Revolvers or semi-automatics?
By MARJ LAW
“I don’t know whether to buy a revolver or a semi-automatic for my first handgun,” confesses Abby to her friend Sally.
“Well, why don’t you ask the person you know who has been shooting longest and who understands the most about guns?” suggests Sally.
“That’s a great idea!” agrees Abby. “I’ll ask Big George to take me to the Wakulla County Sheriff’s Office range and show me a couple of his guns.” As an afterthought, she adds: “You can come too, Sally.”
“I’d love to!” Sally says brightly, covering up that Abby didn’t think of her first to help with gun selection.
“Yes, I’m sure George will take us to the range. He can teach me a whole lot, and you’ll probably learn something too.”
The next weekend comes, and Abby, Sally, and George are meeting at the WCSO range. They all have hearing protection and safety glasses: also known as ‘ears’ and ‘eyes’.
“What’s your question?” asks Big George to Abby.
“I’d like to purchase a handgun, but this is my first gun and I don’t know whether to buy a revolver or a semi-automatic,” she replies. “Which is better?”
Sally stands by, listening, but not offering ideas.
“First of all, why do you want a gun?” asks George.
“I’d like one for defense, should anyone break into the house. I live alone. If someone were to break the door down, I want to be able to defend myself. Also, my friend Sally here, meets with some other gals. They go to the range on Wednesdays and practice shooting. After that, they usually go to lunch. It seems like fun. I’d like to join them.”
Sally nods and smiles.
“You’ve come to the right place,” declares Big George. “First of all, you need to know the difference between a wheel gun or a semi-automatic.”
“I really do want a real gun,” says Abby firmly.
“No,” grins BG. “You misunderstood. I meant a revolver when I said ‘wheel’ gun. Let’s talk about the two. Handguns are basically divided into two categories: revolvers or ‘wheel’ guns and semi-automatics.
A revolver is one that has a cylinder or wheel. This cylinder houses revolving chambers. Each chamber holds a round. When you pull the trigger, the cylinder turns. This lines up a new chamber to fire the next round. With a revolver, all you have to do is point and shoot.
The semi-automatic requires more of a learning curve than just pointing and shooting,” he continues. “With a semi, you need to fill a magazine with your ammunition. This magazine fits into the grip of the gun. Then you pull back the slide to load the first round in the chamber. Then, as you pull the trigger, the semi fires a round and it ejects the spent casing. Then it loads a new round from that magazine.
Since you’re new to shooting, Abby, I’d suggest a revolver. As I said, you just point and shoot. This here gun is a Smith & Wesson Model 10. It’s a .38 caliber weapon. A .38 has plenty of take down power to neutralize a bad guy.”
He hands the gun to Abby. Sally bites her bottom lip, but doesn’t say anything.
Abby holds the .38. “This is much too heavy for me,” she says. “I couldn’t carry it in my purse, and I think it’s too big and fat to wear in a holster.”
“Well, try it anyway to get the feel of it,” offers George. “Line up the two dot rear sight with the front sight. The x-ring of the target will be sitting right above the center sight. Just squeeze the trigger, don’t yank it.”
Abby aims and fires. Her arms fly up in the air.
“Oh my!” she yells. “That has much too much kick!”
George is grinning. “You’ll get used to it. Just get a firm grip next time.”
Abby shakes her head. “There isn’t going to be a next time. The .38 has too much recoil for me and it’s far too heavy.”
George is surprised, but then he rallies. “Well, Abby, I do have a different .38 for you. It is very lightweight, so you won’t have any trouble fitting it in your special purse. Looky here. It’s even pink! They call it an ‘Airweight.’
Abby picks it up. “It sure is light and small.” She turns to George. “May I shoot it?”
“By all means!” George steps back. “Remember to squeeze that trigger!” he reminds her.
Blam! Both Abby’s hands fly in the air.
“Wow! Even though the gun is smaller and lighter, it packs a bigger kick than the full-sized .38! Maybe I don’t want a gun, after all.”
“I don’t have a problem with it.” George is surprised. But George is a large man with large bones. He is able to absorb the recoil. Abby, on the other hand, is a mature woman with a small bone structure. As proarmory.com says: “If getting one shot off is a chore, the next one won’t be any easier.” And, like Abby noted, she wouldn’t want to shoot this one. If she could be coerced to use a .38 as a defensive weapon, would she ever practice with it? And if she didn’t practice, would she be able to defend herself with it?
“Why don’t we try one of my guns?” Sally suggests. She opens a pistol case and brings out a Ruger Mark IV.
“That’s just a .22,” snorts George derisively.
“And it’s heavy,” adds Abby.
“Sure it is,” agrees Sally. “But I’d like you to try it anyway. You line up the sights just like you did before. You’ll find, however, that it doesn’t have much, if any, recoil.”
Abby pick up the gun dubiously. She grips tightly and aims.
Blam!
Abby looks at the gun in amazement. “That was really easy!” she says happily. “May I shoot a few more?”
Sally nods. Abby shoots a few more times. The holes get closer and closer to the center of the target.
“Are you ready to try a different gun?” asks Sally. “It is stronger than the .22, but much easier to manage than the .38. She picks up the Smith & Wesson .380 EZ.
“Well, a .380 handgun is better than a .22.” George is a bit less disparaging.
Abby picks up the .380 and shoots again.
Blam!
“I did it!” she crows triumphantly.
“You did well!” agrees Sally. “Now let’s try one more gun. It’s a Smith & Wesson 9mm Equalizer. I think you’ll be able to manage this one too!”
Abby grip is nice and tight.
Blam!
“I can shoot this one, too!” she smiles. “I didn’t know shooting would be this easy!”
Yes, revolvers can be simpler to operate. They are lower maintenance and have fewer chances of malfunction. However, due to the cylinders, they are fatter. This makes them more difficult to wear in a holster and to conceal.
Revolvers usually can carry 5-8 rounds. If you’re new to shooting, you may want to know you have many more opportunities to shoot.
Semi-automatics can hold many more rounds. That 9mm Equalizer comes with a 15-round magazine. That’s three times the capacity of the basic revolver.
Semi-automatics are slimmer, as they have no round cylinder. This gives them easier portability; both in a purse or in a holster. It also makes them easier to conceal.
If Abby is out plinking with her friends, the semi is fun because it holds so many rounds, and is easier to shoot, and generally has less recoil than the revolvers.
If you can choose only one handgun in your life, look to see how many rounds it carries, how heavy and wide it is, how much recoil can you tolerate, and whether you would bother to practice with it. And whether you would like to practice with it.
Handgun choice depends on what you need, what you like, what you can comfortably manage and what you can afford.
Abby is going for the 9mm Equalizer. Which gun do you like?
Marj Law is the former director of Keep Wakulla County Beautiful who has become an avid shooter in retirement.