Time for Revolver Reality Truth?

[jtcarm]

It's a good thing to "wait" sometimes, teaches patience.
Plus the old P&R's will always hold their value if cared for properly.
The new MIM and Lock guns are not going to hold their value as well.
Chuck

Are we talking collectors, or shooters?

I wouldn't be so sure about the MIM. I NEVER would've believed S&W revolvers get so high. Some of the credit goes to our Govt for printing money like there's no tomorrow, but that's another thread in a different forum.

I sold a 25-2 on Gun Broker back in 2005 and was pleased to get $450, I had paid $275 for it 8 years before. Of course, now I wish I had it back.

Two years before that I auctioned a Colt PeaceKeeper (Trooper MKV w matte finish) in original box for what I thought was an astronomical amount. I had been out of the gun game for a while and didn't know Colt DAs were no longer in regular production and had become collectible. I considered the MKV inferior to the Ruger Security Six and probably no better than a Taurus. But the Colt name and market changes made it valuable.

Point is, in revolvers, I think if you stick with Colt and S&W, they will hold their value. The only collector's market I see for regular-production Ruger DAs appears to be discontinued Redhawk calibers/variations.

I never would have dreamed Colt would get out of the market or S&W would drop so many models from regular production and implement the trigger lock (prior to that I thought they had admirably refused to give in to the tort lawyers.) So who knows where we'll be in 10 years. My guess is there's way more money to be made autoloaders, which not only sell more but are probably way cheaper to produce than quality DAs. My prediction is that with the possible exception of the J and L frames, in the next few years all revolvers will come from the Performance Center.

Besides all that, the PR revolvers made about 64-on were not necessarily that great, especially during the Bangor-Punta era.

 

[El Biblioitecario]

I am amused that the original post is every bit as opinionated as the old gaffers which it derides.

 

[Pef]

I'm still skeptical on this fancy new "smokeless powder" craze. How's that for being an old fart?

 

[jtcarm]

On the contrary, I think lock guns should be boycotted until the suits have to admit they made a colossal mistake and start making guns without them.

Not in our lifetimes and likely never. If people don't buy, they'll stop producing. It stinks, but that's the world we live in.

 

[mbliss57]

Stop the delusion

Except for hunting I don't know why it is necessary to be proficient with any handgun at distances great than 25 yards. All the self defense classes stress firing distances out to about 10 yards. Any more than that and you will likely be answering to a judge. So all these "young" people with semi auto's shooting at a range at 7 yards are doing exactly as they have been trained to do. There is really no reason to own a revolver for self defense when the semi auto can shoot 2X+ the rounds more accuratly and faster than a revolver. So why do you expect young people to want to regress to the revolver age? They are harder to shoot accurately without a lot of practice and only carry 5-6 rounds. They also "misfire" just like semi autos do. (light strikes, broken springs, etc..) I have had several revolvers fail to fire on me for many different reasons. And I'm talking about the P&R ones.
I think this is a rigid minset that contends that "that's how I did it when I was young, so everyone should do it that way". JMO
I love P&R revolvers and own a lot of them. They are fun to shoot and for hunting there isn't a semi auto handgun that can beat a SW500, .44mag, or a good .357. plus others at distance and accuracy. But for self defense...stop being deluded into thinking that a P&R revolver is a better solution. It's not. If it was, the all the LEO and military would still be carrying them.

 

[Duke426]

tkosiba, Sorry but it's called the free market system. Perhaps, if enough of us spurn the new product offerings (MIM) the producers will get the message and start offering products we want to buy. Until then, I'm not buying any of the current junk!

I have no trouble finding reasonable older models and my kids have no shortage of guns to shoot.

S&W will sooner go out of business than go back to forged parts, pinned barrels, recessed cylinders and lock free frames. Afficianados have been screaming about it for years and nothing has changed & it never will.

 

[tkosiba]

It still amazes me that modern production methods are used by other gun manufacturers, like Ruger, Colt and clones, etc.; however, when S&W utilizes these same methods, they are singled out as being no good. Hello? Did everyone quite buying 1911 Colts when they switched to MIM, no? At worst, the connoisseur just striped out the critical MIM parts and added tool steel (primarily because there was a slight trigger feel difference). The big advantage with the engineering designs of the Smith revolvers, is that they "transitioned" nicely. No major difference in trigger quality. Bottom line: Promote new. No big deal in shooting quality, only in the minds of the older shooters.
Oh, BTW, this OP is opinionated..I guess shooting 10's of thousands of rounds a year for decades (with many different gun platforms) provides entitlement

 

[Andy Griffith]

I need all the new people to buy and prefer the old junk- makes my stuff go up, so I can sell it high, higher, highest!!!

