Pros and cons of a revolver
By MARJ LAW
“Jim said he’s going to buy me a revolver,” she told me when we met at the Wakulla County Sheriff’s Office range. “The .38 he’s getting me is a point and shoot gun. Easy to learn. And it will be easy to load. He says the .38 has plenty of ‘stopping power,’ in case Mr. Bad breaks into the house and threatens me while Jim is away.
“There are so many benefits to having a revolver,” she says. “Jim also wants me to have a revolver because it will never ever jam. It is totally reliable. It is going to be easy to clean. And if the grip isn’t just perfect, he can change it out or find a rubbery grip that slides over the existing one.
“Unlike other handguns, no red-hot casing will flip out of the gun, hitting me or someone else. The revolver doesn’t need a safety, either. In a moment of stress, I might forget to take the safety off. So, it’s good to have no safety.
“And, if for some really strange reason one round doesn’t fire, I can just pull the trigger again and fire the next round.
“So, that’s why Jim is getting me a .38. It’s the best gun for a newbie!”
Revolver or semi-automatic. I remember wondering which handgun would be more useful when I was starting out. Back then, it did seem that the revolver would be the easiest and best.
So, I’m trying to think like Newbie, remembering that first gun purchase. Choosing the right handgun was such an overwhelming consideration.
PROS AND CONS: PROS FIRST
At first, I too thought I wanted a revolver because of its simplicity. Point and shoot. No worrying about loading magazines, pulling back slides and having misfires or rounds that just didn’t feed into the gun. Point and shoot. No learning curve there!
And yes, if one round doesn’t go off, just squeeze the trigger again. Shoot. And no casings will fly out of a revolver.
A well-kept and clean revolver is reliable. It’s highly unlikely to jam on you.
Loading the revolver is easy. Push the cylinder release button and slip a round into each empty chamber.
The .38? Lots of take-down power when your life is at stake. A safety? Who needs it? The trigger pull is really firm and long and the gun sure isn’t going off by itself. The long hard trigger pull makes for a deliberate action.
Cleaning a revolver is pretty easy. You can run a “snake” through each chamber until they are all shiny and clean inside. Snake the barrel too. Take solvent and wipe off the front and rear of the cylinder. You don’t have to dismantle a revolver to clean it.
Since no magazine dictates the size of the grip, many revolvers have grips that can be swapped out by releasing screws. If the grips are too small, you can often find rubber grips to slide over the existing ones.
Newbie has a choice of many caliber revolvers. Newbie can find one in .22 LR, .22 Magnum, .380, 9mm and .38. Yes, there are higher-caliber revolvers, but they will have harder trigger pulls, a whole lot more recoil and are not suitable for a new shooter.
CONS NEXT
Since trigger pull is long and heavy, you don’t have to worry about a safety. A tug on the trigger won’t set these guns off.
However, … I just had a Taurus .22 Magnum in my hands. Cock the hammer first, and the gun stays firm and true when you squeeze off the trigger. But, good golly. When I try to shoot without cocking the hammer? I squeeze and squeeze. Then I put my opposite index finger over my trigger finger for added assistance. Finally, it goes off.
According to concealedcarry.com: “Many double action revolvers have a trigger pull in the area of 12 pounds, which is atrocious for someone without finger strength.”
So, to pull that trigger easily, cocking the trigger sure helps. But when Mr. Bad is coming at you, will you remember to cock that hammer? Will you have the strength to squeeze the trigger if you haven’t cocked the hammer?
Since revolvers have cylinders, they are often harder to conceal. Your gun is not supposed to “imprint,” which means your clothing shouldn’t show a bulge where you carry your revolver outside the waistband. The revolver may also be too wide to carry comfortably inside the waistband. And because of the cylinder, a revolver may be too wide and heavy for purse carry.
Revolvers have a limited capacity. Most have room for 5-6 rounds. Some have 8, while a few have 9. Semi-automatic handguns can hold many, many more. We’re talking not just 5 or 6 but 15 or 30. Sometimes more.
Unfortunately, that the revolver will “never jam” is not true.
According to firearmstalk: “Revolvers in general are much less reliable than semi auto pistols. The popular opinion is that revolvers are idiot proof and can’t be ‘jammed.’ This is dead wrong, and unfortunately has been repeated so often that most believe it to be true. Here is why.
“Revolvers are an ‘open action’ firing mechanism with many nooks and crannies where dirt and debris can hide. But each of those nooks and crannies is there for a reason. They hold various parts in place or are ‘ratchet stops’ for other moving parts.
“When they are clogged with dirt, powder, sand, lint, etc., the gun does not function right.”
Firearmstalk goes on to say: “Anything that hinders the rotation of the cylinder of a revolver will cause it to stop working. Anything that keeps the cylinder from locking up at the right place (timing) can affect its ability to fire. Something as simple as lint from a pocket or purse can stop a revolver from working.”
It seems like “never jam” is a myth.
I’ve seen several cases where men, wanting to protect their women, have given them .38 revolvers. They like the idea of point and shoot, and they want “take down power” if their wives ever need that protection.
Newbies, shooting .38s for the first time, are most often very unhappy with both the heavy trigger pull and the harsh recoil.
Will Newbie then want to continue to practice shooting at the range? And if Newbie doesn’t practice, will gun ownership make Newbie safe?
Smaller caliber revolvers may be easier to shoot. Will their few rounds take down an intruder?
Whichever revolver Newbie has, her chances of safeguarding herself are likely to be dependent on her practice at the range.
The best revolver for Newbie is the one she’ll be comfortable with when she trains at the range.
Marj Law is the former director of Keep Wakulla County Beautiful who has become an avid shooter in retirement.