What's the difference between a pistol and a revolver ?

The pistol and the revolver are two handguns that can be used with one hand. Light and compact, they are equipped with a short barrel. Although they look similar aesthetically, they have many differences.

Ammunition loading

• Revolver : the ammunition is placed in a barrel which is a rotating cylindrical part. The cylinder has several chambers in which individual cartridges or charges are added. By the way, the term revolver comes from the Latin "volvo" which means to turn.

• Pistol : the ammunition is placed in a removable magazine called a magazine. However, the air pistols are not equipped with them and must be loaded between each shot. These are one-shot models.

The number of shots

• Revolver : the majority of them allow you to shoot six times before you have to reload them. With each shot, the cylinder rotates and presents a new round to the barrel until all six are projected.

• Pistol : allows you to pull up to 30 shots before recharging (except compressed air models). On the other hand, it can sometimes jam since the bales are not separated and pass one after the other until the magazine is empty.

Shell ejection

• Revolver : keep the shell casings in the barrel.

• Pistol : ejects the casings with each shot.

Advantages of the pistol over the revolver

The pistol loads faster and can also hold a lot more ammunition. It does not lose power between shots.

Advantages of the revolver over the pistol

The revolver is easier to use and maintain. When it is loaded but not used, it does not fatigue any springs. It is therefore suitable for people who use it only on rare occasions (e.g. police officers). If a piece of ammunition is faulty, a simple squeeze of the trigger is enough to engage the next one. It does not jam.

At Jean Pierre Fusil, we only offer non-lethal weapons for leisure shooting and defence. On the online armoury, you can find pellet guns (compressed air or CO2), revolvers with CO2 pellets, but also ball guns and revolvers for airsoft practice and revolvers and alarm pistols for home defense. And for lovers of antique weapons, we also offer black powder pistols and revolvers that work in a completely different way.