Do Revolvers Jam - Welcome to the third edition of the Wheel Gun Wednesday series. Every Wednesday I will explore a topic related to guns as a means of modern self-defense. This week, we'll take a deeper look at some of the benefits often attributed to handguns, and whether conventional wisdom is all there is to it.
When I first sparked this handgun discussion a few weeks ago, it quickly became clear that you have a lot to say on the subject. This is one of those issues that can start to lock in the fight between gun owners. I'm encouraged by the fact that so many readers seem to have given this issue serious thought and are willing to share their (sometimes intense) opinions in the comments section. That's not to say we didn't have to coordinate some 8th grade level lists as well, but overall you guys kept it neat, so thanks for that.
Do Revolvers Jam
Before we dive into Wheel Gun Wednesday, I have an important point to make. For the purposes of our discussion, I will focus almost exclusively on handguns as a means of self-defense against human threats. Handguns used for hunting or wildlife protection are a different matter altogether. We'll probably expand on this discussion in the future, but for now you can assume we're talking about handguns used for everyday concealed carry or personal protection in the home or car.
Single Action Defense
So with that focus in mind, let's look at a couple of advantages that handguns should offer over semi-autos. The transition from the revolver to the semi-automatic weapon as a personal defense handgun in the United States highlighted the two main advantages that semi-autos can claim: they have a much higher ammunition capacity and are easier to shoot well. These are great things to have on your side if you end up fighting for your life.
Those who defend the importance of the handgun are often faced with one or both of the following arguments: Handguns are more reliable and accurate than semi-autos. There are many other advantages to wheel guns, but in my experience these two seem to be the most commonly reported. Is it still valid and relevant today?
Let's start with the accuracy claim, because I find it the most imaginative. When we compare today's production double-action revolvers to modern production semi-automatic pistols, revolvers cannot be inherently more accurate. Others have done a great job of explaining some of the technical reasons behind this, but let's assume for a moment that some of the guns on the market offer a slight mechanical accuracy advantage. For self-defense purposes, this only matters if the shooter can shoot more accurately. in double action. under pressure.
Most shooters, myself included, have not mastered the thrill of double action to the point where the full potential of the pistol's mechanical accuracy can be used in any type of shooting other than slow shooting at a given range. And even if not, what difference in accuracy are we talking about? It is not uncommon for semi-automatic pistols made from bone material to be able to group two-inch groups at 25 yards. Does a defensive pistol really need to be more accurate?
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The problem of mechanical accuracy is a complete problem when we are talking about self-defense. Much more important is that
Hands. If you personally shoot a pistol at a more accurate rate than a semi-auto, a revolver might be the best option for you. However, most shooters shoot a semi-auto more accurately and with less training than a double-action revolver, despite any minor differences that may or may not exist in mechanical accuracy.
It's hard to argue with the accuracy myth, that's not to say the pistol's reliability claims are completely wrong, but I think they're a bit exaggerated.
It is said that handguns do not "stack". I guess it depends on what you mean by "jam". They don't have the feeding issues that semi-autos do, but the pistols have malfunctions that cause them to stop working.
Is The Revolver Dead?
Just a few: excessive contamination under the extracted star can cause the cylinder to lock up. Small arms recoil can cause bullets to wobble from the shell casing, which can prevent the barrel from rotating. The ejector rod can act on its own and make it impossible to open the cylinder without breaking the toolbox. And of course there are problems that appear during reloading, such as incomplete extraction and stuck conditions under the hood. Revolvers may not have feeding problems, but a quick shot is not enough to eliminate most of these other potential problems.
Fortunately, gun malfunctions are fairly rare, especially if the gun is well maintained. But the same can be said for many (though far from all) semi-autos today. For example, my full size Smith & Wesson M&P9 will have 4,000 rounds since the last stop. There's a chance that the gun could be more reliable, but I'm more than fine relying on a gun that has a 4000:1 record.
That's not to say the pistol doesn't have significant reliability advantages. They do, but they are more situational. The most famous is the pistol's ability to fire multiple times from inside a coat pocket or bag. You can take at least one shot with a semi-auto, but it's a good thing the slide will catch on the material inside the pocket.
Of course, this is only convenient if you want to carry it in your pocket or purse. Personally, I'm more drawn to the lack of sensitivity of pistol ammo. With a .357 Magnum wheel revolver, I can be pretty confident that almost any cartridge I can put in these chambers will work. And even if it didn't lock, it wouldn't raise the gun much longer than it would require me to pull the trigger again.
Skills: Revolver Vs. Semi Automatic
It might be a useful feature in some sort of post-apocalyptic Walking Dead game where I'm scavenging for ammo, but there's also a practical day-to-day application. I do my best to make sure the semis I own have a reputation for reliability, but I still don't trust a new car until I've driven it for at least 500 trouble free rides. Then I fired another 100 rounds from my ammo. Whenever I crash I try to figure out what went wrong and then do a few hundred more laps to make sure it's fixed.
The pistol doesn't require nearly as much range testing. I don't have to worry about the magazine as a point of failure, and unless I'm messing around with internals to improve the trigger, I don't have to worry much about ammo reliability either. I'll use some of my carry ammo to check the point of aim and feel the recoil lever, but that's about it. Much less time and money is spent troubleshooting and testing the gun's functional condition, allowing the shooter to focus on actual practice.
Then there's the old myth of the dirt gun that's been neglected in a nightstand drawer for decades. As long as the magazine springs don't wear out and don't need regular lubrication, a gun that works today can last for many years to come.
As I mentioned earlier, revolvers require maintenance. Shooting and carrying a gun creates corrosion and foreign matter that can eventually cause problems. The same goes for semi-automatic cars, but they too require regular maintenance even when they are not in use. Of course, those magazines
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Keep feeding if the spring has been compressed for a decade or two, but there's certainly no guarantee (read our article Do Loaded Magazines Wear Out Magazine Springs? for more on this debate).
Ideally, everyone who owns a self-defense weapon would have enough regular practice and training, but of course, that's not the reality. Fortunately, a discarded gun will likely still work even if the owner is not sufficiently trained. And there may be other advantages to the revolver for gun owners in this category, but we'll wait until next week to dive into that category.
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