Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Handguns Opinions please - is a Revolver a Pistol?

Yes sir boys and girls " most accurate shooting PISTOL in the market."

Calling a revolver a revolver makes sense, that doesn't mean that a revolver isn't a pistol though.

Sounds like I wrote that.

To those obstinate folks who say revolvers are not pistols, go back to school.



Or the scholars who say "all revolvers are pistols". Even Colt's first revolver designs were long guns.



Elisha Collier had rifles too.



Some were neither rifle nor pistol.

Yup, nothing better than taking the word of advertising agents to determine what words actually mean...

A revolver is not a pistol and a pistol is not a revolver.

They are both handguns.

I will take the legal definition, the one prescribed by anyone that knows anything in the editor and writer world, and the common sense definitions.

Anyone that wants to use the others is welcome to have at it. They can enjoy attempting to bemuse those with a clue...

Well,

Some Winchester 94's are rifles,

most are carbines.


But it's not important, and Cariboujack has a great point.

The word of a modern marketer is one thing. The word of the man who actually created what we know as the "revolver" today is another entirely.

And as you obviously missed above, not all revolvers are handguns. But some folks are entirely ignorant of history so it's no surprise.

I'm surprised that none get their panties in a bunch because by their own nonsense, there is no differentiation between a semi-auto "pistol" and a flintlock "pistol".

There's plenty of differentiation. Are people angry that there are ducks and parrots, both of which are birds? Same with flintlock pistols and semi-auto pistols. Why would anyone have a problem with hierarchical classifications?

If there's no differentiation with the term "pistol", then it has no meaning. If all it does is draw a line between single shots, semi-autos and revolvers, then what is the point? If it's not either specific, or universally generic, it has no useful meaning.
Bird = handgun
But "pistol" can be a flintlock, cartridge single shot, bolt action or semi-auto but not a revolver??? Can parrots be ducks and eagles but not sparrows???
Seems a little hypocritical and illogical.
And again, not all revolvers are handguns. Interestingly enough, Sam Colt needed a term to differentiate the revolving handgun from the revolving rifle or revolving shotgun. He chose "pistol".
So Hiram Maxim can call his invention whatever he wants (silencer vs suppressor) but Sam Colt cannot?

Is all of this really just because semi-auto shooters want exclusive rights to the term "pistol"?

The definition of a pistol is same as it’s always been.

Really, it always included semi-autos, even before they existed?

I wonder what they called revolving pistols (to differentiate from revolving rifles) back in 1606? I'll bet good money they called `em pistols.

Right. A handgun possessing a barrel and chamber that constitutes a single unit.

Back when that was all that existed, wasn't it kind of a given?

All pancakes are flapjacks, but not all flapjacks are pancakes. I learnt that today. And I'm sure there's a debate among chefs and cooks in there somewhere.

Now I know the XP100 is code for experimental pistol 100, but I wouldn't necessarily call that contraption a pistol whether it technically is or not.
But a revolver,...a revolver is most definitely a pistol. Whether you call it a Colt, wheelgun, smokewagon, Blackhawk, K-frame, six shooter, it's still a pistol, pistola, heat, rod, ect.