As someone that has almost shot more rounds in competition from a revolver as I have a semi-auto, I can tell you they can malfunction during NORMAL operation.They have many attributes. They can be very effective. Easy to top off. Nothing gets ejected which could effect it's reliability. I like revolvers.
When I took a snubby revolver class at Sand Burr Gun Ranch, one of the things Denny handed out at the beginning of the class was a toothbrush to clean out under the extractor star throughout the day.As someone that has almost shot more rounds in competition from a revolver as I have a semi-auto, I can tell you they can malfunction during NORMAL operation.
I’ve experienced two things, myself, first hand and it rendered them completely inoperable and they had to be taken somewhere else to make functional again.
One was burnt powder under the ejection star. Evidently, the 38spl loads being used were made with a powder that had hard residue as a side affect. When pointed muzzle up, the ejector rod vigorously activated, the area under the star exposed, some of those hard pieces found their way there. Cylinder closed vigorously and it locked in place. It didn’t turn at all and had to be opened with a wooden mallet.
Another was having the ejector rod come unscrewed in the gun. It turned until empty but the cylinder was unable to open.
Both of these have happened to me on a S&W M586 6”. I was the original owner and had never taken it apart prior to the latter malfunction.
They are a machine and can fail. Plain and simple.
Denny was a class act, no two ways about that. M629 Classic has his “super polish job” done in it and I even used it in competition from time to time. Revolvers were the norm for the PPC course I shot years ago. Warsaw & Midwest in Elkhart many moons ago!When I took a snubby revolver class at Sand Burr Gun Ranch, one of the things Denny handed out at the beginning of the class was a toothbrush to clean out under the extractor star throughout the day.
By making **** up.I can't even wrap my head around this. How many shooters are there in a "vast majority"? 80%? 90%? 95%? How did you come to this conclusion?
The sad thing is, there are very few “tacticool” revolver classes out there given by qualified instructors BECAUSE, (like a bazillion other things) too many older disciplines are being lost, not the inefficiency of a revolver.Why don't we do an informal test here?
Why don't all the EDC revolver folks, commenting in this thread, chime in with the last pistol class they took?
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OK....Advanced CCW class on March 25, 2023 with my Ruger SP101...how about you?Why don't we do an informal test here?
Why don't all the EDC revolver folks, commenting in this thread, chime in with the last pistol class they took?
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I mostly carry a P365, and a spare 12-round magazine. I have pulled a gun on another person (actually 3 of them) once in my life. It was a 1911 w/9 rounds of .45 ACP at the ready. They immediately found me less of a target and we parted ways. I am quite sure they would have arrived at the same conclusion had I drawn a 5-shot .38. I would have felt under-gunned with a 5-shot revolver and 3:1 odds. If they had chosen to escalate the situation, and all I had was 5 rounds of 158g SWC, the outcome may have been completely different. I still want a CA Off Duty BUG.I agree that in most cases, a revolver would suffice. Things are changing though and the likelihood of a one on one confrontation is less than it was 10 years ago. You really want to stake your life on limited capacity? Can we agree to disagree without this crap? Every person I've ever met face to face from INGO has been a stand up person. Some of you are probably in that category but you're bored and just want to seem edgy on the internet. It's old. It's tired. It's not what drew me to this site and certainly not something Tim would have tolerated. Go outside and do something.
Most people will never pull a gun out in a defensive situation so it really doesn't matter what you carry or how much you hate "Tupperware guns." I'd rather have more bullets than less so I carry a striker fired pistol.
I never said revolvers are stupid. I have a few. I like themAnd here come the “revolvers are stupid “ crowd. Can’t just let people enjoy what they enjoy. Nope. Gotta **** on everyone and everything they don’t agree with b
Here we go againOne was burnt powder under the ejection star. Evidently, the 38spl loads being used were made with a powder that had hard residue as a side affect. When pointed muzzle up, the ejector rod vigorously activated, the area under the star exposed, some of those hard pieces found their way there. Cylinder closed vigorously and it locked in place. It didn’t turn at all and had to be opened with a wooden mallet.
This a also not a revolver problem it is a maintenance problem or lack there of. That is what happens when you don't check your stuff.Another was having the ejector rod come unscrewed in the gun. It turned until empty but the cylinder was unable to open.
USMC, close combat training, several times annually for 7 years, including competition. As well as 50+ years reloading and shooting.Why don't we do an informal test here?
Why don't all the EDC revolver folks, commenting in this thread, chime in with the last pistol class they took?
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Thanks for that info. That is interesting about it being ammunition related. And by interesting. I don't mean that I doubt you. I just never heard that before from the revolver people that I know. I am by no means a revolver expert. I dabbled in trying to get good at it for a while but for me the juice wasn't worth the squeeze. That doesn't mean it isn't for somebody else.Here we go again
Burnt powder under the ejector star is a ammo problem and also a reloading technique problem NOT a revolver problem. Revolvers are like autoloaders if the ammo is dirty(or bullets jumping the crimp) then don't use that ammo and find something different. If you have a autoloader that wont feed certain bullets or ammo you find something else that does work. This works for revolvers also.
I don't point my muzzle up when reloading and use clean powder and have NEVER had this problem.
While I haven't ever tried I have no doubt that I could shoot several thousand rounds without cleaning the revolver.
I shoot competition and do revolver smithing and I can't afford to have a gun malfunction during a match when potential customers are watching so I clean it after every match and check it out to make sure everything is ok.
I have shot several hundred thousand rounds thru revolvers and never had a bullet jump the crimp. I also realize it happens especially with reloads and not enough crimp. Again NOT a revolver problem.
This a also not a revolver problem it is a maintenance problem or lack there of. That is what happens when you don't check your stuff.
In hundreds of matches I had this happen ONE time after I did a deep clean of the revolver and forgot to tighten it up but that was my gunsmiths fault(ME).
You are right that anything can fail but I have seen thousands of autos fail or malfunction and while revolvers are a lot fewer at the matches I have seen very few failures.
Not picking on you Skip you just had a lot of the points in your post.
Personally I don't care what anyone carries just be good with it and carry it.
BTW I carry a 642 all the time but also carry a 365 and gen1 M&P and have a 365 Tacops that is getting a RDS and going into the rotation so I'm not apposed to autoloaders.
I didn’t take it as picking BUT those problems, regardless of the root of the problem are specific to revolvers. Like a LOT of handgun shooters today, semi-auto and wheelguns, folks just don’t train like they should. There MAY be a few other wheelgun guys that are as diligent as you but the vast majority of them aren’t and that goes across the board.Not picking on you Skip you just had a lot of the points in your post.
I have one of those now in my rotation and am absolutely loving it. I don’t carry it anymore but for years I carried a S&W M637.and have a 365 Tacops
There are several powders that are known to contribute to this.Thanks for that info. That is interesting about it being ammunition related. And by interesting. I don't mean that I doubt you. I just never heard that before from the revolver people that I know. I am by no means a revolver expert. I dabbled in trying to get good at it for a while but for me the juice wasn't worth the squeeze. That doesn't mean it isn't for somebody else.