Free For All Friday 10-10-2014: Revolvers and stuff.
I was doing some thinking. That’s rarely a good thing but still. At the moment, I only have the budget for one big gun convention a year. For the last couple years the SHOT Show has been my show of choice. There were some things that bothered me a bit about it, however. It wasn’t the fact that it was in Vegas. Unlike most other people in my particular niche, I adore Vegas. It was more of the timing of the vendors. Here is one of the largest media events in the world and they don’t really reveal much. It seems that more stuff gets announced and unveiled at the NRA Annual Meeting each year than at SHOT. With that in mind, I’ve decided to give that show a chance instead. If it turns out to be a bust, I’ll head back to SHOT the following year but, considering the focus of this site, the workshops and such at NRAAM concerning firearm safety and training are much closer to the purview of this site’s subject matter.
“I read in several of your reviews that you are tired of reviewing revolvers cause you just pull the trigger and bang. But like I said before I’m new to handguns and looking to get one to carry now. Right now I have a .22 revolver and just use it for target shooting. But can you tell me what you think about the Beretta M9 and the Ruger LCR9mm? I do like revolvers because mine is so easy to clean, but for a carry gun I would like to go with a 9mm. From all that I have read there isn’t a lot of recoil and ammo is cheap. Maybe in the future I would look at a .38 special.” -Rob H.
Yep, revolvers are boring to review. There’s no spark. There’s no drama. They’re like the humble computer nerd of the gun world. Yes, they’ve got a lot of money, will worship their girlfriend and be 100% faithful to them but for some reason women still tend to lean towards the guys on probation with borderline psychopathic tendencies. Same thing here. Now, in relationships that stinks but in the gun world, that’s not exactly a bad thing. You want something dependable to defend yourself with. For reviews…well…like I said: boring. Let’s face it, they don’t typically put people that look like me on magazine covers and centerfolds.
Now, in the grand scheme of things, revolvers aren’t exactly any more dependable in the long run than a semi-auto pistol. Both can suffer failures. The difference being that failures on a revolver are almost always classified as “catastrophic”. On the other hand, revolvers are much more forgiving for bad technique and less than stellar maintenance. It truly is a “six in one, half a dozen in the other” type of scenario. For every strength one has, there are also weaknesses that the other doesn’t have. Revolver vs semi will be an argument raging to the end of time.
Personally, I love the Beretta M9 (or 92). Ask anyone in the military and they’ll likely tell you that there’s no better gun to qualify with. They are solid, fun, dependable and accurate as heck thanks to that 5 inch barrel. The only reason I don’t have one is because money and the fact that I already have a large number of 9mm pistols and justifying another one to Mrs. Noob would be near impossible at the moment.
Concerning the LCR, I like the LCR as a carry pistol. Full disclosure, however, I ultimately traded my LCR .38SP in for an LC9 semi. You specifically mentioned the LCR 9mm. Keep in mind this is my personal opinion but something in my brain just doesn’t like the idea of putting typically semi-auto calibers into a revolver. At the same time, with the exception of the .44 Magnum Desert Eagle, I’m not too sold on stereotypical revolver calibers in semi-autos.
One thing to keep in mind is that most specifically designed carry guns, regardless of caliber, are going to have far more felt recoil than their larger cousins. It’s just the nature of physics. If you have a Beretta M9 firing 9mm and a Ruger LC9 (also in 9mm), the Beretta is going to be a very comfortable shoot while the LC9 is going to be snappy and, frankly, a bit on the painful side. Same thing with the ultralight revolvers. Whether you put 9mm or .38 Special in them, they’re going to have some punch. That’s why I prefer semi-autos for carry. I hate recoil and I don’t mind carrying a heavier gun in order to tame it a bit.
Your mileage may vary.
Thanks for the questions!
So do you have a question burning in your mind? We answer them every Friday so send them in! It doesn’t matter what it is, as long as it’s arguably gun related we want to hear it! Head over to our Facebook or Twitter or Contact Page and send them in. See you next Friday!
Like what you read? GunNoob is now part of Pew Pew Tactical. Check out the rest of our awesome resources:
Leave a Reply