Revolver or semiauto more accurate? - Page 2

Redlg155 · April 27, 2002, 01:35 PM

It depends on the individual weapon, but generally I give the revolver a bit of an edge with the advantage decreasing as the barrel length shortens.

I've shot several Glock 26's that similar sized revolvers would be hard pressed to match in the accuracy department. My Mk9 has definitely outshot any snubby I have ever owned.

Good SHooting
RED

Shooter 973 · April 27, 2002, 05:37 PM

I seem to be able to wring out better accuracy out of my S&W 25-2 0r 625 in 45acp than out of any semi auto that I own (except Ruger Target 22's) but I do like both types of handguns.

Same ammo out of revolvers seems to group better from revolvers than autos.

seadog · April 29, 2002, 08:21 AM

In my experience most service revolvers will outshoot generic service pistols particularly of the same make, e.g. S&W vs. S&W or Colt vs. Colt. There are off the shelf autos that meet or exceed service revolver accuracy again, in my experience, some Beretta 92s, Sigs, HKP7, some 1911 types. The high dollar custom guns will stomp most revolvers. But, the best accuracy I have ever seen was from two revolvers , an S&W Classic 44 Magnum and a Freedom Arms Casull.

7th Fleet · April 29, 2002, 02:34 PM

With all things being equal IMHO the semiauto pistol would be more accurate than a revolver if for no other reason that the chamber is the same for each round fired. Also a semiauto pistol is more user friendly than a double action revolver and is therefore easier to shoot well for the average person.

7th

Semi-jacketed · April 29, 2002, 11:10 PM

Naturally, it much is dependent upon the quality of materials and craftsmanship of the weapon; however, consider the following:

1. A .45 acp revolver with moon clips.
2. Any quality lock breech system shooting .45 acp semi-auto
3. A gas-operated, fixed barrel .45 acp semi-auto

Each with the same ammo in the same sized barrel, theoretically, the weapon that can maintain the same chamber to barrel to sight relationship most consistently should be the most accurate. Number 1 is a revolver and should maintain the more consistent relationship by the nature of its design than Number 2, who's barrel and chamber position changes (even if minutely) with every shot in relation to the sights on the slide. But, dependent upon how the cartridge is introduced into the barrel of Number 3 and the location of the sights (also a semi-auto, as #2), it could be the most accurate of all. For best results, the only portion of the weapon in Number 3 that may move is enough of the slide, or other part, to afford ejection and reloading of another round which could be completely independent of the sights and barrel creating almost the exact same chamber to barrel to sight relationship with each shot.

Just thinking out loud.

Hutch · May 1, 2002, 12:42 PM

All the theoreticals aside, If I had to shoot a single bullet at challenging target at significant (25+yds) distance, and the outcome of the shot was all that mattered (hit/miss), I'd choose almost any of my adjustable sight revos waaaaaay ahead of my most accurate autos. The sole exception is my Ruger Mk1. That'd be in the middle of the pack, ahead of some, but behind the K38, K22, or 8&3/8'th M27.

Russ · May 1, 2002, 03:36 PM

I have a S&W 686 that I bought in 1986 that is so accurate it's scary. I have a lot more autos than revolvers and none of them are as accruate as my 686.

swamprot · May 1, 2002, 06:10 PM

Depends in respect to my personal shooting. That my Para C6 at the same distance will easily out shoot my S&W 386Pd by about 4 times at this point in time. I am talking double action here. Since personal protection is what I am interested in right now.

My S&W 686 with the 6in. lugged barrel is truely amazing. I can put them together pretty good out to 50yds single action of course.

