The safer handgun for home/self defense. The revolver or the pistol?

[Kaleva]

Time and again, I read an article about an accidental shooting where a person has the mag removed from the pistol but forgets about the round in the chamber.

If one were to buy and handgun for self defense but also wants a type that maybe inherently safer to have on their person or home, which would be the better choice, the revolver or a semi-auto pistol?

[ManiacJoe]

1. This will depend on how you define "safer".

External safeties:

Revolvers as a rule have no external safeties. If you pull the trigger, the gun fires.

Some pistols have external safeties (thumb and/or grip and/or trigger). If the pistol has a safety, you need to turn it off before the gun will fire when you pull the trigger.

For the pistols without external safeties, they are like revolvers: when you pull the trigger, the gun fires.

Firing the gun:

Most modern revolvers are double/single action. If the hammer is down, pulling the trigger will bring back the hammer using a long, heavy pull, releasing the hammer and firing the gun at the end of the pull. If the hammer is manually pulled back, the trigger pull will be light and short to fire the gun.

Some pistols work the same way (double/single action). Other pistols only release the hammer by the trigger pull so that the hammer need to be manually cocked or cocked by the recoil of the gun.

Malfunctions:

As long as a revolver is well maintained, it will fire virtually every time. If it does malfunction, fixing it will virtually always require a gunsmith.

Pistols are more prone to malfunction, mostly during the reloading cycle, often due to issues with the magazine holding the extra ammo. However, these types of malfunctions are easily fixed by the user in seconds.


My recommendation would be a semi-auto pistol for the larger ammo supply and quicker reloads.

Regardless of which you get, if you are not going to have a gun safe to put it in, you will want something like a GunVault lock box to prevent unauthorized access.

[Travis_0004]

2. some semi autos also have a mag safety and will not fire without a magazine

It can be a nice feature, but should never be relied on.

Either one can be perfectly safe, no matter what gun you have you and your spouse should take a training class and commit to practice with it. Learn the rules of gun safety, and follow them every time. I dont care if I checked my gun 30 seconds ago and confirmed its unloafed, Im going to treat it as if its loaded. That means always pointing it in a safe direction.

I have a glock and I have to pull the trigger to take it apart. I rack the slide, physically look that its empty, then point it in a safe direction.

So if you are not experienced with guns I think a revolver can be safer, but if you are going to get a gun not not commit to getting the experience, I think that is shortsighted.

[SheilaT]

3. How about

no gun at all.

What a strange concept.

[Straw Man]

4. That's fine.

How about

no gun at all.

What a strange concept.

But that's not always safer. You probably will never need a gun, but if you ever do, it's nice to have one.

[SheilaT]

6. Well, it's astonishing how many of us don't feel like we need a gun.

And oddly enough, it's those who think they do need a gun who somehow get involved in some sort of gun mishap. Like a two year old finds the gun, with tragic results. And so on.

Have those of you who think you might need a gun EVER looked at the statistics about how having a gun in the home leads to a huge increase in death by those guns? You just might want to.

[NYC_SKP]

11. I used a gun, it saved my life. Never had a mishap. There go all your arguments.

And your statistics don't help your arguments,, the entire body of data is incomplete and can be used to refute your own conclusions.

You seem to have accepted the lies that you've read.

[SheilaT]

12. Good to kinow.

So because your gun saved your life once, you're perfectly fine with the 30,000 or so gun deaths each year. Especially the ones where a kid finds a gun and "accidentally" shoots another little kid. And you can't absolve yourself by your sanctimonious statement about you've never had a mishap, because "mishaps" happen far too often.

[NYC_SKP]

13. Did I say I was "fine with" anything? No. And I support your right to not own a gun, that's fine.

Just don't try to abridge my right to self defense, OK?

You wrote:

And oddly enough, it's those who think they do need a gun who somehow get involved in some sort of gun mishap. Like a two year old finds the gun, with tragic results. And so on.

Have those of you who think you might need a gun EVER looked at the statistics about how having a gun in the home leads to a huge increase in death by those guns? You just might want to.

"Having a gun leads to a huge increase..." is about as obvious as "being in a car leads to a huge increase in being hurt in a car accident"; it's obvious and absent further comment, useless.

You and I both want fewer mishaps and deaths.

I say we should require proof of having passed safety training in order to buy guns and ammo, UBCs, and sales of locks with each gun purchase, and more.

