Revolver versus Semi Auto – Another Perspective

We have had the revolver versus semi auto debate on the blog already.  There is another way to look at this and many people choose a semi auto for the wrong reason.

Many people choose a semi auto over a revolver for the concept of superior firepower. The idea is that a semi auto gives the ability to shoot a lot more during a threat situation.  You can get pistols with 20 round magazines. You might think that would make it preferable to a normal six shot revolver.

Well, that’s not necessarily so.  The problem is that in a home defense situation you are not going to be laying suppressive fire as in an infantry firefight. Most home defense situations occur under less than 10 feet and involve less than three rounds being fired.  You don’t need 20 rounds to accomplish this.

Another argument made for semi-autos is the use of magazines themselves. With a semi-auto you can reload on the fly.  Once again, most defense situations involve only one to three rounds.  You don’t need several magazines to get you to the end.

There are two reasons for reloading in a firefight – the situation has escalated beyond your efforts to control it and you are not making effective shots.

Remember you can’t miss fast enough!

In fact, if you get in a gun fight with an intruder, carjacker, potential rapist, etc and start spraying lead all over the place you could be in a much worse situation than if you took calm, well placed shots.  If you hit a bystander you will be in trouble. Even if you just put down the threat, the number of shots you fire could be used against you in court.  Not saying that you limit your shots, but you need to be accurate and judicious of your shots.

Now don’t get me wrong, I prefer automatics.  That’s just because that’s what I was taught on and am confident in my ability to use it effectively in a threat situation.

Whatever you have for a weapon, you first need to get some good training on it. Then you need to practice and train and continually keep your skills up to a point where you don’t think you have to compensate by having loads and loads of ammo.

If you are looking for a first gun, don’t automatically go for the semi-auto. Take your time, ask around and try out some different ones at the local gun shop/range.  Don’t get stuck on a semi auto just for the magazine capacity.

What do you think about this?  Let us know in the comment.