Revolver or Semi-Auto Handgun

    I am sometimes asked whether one should purchase a semi-automatic handgun or a revolver.  Typically, the question revolvers around either reliability or ease of use.  Then there is the perineal question of which one should one purchase.  Let’s consider these in turn.

    First we’ll consider reliability.  It is absolutely true that during the 50’s and even through the 70’s, when semi-automatics really     became a consideration for law enforcement, reliability was a potential issue.  Consider this – the Army used the 1911 semi-automatic from 1911 until the 80s!  The Browning/FN Hi-Power 9mm was used throughout Europe and beyond in the military and law enforcement from 1935 through the 2000’s.  Those are pretty good records for any firearm.  Reliability issues only arose when companies started producing what have become known as “Saturday Night Specials” (again in the late 50’s through 80’s).  These cheaply made semi-automatics unjustifiably gave a bad name to all semi-automatics.  Well-made, name-brand semi-automatics currently being manufactured or of a historic military design are extremely reliable.  Indeed they are generally MORE reliable than revolvers.

    I have found it very common that, in particular, husbands will ask for a revolver for their spouse because revolvers are “more reliable” than semi-automatics.  Truth is, there are more moving parts in a revolver than in most modern and certainly all classic military design semi-automatics.  Every mechanic will tell you that the more moving parts there are in any device the more likely it is to fail.  Second, revolver frames are made of either soft carbon steel that has not been hardened (on purpose), aluminum, or polymer.  I’ll state up front I would NEVER recommend ANYONE purchase or even fire a polymer framed revolver.  I’d NEVER recommend ANYONE purchase an aluminum framed revolver.  I can’t, in good conscience recommend either of these two options because I’ve worked on them!When you fire ANY firearm the receiver and barrel flex, which is why a revolver frame cannot be hardened – it would break.  The polymer will flex better than the aluminum and both better than steel.  Sounds good, right?Not so much.  Polymer is subject to expansion from heat.  What happens when you fire it?  You build up heat.  No, it won’t melt.  But it will expand and when it does, all those pins and parts inside move from their design location to someplace else.  When will it fail?I don’t know – and neither do you!  The aluminum is also subject to heating but it and steel will hold up better than the polymer.  Not out of the woods yet.  Because the aluminum and unhardened steel are soft, if you drop your revolver or bump it into something – it may well stop firing.  One repair I have to perform on some revolvers involves using a hammer to whack a frame back into position.  I’m not talking about something twisted out of shape – your revolver will look perfectly fine to the naked eye, but just won’t work.  So, more moving parts and flexing frames are big considerations for revolvers.  

    And there is another consideration.  Some folks claim it is easier to use a revolver versus a semi-automatic handgun.  My response is, maybe.  To use a revolver you either have to manually cock the hammer (for those with exposed hammer, and not all are) or fire it in double-action mode.  About the best trigger pull one can get in double action mode it seven pounds.  That’s seven pounds your finger has to pull against through about one inch of travel to get a bang.   That is about the same pull weight as most double-action semi-automatics.  The big difference is with a semi-automatic one must pull the slide back to load the first round.  And that can be a problem for some folks – some ladies and some men.  Racking the slide (as it is called) takes some strength and generally two hands to accomplish.  There are several easy to rack slide options available on the market these days to address this problem.  However, it isn’t nearly as big a problem as is sometimes made out to be.  If you are carrying a concealed handgun you absolutely SHOULD be carrying it with “one in the pipe.  ”There should be a round in the chamber.  If you have a double-action semi-automatic, the long heavy trigger pull coupled with a proper holster prevents inadvertent discharge of the firearm.  If you have a hammer-fired semi-automatic, the manual safety and a proper holster prevent inadvertent discharge.  “You” don’t have to load the first round.  “You” can get someone else to do it for you!  Once the first round is loaded you are ready to go.  

    Which one should you purchase?  A revolver or a semi-automatic?It really comes down to which you personally prefer.  Semi-automatics are thinner in profile than revolvers.  They also usually hold more rounds than a revolver.  And they have fewer moving parts, and fewer that are exposed to dirt, etc.  .  On the other hand, semi-automatics have a slide you have to rack to load the first round.  And if your semi-automatic doesn’t like the ammunition you have chosen it can jam, requiring you to rack the slide to clear the jam.  Then again, if you drop or bump your revolver, you can’t be sure it will still function, and they hold fewer rounds than most semi-automatics.  They are generally much wider than semi-automatics meaning they are harder to conceal.  Which one?  You decide!I love em’ both and have lots of each.