The World's Most Reliable Handgun
- Thread starter Wendell
- Start date
The ease of use between a Glock and a revolver is identical. Insert ammo via speed loader or magazine. Close the cylinder/cycle the action, shoot. As for adverse conditions, there is no way a revolver dropped in the mud or fired rapidly for more than three cylinders is going to function properly if at all.
I guess if we're going to discuss the most reliable handgun we should set some criteria.
Neither of the above, they would sheer off a frame rail, usually one of the rear ones. The pistol would still function but it was unsafe and removed from service.
TDC
You may not, but I have yet to see a revolver fire three cylinders rapid and then eject without issue. My model 10(albeit old) fails consistently after two to three rapid cylinders. The casings will not eject smoothly and often times one case jumps the star and requires a finger or knife to remove. I have yet to see an auto not drop the magazine when the release is pressed.
TDC
Drop by an IDPA/IPSC shoot when revolver shooters are shooting. You can expand your life experiences.
Take Care
Bob
Thanks Bob,
I've seen many revolvers at matches and not one functioned flawlessly.
TDC
ETA: Brutus, your revolvers are either well maintained or in the minority. Aside from the issues above, the revolver is far from efficient when compared to an auto. I've asked and posted this before and I'll toss it in again. Why are are there separate divisions/classes for revolvers at competitions??
easyrider604
CGN Ultra frequent flyer
- Location
- Greater Vancouver, BC
While I do not go to or attend matches here, I find hard to believe that not a single revolver functioned flawlessly. Meaning 100% of revolvers in matches have some kind of malfunction?
However, while I do love (really love) my revolvers, I have to admit they are not 100% reliable. My GP100, when new, had issues with the cylinder locking up when shooting double action. I sent it to the Ruger Warranty Center and it was fixed. The same problem has cropped up twice recently.
MY 686-3, almost new when I bought it, has had a couple of "locked cylinder" incidents as well. Sure I do not clean my revolvers meticulously, but I have always kept all my guns, including semi-autos, rifles etc, dirty. My three previous 686s have never had a function problem.
In my experience, the most reliable guns I have are my Ruger P-89s. No gun related failures yet.
There were instances of Berretta slides breaking up. Thought I remember the US Army forcing the Italian company's hand, to put steel parts on the critical areas of the slides.
At CFB Petawawa before this slide issue was common knowledge, and when these 9mms were brand new to the US military, we had a training team from Fort Drum conducting foreign weapon familiarization for us Canadian soldiers.
There was Uzis on the line as well. But when thier senior weapons tech found out we were loading/firing the M9 Berrettas with NATO full power 9mm he was livid! I guess there was 9mm pistol ammo, just for the USA issue Berretta only.
As unschooled Canucks with our past experience of Browning Hi-Powers and our SMGs sharing the same ammo lots, we were unaware that this was a no-no with thier then brand new, 9mm pistols.
Oops!.................
PS: If my unschooled terms and memory serves me right, the Berretta M9 also had a "weak spot" regarding a barrel lock/block (locking lug?) that was prone to failure around about 10,000 rounds. To the Italians company's credit they eventually did redesign this AFAIK some time after they became aware of this flaw, and extended warranty work on older models, to cover this with customers in between.
IIRC, with the Taurus copycat, this company chose not to redesign the failing in the original blueprint design, and is plagued with it as a result.
Beretta fixed that with the 92FS or M9. Which is what the US Military use today. Not all branchs mine you but most that are serving overseas now.
I have to call BS to that statement TDC. If you said you have seen revolvers not function flawlessly such a statement would be believeable as would a similar statement being made regarding pistols....but "none". Get Real!
As to your Model 10, I suggest to let the Queen breath and get it fixed. That particular model is a favourite of PPC shooters and they seem to get through their matches quite well, so too ICORE shooters.
There is no question that pistols have proven to be more reliable than revolvers for certain applications for some of the reasons you have posted on this thread and others. I would mention this was one of the motivators behind the US Army seeking out a different firearm back around the turn of the 19th Century. That said, at the time they were dealing with historical Black Powder issues and the fouling that went with them that are a non-issue today.
If you want to see for, apparently the first time, a revolver complete three cylinder firings without failures go to youtube and call up a video featuring Jerry Miculek shooting an IDPA or USPSA match. He seems to do quite well with his revolver shooting times that often beat pistol shooters, shooting at the same Classification level as he is.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rIiykrH0seQ
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5rOkSipERug
There you now have seen 18 rounds min. shot with a revolver without failure.
Try this with your trusty Glock
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lLk1v5bSFPw
Take Care
Bob
I was gonna guess at five in your case but then realized you were shoting IDPA.
I'm practicing for next summer Jim, is it one beer or two? Take Care
Bob
ps Tell Mike unless I get my shoulder fixed he has no chance of getting a strong hand only stage approved.
God now thats fast!!!! I would have shot myself in the leg or something. Thats some sick hand eye hes got.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lLk1v5bSFPw
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lLk1v5bSFPw
I struggle to get my reloads under 3 seconds.
The man knows how to shoot his revolvers. I have seen videos of him shooting shotgun, rifle and pistol and the skill level isn't much different. He has amazing eye/hand co-ordination there is no doubt.Take Care
Bob
Then you don`t attend very many matches...All the matches I have attended, the revolvers have performed almost flawlessly, with the occasional (and expected) breakdown due improper maintenance/bad reloads/poor gunsmithing....I always see more semi-auto`s malfunctioning than revolvers....Good grief, I have fired blackpowder in my revolvers and they last much longer than "2-3" cylinders.....As for separate classes/division at competitions...Are you serious?..I mean truly, are you serious??....Revolvers hold less rounds than auto`s (in case you have not noticed), and revolvers are generally slower to reload....That`s like asking why are there different classes/divisions for semi-auto`s?(Stock, custom etc..)...Why isn`t there just a semi-auto class, and leave it at that?....If you have seen revolvers at matches always jamming after a few cylinders, then it`s because people are trying to do their gunsmithing and have buggered up the internals, or bad reloading.....Of course, try saying all this stuff to a person like Jerry Miculek...You would be laughed off the range....
Sorry about your problem...My GP100 was purchased about 15 years ago and my S&W was bought about 20 years ago, and the only thing that "malfunctioned" was when I carelessly reloaded a batch of .357`s with the primers too high.....
- Location
- Saskatchewan
