The Firing Line Forums - View Single Post - The FLIP SIDE to "revolver vs semi" debates

swopjan · December 24, 2013, 03:53 PM

I understand the OP wanting some statistics on different aspects of defensive gun use but I think the value of such statistics (I'll use the NYPD as an example since that's what we have) is severely degraded without knowing specifics about the people using them.

What do we know about our data? The NYPD is composed primarily of able-bodied men openly carrying SA pistols with at least some semblance of a training schedule. Those who have joined the force since 1994 will be carrying semi-automatic Glock, Sig Sauer P226, and S&W 5946 DAO pistols (date and issued guns are according to wikipedia). This makes the NYPD stats great for guys like us, who are primarily able-bodied men with some semblance of a training schedule and familiarity with semi-autos. But, they're next to useless for someone who falls outside of that norm.

My little sister for example will happily and accurately shoot a 4" .357 magnum in single or double action, but put a semi-automatic 9mm in her hands and it stovepipes every time unless she makes a conscious effort to hold it firmly. On the other hand, I'm pretty good with a single action semi-automatic but a semi or revolver with a long double-action trigger will occasionally trip me up because I'm used to short triggers and I'll let off the trigger before the shot breaks. We also don't have a range nearby so live-fire practice is limited. These are things that wouldn't be taken into account by DGU statistics.

The NYPD statistics provide a lot of information but would not help me or my sister in choosing a defensive weapon type because they primarily measure end results of specific double-action or striker-fired pistols (that my sister and I are not naturally inclined to shoot well anyway). We also behave differently. I can shoot 10 rounds of .45 faster and as accurately as I can 6 of .357. My sister on the other hand shoots slowly. An extra four rounds of .45 would be nice, but her chances of placing up to 6 shots well with the revolver are markedly better than her placing the first 6 well with any semi-automatic in the same time frame. So the short answer for any revolver vs. semi-automatic debate is, it depends on who's shooting it.

December 24, 2013, 03:53 PM	#55
swopjan Senior Member Join Date: August 12, 2011 Posts: 156	I understand the OP wanting some statistics on different aspects of defensive gun use but I think the value of such statistics (I'll use the NYPD as an example since that's what we have) is severely degraded without knowing specifics about the people using them. What do we know about our data? The NYPD is composed primarily of able-bodied men openly carrying SA pistols with at least some semblance of a training schedule. Those who have joined the force since 1994 will be carrying semi-automatic Glock, Sig Sauer P226, and S&W 5946 DAO pistols (date and issued guns are according to wikipedia). This makes the NYPD stats great for guys like us, who are primarily able-bodied men with some semblance of a training schedule and familiarity with semi-autos. But, they're next to useless for someone who falls outside of that norm. My little sister for example will happily and accurately shoot a 4" .357 magnum in single or double action, but put a semi-automatic 9mm in her hands and it stovepipes every time unless she makes a conscious effort to hold it firmly. On the other hand, I'm pretty good with a single action semi-automatic but a semi or revolver with a long double-action trigger will occasionally trip me up because I'm used to short triggers and I'll let off the trigger before the shot breaks. We also don't have a range nearby so live-fire practice is limited. These are things that wouldn't be taken into account by DGU statistics. The NYPD statistics provide a lot of information but would not help me or my sister in choosing a defensive weapon type because they primarily measure end results of specific double-action or striker-fired pistols (that my sister and I are not naturally inclined to shoot well anyway). We also behave differently. I can shoot 10 rounds of .45 faster and as accurately as I can 6 of .357. My sister on the other hand shoots slowly. An extra four rounds of .45 would be nice, but her chances of placing up to 6 shots well with the revolver are markedly better than her placing the first 6 well with any semi-automatic in the same time frame. So the short answer for any revolver vs. semi-automatic debate is, it depends on who's shooting it.