I also want far better mental health services provided to everyone, and I want an end to income equity, an end to increasing levels of hopelessness.

What do you propose to reduce the number of mishaps and deaths?

[Straw Man]

16. I am Straw Man ...

So because your gun saved your life once, you're perfectly fine with the 30,000 or so gun deaths each year.

... and I do not approve of this message. "Perfectly fine"? Who said anything about being "perfectly fine" with all those deaths?

And you can't absolve yourself by your sanctimonious statement about you've never had a mishap, because "mishaps" happen far too often.

Car accidents happen all too often, too, especially when people drive drunk. I think that calls for a reinstatement of prohibition and the adoption of some far more stringent driver licensing requirements. Don't you?

[acalix]

25. Those deaths are quite rare in the absolute sense.

Less than 100 actually. You can pull up the CDC statistics.

Your child is more likely to accidentally drown in a pool.

[acalix]

26. Depends. Are you fine with 90,000 alcohol deaths each year?

So you can continue to sip your wine?

[Erich Bloodaxe BSN]

28. The problem with that sort of 'trade off rhetoric'

is that when people actually are fine with banning something else, like alcohol, the gun person pretends that's not what they meant and goes on to call the person willing to ban both guns and X (alcohol in this instance) as some sort of authoritarian fascist type, even though the gunner brought up the idea first.

[acalix]

30. So you're fine with banning alcohol?

Good. All I needed to hear.

Thank you for making your intentions clear. This is why I will never support gun control, it's always a slippery slope.

[Erich Bloodaxe BSN]

31. Hah, and you prove my point. nt

[acalix]

34. Are you fine with banning guns?

Simple question.

[Straw Man]

15. Good for you.

And oddly enough, it's those who think they do need a gun who somehow get involved in some sort of gun mishap. Like a two year old finds the gun, with tragic results. And so on.

I don't have any children. I live alone. I'm a certified firearms safety instructor. I don't drink, use drugs, or associate with criminals. The odds are in my favor.

Have those of you who think you might need a gun EVER looked at the statistics about how having a gun in the home leads to a huge increase in death by those guns? You just might want to.

People who don't keep a gun in the home can never be harmed by a gun kept in the home: That is a meaningless truism. In reality, I think you'll find that if you control for the factors I mentioned above, the probability drops very, very low.

[benEzra]

19. Then don't own one. Your home, your choice.

My home, my choice.

FYI, you might want to look a little more closely at the Kellerman et al studies in JAMA that you obliquely cite, and their derivatives funded by the gun-control lobby. I've read a number of them. Weighing the risk factors, for me and my circumstances I conclude it's a net safety benefit to responsibly own guns; you obviously disagree and have chosen accordingly. Good for you; it's a free country, and I respect your choice.

[pablo_marmol]

5. Not everyone is comfortable being defenseless.

What a strange concept!

[ileus]

10. I care about mine and my families life too much for that.

[MicaelS]

18. That is you choice not mine.

And I am like Straw Man

I am a single man who lives alone. I don't have any children. I don't drink or use drugs. I am not a criminal, nor do I associate with criminals.

I choose to own guns. I will not be shamed, shunned, embarrassed or guilt-tripped into not owning them. No amount of appeals to empathy will sway me. The day I no longer own guns it will be my choice, and mine alone.

[krispos42]

7. Some handguns have built-in locks

A twist of a small Allen-wrench-like key will freeze the firing mechanism so the gun can't be used. You can find them on both revolvers and pistols. I believe Taurus has this on all or most their handguns.

Revolvers have the advantage of being able to see exactly what is loaded in the gun, and simply turning the gun upwards and whacking the ejection rod will completely unload the gun.

Of course, with semiautos simply ejecting the magazine and racking the slide until it locks back* will also completely unload the gun.

It's about practice and habit.

Revolvers are simpler to operate in times of stress, but typically only hold 6 rounds (5 to 6 are the most common, with 7&8 shots also available) and are slower to reload. They also don't generally have mounting rails for lasers and/flashlights.

Older-design semiautos have more levers and such to operate, which isn't really a big deal to learn but you have to learn it. In a crisis you don't want to forget something.

newer-design semiautos are revolver-simple in terms of controls and shooting, but there are still things you need to practice, such as unloading, loading, and malfunction clearance.