However, I want them to do that when I'm finished buying what I want so I can buy it low, lower, lowest.

It's been a long time since I've sold anything though. May have to to make room for something else...my wife doesn't like tripping on S&W wood boxes on the way to the refrigerator, and I can't watch TV- too many blue and red boxes in front of it anymore.

If there wasn't the internet, then there'd still be some deals out there- they're just a whole lot farther between them anymore. It does help when word of mouth sends people to me though.

 

[snakedog]

If there wasn't the internet, then there'd still be some deals out there- they're just a whole lot farther between them anymore. It does help when word of mouth sends people to me though.

Saw a buddy of mine at another estate sale and we were both complaining there were no deals to be had. George said he scores his best deals from husbands whose wives want their gun(s) out of the house. Pronto.

I'm thinking about trying WTB ads online. Got to adapt to the times.

 

[ogilvyspecial]

So all these "young" people with semi auto's shooting at a range at 7 yards are doing exactly as they have been trained to do. There is really no reason to own a revolver for self defense when the semi auto can shoot 2X+ the rounds more accuratly and faster than a revolver. So why do you expect young people to want to regress to the revolver age?

That's a question I've asked myself a few times over the last year.
Our youngest son, who is 28, has had some of his friends come over to
shoot at our back-yard pistol range and whenever they do I always make
sure to have at least one J and one K, or L, Frame out there for them to shoot.

I'm seeing a pattern of them getting their own
revolvers, in one case selling their semi-auto to do so.

I have yet to "pitch" a revolver in any way, so,
whatever conclusion they draw is entirely their own.

 

[spaniel]

The ageism and stereotyping in this thread makes me sad. Most at public ranges can't shoot no matter their age. Most aren't all that serious about shooting so they buy a $300-400 gun and you wonder why they aren't putting serious time into learning revolvers inside and out then spending twice as much?

Me, I am happy people are out shooting and finding a gun that keeps them happy and engaged in the sport. In case you didn't notice the ranks of younger guys are thinner in many aspects of our sport than ever before, and some of the attitudes displayed here don't help that.

If you are happy with what you shoot I don't understand the need to look down on the choices of others to justify your own. Me I figure if I am burning powder it is a good day no matter what action type it burns in.

 

[arc2x4]

Any S&W revolver new or used can be fantastic, any S&W revolver new or used can have problems. S&W made Gems and clunkers all throughout their history. This is true also of any manufacturer of any Semi auto. If you buy a new one and it has a problem the warranty covers it, if you buy an older used gun you can fix it or have a gunsmitrh fix it. Cars are just the same way in my experience. Now here is what I tell the younger generation about revolvers:

Thsy have numeropus advantages over a semi auto:
1. They can shoot a wider range of loads and bullet styles without malfunction. A 686 can shoot mild wadcutters or specials 600fps for practice or it can shoot 1400+ fps Buffalo bore ammo or hand loads, and not jam. You can put a scope on it and use it for hunting deer with the 1400fps load, then take the scope off when you get home and put it in your night stand for self defense. You can keep a magnum round in it or teach your recoil sensitive wife to shoot .38 specials and load it with those for her self defense needs when you are out of town on business. Revolvers can be shot double action or cocked and shot single action with a very fine light trigger pull superior to that of most semi autos. You can shoot much more powerful round like .44 magnum and up (.460 and .500 S&W, .454 cassul etc) from revolvers that semi autos cannot handle, good for hunting, long range shooting, Bear or mountain lion defense, or tactical encounters with folks wearing soft body armor. You can teach a new shooter or an experienced one who has developed a flinch using the ball and dummy drill. Live rounds alternated with fired cases. A good revolver under $800 will be much more accurate than a good semi auto in the same price range.
At contact distance in a self defense scenario (think gun jammed in stomach of attacker) a revolver will not jam where a semi auto will.
In a real life self defense encounter a revolver will be more reliable than a semi auto, this is especially true for someone who is not a gun person and does not practice regularly. I would give my grandmother who lives in a bad neightborhood a 4" k frame revolver rather than a glock 17, because it is easier and simpler for her to operate in a self defense scenario.

 

[Nanook 450]

Both my girls carry 4 inch model 66-2 revolvers as hunting back up, they are age 12 and 15. Both understand the political and mechanical functions of the interal lock, and they both know that compromise is one they will never bow to. The original poster's "experience" and opinion is no form of knowledge and won't be passed on to my kids or any other kids I can influence.