My DA C6 has such an awsome trigger and the guns 30oz wt. shoots really good. I have a long way to go shooting a DA Revolver anywhere near as good. But I'm working on it.

chris93473 · May 1, 2002, 07:38 PM

technically in theory a revolver should be more accurate because the barrel doesn't move and most revolvers have long barrels. but i don't have a wheel gun so i don't know. an AR is more accurate than both.

bountyh · May 2, 2002, 12:29 PM

When I read the title of the thread, I thought you were kidding. The barrel and slide in an auto are movable and the barrel on a revolver is fixed to the frame. Is there really any question that a revolver is inherently more accurate comparing same barrel length?

bountyh · May 2, 2002, 12:33 PM

Russ: Ditto on owning the 686. I use it in bullseye league. Last week a buddy was standing behind me and freaked when I put three successive rounds through the same hole at 15 yards... not close, not a ragged hole, SAME hole. That's a group size of zero inches. Some luck of there course, but it shoots sub 1" groups all the time at 15 yards, sub 2" at 25 yards (freehand standing).

Master Blaster · May 3, 2002, 11:53 AM

If you have $450 to spend and no additional gunsmithing there is no question that a S&W, ruger, taurus or colt revo is going to be more accurate at 50yards out of the box, than any Centerfire semi auto you can buy for $450.

The production revolvers I own are as accurate as the $1700 custom smithed bullseyeguns I see shot in matches at my club.

Christopher II · May 3, 2002, 04:00 PM

At the stock level, out of the box, revolvers are a bit more accurate.
High-end and custom automatics can be made more accurate than high-end and custom revolvers, generally for less money.
The most accurate pistols in the world are bolt-action or Martini-action single shots. I suspect something like the TOZ-99 free pistol will group smaller than most any other gun out to the limit of its effective range (barring ammo differences.)

- Chris

fed168 · May 3, 2002, 06:50 PM

Sure, to a certain extent. If the guns are worked on or match grade, then they probably are about equal. I base this on watching a high master class shooter in our state PPC matches. He shoots a Ron Power 686 and a 945. Holds the x ring very well with both.

Fatelvis · May 4, 2002, 11:22 AM

I`ve found revolvers, in general, more accurate than semiautos, staight out of the box.

Shawn3879 · May 4, 2002, 02:16 PM

For myself. . .an auto. . .b/c that is all I ever shoot. I have always heard. . .and often seen that the wheel guns are more accurate though.

jar · May 5, 2002, 11:16 AM

Sawn
It's time you gave the revolvers a try. They are really quite an eye opener. If, like many, all you've shot have been pistols, then check around in your area. Give one of the gun clubs a call and I'll bet you can find someone who will loved to let you try their wheelgun. See if you can find someone with an old Smith M-19, or better yet, an old M-28. I think you'll be down right shocked at how good a shot you really are.

The M-28 is on top and the M-19 on the bottom in this photo.

jack_the_sailor · May 24, 2002, 12:57 AM

My carry pistol is a Glock-17. At 21 feet I shoot the Glock way better than any revolver. the Glock is too big for my hand. I dry fired 2 pistols & 1 revolver in a gun store today. A Walther P99 QA, a Beretta Cougar 8045, & a S&W M10 heavy barrel. With both pistols the front sight didn't move. With the revolver the front sight moved with the first dry fire & every other dry fire. With my glock I can shoot a big hole close to COM. With a revolver it lookes like a shot gun pattern, single bullet holes all over the target. So I find semi-autos more accurate then revolvers.

coonan357 · May 24, 2002, 01:18 AM

IMO revolvers on the grounds theres too much play in the linkage systems on a semi auto (linkage being my generic term for the barrel locking mechinisms and bushings ) and a revolver the main thing is you have to worry about alignment of the cylinder/forcing cones and if it locksup tight . I have seen revolvers that shoot like sh** and S/A's that shoot like there nailed together , but the auto tended to be on the upper limits in costs , My KGP-161 will shoot tight groups but so will my Coonan but the Coonan cost twice as much as the gp .and thats before it came a collectors item.the most accurate gun I have shot to date is my 686 clark custom but that cost as much as a good auto.

