Talk:Vasto/@comment-98.112.59.131-20130727232105/@comment-70.127.195.172-20130728091657

@ Capt Lolz (and SeptFox too, sort-of)

Revolvers are classed as either ‘single action’ -- meaning the hammer has to be manually cocked before a shot can be fired -- or ‘double action’ -- meaning pulling the trigger will also cock the hammer.

Semi-automatic (in self-loading pistols) means each pull of the trigger automatically chambers the next round -- as opposed to fully automatic, which chambers rounds until the trigger is released or your magazine is empty -- and is not applicable to revolvers, as the cylinder’s rotation occurs in tandem with the hammer, which is done manually (even in double-action revolvers), that is, after each shot, the force of that shot is not utilised in any way to rotate the cylinder or cock the hammer, as is the case in semi-(or fully-) automatic weapons, which use recoil or the expanding gas generated by the gunpowder’s ignition to work the action. Even hammerless revolvers (where the hammer is covered by the gun’s housing) are classified as double action.

The closest you can find to a ‘semi-automatic revolver’ would be something like the Webley-Fossbery or the Mateba Unica 6, which both were constructed similarly to automatic pistols, where the barrel and cylinder were set on a rail in the frame that allowed them to slide independent of the trigger and handle, so that when it was fired, the top portion recoiled on the frame, turning the cylinder and cocking the hammer.

Given the design of the Vasto (where the cylinder is in front of the trigger and grip instead of overtop them like on the Webley-Fossbery and Mateba), there isn’t anywhere for such a mechanism to exist (it would recoil into Tenno’s hand), so it’s a double-action revolver, pure and simple.