Posted on 05/08/2018 7:59:53 AM PDT by w1n1
The prevailing sentiment…was that the revolver are kind of like the everyman gun. It should be the go-to firearm for the average civilian who wants something for personal protection and semi-autos are probably best reserved for more dedicated shooters.
From Youtuber Lucky Gun, he is quick to point out, that the revolver is not without its flaws.
"It never ceases to amaze me just how many people are under the impression that revolvers are incapable of malfunctioning."
The fact of the matter is that even though revolvers can be very reliable, they're also prone to some pretty serious issues that don't affect semi-autos.
-Multiple light primer strikes.
-A shooter being sprayed with bullet fragments from a revolver with severe timing issues.
-A Smith and Wesson revolver with a broken cylinder release latch. Read the rest of the revolver story here.
Many semi-autos are oversprung to handle +P rounds. Cheap ammo will stovepipe because the blowback doesn’t contain the force required to overcome the return spring. $20 buys a reduced power spring, and half as many minutes will fix your “weak wrist.” Replace the trigger spring at the same time and you’ll have a reliable, easy shooting weapon—and don’t buy that ammo in 1000 round bags!
You can still shoot +P, but I’ve found there’s no reason to spend that much on practicing. Buy regular loads from the same manufacturer and buy a couple extra boxes of +P with the savings.
YGWYPF...
Perhaps you could get a machinist or a machnist with gun experience to make you a new part out of stainless. It’s a one time expense and would improve your gun’s capability. I had a gunsmith make a cocking handle out of aluminum to replace a plastic handle that broke on my nylon 66 22lr rifle.
I think there is a lot of truth in KYJim's Rules of Carry:
1. Any gun is better than no gun.
2. A gun that is reliable is better than a gun that is not.
3. A hole in the right place is better than a hole in the wrong place.
4. A bigger hole is a better hole.
My go to piece is a S&W model 19 or model 28. The .357 125 grain JHP is a proven man stopper. Just don’t shoot too many in S&W K frames or forcing cone issues could appear.
For a beginner I always suggest for pure home defense a four inch barrel .357 magnum loaded with P+ .38Spl JHP’s. It’s about idiot proof and the big magnum takes the recoil of the .38Spl well.
My wife alternates her carry between a S&W model 64 and a glock 17. She likes both. Revolvers are great weapons and shot placement is everything as with any firearm.
Bulkier but way more reliable. One handed when necessary. For that reason, I rate them above pistols for self defense.
S&W 332ti. Six shots .32 Magnum, 11.5oz, very small.
I recently bought a bunch of stuff from a friend’s widowed sister in law. She threw in a bunch of dies. One set was 9mm. So I felt obligated to buy my first 9mm. Any excuse for a new toys. It’s so light it kicks like a mule.…it’s ‘snotty’ a friend called it My 1911 shoots like a dream next to it but the plastic 9 is much easier to carry around.
I have a double action revolver in 44 mag. And 3 SA revolvers in .45 Colt.
I gave a double action Smith in .357 to my son.
Of course this was all before I lost ‘em all in that canoe accident.
Nice.
Good album. Bought it in digital around 18 years ago. Seems I remember a revolver on the cover too. But when I got the CD album no gun. Then a friend had the original vinyl album. No gun. I suppose I remembered what I wanted to remember from the mid 60s.
I suppose prophetic as John was shot to death by Chapman with a .38 revolver.
“I have a double action revolver in 44 mag.“
One of Mrs. L’s favorites is our 4” Model 629. I built a “wife load” consisting of a 210 gr JHP over 8.5 grains of Bullseye. Plenty hot, light recoil, and will certainly do a job.
“I gave a double action Smith in .357 to my son.”
We’ve got a vintage 4” nickel played Colt Python that gets worked out from time to time. A few years back I sold off a 4” Illinois State Trooper surplus Model 19. Stupid, stupid, stupid....
I know who has it, he simply loves it and won’t part with it. Smart feller.
L
.38 +P in my GP 100 is a Joy!
“shot” should be “shoot”
Revolvers are what they are. Try one to find out. They work. One simply needs to practice properly with one.
The main problem I see for people with pistols now is lack of proper trigger squeeze. Triggers are getting stupid-light in efforts to please them, and there will be many accidents. Those who are too lazy to practice properly are too lazy to be safe or effective enough in other ways (mainly lazy minded).
Recently handled a popular production striker fire pistol with 4.5 lbs. of pull and no manual safety. What the...? And it was called “The Pro.” What’s the matter with people now? Have the mindless, girlish fan boys taken over?
Are they weak, uncoordinated or what? Long ago, Back in the Stone Age, I qualified 100% within 2 sessions as a newbie on a range that included rapid fire from the holster with a revolver then the same with the old Glock 17. That was from 25 yards, then 15 yards (if I remember correctly) then 7 yards. It’s not that hard to learn proper technique and have an adequate amount of grip strength and spacial-visual coordination to make it second nature.
I am partial to the S&W 586.
In fact it’s my favorite pistol, ever.
And I have just about all the European semis, Sig, H&K, Beretta, Glock.
(Apologies to anyone who really does this, but really, how can one GAF about you and not say something? Shoot one of them at a time and use your sights. You'll meet more girls at the shooting range.)
“I had a Jam-O-matic once, but took it apart ... found a bent ejector. Replaced the ejector and no more jams. ... feel like the ejector was some sort of inferior metal,...
...who would try to make a living from spare parts from other guns?...” [FLT-bird, post 31]
“Perhaps you could get a machinist ... with gun experience to make you a new part out of stainless....” [Redcitizen, post 42]
Jack First Inc has been selling gun parts since 1954: factory new, used, aftermarket new-made. They specialize in newly manufactured parts for old, obsolete, out-of-production guns, dating back to the Remington New Model cap-and-ball revolvers (1860s) at least.
They’ve offered replacement cocking handles for Remington’s Nylon 66 for many years: made out of aluminum. Less costly than a one-time custom job by just about any machine shop, as Redcitizen has discovered.
They might even have ejectors for the S&W autoloader one presumes FLT-bird is referring to as the “Jam-o-matic.” Early S&W recoil-operated pistols starting with the 39 have long had a reputation for fussy operation, hence the nickname.
If memory serves, the 39 ejector wasn’t a real beefy part. And posters are quite correct in noting the occasional failure of quality control. Possibly due to improper heat-treating. S&W used steel and aluminum alloy in those, not the low-temp casting alloy commonly called “pot metal” with the trade name of zamak. It’s mostly zinc. But if FLT-bird and chuckles bought theirs used, all bets are off. Anything can happen when it comes to used guns. Literally.
Machine shops are quite capable of fashioning a part of the proper shape & dimensions, but when it comes to tempering and heat treating, they are at a disadvantage. Proper heat treatment is vital to the proper functioning and wear resistance of many gun parts. The staff at Jack First contains some folks with many years of experience in shooting and gun repair; they’ve gone to extensive lengths to develop and apply proper heat-treating.
Unfortunately, my model 29 S&W succumbed to the same fate.
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