On Tue, 21 Aug 2007 12:02:37 -0000, "Lloyd E. Sponenburgh"
lloydspinsidemindspring.com wrote:

Gerry fired this volley in
oups.com:

From Wikipedia, FWIW
"In American usage, the term "pistol" refers to a handgun whose
chamber is integral with the barrel, making pistols distinct from the
other main type of handgun, the revolver, which has a revolving
cylinder containing multiple chambers." After 20 years of gunsmithing,
that is the I see it as well


I seldom trust Wiki, but if you're a gunsmith, and you say that's the way
it is, then I'll bow to that.

Hmmm.... I've been shooting for fifty-two years. I'd never heard that
distinction, and have distinctly heard otherwise in the military. But I
know enough about how wrong they are on other counts to realize they
could've been wrong about that, too.

But didn't Colt call his first revolver "a repeating pistol"?

LLoyd


I don' think there is a firm distinction, perhaps some local
difference in use. For example we refer to "target pistols", "pocket
pistols", etc., with no difference between automatic, single shot or
revolvers.

On the other hand I suspect I'd ask to see that "pistol" if it were an
automatic, but use the term revolver if it was a wheel gun.

BUT it is not a gun since "this is my rifle, this is my gun" was
learned by millions of young men. =:-)



Bruce in Bangkok
(brucepaigeATgmailDOTcom)