues, and I know of men being killed because of the failures. However, those failures can mostly be traced back to poor training, poor quality control of manufacturing ammunition (by name brand ammo makers), and poor maintenance.

Anything can fail. The point is that revolvers will fail less often either from mechanical or user error.

 

[neilin]

Anything can fail. The point is that revolvers will fail less often either from mechanical or user error.

I have to stand by what I have said in this thread. Yes, anything can fail, and with that statement I concur, however, I strongly feel, based on my experience and the experience of others I have observed, that one should shoot his defensive handgun, revolver or semiautomatic, with hundreds of rounds of carry ammo before depending on it, to determine if it will fail, why it failed, etc. And, a handgun can fail right out of the box. Furthermore, I feel those who say, “I put three rounds through my gun, I can depend on it,” are a bit foolish.

 

[JackBull]

I have to stand by what I have said in this thread. Yes, anything can fail, and with that statement I concur, however, I strongly feel, based on my experience and the experience of others I have observed, that one should shoot his defensive handgun, revolver or semiautomatic, with hundreds of rounds of carry ammo before depending on it, to determine if it will fail, why it failed, etc. And, a handgun can fail right out of the box. Furthermore, I feel those who say, “I put three rounds through my gun, I can depend on it,” are a bit foolish.

Thing is you are not really saying anything. We both agree that anything can fail, but what is the chance a revolver will fail* versus an auto. Thats what I want to know.
* due to mechanical or user error.

 

[neilin]

Thing is you are not really saying anything. We both agree that anything can fail, but what is the chance a revolver will fail* versus an auto. Thats what I want to know.
* due to mechanical or user error.

I believe either.

 

[protoolman]

Revolvers are way more complex than automatics. Lots more springs and little parts that have to be in time.

I don’t believe revolvers are inherently more reliable than pistols.

Then you're in the distinct minority of gun people judging from gun magazine articles in the last 50 years.

 

[Fox Mike]

You should train how you will fight.

YMMV

Exactly. Which is the reason, when carrying a revolver I would fire the first shot single action as I would personally be more accurate. Train the way you would fight.

 

[eveled]

Then you're in the distinct minority of gun people judging from gun magazine articles in the last 50 years.

Just because people repeat the same thing over and over again doesn’t make it true. My opinion comes from my experiences, YMMV.

50 years ago? Glocks weren’t even invented yet. I would argue that the data from 20 years or more ago is irrelevant. Times change.

I’m not bashing either revolvers or pistols, I think both are equally reliable now. My comments were about people saying revolvers are simple so they are more reliable.

Mechanically revolvers are more complex.

Revolvers are simpler to use, but that is a training issue.

Carry what you are comfortable shooting.

 

[eveled]

Exactly. Which is the reason, when carrying a revolver I would fire the first shot single action as I would personally be more accurate. Train the way you would fight.

If that works for you. That’s great.

 

[peachhead]

This whole thread is turning into Miller Lite.
Tastes Great!
Less Filling!

And never the twain shall meet.

 

[XUSNORDIE]

Just because people repeat the same thing over and over again doesn’t make it true. My opinion comes from my experiences, YMMV.

Well, FWIW my miles came from Armorers Course, and working in a Armory and part time in a gun store in the 80s. Revolvers were still being issued along with pistols. Of course this is basic 101 stuff here. There are a lot more factors that will impact the operation of a semi-auto pistol, mostly feeding/extracting, that make the revolver (more) dependable. In my experience, revolvers were much easier to maintain and had very little issues even with duty issue weapons (mostly SW MOD 10 and MOD 36). End shake and timing issues were fairly rare, and normally only impacted high round count weapons nearing the time to rotate. I remember taking in a crate of SW MOD15s from a USAFR unit returning from Saudi. They were gritty from sand getting into them but they worked. I wanted to take the side plates off out of curiosity but I wasn't authorized to since they were not ours, we just allowed them to use our Armory space.

Semi-Autos (1911 and SW MOD 39) were subject to faster wear and tear due to the precise synchronization of moving parts, and of course were often impacted by an additional factor that could have it's own issues, the magazine. The SIG P226 was probably the most dependable pistol during my time in. I'm still baffled over the politics and scam that brought in the M9 over the SIG. But anyway.....enough reminiscing of time gone by....it just gets my juices flowing and then I snap back to reality and I'm a mangled up depressed old guy living in the past...

Just my Miller High Life input....

 

[Iroc]

I’ve had two failures to fire over the last year and both are guns I carry. One in a S&W revolver and one in a Glock auto, both have had hundreds of rounds put through them over the last seven years, each gun has been well maintained and I consider each to be very reliable. In my cases both were ammo related, neither were mechanical. I had a squib load where the bullet failed to exit the muzzle, luckily I was slow firing the revolver and heard the off sounding report and stopped before I fired a second time. I had to take the gun home, put the barrel in a padded vice and remove the bullet with a brass punch. With the Glock, I was qualifying for my CCW when half way through a magazine, the gun jammed with a round not quite fitting all the way into the chamber. I made several attempts to try and clear it but the instructor told me to put the gun down, he came over but also couldn’t get the slide to open or close. I was instructed to hold tight and he left with the gun. When he came back with the extracted round he said “that was a catastrophe failure that could’ve cost you your life” and showed me that the round was totally out of spec and would never have feed into the chamber. I’ve shot boxes of this brand and never had a problem. I unloaded the magazines and we checked every round before continuing. Anything can fail but a lesson learned, I now inspect every round and drop them into the chamber before putting them into a magazine I’m using for carrying.

 

[kelljor]

I have both the LCR and LCRx, 38 special. The only big difference with the two is the LCR has a slightly better and smoother trigger, and I seem to shoot it a bit better. I mostly carry the LCR mostly, front jeans pocket, Hogue bantam grips and HI Viz sights. Barely printable, no snag, and nice sights. I have carried the x in front pocket and occasionally snag the hammer when drawing. Not so with the internal hammer. When I carry the x it's in a don hume JIT on the left side in a kinda cross draw position. That's if I am going a ways while sitting in a car. Oh yeah, the LCR has less of a tendency to get pocket lint inside. BTW the x also has factory grips, though sometimes I will mess with different grips on the x for no good reason.