9mmepiphany · May 24, 2002, 11:03 AM

jack the sailor - to really see what a handgun will do, try moving out to 25 yards (50 would really be better). it does take more skill to shoot well with a wheelgun, but the results are very rewarding

Blackhawk · May 26, 2002, 07:56 AM

Doesn't matter which is inherently more accurate. What matters is which is more accurate when I'm doing the shooting. I like autos better so I shoot them more. The more I shoot a particular gun, the more accurate I am with it.

So, it depends -- on me.

Greybeard · May 26, 2002, 08:45 AM

Of what I have, the last time I did any comparative shooting purely for accuracy, it was what I had to call a tie.

With it's sights and trigger, I had assumed the 45 Colt Gold Cup would be the most acurate handgun that I owned. But, in single action mode, groups from the old H&R .22 9-shot 999 "Sportsman" with 6" barrell hung right in there.

After comparing several targets with each of these 1970's era guns, I determied that either one of them had far more inherent accuracy than the operator ...

Dr. Charles Lee Ray · May 26, 2002, 11:06 AM

Having spent hundreds of hours with Ransoms and my 90# "homebuilt" version(machined inserts), I've found revolvers to be the unquestionable winners.

Even my 2" & 3" J-frames can get sub-1" groups at 50yds. Now, take them out of the vice, and fire them 'handheld', and it's a totaly different story. But when both vehicles are fired from a solid rest, a $300-$400 wheeler will equal or beat a $1,500-$3,000 custom 1911.

Off of sandbags, if I put my Les Baer TRS(1.5" package) against my stock S&W 625--both .45acp with 5" barrels--it's a chore keeping the auto on paper at 100-200yds, while the revolver can actually deliver predictable groups, however large they may be.

This topic reminds me of that G&A article, years ago, where the author was shooting blue 55gal drums at 500yds with a 4" .44 revolver, and doing it with adequate success(50+%?). I doubt you will find many autos that can hang at those distances, even though they have the range.

So if you're adding any 'range' in your accuracy question, the revolver is easily the winner.

FWIW-My CCW is an Airlight(340PD) J-frame .357, but I'll be taking a 1911 to Thunder Ranch, next January. At 7-10yds, both are nickle-sized-group accurate, but it took equal load work, with both, to accomplish this. When they offer an accurate 12oz auto that makes 500+ft/lbs of energy, I might be interested. Until then, the Scandium is my choice.

View Poll Results: Which is more accurate?
Revolver	81	52.94%
Semiauto	24	15.69%
Neither/depends/don't know	48	31.37%
Voters: 153. You may not vote on this poll

April 27, 2002, 05:37 PM	#27
Shooter 973 Senior Member Join Date: February 3, 2001 Location: Home town of John M. Browning, Utah Posts: 499	Revolver or Semiauto? I seem to be able to wring out better accuracy out of my S&W 25-2 0r 625 in 45acp than out of any semi auto that I own (except Ruger Target 22's) but I do like both types of handguns. Same ammo out of revolvers seems to group better from revolvers than autos. __________________ The problem with America is stupidity. I'm not saying there should be capital punishment for stupidity, but why don't we just take the safety labels off of everything and let the problem solve itself?

April 29, 2002, 02:34 PM	#29
7th Fleet Senior Member Join Date: January 28, 2000 Posts: 1,469	With all things being equal IMHO the semiauto pistol would be more accurate than a revolver if for no other reason that the chamber is the same for each round fired. Also a semiauto pistol is more user friendly than a double action revolver and is therefore easier to shoot well for the average person. 7th __________________ SUPPORT YOUR LOCAL POLICE, KEEP THEM INDEPENDENT.

