Updated: January 6th, 2021
While many have moved to more modern style firearms, there are those who still prefer the old-fashioned type, particularly the revolver. This is still an extremely popular weapon, which still owe much of their popularity to the glamorization by Cowboys of the old West. Whether it’s for target shooting, self defense, concealed carry, or just for that traditional appeal, a revolver remains a very suitable gun.
While not being able to hold the same number of rounds as many modern firearms, this is still a weapon that has a number of great advantages to it. However, it is a bit different in terms of how to use it. So here is some information that should assist you on being able to be proficient and more accurate with your revolver.
The Revolver
Let’s start with the basics. Since you came to this article to learn the basics of shooting a revolver, we’ll start with the basics of the gun itself.
The revolver was an important development in gun technology, designed to address a problem in which guns had to be reloaded after each use. Revolver technology dates back centuries, with various weapons utilizing a form of “revolving” technology to allow a gun to shoot multiple shots without reloading. However, it wasn’t until an American, Samuel Colt, patented the “classic” revolver design in 1836, that the guns really exploded in usage.
In general terms, a revolver is a gun containing multiple chambers, with each chamber holding one cartridge. There is a barrel for firing the gun. You are probably familiar with the classic revolver firing technique, in which the hammer is cocked back, which causes the cylinder to rotate a chamber in line with the barrel.
How Many Rounds Does a Revolver Hold?
Since its inception, the revolver has been a six cartridge weapon. By its design, only six cartridges would easily fit within the chamber well that is used with this weapon. There are some that use as few as five, but unless it is specifically customized, you are not going to find a standard revolver that holds more than six cartridges.
How to Load and Unload a Revolver?
Loading and unloading revolver ammo is pretty simple. Most common revolvers you will find are known as single-action. What this means is that you pull back the hammer with your hand or your thumb every time you want to fire the weapon.
A double action revolver is different in the fact that, when you pull the trigger, it pulls back the hammer before releasing it.
- Single Action Revolver.This is important, because how you load or unload your revolver is a little different based upon the type of revolver you have. We will start with unloading of the single action revolver. First off, it is important to note that many of the early single action revolvers do not have a safety. This means that you need to be especially careful whenever you are unloading this weapon. Whenever you are transporting it you always want to make sure that the chambers are empty. To start, you will open the loading gate which is usually located on the back side of the chamber to the right of the hammer. You then want to pull the hammer back to the half lock position. Ensure that the barrel is not facing in any direction where you can harm yourself, any other person, or any property. You want to then turn the cylinder slightly so that the cartridge is aligned with the opening. Now, there is a plunger underneath the barrel that you simply pull back. This will eject the cartridge out of the chamber. Now all you have to do is continuously turn the cylinder to the next cartridge and use the plunger to eject each cartridge. It is always a good idea to go around the cylinder twice just to make sure that you didn’t miss anything. It’s just a good safety technique. Loading of the cylinder is extremely easy in the single action revolver. What you do is begin by opening the loading gate. Pull the hammer back to the half-cocked position. Next, turn the cylinder so that an empty chamber is aligned with the loading gate. Now, simply slide in a round and repeat the process until you have completely loaded your weapon. When you are done, close the loading gate, and slowly release the hammer until it is completely forward. You are all done.
- Double Action Revolver.The unloading of the double-action revolver is quite a bit different. What you will find is that there is a cylinder release button that is usually located to the side of the revolver near the back. By pushing this forward, it causes the cylinder to be released, allowing you to push it to the side. From there, all you have to do is to turn the revolver upside down and the cartridges will slide out.
To reload the weapon, you push forward on the cylinder release button. When the cylinder is released, simply slide a bullet into each chamber until it is full. You will find that there are some double-action revolvers that allow you to completely remove the cylinder and replace it with one that is already loaded. This makes the reloading process work a lot more efficiently.
This is an interesting question to ask because it depends on the type of revolver that you have and how comfortable you are in your firing position. As with anything in life, it sometimes comes down to your personal preference. But keep in mind that there are well established grips that give proven results. Either way, you will be more comfortable with precision shooting when you find the proper style that also works best for you.
Double-Action Revolver Grip
For a standard double-action revolver you would hold this weapon in the same way that you would hold a pistol or handgun. The best way to do this is by using both hands. Your dominant hand you would place around the grip with your thumb coming up underneath where the trigger is, and your index finger on the trigger.
Your other hand would come around your dominant hand, holding it in place to be more stable. This will help you to be a lot more accurate with your shots because you will be in a steadier position.
Single-Action Revolver Grip
Gripping the single action revolver is a little more complicated. Because the Hammer needs to be pulled back to fire, it creates a different kind of scenario for how you would hold this weapon. The first thing to assess is how you will pull back the hammer. Many are very comfortable with using their thumb to pull back and then pull the trigger.
If that works for you, then you will hold the weapon with your dominant hand. Your three bottom fingers would go around the handle with your index finger placed on the trigger. You would then keep your thumb up so that it was in a position so that it could pull the hammer back and you would still be able to fire.
