Which is best? Pistol or Revolver?

Question

i am thinking of buying a handgun for personal defense. What should i get a pistol or a revolver. I liked the walther PPK. is it good or something better out there. My hands are small PPK and berretta cheetah 38 fitted well. please advise

Answer 1

If you are looking for a good self defense pistol look into a 45 caliber compact model. If you have gun shows local check for a (Highly recommend this)Bersa M45 Firestorm Semi Automatic. It has tremendous accuracy. The 45 caliber 230 grain is low velocity but when it hits a person in the shoulder it can actually throw them to the ground. The Firestorm is also a perfect pistol for a woman or a man with small hands. Cost should be around $300 to $350 at gun shows. Check your local laws in pistol purchases before going to a gun show. I might also recommend a full size (Spanish made) Llama 45 caliber. It is so close to the original Colt military semi auto 45 that it's scary. The accuracy is also good and dependability is A+. The Llama will probably run closer to around $550 to $650 price range. Don't fool with anything less than a 45 caliber or 44 magnum if your looking for sure defensive weapon. Remember that you don't want something just to scare, you want something to protect yourself. I have owned all calibers. Revolvers and Semi Automatics. I finally sold most and have a collection of 4 - 45 calibers(semi automatics) 1- 9mm derringer(play toy) and 1 - Star 9mm semi auto(another toy). You won't be sorry with the Bersa!

Answer 2

Totally depends on your needs and taste.

Revolvers are best for beginner shooters. They are very simple to load and operate and clean and their simplicity lends itself to developing good aiming and shooting skills. They are ultimately dependable. They are limited in capacity, usually 5,6 or 7 rounds.

Pistols are inheriently more complicated with many more moving parts, removable magazines, safeties, etc. However with the proper training and practice even a novice can be quite proficient quickly with operation and accuracy.

Barrel length in either revolver or pistol is the top factor in increasing accurate range, which for both is not really all that great to begin with. A handgun is a defensive weapon meant to be used at close range in most all instances. The shorter the barrel, the less the effective range you will have.

The Walther PPK is a quality pistol that was very influential for decades, but it's not a good target pistol at all and the caliber, usually .32acp or .380acp is considered too weak for self defense purposes. It's today become sort of a collector's gun, but if you do have very small hands it may be the best small pistol ever made for you. Still, you need to select a defensive weapon on it's ability to defend you and the PPK, strictly due to the small calibers, falls short.

My advice for a home defense pistol for a new shooter with small hands would be a .38 revolver in stainless steel. Smith and Wesson, Colt, Ruger and Taurus are the brands you want.

Better, get a small frame .357 revolver by one of those makers. You can shoot .38 special ammo and then, as your skills and confidence increase you can start practicing with the .357 magnum ammo. My wife, small and small hands, is very effective with the .357 now that she's trained some with it.

Answer 3

For Self defense I would recommend a revolver simply because of it reliability and simplicity. If it is to be a a gun kept at home a small frame 38 or 357 magnum would be Your best choice. I terms of new gun the Ruger SP-101 with a 3" barrel would be ideal, and there are several other suitable There are several used guns that are also good the S&W model 19 has a small frame as does the old Ruger Security Six. bot can be had with the smaller Service Grips as a after market item. The also can be found with a 4" barrel which would allow for more accurate shooting. Automatic are fine but you have to practice a great deal more with them to be proficient. This is something to be considered before you confront an intruder in your home, with a revolver you aim and pull the trigger with an auto you have a safety to turn off first.

Answer 4

Assuming that your choice of Walthers PPK or Beretta Cheetah are the .380 acp, either one will be good. The Cheetah with the tip-up barrel has certain advantages as a nightstand gun. You can keep it loaded with one in the chamber and leave the magazine out until you need it. It won't shoot without the magazine. The Walthers will, so be careful if you have small children around.

The .32s are really kind of marginal for defensive handguns unless you are really recoil shy, then load your Walthers or Beretta with the hottest .32s you can find.

