Revolvers vs Semi-Auto Pistols

Revolvers vs Semi-Auto Pistols

Today we are going to be talking about revolvers and semi-auto pistols, the two predominant types of handguns. Both styles of handguns have persisted in common use for well over a century and find themselves in the good graces of shooters of all ages in the modern era.

Revolvers vs Semi-Auto Pistols

Before we get into the discussion let's start with a definition of revolver and semi-auto pistol, and take some time to go over the difference including single action and double action operation.

Revolvers

Revolvers are firearms known for their simple yet effective design. They feature a rotating cylinder that holds a set number of rounds, commonly six or more, in separate chambers. When the trigger is pulled, the cylinder rotates, aligning a fresh round with the barrel. Revolvers are often favored for their reliability and ease of use, as they have fewer moving parts than semi-automatic pistols, making them less prone to jamming. However, single action revolvers usually have a slower rate of fire due to the need to manually cock the hammer or pull the trigger for each shot. Double action revolvers can also be slower to fire given the longer, heavier trigger pull than that of a semi-auto pistol.

Semi-Auto Pistols

Semi-automatic pistols, or semi-autos for short, are modern handguns renowned for their rapid-fire capabilities. These firearms use a semi-automatic mechanism to automatically eject the spent cartridge case, chamber a new round, and reset the firing mechanism for the next shot. Unlike revolvers, semi-auto pistols come with detachable magazines that can hold various capacities of ammunition, commonly ranging from 7 to 20 rounds or more. This design allows for faster shooting, making semi-auto pistols a popular choice among law enforcement, self-defense enthusiasts, and competitive shooters.

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Types of Revolvers

While derived from older designs predating the turn of the century, revolvers still remain popular among shooters in the modern era. While older revolvers utilized black powder and cap and ball, modern renditions since after the advent of smokeless powder have utilized traditional cartridges. Like the name suggests, revolvers feature a revolving cylinder that holds the rounds and facilitates firing.

Revolvers are often generically referred to as “six shooters” in popular culture. It should be noted that the capacity of revolvers can differ depending on factors such as caliber and model.

Smith & Wesson in particular highlights this range as they offer traditional 5-shot J-Frame revolvers in .38 Special to Model 617 10-shot revolvers in .22 Long Rifle. Revolvers can be found in multiple chamberings such as .357 Magnum, .44 Magnum, .22 Magnum just to name a few.

You will typically find revolvers in either single action or double action form. Single action revolvers will generally feature fixed cylinders captured by a pin while double action revolvers typically feature cylinders that swing out to the side to facilitate faster loading and unloading.

Single Action Revolvers

Single action revolvers are most commonly seen in the form of Model 1873 Single Action Army examples from either Colt or other companies that make high quality clones. Commonly referred to as “cowboy guns”, these types of revolvers require the shooter to cock the hammer back for each shot and feature an involved unloading and reloading process.

To reload a single action revolver such as a Single Action Army, a shooter will typically have to unload each chamber on the cylinder manually by aligning spent casings with an ejection rod and then push them out with said rod. This all must be done with the loading gate open so that the spent cartridges can fall free from the revolver. Then one must simply load each round into the cylinder manually and repeat the process as needed.

Double Action Revolvers

Double action revolvers will typically feature a cylinder that the user can swing out to the side to load the handgun. Rather than having to utilize an ejector rod while rotating the cylinder to unload the revolver, one can simply swing the cylinder out and hit the ejector rod to dump all the spent casings at once.

Double action revolvers can be fired like a single action revolver as well if one were to cock back the hammer for each shot. The benefit to doing this would be a lighter trigger pull more conducive to producing accurate groups.

Some double action revolvers are configured in a double action only setup, sporting either a bobbed hammer or internal hammer mechanism. Bobbing the hammer of a double action revolver is an old school way to make a revolver double action only, essentially removing the spurred part of the hammer to “disable” the means to cock the hammer back. Of course, one could still cock the hammer back if they were to move the hammer back enough and then pull it back but this would defeat the purpose of the modification.

Another purpose of bobbing the hammer was to reduce the likelihood of the hammer snagging when concealed or holstered.

An organic way of making a revolver double action only is to simply conceal the hammer mechanism within the frame of the handgun itself. This is commonly seen with examples such as the Smith & Wesson Model 642 or the hammerless variants of the Ruger LCR.

