Are Revolvers Obsolete?

"Why Revolvers Are LESS Reliable Than Autos"--TFB TV (10 min.)

     The host, Andrew (who also does videos for AR15.com and his own channel, the Chopping Block) is normally a straight shooter, which is why this video puzzles me: it is pretty much click bait.

      Of course, we know why why revolvers gained a reputation for reliability, which was mostly an issue of poorer quality ammo in past years and poor design/manufacturing of semi-autos and their magazines. I'm old enough to remember when buying a new pistol meant at least 200 rounds to break it in before you could expect it to shoot reliably, and even then, many designs were intended to only function with ball ammo. And I have books from before my time that discuss how a factory 1911 would need to have an experienced gunsmith to work on it before it could be counted on to shoot reliably. Now we are spoiled, to a certain extent, because handguns typically work reliably straight out of the box. But in the past, out-of-the-box reliability was typically limited to revolvers.

     So, are revolvers more reliable than modern semi-auto pistols? Andrew argues "no" and demonstrates as much by burying a semi-auto and a revolver in some sandy soil and then attempting to shoot them. Both choked up on the sand and grit, but the revolver, arguably, did worse. And even then, Andrew was able to get the semi-auto running reliably again with a bit of oil in the right places. (He didn't attempt to the same with the revolver, assuming without explanation that he would have to remove the sideplate to perform any lubrication and maintenance). From this, he made the leap that revolvers are less reliable and then, from there, the further leap that revolvers are obsolete.

    It is true that revolvers have largely been supplanted by semi-auto pistols among police and citizens alike. Yet revolvers still hold on in two major areas: the small snub-nose revolvers and larger revolvers for hunting and backwoods. And, just based on what I see at gun stores and read online, there seems to be a resurgence of interest in compact and mid-size (i.e., duty) revolvers.

    So what advantages do revolvers hold? Well, on the small end, a fully loaded S&W Airweight or similar is lighter than most 9 mm. semi-autos, even those with similar magazine capacity. They are much thinner in most respects (other than the cylinder) and, in my opinion, tend to conceal a bit better. On the large end, they can handle much larger and more powerful rounds at smaller sizes and weights than semi-auto pistols. A S&W N-Frame or Ruger GP100 is not a small gun, but they are a lot smaller than a Desert Eagle.

    But are there other advantages? Well, I would say that their insensitivity to ammunition is still a plus for some shooters. With the revolver, you have the option of using different types of ammunition and/or ammo with different power (due to different charges of power). For instance, you can load shot rounds for dealing with a snake, you can load light weight round-nose or wad-cutter for small game, rounds intended for self-defense against a human, or more powerful rounds for dealing with a larger animal, without any worry as to whether it will function. If you, as a prepper or survivalist, think that you might someday be forced to scavenge for ammunition, the issue of reliable ammunition may again be relevant.

    Revolvers are more reliable when shot with imperfect holds or presentation of the firearm. Have you ever seen someone limp-wrist a revolver and have it fail to function properly as a result? (In fact, the Bisley style of revolvers were designed to be shot with the arm bent). Have you ever seen a revolver get pushed out of battery when shoved up against a target or other object? Do you think you could fire a semi-auto from inside a pocket and have it function from one shot to another?

    I'm not arguing that revolvers are generally superior to semi-autos. I'm just saying that firearms are tools, and there are circumstances, situations and times that a revolver may be the better tool than a semi-auto pistol.