Post by merc on Oct 17, 2019 4:31:52 GMT
revolver or semi-automatic?
Get a double action revolver with an external hammer. I have several reasons for suggesting this.
Revolvers are easy to understand.
They're simple devices to operate. The basic manual of arms is as follows:
Open the cylinder.
Load ammunition into the cylinder.
Close the cylinder.
Pull the trigger to fire as necessary. Optionally, pull the revolver's hammer back, then pull the trigger.
Open the cylinder when ammunition has been expended.
Slap ejection rod to remove spent shell casings.
Refer back to step 2 if you wish to fire the weapon further.
If you've used one double action revolver, you've pretty much used all of them. The only substantial operational difference between revolvers made by different manufacturers is typically the location of the cylinder release.
All this gives revolvers a short learning curve for basic proficiency. Compared to a semiautomatic, you'll spend less time learning how to manipulate the controls of a revolver and more time learning to become a proficient marksman. This simplicity also makes revolvers relatively foolproof. Revolvers almost never have safeties to mess around with and honestly don't need them. You can always visually check to see if the weapon is cocked and the trigger pull on a double action revolver is long and heavy enough that the weapon won't go off through accident or fleeting negligence in handling.
You don't have to worry about ammunition.
When buying ammunition for semiautomatic guns, at times you have to worry about whether or not the ammunition will allow the gun to function reliably. Some ammunition doesn't have enough power to cycle the reciprocating slide on some weapons. Some ammunition has a bullet shape that might hang up on the feed ramp and cause a jam. Some ammunition is of sufficiently low quality that there might be duds in the box, also causing a malfunction which needs to be cleared by the user.
As long as you buy ammunition in the correct caliber for a revolver, you'll be fine. Since ammunition is rotated in line with the barrel manually, you don't have to worry about the power of the ammunition to cycle the weapon. Bullet shape is similarly not an issue since there isn't any place for unusually shaped bullets to get hung up on. If you encounter a dud cartridge, you can simply pull the trigger again and a fresh round will be cycled into position and fired.
That last feature will be most valuable to you if you buy a .22 caliber rimfire revolver. This caliber has the cheapest ammunition available. While the most expensive, highest quality rimfire ammunition is just as reliable as centerfire ammunition (and still less expensive than the cheapest centerfire ammunition), many new shooters can't resist the urge of buying a bulk pack of 500 rounds of rimfire ammunition for $20-25, even if that ammunition is lower quality and contains multiple duds per box.
You don't need to buy as many accessories.
If you have a revolver, you only need ammunition to make the weapon functional. I'll add that you should probably have a decent holster too. Holsters make pistols much easier to carry around. Carrying guns around in your pocket can get old after a while and looks suspicious to other people too.
Semiautomatics require magazines to function to their full potential. Once you've expended a magazine, it is somewhat time consuming to load more ammunition into the magazine. As such, it's generally advisable to buy multiple magazines to maximize the amount of time you can fire the weapon before you must replenish your magazines' ammunition supply. Multiple magazines can get expensive pretty quickly.
You should also know there are devices such as speed loaders and speed strips which unsurprisingly speed up the loading of a revolver. Should you choose to buy these items, they tend to be significantly cheaper than magazines.
The only real disadvantage of a revolver is the low capacity compared to semiautomatics. For most civilian usage, this is a non-issue. In some ways, lower capacity and lack of detachable magazines may be a positive aspect for new gun owners since such weapons are less threatening to overzealous politicians in favor of gun control and "Assault Weapon Bans" on a local, state or federal level. There's no accessories to ban since a revolver's feed system is integral to the weapon itself.
Should you choose to buy a revolver, there are two high quality manufacturers which dominate the modern market.
Ruger
Revolvers are easy to understand.
They're simple devices to operate. The basic manual of arms is as follows:
Open the cylinder.
Load ammunition into the cylinder.
Close the cylinder.
Pull the trigger to fire as necessary. Optionally, pull the revolver's hammer back, then pull the trigger.
Open the cylinder when ammunition has been expended.
Slap ejection rod to remove spent shell casings.
Refer back to step 2 if you wish to fire the weapon further.