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Types of Semi-Auto Pistols

In the modern context, the most common pistols will be of the semi-auto variety. While semi-auto pistols tend to be the norm these days, we can’t forget about exceptions such as the Thompson Contender, a fixed barrel break-action pistol.

Typically, a semi-auto pistol will feed from a detachable box magazine, usually one of the single-stack or double-stack variety. Just to illustrate the range of capacity available for modern semi-auto pistols, the Sig Sauer P238 features a 6-round single-stack magazine while a Staccato P feeds from 17 or 20 round double-stack magazines. Semi-auto pistols will usually ship with multiple magazines to provide the end user with multiple means of feeding their pistol.

Like revolvers, modern semi-auto pistols can also be found in single action or double action form. Most of the popular semi-auto pistol designs that originated in the 20th century operated in either single action or double action form. Striker fired semi-autos have also become increasingly popular from the late 20th century onward, providing prospective semi-auto pistol purchasers with yet another option to fill their holsters.

Most modern semi-auto pistols feature an accessory rail of some kind to facilitate the attachment of accessories such as lights or lasers. While most options these days are going to feature a 1913 Picatinny spec rail or slot, some semi-auto pistols feature different mounting solutions.

Notable examples are Glock pistols prior to their fifth-generation of pistols. Pre-Gen 5 Glocks feature a rail slot that accommodates “universal” spec attachments as opposed to Picatinny spec options. Most popular options, such as the X300 line from Surefire and the TLR1 line from Streamlight, are accompanied by both “universal” and Picatinny mounting hardware.

Single Action Semi-Autos

Single action semi-auto pistols were dominant during the first half of the 20th century. John Moses Browning’s 1911 and Hi Power designs were popular across the globe and have since inspired multiple subsequent designs.

Typically, a single action semi-auto pistol will feature at least a manual safety while some examples such as the 1911 featuring an additional safety on the grip. Like their revolver counterparts, single action semi-autos will generally feature a light and crisp trigger pull.

As a single action firearm, these pistols will need to be cocked manually prior to firing, a feat accomplished by simply loading the pistol. As the pistol is fired, the reciprocation of the slide will recock the hammer and prepare the pistol for subsequent shots.

Double Action Semi-Autos

Double action semi-auto pistols typically will feature two distinct trigger pulls. If the hammer is down, pulling the trigger will yield a long trigger pull as the hammer is cocked back in preparation to fire. After the initial, long trigger pull, the reciprocation of the slide would cock back the hammer for subsequent shots, yielding lighter trigger pulls.

A unique feature of double action handguns is their “second strike” capability. What this means is that if you were to get a “click” with no “bang”, you could simply pull the trigger to attempt to fire the round again. At this point, the trigger pull would be a heavier double action that will potentially ignite the primer on the chambered round.

Striker Fired Semi-Autos

Rather than relying on an external hammer system, striker fired semi-auto pistols utilize an internal striker assembly. Striker fired pistols have less parts in their operating mechanism than single action and double action semi-auto pistols. Less parts means less to go wrong.

While a striker fired semi-auto pistol like a Glock is technically a double action pistol, with the trigger cocking the striker back and subsequently dropping the striker, they operate similarly to single action firearms in practice. Striker fired pistols operate similarly to single action firearms in the sense that there is no “second strike” capability and they must first be cocked to initiate the firing process.

Nowadays, a sizeable portion of the modern pistol market consists of striker fired examples. While Glock didn’t invent the striker fired handgun, they have certainly seen a great deal of success in the market for over three decades. The success of Glock’s pistols has inspired companies to introduce striker fired models of their own to compete with the Glock offerings and capitalize on the popularity of striker fired pistols.

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Revolver Pros and Cons

Pros:

• Revolvers are simple to use, easy to load, and quick to shoot. Simply load the cylinder and you’re ready to go.
• The fixed barrels found on revolvers are capable of producing exceptional mechanical accuracy.
• Due to the nature of their design, a revolver does not require their owner to stock up on additional magazines.
• Some revolvers are capable of accepting two different calibers.
  • If you have a .357 Magnum chambered revolver, you can shoot .38 Special through it as well. In some cases, revolvers were shipped with more than one cylinder to facilitate the use of different calibers. An example of this is the Ruger Single-Six, a single action revolver which would ship with a cylinder for .22 Long Rifle and .22 Magnum.
• Revolvers obviously do not possess a reciprocating slide and thus do not require a shooter to look for ammunition “hot” enough to ensure reliable cycling.
  • It should also be noted that shooting lightly loaded ammunition might result in a squib load and one should be aware of this possibility.

