Revolver, for reasons of reliability. They also accomodate the more powerful cartridges, such as the 44 Rem mag, 500 S.W. Mag, and a host of powerful wildcat cartridges.
•
WTF?!! To the best of my knowledge these items are prohibited in the UK and quite rightly so. Is this a serious discussion?
•
In terms of a semi-automatic, it depends on the manufacturer and model. It's the old saying of 'You get what you pay for' with those, and unreliability is a huge factor for cheaper ones. Spent casings getting jammed in the ejection port, for one, which isn't a problem with revolvers. The caliber really isn't much of a problem seeing as you can get a .45 semi-auto, and that's enough to take down nearly anything. Most semi-autos have a clip of +nine-twelve rounds, with revolvers having five or six. Many revolvers also have the advantage to be fitted with many types of ammunition, making it a more versatile piece of weaponry. As well, revolvers are easier to learn to use for the inexperienced, as you don't have to fumble about with a clip and there aren't many delicate parts that you'll have to worry about. Semi-auto doesn't require a hammer to be fanned back, a revolver does. An experienced user will find that isn't much of a problem, however.
I'd say revolvers.
•
I'm used to my G23 and I preferred pistols because they generally had less of a kick, held more ammo than a revolver, and my G23 was also easy to conceal (and when I chose it I was a fan of Robert Anton Wilson so I liked the number 23, too).
But my last girlfriend had a Taurus snubby and I liked how simple it was (so less chance of something going wrong), I was able to shoot well with it, and it was a much easier gun to clean and take care of. It may have less ammo, but you also don't have to worry about jamming, and just how many bullets do you need for self-defense anyway? Even when facing multiple armed attackers they usually all run on merely seeing a gun in the hands of their intended victim.
•
I should also mention that for hunting applications, the cartridges that the semi-auto accomodate are usually less than adequate and this includes the 45 ACP. 357 Mag is usually the minimum. 44 Mag is better, however, ballistics are much better from the barrel of a rifle than a pistol.
•