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Okay, so you’re here to grab a .38 speedloader or some 9mm moon clips. We might not know your gender, age, religion, or race, but there’s one thing we’re certain of…you have a revolver!
When it comes to headlines like “Why Revolvers are Better Than Semi-Autos,” there’s no doubt that it’s bringing up an incendiary topic. After all, revolvers were the primary handgun for a very long time, and stuck around as the most reliable type of firearm for law enforcement long after the semi-auto came around. But semi-autos have gotten good — very good — and there’s no doubt that both are amazingly reliable in today’s world.
Today, some people view revolvers like film cameras: quaint, but unnecessary in today’s world. But revolvers are still amazing in their own way. We know that you probably have both semi-autos and revolvers; we certainly do. And you probably have rifles and shotguns as well. So we’re certainly not trying to disparage other types of firearms. We figured we’d just have a little fun by bringing up the topic.
In any other forum we might start a flame war saying that revolvers are better, but since we know you already have a revolver from your speedloader or moon clip purchase, we figure there’s no harm in having a little fun and detailing why revolvers can be better than semi-automatic handguns.
There are a lot of moving parts in a semi-automatic handgun, and as we all know, the more complex something is the more likely it is that one of those parts is going to fail. Now don’t get us wrong…semi-automatics have gotten a lot better since they were invented more than a hundred years ago. But they’re still much more complex than revolvers, with more moving (and removable) parts.
Revolvers, on the other hand, are relatively simple when it comes to moving parts. There’s the break-out cylinder, the trigger, and the simple (on most handguns) mechanisms inside the frame that cause the hammer to strike. When you compare the number of moving parts, it’s hard to beat the simplicity of a revolver.
Once again, there’s no doubt that semi-automatic pistols have gotten considerably better over the years about working in more difficult conditions. And if they didn’t work in muddy and dirty conditions, why was the M1911 around for World War 1, the muddiest war in modern history? Obviously there’s merit to them.
BUT…revolvers are still better. If something goes wrong with a semi-automatic because of dirty conditions, cleaning it in the field can be a huge pain in the butt. But if something causes a revolver to jam up a little, just keep pulling the trigger. A little finger power and you’ll usually be able to get through the problem.
These previous two points lead us to the next…
Begin relatively simple machines, revolvers are simply easier to clean, perhaps the easiest of all guns (well, maybe not easier than a single barrel break action shotgun, but still…). You’ve got the body of it, the cylinder, and the barrel. But with a semi-automatic, there are simply more parts to deal with, and certainly more parts that can get lost if it’s dark and you have no choice but to clean it. When it’s dark and there’s mud in a handgun, most people are going pick the revolver.
…not always true with clips!
With a revolver, the cylinder stays with the gun. You’re not going to lose it unless you do a complete breakdown, and even then it’s hard to lose an inch-long, bright silver hunk of metal in the carpet!
But with semi-autos, if you misplace the clip (as some people do when they keep the gun separate from the clip for safety reasons), you’re semi-auto has become a chamber-every-round-by-hand single shot. Heck, it might not even allow you to do that if it’s a model with a magazine safety that prevents it from firing unless a magazine is inserted. Even if you know where your clips are at all times, you can’t deny that most clips are less rugged than the firearm itself. Damage a clip and you’d better have a spare.
Aw, who were kidding…we love revolvers so much that there was never any way we were going to get all of the reasons into just one blog. Check back next time for even more reasons we choose revolvers.