Cons:

• Revolvers have less capacity than semi-auto pistols.
  • Most modern service pistols will hold two to three times the capacity of a standard 6-shot revolver.
• Holster availability is limited compared to the abundance of options for semi-auto pistols.
• Reloading a revolver is slower than inserting a magazine into a sem-auto pistol (unless you’re Jerry Miculek).
  • Single action revolvers require the user to rotate the cylinder and push the ejector rod through each hole in the cylinder to unload the revolver.
  • The process of reloading a double action revolver can be sped up by utilizing a speed loader or a speed strip. If you are lacking these reloading aids, you will have to load each round individually.
• Disassembly of revolvers is more complicated than for modern semi-auto pistols.
  • To gain access to the internal components of something like a Smith and Wesson Model 10, one would need to make use of a screwdriver to remove multiple screws and take off the side plate. While this process isn’t exceptionally complicated, it is a more involved process than what is needed to take down a modern pistol.
• Modularity is limited compared to modern semi-auto pistols.
  • Fewer aspects of a revolver can be customized when compared to most semi-auto pistols on the market.
• Calibers are often limited to rimmed cartridges, although some revolvers may be chambered in rimless cases and used with moon clips.

Semi-Auto Pistol Pros and Cons

Pros:

• Semi-auto pistols will generally have a higher capacity than revolvers.
  • Not only does the average service pistol typically possess over twice the capacity of the average revolver, but even some of the compact and concealed carry options available today eclipse the capacity of a revolver. For example, Heckler & Koch’s P30SK in 9mm Luger is capable of accepting 13 and 15 round magazines.
• There are more holsters available for pistols than revolvers.
  • While one can find leather or kydex holsters that will fit most modern revolvers or semi-auto pistols, there are simply more options available to fit pistols than revolvers. This is particularly evident when it comes to duty style holsters that feature higher levels of retention. For example, one can find more options from Safariland that fit pistols than revolvers.
• Semi-auto pistols can be taken apart much easier than revolvers, making them easier to service.
  • Unlike most revolvers, the takedown process of most modern pistols can be accomplished without the assistance of tools.
• Semi-auto pistols are much more modular and customizable than revolvers.
  • While one can swap things such as sights, grips, and internal components on revolvers, you can modify more parts on a modern pistol.
  • If you were to buy a stock Glock 19 pistol, you could truly make it your own and customize it as much as you’d like. Want to stick to more practical and simple upgrades? Throw some Tangodown Vickers parts on there, upgrade the sights, and get yourself a threaded barrel.
  • Want to go even further? You can get into some custom slide and frame modifications if you so desire.
  • Want to leave the gun alone and enjoy it as is? Go right ahead. The moral of the story here is that you have much more to work with when customizing a modern pistol than a revolver.
• Pistols can be found in more caliber options than revolvers, including modern cartridges that have been developed in recent years such as 30 Super Carry.

Cons:

• Semi-auto pistols have a more complex manual of arms than a revolver.
  • This is not to suggest that semi-auto pistols are hard to use, but there are simply more steps needed to operate one compared to a revolver.
• Modern semi-automatic pistols are dependent on the use of magazines.
  • At the end of the day, magazines are ultimately consumable items that will wear with use. Luckily, they can be serviced and are readily available for modern semi-auto pistol options. It should be noted that acquiring more magazines is an additional expense one will not encounter with a revolver.
• Potentially more ammunition sensitive than revolvers.
  • For example, depending on your setup, if you were to run lightly loaded ammunition, your semi-auto pistol might have issues reliably cycling the slide.

Conclusion: Is a Revolver or Semi-Auto Pistol Right for You?

At the end of the day, whether you are a revolver enjoyer or a semi-auto pistol fan, the market has you covered. There are plenty of quality options available from a variety of manufacturers. Whether you want to rock a classic wheelgun or run a semi-auto pistol, you can find something to suit your needs and tastes. We here at True Shot Academy want to hear what you all prefer when it comes to revolvers or semi-auto pistols. What do you prefer and why? Happy shooting.