April 29, 2002, 11:10 PM	#30
Semi-jacketed Senior Member Join Date: November 7, 2001 Location: Louisiana Posts: 171	Depends... Naturally, it much is dependent upon the quality of materials and craftsmanship of the weapon; however, consider the following: 1. A .45 acp revolver with moon clips. 2. Any quality lock breech system shooting .45 acp semi-auto 3. A gas-operated, fixed barrel .45 acp semi-auto Each with the same ammo in the same sized barrel, theoretically, the weapon that can maintain the same chamber to barrel to sight relationship most consistently should be the most accurate. Number 1 is a revolver and should maintain the more consistent relationship by the nature of its design than Number 2, who's barrel and chamber position changes (even if minutely) with every shot in relation to the sights on the slide. But, dependent upon how the cartridge is introduced into the barrel of Number 3 and the location of the sights (also a semi-auto, as #2), it could be the most accurate of all. For best results, the only portion of the weapon in Number 3 that may move is enough of the slide, or other part, to afford ejection and reloading of another round which could be completely independent of the sights and barrel creating almost the exact same chamber to barrel to sight relationship with each shot. Just thinking out loud.

May 1, 2002, 12:42 PM	#31
Hutch Senior Member Join Date: February 12, 2000 Location: Birmingham, AL Posts: 1,124	All the theoreticals aside, If I had to shoot a single bullet at challenging target at significant (25+yds) distance, and the outcome of the shot was all that mattered (hit/miss), I'd choose almost any of my adjustable sight revos waaaaaay ahead of my most accurate autos. The sole exception is my Ruger Mk1. That'd be in the middle of the pack, ahead of some, but behind the K38, K22, or 8&3/8'th M27. __________________ "First, the freedom to own and carry the weapon of your choice is a natural, fundamental, and inalienable human, individual, civil, and Constitutional right -- subject neither to the democratic process nor to arguments grounded in social utility" -- L. Neil Smith ' I have an [in]alienable right to bear arms. I will exercise my own judgement in their use and accept responsibilty for the consequences' - Oakleaf

April 27, 2002, 01:35 PM	#26
Redlg155 Senior Member Join Date: March 13, 2001 Location: NW Florida Posts: 2,307	It depends on the individual weapon, but generally I give the revolver a bit of an edge with the advantage decreasing as the barrel length shortens. I've shot several Glock 26's that similar sized revolvers would be hard pressed to match in the accuracy department. My Mk9 has definitely outshot any snubby I have ever owned. Good SHooting RED

April 29, 2002, 08:21 AM	#28
seadog Senior Member Join Date: October 27, 2000 Location: Virginia Posts: 287	In my experience most service revolvers will outshoot generic service pistols particularly of the same make, e.g. S&W vs. S&W or Colt vs. Colt. There are off the shelf autos that meet or exceed service revolver accuracy again, in my experience, some Beretta 92s, Sigs, HKP7, some 1911 types. The high dollar custom guns will stomp most revolvers. But, the best accuracy I have ever seen was from two revolvers , an S&W Classic 44 Magnum and a Freedom Arms Casull.

May 1, 2002, 03:36 PM	#32
Russ Senior Member Join Date: March 8, 2001 Location: Kentucky, Refugee from California Posts: 1,097	I have a S&W 686 that I bought in 1986 that is so accurate it's scary. I have a lot more autos than revolvers and none of them are as accruate as my 686.

May 1, 2002, 06:10 PM	#33
swamprot Member Join Date: December 24, 2001 Location: Michigan Posts: 21	Depends in respect to my personal shooting. That my Para C6 at the same distance will easily out shoot my S&W 386Pd by about 4 times at this point in time. I am talking double action here. Since personal protection is what I am interested in right now. My S&W 686 with the 6in. lugged barrel is truely amazing. I can put them together pretty good out to 50yds single action of course. My DA C6 has such an awsome trigger and the guns 30oz wt. shoots really good. I have a long way to go shooting a DA Revolver anywhere near as good. But I'm working on it.

May 1, 2002, 07:38 PM	#34
chris93473 Member Join Date: April 10, 2002 Location: R. Daley is stupid Posts: 72	technically in theory a revolver should be more accurate because the barrel doesn't move and most revolvers have long barrels. but i don't have a wheel gun so i don't know. an AR is more accurate than both. __________________ American as Apple Pie

May 2, 2002, 12:29 PM	#35
bountyh Junior member Join Date: November 1, 2001 Location: NaziFornia Posts: 908	When I read the title of the thread, I thought you were kidding. The barrel and slide in an auto are movable and the barrel on a revolver is fixed to the frame. Is there really any question that a revolver is inherently more accurate comparing same barrel length?