If you've used one double action revolver, you've pretty much used all of them. The only substantial operational difference between revolvers made by different manufacturers is typically the location of the cylinder release.
All this gives revolvers a short learning curve for basic proficiency. Compared to a semiautomatic, you'll spend less time learning how to manipulate the controls of a revolver and more time learning to become a proficient marksman. This simplicity also makes revolvers relatively foolproof. Revolvers almost never have safeties to mess around with and honestly don't need them. You can always visually check to see if the weapon is cocked and the trigger pull on a double action revolver is long and heavy enough that the weapon won't go off through accident or fleeting negligence in handling.
You don't have to worry about ammunition.
When buying ammunition for semiautomatic guns, at times you have to worry about whether or not the ammunition will allow the gun to function reliably. Some ammunition doesn't have enough power to cycle the reciprocating slide on some weapons. Some ammunition has a bullet shape that might hang up on the feed ramp and cause a jam. Some ammunition is of sufficiently low quality that there might be duds in the box, also causing a malfunction which needs to be cleared by the user.
As long as you buy ammunition in the correct caliber for a revolver, you'll be fine. Since ammunition is rotated in line with the barrel manually, you don't have to worry about the power of the ammunition to cycle the weapon. Bullet shape is similarly not an issue since there isn't any place for unusually shaped bullets to get hung up on. If you encounter a dud cartridge, you can simply pull the trigger again and a fresh round will be cycled into position and fired.
That last feature will be most valuable to you if you buy a .22 caliber rimfire revolver. This caliber has the cheapest ammunition available. While the most expensive, highest quality rimfire ammunition is just as reliable as centerfire ammunition (and still less expensive than the cheapest centerfire ammunition), many new shooters can't resist the urge of buying a bulk pack of 500 rounds of rimfire ammunition for $20-25, even if that ammunition is lower quality and contains multiple duds per box.
You don't need to buy as many accessories.
If you have a revolver, you only need ammunition to make the weapon functional. I'll add that you should probably have a decent holster too. Holsters make pistols much easier to carry around. Carrying guns around in your pocket can get old after a while and looks suspicious to other people too.
Semiautomatics require magazines to function to their full potential. Once you've expended a magazine, it is somewhat time consuming to load more ammunition into the magazine. As such, it's generally advisable to buy multiple magazines to maximize the amount of time you can fire the weapon before you must replenish your magazines' ammunition supply. Multiple magazines can get expensive pretty quickly.
You should also know there are devices such as speed loaders and speed strips which unsurprisingly speed up the loading of a revolver. Should you choose to buy these items, they tend to be significantly cheaper than magazines.
The only real disadvantage of a revolver is the low capacity compared to semiautomatics. For most civilian usage, this is a non-issue. In some ways, lower capacity and lack of detachable magazines may be a positive aspect for new gun owners since such weapons are less threatening to overzealous politicians in favor of gun control and "Assault Weapon Bans" on a local, state or federal level. There's no accessories to ban since a revolver's feed system is integral to the weapon itself.
Should you choose to buy a revolver, there are two high quality manufacturers which dominate the modern market.
Ruger
For the last 30 years, Ruger has been leading the market with the most modern revolver designs. Whether talking about the nearly indestructible GP100 introduced in the late 80s or the recent polymer framed LCR series (seen above), Ruger has always been a serious innovator with durable, reliable and ambitious designs.
Smith & Wesson
Smith & Wesson
Smith has been crafting quality double action revolvers for over a century. While they don't focus on revolver sales nearly as much as they used to, Smith and Wesson definitely isn't going anywhere. They have more models and variations of revolvers than any sane person can keep track of.
Then there's the used market. It has an almost infinite array of revolvers to choose from. Some are superb, rivaling modern production offerings in engineering and material quality. Others are less than stellar. If you wish to dive into the used market, ask away and I'll be more than happy to help advise you.
Then there's the used market. It has an almost infinite array of revolvers to choose from. Some are superb, rivaling modern production offerings in engineering and material quality. Others are less than stellar. If you wish to dive into the used market, ask away and I'll be more than happy to help advise you.