= note: some semiautos, particularly .22s, don't lock back on an empty magazine

[littlewolf]

8. for home self defense meaning you do not intend to carry it

on you when you are out and about.
I would get a revolver. they do not jam, they do not stovepipe (this is when a
round does not completely ejects from the weapon.)

remember even though it is only for self defense you still will need to go
to a range and practice with it and become comfortable with it.

there are a lot of choices, most ranges will let you rent a gun to practice with.
this is a good way to find one you feel comfortable with, weight and bbl length.

another choice to consider if it a home defense weapon is a 20 Ga. pump
shotgun. you do not have to worry about over penetration of walls.
where do you live, town, country, apt. ?
that is also something to consider.

[ileus]

9. For me safer is 19+1 rounds ready to protect.

It's also a SA/DA hammer fired semi-auto, so the first shot is a long 8# trigger pull. I'm from the you can't have too many rounds camp...


Now safer as I read your post would probably never happen if the owner doesn't have enough sense to clear the chamber without pulling the trigger. Now I'm sure lots of these ND's are glockers that own pistols that require them to pull the trigger before disassembly.


Now some would argue still that a revolver is the safer bet because they "won't" jam like some semi's can, but then again you'll be limited to 5, 6 maybe 8 at best

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Now for Conceal Carry I find revolvers to be just too wide because of the cylinder, my DW carries a 642 but not on her hip. The few times I've carried it was on my side and it's just not as easy to conceal as my LCP or Shield. YMMV

[littlewolf]

14. understand and agree with you.

I carry a Glock 19 but i am paranoid, rack the slide 3 or 4 times
look in the chamber, look away, look in again.
close the slide and pull the trigger.

I am starting the wife with a .22 wheelgun
no jams, no stove pipes, and no real recoil, and not alot
of noise. good starter system.
work her toward the 9mm.

[NYC_SKP]

17. Others are more qualified than I am. But I'd lean toward a revolver for reliability.

My weapon of choice for home defense is a pump shotgun.

Simply because I've had semiautomatic pistols and shotguns jam on me, specifically a Intratec TEC-9 and a Browning A-5.

Both simply failed to fully eject a round, preventing the next round from chambering.

That doesn't instill confidence, though I realized the Intratec isn't a finely built machine and that there are semiauto handguns less likely to fail in that manner.

[Nuclear Unicorn]

23. Now you've got me rethinking my post (#22). I'm still pretty sure about what I wrote but

you do have me thinking. I guess I don't shoot enough to have encountered a jam and Lover Boy has a "military discipline" about cleaning the guns after we shoot.

[benEzra]

20. If one is worried about that particular mistake, one can get a pistol with a magazine disconnects.

The downside of a mag safety is that it prevents the gun from firing even if your life depends on it if the magazine is dropped or not seated enough. That's why most LE agencies prohibit magazine disconnects. So weigh the pros/cons and choose accordingly.

The advantage of *some* revolvers is power; a single round of .357 is more powerful and more effective than a single round of 9mm. The downside of a revolver is that most revolvers hold only five to nine rounds, meaning you have little or no reserve capacity, whereas a typical full-sized 9mm holds fifteen to eighteen rounds even with flush-fit magazines and so offers a much larger margin of safety. From one standpoint, shooting a revolver is like having a semiauto that jams with every 6th or 10th shot. Revolvers shooting higher-pressure cartridges (e.g. .357) are also among the loudest of all firearms, due to the barrel-cylinder gap.

I guess it comes down to how a particular individual is wired and what they can handle most competently and confidently.

One other thing I'll mention is that regardless of what one shoots, one should never point an "unloaded" gun at another human being or any other unsafe direction. The majority of accidental shootings occur when people decide that because they think a gun is unloaded, it's OK to violate the basic rules of gun safety with it (never point it in an unsafe direction, never put your finger on the trigger until you are in the process of shooting). If you treat every gun as if it is loaded, even if you think it's not, you will never have one of those "I thought it was unloaded" gun accident.

[DonP]

21. It depends, in part on how much you intend to practice with it?

Revolvers are "usually" more reliable, but a snub nose can be very hard to master with out a lot of consistent practice. In addition carrying it in anything but a good holster on your belt, not in your pocket without a special pocket holster is inviting trouble. A 4 or 6 inch barrel (S&W L or N Frame, Ruger GP100 etc.) is a little heavier, but usually much easier to shoot accurately and with adjustable sights can also be used for target shooting.

Pretty much all of the modern single/double action revolvers now have a hammer block safety built in, that keeps them from going off even if dropped on a hard surface.