This can be a little tricky. It takes a lot of practice to get comfortable holding the weapon and still being strong enough to continually pull back your thumb over and over. You are probably going to have to practice this at the shooting range for at least 10 or 12 hours before you start really feeling comfortable with this continuous firing motion.
Some never get comfortable with this, opting to go with using their other hand to pull back the hammer. The hard part about this is that they are most comfortable using their dominant hand to pull the hammer back. That leaves them using their inferior hand as the one that is actually pulling the trigger and holding the firearm.
This takes a lot of practice as well, and it takes a lot of practice to still be able to get an accurate shot. What you will find with this kind of revolver is that it is virtually impossible to sight and shoot the weapon unless you have become quite proficient with using your thumb to caulk the hammer.
This is why you often see in the movies that gunmen hold their weapons down near their side. This is not a Hollywood depiction. Cowboys really shot this way because it was the only way that they could get the kind of rapid fire motion they were looking for. Plus, they still had great accuracy, which takes a lot of practice as well.
As you can see, this is far from a simple area of shooting. While there are grips which are considered to be more comfortable, more accurate, and safer, it will still ultimately come down to which grip you prefer.
How to Aim a Single Action Revolver?
With all that being said, with enough practice you can actually get to a point where you can aim your weapon and hit the target you desire. It does take a great deal of practice though.
Aiming a revolver, as with aiming any gun, is not as easy as it sounds. There are ways to do it, but even if you know exactly how to aim the gun, it will still come down to practice. You have to learn proper aiming technique, and then put in the hours to master it.
First off, you will need both hands. Even if you are a person who was able to pull back the hammer with your thumb, you will want your other hand on the revolver to provide stability. The jerking motion of your thumb is going to create some instability, but keeping your other hand in position can help to stabilize before shooting.
If you are intending to pull back the hammer with your other hand, then you will need that hand close by as you aim your revolver at the target.
If you have a few extra moments, first cock back the hammer before aiming. This will give you the greater stability so that you can get that accurate shot. The trigger aligned with the front sight can actually work as a great tool to help you to aim accurately. This takes a little practice in using these two sights (front and rear sight) in this way.
The front and rear sights work together to aim the revolver. The front sight will be a “blade” design, and the rear sight will look like a “valley” of two blades with a recess in the middle. You want to line up the front blade in between the rear sights. And once the gun is lined up on target, you need to keep your focus on the front sight. Inexperienced shooters tend to pull their gaze off the sight and onto the target before they shoot. This often causes their hand to move, which results in a shot that is off target.
Will I Experience Recoil?
Before firing a gun, many have one important question – how will it feel? Knowing what to expect often helps a first-time shooter to envision the process, and to have more success firing the weapon. Generally speaking, a revolver doesn’t have an unexpected amount of recoil.
If you have fired similar guns that use the same cartridges, then you will probably know what to expect. That being said, the revolver is mechanically different than other guns, so it will be a “different” recoil, rather than a stronger one.
How to Shoot a Revolver Better?
This is a different kind of weapon, and so practice is huge. This is especially the case if you are a person who is intending to use a single action revolver. You cannot imagine how difficult it is to get use to continuously pulling back on your thumb or fanning the hammer using your other hand. It’s not that it is impossible, just awkward, at least at first.
Every part of getting better with your revolver starts with practice. If you are a person who is looking to aim and get more accurate shots, then you need to practice holding that weapon in position while continuously pulling back that hammer over and over again. This is not an easy task, especially if you want to be as deadly accurate as you can possibly be. There are also shooting rest aids for had guns to help you stabilize your shot, which offers a similar benefit to a arrow rest when firing an arrow.
Practice at different ranges. Don’t just get comfortable with shooting targets 25 feet away. Practice at 50 feet, 100 feet, 200 feet. Practice at various ranges so you can be accurate and proficient.
Try to time yourself. Work to see how quick you can be with your revolver by putting yourself to the test. Pretend you are an old-fashioned cowboy or cowgirl and a rabbit is racing across the prairie in front of you. How quickly can you get your revolver out, aim, and shoot for that rabbit? Those are things you should practice.
It would be a good idea to work on improving your hand strength. Get yourself some handgrips from an athletic store or use them when you go to the gym. This will not only strengthen your grip on your revolver to give you greater stability, but it will increase the strength of your thumb, trigger finger, and hands overall.
If you take this advice you can become quite efficient at using your revolver. You can be a total stud out there at the range. This is a great weapon that comes with many advantages, and you will soon learn all about them if you put in the effort.
Moving Forward
There you have it, we’ve given you all the tools to get out there yourself. Just be sure that, if you’re a beginner, you go to a certified shooting range where they will brief you on gun safety beforehand.
Other than that, there’s no substitute for experience, and the same can be said about firing a revolver. Practice makes perfect, after all.
For further reading, and if you’re a collector of revolvers, you might be interested in our best car and nightstand gun safes.