 

[MakeMyNight]

Speaking of the young and revolvers vs semi-autos, a friend who owns a gun/pawn shop, took in a nice S&W 17-3 with 6" barrel.

Anyhoo....to make the story short, he escorted his teenaged son to the local range, and the lad forgot all about their 22 LR auto pistol, after firing the S&W 17-3.
The boy actually said to his father, "Dad, please don't ever get rid of this 22 revolver.....it's my hands down favorite!"
My friend said that his boy shot excellent scores using the 17-3, and he's resigned to never sell that great shooting gun. Success!

 

[scott625b]

I love this forum! Just as in the media, you have a choice of reading or listening to information or affirmation. The trick is to know the difference. Information can be backed up with facts, statistics and data. Affirmation is typically opinion or perception that you share and agree with, but is not necessarily backed up with data.

 

[kamloops67]

my wife thought she wanted an autoloader, so i got her a 22a she has put about 1500 rnds through it ..experienced loading the mags, clearing the jams ,finding ammo that works reliably, failure to fire due to mag not being seated all the way,etc. she has been more and more picking up my 17-5 she likes it better and shoots it better, she likes my 14-4 as well to the point where she is starting to call it hers! so im working on getting her a m66 for her birthday ...but i probably wont be able to wait that long haha. she thinks my buddys 1911 pd is ok but cant load more than 5-6 rounds in the mag due to spring tension.
she says shooting the 629 is a rush......i think we have a new convert!

 

[arc2x4]

Hmmm..... 44 years shooting revolvers and I've seen exactly one broken hammer mounted firing pin. On a K-22 that the owner insisted on frequently dry firing. Despite admonitions not to do that. Oh well, some learn by doing.
Regards 18DAI

Why that's truely amazing since K22s have always had frame mounted firing pins. Even my 1923 22/32 has a frame mounted firing pin.

Broken firing pins, hammer mounted or frame mounted, are extremely rare, but either is easily fixed with a couple simple tools and inexpensive readily availible parts.

 

[ssnow]

After reading this argumentum ad nauseam one question comes to mind.

Why are the revolver forums split at 1980? Why not "2001 to the Present"?

Seems the Saf-T-Hammer acquisition would be a better delineator...

The collectors' group could then discuss all the defects on the new models; the shooters' group could discuss shooting.

A win-win

 

[schneiderguy]

I am 21 years old, so here are my thoughts:

I grew up in an anti-gun household so I didn't have any experience with guns growing up. My Grandpa has a couple of older S&W M60s but my Mom wouldn't let him take me shooting until I turned 18.

I have two handguns, a M&P9mm and a Model 63-5 3" (.22lr). I like both and enjoy shooting both.

I live in California so buying a used S&W revolver is difficult at best. There's not a whole lot of gun owners where I live (the Bay Area) so the selection of used guns is limited. We can't buy used revolvers off of the Internet because unless the guns go through a "private party transfer" they have to be on the "safe handgun roster", which only the new IL and MIM models are.

So my choices were wait probably 6+ months for a used S&W .22 revolver to appear locally, and hope it's in decent condition, or buy a new one. I chose the latter. By reading some posts on here you'd think that my M63 would be an ugly piece of junk. I don't find that it is. I think it's a beautiful gun, especially with wood grips. The lock detracts a bit from its appearance but I can live with it. The barrel isn't crooked, it times perfectly, and the barrel to cylinder gap is pretty small. It's got the best single action trigger I've ever felt on any firearm (admittedly I haven't shot that many guns). It's a well made gun.

Now I am lusting after all of the other cool S&W revolvers I can buy after I graduate college and have more disposable income. Lock, no lock, I don't really care.

I guess my point is that if I would have listened to the current production S&W bashers I probably wouldn't have ended up getting into S&W revolvers at all, and it's people in my generation that will be keeping the revolver market around when all you old guys are in adult diapers

 

[sd307]

Are there any Smith revolvers that you would realy kick to the curb?

yes a 19-5 that is in great shape but just never grew in me because it is a 6".

`The big one for me is I no longer by newer than -3's I find the triggers are better the exceptions are the 686/586 which is great in aLL FORMS FROM WHAT i HAVE SEEN, MIM, NO MIM, LOCK NO LOCK.

YHE BIGGEST CONCERN TO ME IS THE NUMBER OF YOUNG SHOOTERS WJO SAY "i WANT A PISTOL THAT SHOOTS 2" at 25 yards" then go customize thier tupperware, tell them just get a S&W 67,15,14, or 66, ot 19 and be done with it, all will shoot that well.

Finally, 22lr wheelguns are being neglected not just smiths, colts as well new frontiers are great guns.