Today in one of my Prepper Groups on Social Media a true discussion was born. Well more appropriately it was re-hatched but, none-the-less, it inspired another topic of discussion here on the Caliber Club Talks Blog. Growing up, my exposure to firearms was strictly hunting related; So for me, the Mauser-Werke auto loading 9mm handgun in my Grandfather’s gun cabinet was something that caught my eye. Honestly it reminded me of old WWII movies I watched as a child featuring the M1911 handgun. Today that comparison seems silly but as a child with limited exposure to many firearm variations outside of bolt-action rifles and shotguns it wasn’t that much of a stretch to lump the only two auto-loading handguns I had ever seen into one category; and that category was “Cool”!
As I grew I was increasingly around more and different types of firearms which peaked my curiosity. Each time I saw an unfamiliar action or feature I needed to know what it was. Pistols were not uncommon in my family but the vast majority of handguns were chambered in large calibers for deer hunting and were usually single shot actions. Anytime I went to my Grandparent’s house the first place I ventured was the den where my Grandpa Kilger had his gun cabinet which cocooned both the Mauser-Werke 9mm auto-loader and a Ruger 45 Magnum Revolver. What are these cool new guns? How did they work? Why in the world did they make them? These were some of the questions ricocheting off the inside of my skull as my Grandfather’s weathered hands pulled each one from the cabinet to show them off to his first-born Grandchild. I liked the auto-loader and years later when he asked me which handgun I would like handed down to me I chose the Mauser but, with a blind stroke of luck I actually ended up with both of these firearms in my heirloom collection.
To discuss the differences and my opinions on these two, very different, platforms I thought it would be worth while to briefly discuss a little background information. First, a revolver is a firearm that holds it’s ammunition in a revolving cylinder. They are available in Double-Action (the trigger cocks and fires the weapon with one long pull), Single-Action (the hammer must be cocked manually and the trigger will then fire the weapon from a “hair trigger”) or DA/SA (which have both functions). Coincidentally auto-loading handguns offer these same action types, although the DA/SA behaves a bit differently than it does in a revolver due to the action’s ability automatically charge the weapon for you after the first round is fired. When it comes to auto-loading handguns there is another variable to consider; Hammer or Striker? A Hammer and Striker are two different parts altogether. Typically a Hammer is exposed on the outside of the firearm and can be cocked or de-cocked manually by hand and some models even have a “de-cocker” which allows a lever to be pressed safely dropping the hammer. Conversely a Striker is typically housed inside of the firearm and is not able to be manipulated by the operator, although there are a few striker fired handguns out there that do have a “de-cocker”. With so many options and so many configurations, does it really matter what you choose? Well… Yes it does and it depends on the job you’re wanting to do.
The major benefit of a Revolver is that it does not leave behind any trace that shooter was there, there is no shell casing ejected from the handgun upon firing. Many people report that Revolvers are leaps and bounds above auto-loaders in the reliability department and this belief seems to be well-founded and long-standing; But I have a caveat to throw in the discussion here. I think of a Revolver like the fine Swiss watches I prefer to wear on my wrists, they are nearly solid metal, full of finely machined tiny metal parts that push and pull and control timing and they do so beautifully! Until they don’t. My experience has shown that when a revolver is jammed I’m in a little trouble and better head back to the work bench, and often to someone with the appropriate tools and experience to help me out. This is not so much the case with my auto-loaders and this is precisely why I carry and prefer auto-loading handguns over revolvers for literally every practical use I’ve come across. The only time where I truly prefer a Revolver over an auto-loader is when I’m collecting Revolvers. (I’m funny right?)
Now choosing my auto-loader is the real question. What’s the difference? After all it auto-loads and fires a projectile! Well when it comes to self-defense you want to be able to draw your weapon and fire it very, very quickly so a safety is not something I recommend on most EDC weapons. Conversely when target shooting you may want the crisp and clean trigger break often associated with hammer fired handguns. My major question is always this; How much functionality can I pull out of this handgun while not sacrificing safety? This is why I prefer DA/SA hammer-fired handguns such as the Sphinx SDP Swiss handgun. It has an external hammer which functions in both DA and SA which allows me to utilize multiple strike capabilities for bad ammo or adverse conditions where the round does not ignite on the first trigger pull, allowing me a “mulligan”. Additionally, being a DA/SA handgun I can manually charge the weapon and it will now have a “hair trigger” for more precise shooting. But my favorite feature of the Sphinx SDP is my ability to enjoy all of these features while being able to drop the hammer placing the handgun into DA (for the first round only) making an accidental discharge a much less likely event, so much so that many people have no reservation at all when Concealed Carrying this weapon appendix. The only downside to this setup is the hefty DA trigger pull you’ll have to navigate on the first round fired.
But don’t sweat that, it’s a lot easier to train for than you’d think and in most scenarios where you’re drawing your concealed carry firearm, you’re going to be close to your attacker. Really really close, which is when you have the largest sight picture of a target allowing for the stressed and less accurate first-shot placement to remain relatively effective.
Of course the best plan is to keep yourself supplied with great gear and ammo while you also consider obtaining some training. Train regularly, train on your own or come on down to the Prescott Caliber Club where we can arrange Training for you. Additionally we offer Shooting Experiences to help enhance and hone your skills or to simply try out these different types of firearms to see which one might best fit your needs!
Come check us out at the Prescott Caliber Club today!