The general firearms thread!

[Drowsy Emperor]

Back then all revolvers used to be hand manufactured and put together by skilled professionals so the quality was generally the best that was possible. Now they're mass produced, both revolvers and automatics and that drags down both their appeal and quality. The Colt SAA of today is very much an overpriced handgun considering its mass manufacturing.

 

Even so, revolvers are generally more durable than automatics. The standard jams that can happen to an automatic don't happen to a revolver. On the other hand, if an internal part breaks it has to be sent to whomever manufactured it, for repair. With an automatic a child could replace the broken part and be back in action. 

Revolvers can also carry a multitude of different calibers all of them generally more powerful than in an automatic.

 

So when GD says it the best gun ever made he's talking about a multitude of things: the great aesthetics, the manufacturing quality, the power of the gun and most of all the historical appeal. Its a complete package in that regard.

 

Today's service weapons are arguably uglier and not as well made but the key advantages of increased bullet capacity and less weight - is something no professional would want to trade away.

And obviously the single action which is a big no no.

 

So, its a great gun - its just not as practical for police/army use as the newer ones. Fine for everyone else though.

[Drowsy Emperor]

[Drowsy Emperor]

I'll take either.

[Walsingham]

Handgun I've liked the best was a simple Colt .38 special revolver. Took it hiking for shooting ne'erdowells and baboons.

[Nepenthe]

[Woldan]

Even so, revolvers are generally more durable than automatics. The standard jams that can happen to an automatic don't happen to a revolver. On the other hand, if an internal part breaks it has to be sent to whomever manufactured it, for repair. With an automatic a child could replace the broken part and be back in action. 

Revolvers can also carry a multitude of different calibers all of them generally more powerful than in an automatic.

I have to say I'm more a fan of the automatic pistol, I've had more problems with revolvers than with pistols (and most of the time jams can only be cleared with a disassembly of the gun) I also prefer the low bore axis of pistols, revolvers have so much muzzle rise while the pistol recoils almost completely straight back which makes follow up shots much faster.

Each to his own I guess.

 

I've always been a huge fan of the TT Tokarev. Wonderful pistol, all steel construction, the 7.62x25 is a powerful bottleneck round, the pistols frame is very slim, no safeties but my trigger finger, the way it should be. 

 

 

 

 

Edited July 18, 2013 by Woldan

[HoonDing]

[Malcador]

I'd have thought the 1911 would get more love for being the best handgun.

[Guard Dog]

I'd have thought the 1911 would get more love for being the best handgun.

I have one of those too. It's a Springfield Armory edition, not a Colt, and I am not real happy with it. I have had trouble with the slide spring being too stiff. The slide begins to close before the spent shell is fully ejected and the new one loads from the magazine. From what I've read this is a common failing.

[Guard Dog]

I'm with DE, the finest handgun ever made was the Colt SAA. I have two of them. Only one is an actual Colt though. The other is a Ubreti replica of the Colt 1873 Cattleman. Very fun to shoot.

It's certainly romantic, but I wouldn't rely on a single-action in a legitimately life-threatening encounter/confrontation.

 

Speaking of nerds and guns... http://www.sigsauer.com/CatalogProductDetails/p226-x-five-golden-dragon.aspx  

 

 

 

I'd say one well aimed and accurate shot is better than a dozen poorly aimed shots even rapidly fired. But you are right of course. Revolvers are fun range guns but they are not a good choice for carry/self defense weapons. 

[Guard Dog]

What makes the Colt Single Action Army "the best handgun ever made?"  It would seem like it's reputation in older times precedes it, and as a not too extreme gun nut, would figure it such a claim were true it'd still be used as a standard issue today.

DE made some excellent points. My biggest reason is that they have the best balance and are the most accurate. The real Colts, not the replicas like the Ubreti. They have better balance thanks to the reinforced frame beneath the grips. It makes the pistol somewhat heavier in the back which allows it to roll back in your hand with the recoil. That makes it slightly faster to **** the hammer and fire the next round. They have a flatter ballistic arc than most pistols because they use a tighter rifling than any other make. From 20 meters I can fire six shots faster and with a tighter group using the Colt than I can with the Ubreti, or my Ruger Blackhawk. 

Edited July 18, 2013 by Guard Dog

[Drowsy Emperor]

 

Even so, revolvers are generally more durable than automatics. The standard jams that can happen to an automatic don't happen to a revolver. On the other hand, if an internal part breaks it has to be sent to whomever manufactured it, for repair. With an automatic a child could replace the broken part and be back in action. 

Revolvers can also carry a multitude of different calibers all of them generally more powerful than in an automatic.

I have to say I'm more a fan of the automatic pistol, I've had more problems with revolvers than with pistols (and most of the time jams can only be cleared with a disassembly of the gun) I also prefer the low bore axis of pistols, revolvers have so much muzzle rise while the pistol recoils almost completely straight back which makes follow up shots much faster.

Each to his own I guess.

 

I've always been a huge fan of the TT Tokarev. Wonderful pistol, all steel construction, the 7.62x25 is a powerful bottleneck round, the pistols frame is very slim, no safeties but my trigger finger, the way it should be. 

 

It appears you've had rotten luck or manufacturing quality has dropped even more than I expected.There's no way an automatic could cause less problems, because unlike the automatic, a revolver is basically a clockwork mechanism with less "relative" factors in play.

 

But I'm not completely surprised. A real revolver is a custom gun made by someone whose familiar intimately with its workings and tuned individually. Today's revolvers are machine made by the thousand.

