I have and like both revolvers and semi-autos. For most any realistic self-defense scenario a 5 or 6 shot revolver is more than adequate. However, if I am expecting to go to war and potentially fight off massed Banzai charges, by all means give me a large capacity semi-auto with multiple extra mags.
I load my own ammo and about the hottest safe 9mm ammo I can come up with is about equal to good .38 Special loads. Think a 7 or 8 shot .45 ACP M-1911 has good stopping power? I agree that it does. However, my .44 Special +P loads in a 5 or 6 shot revolver are much better. Actually, I have lately been looking at maybe loading up some .44 Russian loads (just a shorter version of .44 Spl, which is a shorter .44 Mag.) that appear to be about equal to a .45 ACP. So, I can take my .44 Mag and safely load it for "T-Rex" magnum stopping power loads, deer and elk size magnum loads, anti-personnel and deer & hog sized +P special loads, or special and Russian loads for varmints, target, and anti-personnel use. I cannot find that versatility in any semi-auto.
Both revolvers and semi-autos have pros and cons. With semis you can get higher capacities and can reload faster. Good for Banzai charges and spray and pray shooting. With revolvers you have less capacity, slower reloading, and much better ammo power versatility. I think the most important thing with either one of them is to be able to actually hit as many targets as your are likely to encounter accurately with enough power to do the job.