May 2, 2002, 12:33 PM	#36
bountyh Junior member Join Date: November 1, 2001 Location: NaziFornia Posts: 908	Russ: Ditto on owning the 686. I use it in bullseye league. Last week a buddy was standing behind me and freaked when I put three successive rounds through the same hole at 15 yards... not close, not a ragged hole, SAME hole. That's a group size of zero inches. Some luck of there course, but it shoots sub 1" groups all the time at 15 yards, sub 2" at 25 yards (freehand standing).

May 3, 2002, 11:53 AM	#37
Master Blaster Senior Member Join Date: October 11, 1999 Location: One of the original 13 Colonies Posts: 2,281	If you have $450 to spend and no additional gunsmithing there is no question that a S&W, ruger, taurus or colt revo is going to be more accurate at 50yards out of the box, than any Centerfire semi auto you can buy for $450. The production revolvers I own are as accurate as the $1700 custom smithed bullseyeguns I see shot in matches at my club.

May 3, 2002, 04:00 PM	#38
Christopher II Senior Member Join Date: November 22, 1999 Location: Germantown, MD Posts: 2,349	At the stock level, out of the box, revolvers are a bit more accurate. High-end and custom automatics can be made more accurate than high-end and custom revolvers, generally for less money. The most accurate pistols in the world are bolt-action or Martini-action single shots. I suspect something like the TOZ-99 free pistol will group smaller than most any other gun out to the limit of its effective range (barring ammo differences.) - Chris __________________ "There is no worse tyranny than to force a man to pay for what he does not want merely because you think it would be good for him." – Robert Heinlein "Contrary to popular belief, your vote does not matter, and you cannot make a difference." - Bob Murphy, "Picking Neither of Two Evils" My PGP Public Key

May 3, 2002, 06:50 PM	#39
fed168 Senior Member Join Date: March 15, 2000 Posts: 1,040	Sure, to a certain extent. If the guns are worked on or match grade, then they probably are about equal. I base this on watching a high master class shooter in our state PPC matches. He shoots a Ron Power 686 and a 945. Holds the x ring very well with both.

May 4, 2002, 11:22 AM	#40
Fatelvis Senior Member Join Date: June 10, 2001 Location: Lockport, IL Posts: 490	I`ve found revolvers, in general, more accurate than semiautos, staight out of the box.

May 4, 2002, 02:16 PM	#41
Shawn3879 Senior Member Join Date: April 11, 2002 Posts: 156	For myself. . .an auto. . .b/c that is all I ever shoot. I have always heard. . .and often seen that the wheel guns are more accurate though.

May 5, 2002, 11:16 AM	#42
jar Senior Member Join Date: March 8, 2001 Location: Deep South Texas Posts: 1,678	Sawn It's time you gave the revolvers a try. They are really quite an eye opener. If, like many, all you've shot have been pistols, then check around in your area. Give one of the gun clubs a call and I'll bet you can find someone who will loved to let you try their wheelgun. See if you can find someone with an old Smith M-19, or better yet, an old M-28. I think you'll be down right shocked at how good a shot you really are. The M-28 is on top and the M-19 on the bottom in this photo. __________________ To be vintage it's gotta be older than me!

May 24, 2002, 12:57 AM	#43
jack_the_sailor Senior Member Join Date: April 14, 2002 Posts: 291	My carry pistol is a Glock-17. At 21 feet I shoot the Glock way better than any revolver. the Glock is too big for my hand. I dry fired 2 pistols & 1 revolver in a gun store today. A Walther P99 QA, a Beretta Cougar 8045, & a S&W M10 heavy barrel. With both pistols the front sight didn't move. With the revolver the front sight moved with the first dry fire & every other dry fire. With my glock I can shoot a big hole close to COM. With a revolver it lookes like a shot gun pattern, single bullet holes all over the target. So I find semi-autos more accurate then revolvers.

