Hammerless Revolvers

Am Shooting Journal ^ | 10/22/2018 | C Reyes

[w1n1]

Gun sales nationwide has been on the downside lately. Self-defense however, is still a hot topic for many consumers.
Concealed carry firearms are still some of the most searched weapons on the Internet and hammerless revolvers are right up there near the top.
Some gun enthusiasts hate them and some love them for self-defense and the ease of use. If personal protection and easy operation of the gun is what you’re into, having a revolver is a great option.
The small frame is ideal for concealed carry. They can be carried hidden in numerous ways on the body without any tell-tale sign.

Though popularity falls on the semi-automatic pistol side, the wheel gun does have its place.
The truth is having a gun is better than nothing in a real world life-or-death crisis. A revolver in its simplest usage is just a simple point-and-shoot weapon with a very low failure rate.
It’s almost impossible to make one jam, and they come in a variety of size options.
Big gun manufacturers like Ruger, Smith & Wesson and Taurus make quality revolvers.
There are many options available such as chambering magnum rounds to adjustable trigger pulls. Read the rest of hammerless revolver.

[snoringbear]

“I’ve never seen any study that proves there is any difference in the reliability of revolvers vs pistols. Most alleged experts claim there is none.”

Absolutely there’s a difference. Don’t know about studies and I’m not going to bother searching. But, I own several of both and can tell you that the wheel gun is more reliable. It’s simple physics; the revolver is a much simpler design than a semi-auto.

[precisionshootist]

"If an attacker is able to grab the weapon, there is a significant chance that the upper receiver can come out of battery and render the weapon useless until released. A revolver does not have that problem and would still be able to fire (especially a ‘hammerless’ variant) if grabbed."

A revolver most certainly does have this problem and in most cases it's actually worse than an auto. It's very easy to grab a revolver and prevent the cylinder from rotating thus preventing it from firing. Another way is to get the tip of a finger behind the trigger of a DA revolver and it can't be fired. Both designs have their weaknesses if someone can get their hands on the weapon.

[precisionshootist]

"Absolutely there’s a difference. Don’t know about studies and I’m not going to bother searching. But, I own several of both and can tell you that the wheel gun is more reliable. It’s simple physics; the revolver is a much simpler design than a semi-auto."

Not true. Both designs have weaknesses that can affect reliability. Double action revolvers cannot tolerate dirt or sand to anywhere near the degree of a modern auto. Get sand in a DA revolver and it's game over. Get sand in a Glock and most of the time a good shake is all it takes to get back in business. Revolvers are very susceptible to freezing up when they become fouled or heated from repeated firing. Autos like the Glock can literally fire thousands of rounds non stop without being cleaned or allowed to cool. A revolver will begin to seize up very quickly when they get hot and fouled from repeated firing. Revolvers have a slight edge in reliability with ammo inconsistencies but not in all cases. In the case of a dead primer or similar the shooter can just pull the trigger again to move to the next round and fire. In a nutshell revolvers are simple in operation but not design. Revolvers are much more fragile than modern autos. For normal concealed carry revolvers especially shrouded hammer types are excellent in that they provide a reliable and simple to use quick few shots. Revolvers are also excellent back up weapons to a modern auto but they are in no way over all more reliable.

[Yo-Yo]

An exposed hammer is useless with today’s firearms.

Unless you need to take that precision shot because the bad guy is shielding himself with your daughter. In that very rare case, a single action shot may be welcome over a double action shot.

[Mr Rogers]

I’ve had two failures to fire involving revolvers over a 40 year period.

I bought a new S&W Shield and it required work on it to get it to feed reliably. My Beretta Pico is 100% if you use it with 6+0 rounds. Not so good if you try to 6+1 rounds. My Ruger LCP has been 100% so far, but I’ve only fired 150 rounds to date. The M9 I used in the military sometimes jammed...probably military maintenance issues. My own 92 has been 100% so far.

Let me put it this way: I won’t carry a new semi I haven’t fired at the range. I wouldn’t hesitate to carry a new revolver I hadn’t fired at all.

[Mr Rogers]

“An exposed hammer is useless with today’s firearms.”

Why?

If you are using a revolver as a belly gun - a good reason for carrying a J-frame or SP101 - then a hammer has no purpose. But in an “active shooter” situation, taking aimed fire might apply. And then single action would be nice.

I’ve yet to have a hammer snag on clothing or anything else when drawing a gun. Maybe it is because I often prefer belt carry. I also grew up shooting single action revolvers. When I draw a gun, I cock it as I raise it to fire - and I don’t raise it until I’m ready to fire.

Also, an exposed hammer allows you to put your thumb behind the hammer when holstering a weapon, which is a good way to prevent “Glock Leg”.

PS: I have a Glock and it is OK. It has been 100% reliable! But I carry a revolver more often.

[yarddog]

I like them all. Revolvers, Autos and Single Shots.

I was just thinking of the two worst guns I ever had. One was a PIC which I paid $10 for from a high school classmate. It was just about the same as an RG which should have been named “Rotten Gun”. It was a .22 short and spit lead out the side with every shot.

The other was a Sterling pocket auto in .22 LR. It never fired more than one shot in a row. It jammed every single time. The reason I bought it was after reading an article in a gun magazine praising it to high heaven.

Oddly enough the PIC would have actually worked in a gun fight if the distance was not too great. For that matter the Sterling too if only one shot was needed.

Does make you think. Even a poor gun is often better than nothing.

[myerson]

Grab the cylinder on a DAO and see if you can pull the trigger.

[Carriage Hill]

Hopefully, no surveillance cameras will record you. Those things are everywhere these days. Can’t take a dump wo/ being filmed. Heh.

Each of my firearms has its own manilla folder, with all relevant receipts and paperwork. I’m anal that way. Grandpa’s
single barrel 10ga, and my ‘58 Mossberg 144LS for BSA/NRA competition, don’t.

[Mastador1]

Hammerless S&W .38 is my CC choice - the original point & click device.

Nice! You can carry it in a coat pocket and fire it if needed from inside the pocket and not worry about a hammer snagging or a case not being fully ejected.

[mabarker1]

My condolences for the Loss of Your Father. Nice looking Pistol, He took very good care of it.

I had a H&R 922 that was My Fathers. Unfortunately it was stolen along with the Laptop and everything else that was in My Breifcase out of the car years ago. It was a cute little 9 shot .22 long or short, short bbl 2” or so, and had a spare Cylinder.

[snoringbear]

Wrong

[Do_Tar]

Well you’ve convinced me.

[precisionshootist]

Wrong how?