Revolvers vs pistols?

pis·tol   [pis-tl] noun, verb, -toled, -tol·ing or ( especially British ) -tolled, -tol·ling.

noun

1. a short firearm intended to be held and fired with one hand.

A semi auto pistol is more prone to different types of jams than a recover but the trade off is that most jams can be cleared in less than a second with proper training and you have a much higher capacity than a comparable sized revolver.

With proper training, the semi automatic pistol is the better choice.

For someone who is less trained, the revolver is the better choice.

This is the reason why 99% of all police departments and military forces worldwide carry semi automatic pistols.

A revolver Is a Pistol , which Is a handgun. Sorry to be pedantic, but guns aren't toys, no amount of ignorance in their basic designations, legal definitions, possession, and use is excusable. Someone may go to jail or be shot. That's all.

You mean, an Auto Pistol vs. a Revolver? Revolvers have a history of jamming less, yes, but some autos are pretty well made. The ones designed specifically for the military jam less, like a P38 was pretty reliable, whereas a Luger would jam on the slightest particle of grit.

Any gun wil miss fire on bad ammo, it's just that with a a wheel gun, you can simply go to the next chamber . An auto will jam on bad ammo; you need take immediate action.

I understand your question, for the rest. A revolver is a type of pistol. A hand held firearm made first time at Pistoia in Italy, whence they receive their name. They were single shot pistols.

Modern semi autos are not prone to jamming as some older guns were. A revolver can be slightly less accurate because each cylinder chamber can be microscopically different that can change pressures and ballistics. Still, I am fond of the old wheel guns for the nostalgia

Revolvers typically are less prone to failure than similar quality semi-auto pistols.

Most Semi auto FTE FTF failures are magazine related or operator induced. Lack of lubrication and dirt can stop a semi auto also.

When a revolver ceases to function it's usually a broken firing pin, broken hand, pawl or spring. Dirt under an extractor star or a ejector rod that's loose can bind a cylinder. Bullets (not crimped properly) can move forward from their cases and lock up a cylinder also.

That being said... I have been present for literally thousands of rounds fired from both platforms and have seen a dozen revolver failures in 30 years. I will see a semi auto fail to return to battery or have other "tap rack and shoot" procedures applied to it every week. I have seen mags fall out.. floor-plates blow off mags, seen ruptured cases blow out Glock 23's in the last year alone.

No firearm is foolproof...

You are correct. Wheel guns aka revolvers are a whole leap forward in reliability and immune to jams. Semi-autos carry a higher round count which is why they're more popular. Some wheel guns tend to be more accurate than most semi-autos too. The only real exception would be guns like the 1911 because it has a light, single-action trigger.

* A Revolver is a Revolver.* A Pistol is a Semi-automatic Pistol.* A Derringer is a Pocket Pistol.* I have and use both a Semi-auto Pistol, and a Revolver.*

revolvers dont jam, well most of them dont jam ive had a revolver jam on me a few times. but thats what a 100 dollar revolver will get you.

semi automatics have a higher velocity because they dont have a gap. but higher chance of jamming.

its a simple pros and cons and it all comes down to whatever you are comfortable with

Two schools of thought there.

Auto loaders DO jam more often, but are easy to 'clear' quickly.

There are 'ammo malfunctions' that can jam a revolver

beyond your ability to clear it at all.

I have had revolvers for over 40 years, auto's about 20.

If I have a choice...I will choose a semi auto any day over a revolver.

Yes, for most people a revolver.

It appears the definition of pistol is changing, probably due to common misuse in referring to revolvers as "pistols". Languages do change when popular usage changes.

The classic definition of pistol is:

"When distinguished as a subset of handguns, a pistol is a handgun with a chamber that is integral with the barrel, as opposed to a revolver, wherein the chamber is separate from the barrel as a revolving cylinder."