May 24, 2002, 01:18 AM	#44
coonan357 Senior Member Join Date: January 26, 2002 Location: in a state of confusion and disbelief ! Posts: 726	IMO revolvers on the grounds theres too much play in the linkage systems on a semi auto (linkage being my generic term for the barrel locking mechinisms and bushings ) and a revolver the main thing is you have to worry about alignment of the cylinder/forcing cones and if it locksup tight . I have seen revolvers that shoot like sh** and S/A's that shoot like there nailed together , but the auto tended to be on the upper limits in costs , My KGP-161 will shoot tight groups but so will my Coonan but the Coonan cost twice as much as the gp .and thats before it came a collectors item.the most accurate gun I have shot to date is my 686 clark custom but that cost as much as a good auto. __________________ N.R.A. Lifer and proud of it ! You can't argue with a .357 Mag. Well, you can try, but you'll end up bleeding an aweful lot. -GEORGE HILL 4-08-2002 My Coonan is Not For Sale please do not ask!

May 24, 2002, 11:03 AM	#45
9mmepiphany Senior Member Join Date: November 30, 2000 Location: northern california Posts: 1,092	jack the sailor - to really see what a handgun will do, try moving out to 25 yards (50 would really be better). it does take more skill to shoot well with a wheelgun, but the results are very rewarding __________________ the map is not the territory

May 26, 2002, 07:56 AM	#46
Blackhawk Senior Member Join Date: November 4, 2001 Posts: 5,040	Doesn't matter which is inherently more accurate. What matters is which is more accurate when I'm doing the shooting. I like autos better so I shoot them more. The more I shoot a particular gun, the more accurate I am with it. So, it depends -- on me.

May 26, 2002, 08:45 AM	#47
Greybeard Senior Member Join Date: April 7, 2002 Location: Denton County Texas Posts: 686	Of what I have, the last time I did any comparative shooting purely for accuracy, it was what I had to call a tie. With it's sights and trigger, I had assumed the 45 Colt Gold Cup would be the most acurate handgun that I owned. But, in single action mode, groups from the old H&R .22 9-shot 999 "Sportsman" with 6" barrell hung right in there. After comparing several targets with each of these 1970's era guns, I determied that either one of them had far more inherent accuracy than the operator ... __________________ www.dentoncountysports.com A Private Palace for Pistol Proficiency

May 26, 2002, 11:06 AM	#48
Dr. Charles Lee Ray Junior Member Join Date: May 26, 2002 Posts: 11	Having spent hundreds of hours with Ransoms and my 90# "homebuilt" version(machined inserts), I've found revolvers to be the unquestionable winners. Even my 2" & 3" J-frames can get sub-1" groups at 50yds. Now, take them out of the vice, and fire them 'handheld', and it's a totaly different story. But when both vehicles are fired from a solid rest, a $300-$400 wheeler will equal or beat a $1,500-$3,000 custom 1911. Off of sandbags, if I put my Les Baer TRS(1.5" package) against my stock S&W 625--both .45acp with 5" barrels--it's a chore keeping the auto on paper at 100-200yds, while the revolver can actually deliver predictable groups, however large they may be. This topic reminds me of that G&A article, years ago, where the author was shooting blue 55gal drums at 500yds with a 4" .44 revolver, and doing it with adequate success(50+%?). I doubt you will find many autos that can hang at those distances, even though they have the range. So if you're adding any 'range' in your accuracy question, the revolver is easily the winner. FWIW-My CCW is an Airlight(340PD) J-frame .357, but I'll be taking a 1911 to Thunder Ranch, next January. At 7-10yds, both are nickle-sized-group accurate, but it took equal load work, with both, to accomplish this. When they offer an accurate 12oz auto that makes 500+ft/lbs of energy, I might be interested. Until then, the Scandium is my choice.