[Drowsy Emperor]

As a self defense weapon for a civilian, I think there's a lot of talk and theory over nothing.

 

I read somewhere that US police statistics say that the overwhelming majority of scenarios where guns are used play out at 1-3 meters and 1-3 shots are fired total over the space of a few seconds. 

 

So basically any gun with do, shooter training is much much more important. Even luck is more important than the weapon itself.

[Malcador]

I have one of those too. It's a Springfield Armory edition, not a Colt, and I am not real happy with it. I have had trouble with the slide spring being too stiff. The slide begins to close before the spent shell is fully ejected and the new one loads from the magazine. From what I've read this is a common failing.

Mentioned it as I always hear the 1911 is an iconic gun, lots and lots of versions though. Interesting to hear the design has that flaw, though. If I ever were to start shooting I'd aspire to own one of those, but would probably start off with a weaker round

[mkreku]

 I think Marlin makes a tube-fed 22 rifle that holds 16 or 18 rounds. Does it classify as part of the firearm itself or is it a magazine?

 

I used to own one of those (might still do, must ask my father..), and it was very dependant on the type of ammo you put in the tube. Practice rounds are tiny and you could probably fit 20 of them while magnum rounds were much bigger and reduced the amount you could squeeze into it to maybe 10-12. It was very forgiving about what ammo you used.

 

Had a lot of fun with that rifle.

 

Crap. Scratch that. I looked it up. It wasn't a Marlin, it is an FN Browning SA 22. Mine is the scoped variant. My father still has it somewhere in his house.

 

Here: http://www.browning.com/products/catalog/firearms/detail.asp?fid=022B&cid=021&tid=001

 

 

It is also extremely easy to disassemble:

 

 

Practical! (sorry for the massive pics)

 

Maybe not the most aesthetically pleasing rifle of all time though.

[Guard Dog]

As a self defense weapon for a civilian, I think there's a lot of talk and theory over nothing.

 

I read somewhere that US police statistics say that the overwhelming majority of scenarios where guns are used play out at 1-3 meters and 1-3 shots are fired total over the space of a few seconds. 

 

So basically any gun with do, shooter training is much much more important. Even luck is more important than the weapon itself.

My carry weapon is a Bond Arms .45/.410 derringer. It useless beyond 1-3 meters but deadly inside of that. I know it only has two shots but I'm not looking to get in a gunfight here. If one shot isn't enough ten probably wouldn't be either.

 

http://bondarms.com/ 

[Gorgon]

Jeez. A useless saloon gun. I'm somewhat underwhelmed. Your manliness suffers a -1 penalty for the remainder of the turn.

[Woldan]

Shot a friends S&W 500 4'' once, after about 50 rounds or so a burr in the firing pin caused it to get stuck in the firing pin channel and primer binding the cylinder and rendering the gun inoperable. Taking it apart was a never ending horror story, thousands of pins and tiny springs and latches, it requires tons of tools....ewwwww. Field strip? Forget it!

 

I also shot a friends single action Uberti revolver, after a couple of rounds the cylinder pin was flying out of the gun, we never really figured out how that could happen, it happened again after a 50 or so rounds. I guess the recoil rattled it loose or something. 

 

What I'm trying to say is a single and double action revolver might be an extremely reliable weapon system, but when it jams or parts break the gun is inoperable and can only be fixed by a qualified experienced person with the required tools in a workshop. A service pistol having the same problem can be fixed in minutes by anyone. 

If I wanted a handgun I'd want a Glock, they're ugly but they seem to never jam. A friend of mine has 20.000 rounds through it with only one FTF, caused by an out-of-spec round. But then again I'm not a pistol/revolver guy anyway, I'm a rifleman,pistols and revolvers are backup weapons.

Edited July 18, 2013 by Woldan

[Walsingham]

Jeez. A useless saloon gun. I'm somewhat underwhelmed. Your manliness suffers a -1 penalty for the remainder of the turn.

 

In fairness to GD, small guns can be a win. The worst gun in the world is one you left at home.

 

The second to worst gun is the one you took with and lost at some point. 

[Guard Dog]

Jeez. A useless saloon gun. I'm somewhat underwhelmed. Your manliness suffers a -1 penalty for the remainder of the turn.

 It's the perfect size for a carry weapon. I usually keep a .410 buckshot  in each barrel. I've found when using .45LC anything over 185 grain tumbles because only the end of the barrel is rifled. Shotgun shells are more effective at close range anyway. Like I said I'm to looking to get in any gunfights here. If I ever had to defend myself it would only be from close range. I'm not George Zimmerman, I'm staying in my truck!

[Malcador]

Little do we know, GD's truck has a M2 mounted on it.

[Guard Dog]

I LOVE this story! Just for the comedy value. 50 bucks says Shady takes a drive and bags a drone!

 

http://news.yahoo.com/blogs/sideshow/drone-hunting-colorado-172357477.html 

[Walsingham]

I LOVE this story! Just for the comedy value. 50 bucks says Shady takes a drive and bags a drone!

 

http://news.yahoo.com/blogs/sideshow/drone-hunting-colorado-172357477.html 

 

See, that's America being genius right there. In the UK we've pretty much rolled over and accepted defeat on private drones.

[Nepenthe]

Talking about 50, well, .500 in this case:

 

Anderson & Wheeler .500 NE double barrel. "Welcome to Scotland" etc.

[ShadySands]

I LOVE this story! Just for the comedy value. 50 bucks says Shady takes a drive and bags a drone!

 

http://news.yahoo.com/blogs/sideshow/drone-hunting-colorado-172357477.html 

 

LOL