Most modern semi autos have multiple safeties built into them as well. Semi autos take a more practice time, but after a break in of a hundred rounds (2 boxes) or so they are about as reliable as a quality revolver now. But again, how much time will you be putting in to practice with it?

But in any gun safety class you'll ever take, one of the first things you'll hear is "A safety is a mechanical device that can fail" use it, but don't rely on it. The best safety is between your ears combined with strictly following the four rules of gun safety.

In addition to the 4 rules, get in the habit of any time you pick up a gun or put one down, clear the magazine/cylinder and rack the slide several times to visually inspect the chamber and eject any casing or round that may be in the chamber.

[Nuclear Unicorn]

22. I'm "petite." While I am fit I have small hands and not a lot of strength.

Revolvers aren't accurate for me because of the effort required to pull the double action trigger. If I'm target shooting I can take my time to pull the hammer back and steady the pistol but if I had to defend myself with a succession of shots in short order the rounds would probably stray left and right. For that reason I would prefer a semi-automatic. That would be safer for me and any innocents in the area.

The rest relies on what Lover Boy calls, "the 3 Ds of safety -- Discipline, Discipline, Discipline"

[Lizzie Poppet]

24. I personally choose a pistol for home defense.

A 1911 (.38 Super), in fact. It's not as simple to manipulate as a revolver (or pistols like Glocks, for that matter), but I have no doubt it's more intuitive to me in a stress situation because I shoot it on a weekly basis. Familiarity bestowed by practice easily overcomes the bit of additional complexity. I also trust it's reliability for the same reason: lots of rounds through it allow me to rely on it functioning properly should I need it.

People who don't have the opportunity to shoot a lot should probably consider something utterly simple to operate, like a DA revolver, passive safety type pistols (like a Glock or Steyr), etc. People who aren't going to practice at all shouldn't choose firearms.

"On my person" (that is, for concealed carry), while I sometimes pick the 1911, it's also a bit bulky for carry in most cases. For one thing, I'm a shrimp (5'2&quot , and there's just less real estate on me for a relatively large pistol. If I have the right sort of clothing on, I'll pick the 1911 sometimes, but usually I carry a much more compact pistol that also happens to have a bit simpler operation than the 1911.

[upaloopa]

27. The safest is no gun in the home

Chances of being hurt by a gun in the home reduces in proportion to the number of guns removed from the home. The remarkable thing is that it isn't rocket science to understand this.

[Travis_0004]

29. Lucky for you, nobody is forcing you to buy one.

[upaloopa]

35. Lucky for me no one will get shot by my gun in the house

See the chances of someone in your house being shot by your gun are greater than being hurt by an intruder.

[acalix]

38. Great. Can you not dictate what others can own or not own?

I own a motorcycle. Me owning a motorcycle makes me 100x more likely to die a motorcycle death.

Am I going to stop riding a motorcycle? Hell no. Same with guns. Hell I even smoke cigars.

Here for a good time, not a long time.

[PeoViejo]

32. The Second Amendment is made to be a devisive issue by the crazies

...and just about every thread on DU mentioning guns has proven that.

Divide and Conquer.

Wake up people.

[PeoViejo]

33. Isn't it amazing how many Concern Trolls show-up on Gun threads.

I'm sure some are well-meaning, but I suspect that most are just here to stir the Pot.

[sarisataka]

36. Neither design is inherently unsafe

Modern pistols and revolvers both have features built in to prevent accidental discharge.

Unfortunately no design can prevent negligent discharge. They are designed to go bang when the trigger is pulled. A gun owner is obligated to understand how his particular gun operates. In other words, like any potentially hazardous device, RTFM.

Overall a revolver is simpler than a pistol. That can be a consideration when deciding between the two.

[Skeeter Barnes]

37. "Safer" will be entirely up to you, not the gun. Racking the slide and checking for a round in

the chamber is just part of responsible gun ownership. If you didn't check to make sure, then consider it a loaded gun.

I love shooting revolvers but for home defense, go with a 9mm Glock. Higher capacity and more affordable to practice shooting with than centerfire caliber revolvers.

[quadrature]

39. it is difficult to accidently fire a revolver ...

you have to cock the hammer,
which is a signal (to people that have a brain)
that the gun is ready to shoot.

Or, you have a, LONG, DIFFICULT,
trigger pull.

[ManiacJoe]

40. What you describe also applies to many semi-autos.