Why a revolver? Uh...why not?


The revolver is simpler to operate than an automatic. There is a good deal of subtle mechanical interaction going on among the parts inside, but from the user's point of view the revolver's operation is dead simple and intuitively obvious.

M&Prevolver.jpg
Photo By: The original uploader was 
Olegvolk at English Wikipedia - 
Transferred from en.wikipedia to 
Commons by OhanaUnited., CC BY 2.5, 
That simplicity extends to loading, unloading, function checking, showing clear and is especially obvious in failure-to-fire drills. You need to know two drills to deal with a stoppage in an automatic, tap-rack-bang and tap-rack-no bang darn. You don't need to know those if you pack a revolver. You don't need to remember to stiffen your wrist, because the revolver does not care if your wrist is firm or limp; it will work either way.

The revolver is easier to clean; you do not need to take it apart and therefore do not need to put it back together again. Some auto pistol aficionados say the revolver is more work because you have to clean six chambers instead of one. They have not thought the matter through. The revolver's chambers are only one-sixth as dirty.

The revolver is still quite adequate to many defensive needs, even in our danger-fraught modern era. Where the revolver is adequate, it makes no sense to argue that the automatic is "more adequate."

If you handload, the automatic will frustrate you by flinging your cartridge cases to the winds. You will not find all of them.

A well made and properly maintained revolver is inherently accurate because its barrel is fixed to the frame and the bullet is guided into it through a funnel-shaped "forcing cone." There is no place for the bullet to go but straight ahead.

It is a good idea if all your handguns work just alike, so that you have nothing different to do or remember when switching from one gun to another. Revolvers that work just alike are available in calibers from .17 to .500, so there you are: one manual of arms whether you are shooting a mouse or a moose.

Revolvers are, with only a few unusual models that are exceptions, quite indifferent to the brand of ammunition you use and the shape and style and weight of the bullet. Typical revolvers may shoot one sort of ammunition more accurately than another but they will function regardless. They could not care less, so long as the ammunition is of the right caliber and within SAAMI specifications or the appropriate mil spec. This is a valuable trait if for some reason you cannot obtain your usual brand.

A great many malfunctions in auto pistols can be traced to imperfections in the box magazines. No revolver failures can be traced to that source.


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