The revolver's advantage is its user friendliness and more bang per pop, but it holds less rounds--five or six to the PPK's eight and the Cheetah's nine. Again, if you select the revolver just select good personal defense ammo to go with it. Whatever you select consider the pre-fragments rounds. They are more expensive, but if you share living area these rounds won't go through dry wall the way regular bullets do. Consider taking a gun safety course, and comply with all your State's requirements.

Good luck.

H

Answer 5

Any firearm can jam, auto-pistol or revolver.

However, a quality auto or revolver should not jam within several hundred rounds of a good cleaning.

To me, .380 and up is just fine for personal defence. Honestly, the detractors of the 9mm that call it a toy don't have a clue. I've put thousands of rounds through a Beretta 92f 9mm, and it is one heck of an auto. It is somewhat pricey, but the cheetah is built like its "little brother" to a degree, so I would go with that. One thing to note is that small hands do not fit the 92f frame very well at all.

As well, the PPK is a quality firearm, but I would go with the Beretta.

Within several hundred rounds of a cleaning, the 92f that I've used simply will not malfunction.

I haven't used revolvers very much, however. I have put several hundred rounds through my grandfather's .22 Revolver, a H&R, I believe, and it is a fun, medium sized gun that provides good sport for rolling coke cans around at 25 yards. The revolver action can be made to handle powerful cartridges more practically than an auto, but I get the impression that you are going for a more moderate cartridge.

If that is the case, I'd go with a quality made .38 Spl./.357 mag. like others have said. A .38+P has enough snort for people, if you really can't take the .357, but the magnum is just that much better with good ammo.

Another issue is that on auto pistols, at least on DA/SA guns, the ones I use, the trigger pull is always as good as it gets on the second shot at minimum, and hopefully on the first thanks to automatic cocking. Obviously, revolvers can't do this.

In short though, feel a few quality revolvers, and see what fits you the best. One consideration is that with kids, an auto can be safer because of the safety and the slide, which has to be racked in order to fire (unless you keep a round chambered). Many small children don't have the wits to figure out the safety on a firearm, nor the strength to rack a slide. More important than that, however, is owner responsibility with the storage of the gun.

Answer 6

Revolvers are much simpler which means they can be more reliable. If you are a novice, you will appreciate the simplicity of a revolver and the ease of breakdown and cleaning. You don't have to worry about relying on a more complicated pistol when your life and your family's lives are on the line.

If you are familiar with guns, a pistol wouldn't be a bad choice either. They have less recoil and a higher magazine capacity.

As far as calibers, a 9mm has a manageable recoil, but lacks a bit of knockdown power and can have an overpenetration problem. .40 S&W and .45 ACP pack plenty of punch. For revolvers, .357 magnum is probably the best home defense round, but it packs a punch on both ends. .357 magnum revolvers can also shoot milder recoiling .38 specials which will be more manageable.

Answer 7

If you are an experienced shooter, then i like semi-auto. The Walther is an overrated gun based on James Bond and the .380ACP is a poor caliber for self-defense. It is okay for a backup gun.

If you want an .380ACP Walther style, then get a Bersa Thunder .380ACP for about $300. I suggest you at least get a 9mm or .40S&W. Taurus makes a decent Millenium model which fits small hands. You can also get a Glock for the price range of a Walther.

The revolver is also simple. If you go that route, get a .357 magnum. You can shoot .38 specials out of it for practice and .357 magum for defense. Smith and Wesson makes the best, but Ruger and Taurus makes decent models as well.

Answer 8

If you're going to have it on you all day, an autoloader is the choice. The slab sides are more comfy. If it's for home defense, a revolver is a better choice. You should practice as much as possible with either, but it's absolutely imperative with an auto to keep yourself well-trained. They're sort of tricky to use, and if you're in panic mode everything (clearing jams, use of the safety, etc.) has to be more automatic than the loading mechanism. Revolvers are more intuitive. Don't worry about capacity. You'll never have to reload in a defensive situation.

Answer 9

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Answer 10

Well first thing a revolver is a pistol. I think you mean should you get a semi-auto or a revolver. It all really depends on how much protection you want. I personally carry a smith &Wesson M&P 40 cal that holds 15 rounds. I don't take chances though. If you dont want that many shots why not go with a revolver. But my personal reccommendation is a small semi-auto