Why does S&W produce so few blued Revolvers? Thank goodness for the Classic line. Are they just too labor intensive? You see quite a few blued shotguns, and 1911's from other brands.

These blued Classic Revolvers are also fairly hard to find. I wish they would realize not everyone wants a stainless Revolver. Blued firearms are the way to go, alittle extra maintenance never hurt anything. Not too mention they are classy.

I know I know, find an older model, but I want to be the first owner. I want a pristine gun that has only been shot at the factory. Its my gun to make memories with.

Well it's been said that once the nickel finish is gone. The blued finish is next to be discontinued. In the near future were only going to have the stainless finish guns. Unless we see more and more epoxy painted guns.
Maybe still parkerized finishes too.

Now is the time to get the blue and nickel finishes before there gone.

Blue is cool, stainless is better, but that world famous s&w nickel finish freaking rocks,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,YOU BETCHA.

Blued finishes are gone like the dodo bird. The American public is not willing to pay what a factory blued finish would now cost, just like they're not willing to pay what a cheeseburger produced by a $15 per hour employer would cost, and what an automobile produced by an American union employee cost . . .

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Wisdom comes thru fear . . .

The over/under shotgun market is about 99% blued finishes, and the 1911 market has a good percentage. I'm not losing hope.

Let me tell ya, I was into black/polymer guns but over the past few years I have started loving blued guns. As a 30 year old I would take a blued gun over any black/tactical gun out there.

I just picked up a brand new 870 Wingmaster American Classic with a nice wood and blued finish, now I just need a nice wood and blued S&W revolver. Remington and Colt still have very nice blued finishes. S&W does as well. I just wish they would produce more, and not let the bean counters run the show.

Three thoughts here. You will not find a shortage of admirers for blued S & W revolvers here, but I would think the complex curves and contours of a revolver make it much more labor- and skill-intensive to polish than a semi-auto or a shotgun, thereby raising the production cost. They have to make guns at a price point at which they will sell, not easy in today's market.

Second, S & W still makes some very nice blued finishes but they are not in the league of ones they made in the 1930s, '50s and early '60s. Look for a few examples from those eras and you'll see the difference compared to a more recent one.

Last (and you may have seen this coming), perhaps the best of all possible worlds is to find that '60s era blued S & W revolver, NIB at an estate sale, and start making your memories from there . Hope this is helpful.

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Alan
SWCA LM 2023, SWHF 220

They have cut corners on blueing to save some $$ but it's getting where they may as well not make if they don't do a good job. It doesn't affect the functionality of the gun as much as crooked barrels and all of that stuff.

Blued Guns Forever!

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"He was kinda funny lookin'"

Hasn't blued guns in general been in decline for several years? I went looking for a blued centerfire rifle back in the mid 90s up in Kodiak,and Juneau, Alaska and they were scarce. Gun store owners told me stainless was in due to less maintenance required. 98 % of what I own are old blue revolvers and rifles. I never liked shiny guns till I picked up a couple of Colt Single Action Armies with a nickel finish. Then came the S&W 29-10 4" barrel in nickel. All three had a superb nickel finish that just called to me.

As for stainless I have a 625 (45 ACP) Performance Center, two 640 Pro Series and a 66 no dash, and a Colt Government Model. Meh... I could take em or leave em I reckon.....Well maybe with the exception of the 66 and Gov't Model. I've used blued revolvers in the field for years and never had any rust issues no matter what the weather has thrown at me.

I purchased two Model 22 Model of 1917 reissues three years ago in blue and their finish is holding up well, even using Hoppes No. 9 (along with the 625PC and 29-10 the only "Lock" revolvers I own). But their finishes don't hold a candle to that of my old blue revolvers of yesteryear.

Nickel Smiths no more eh? I reckon I'll hold on to the Model 29-10. Wish S&W would use solid wood grips instead of the laminate stuff they use now.

Bluing requires a craftsman. Stainless requires a machinist.

All are beautiful in their way. Just keep making great revolvers, I will take any finish.

lots of people, like me, get their first handgun from ruger.
ruger blue doesn't look at all like the bluing i've seen on old shotguns.
worse, i had holster wear in 2 weeks.
after that kinda experience, stainless seems like a better idea.

Stainless is much less labor intensive to make and finish but the gun makers have convinced the gun buying public to pay more for what actually costs them less to produce!
Bluing as mentioned takes time and skill and probably in this day and age is costlier to produce

Bluing was originally used to protect guns from rusting as at the time it was the cheapest-only- way possible to do that. Thee were no magic coatings like there are today. Case hardening was used to harden softer steels to provide for sears etc. Nickle came along to provide greater corrosion resistance than blued guns and then stainless came along which was ever better for corrosion protection. Then the finishes came along-melonite, Black T, Ceracoat and so on. It's called progress. It's why people ceracoat their old beat up 870's rather than re blue them. Ans so on. Blued guns are beautiful and a reminder of the craftsmanship of yore but face it, it is the most fragile of all gun finishes-plus it is more expensive to apply. I mean face it-does it make sense to produce a blued slide Shield? Look at your shotgun you take into the duck blind. Chances are it has some kind of coating on it rather than bluing. Remember how fast your old A-5 would start to rust if it got wet? Face it-blued guns are a PITA to maintain as compared to the newer coatings and stainless. I've got an old K-22 and an old Ruger single action both blued and these are positively babied because I'm so afraid that I'll miss that odd thumbprint and get a nasty surprise down the line.
But then again that's just one man's opinion.

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Forum consigliere

I have mixed feelings on blued guns. While they are pretty to look at I am a shooter not a collector. I have to be careful to wipe my sweat off stainless guns so they don't rust blued guns don't stand a chance. For my money I will take stainless or some of the other coatings that I don't have to worry about as much.

Aesthetics versus functionality. Beauty versus corrosion resistance and ease of maintenance.

I love the fine old blue finishes and miss the last two I had, which now live with my son and his boys. But in old age I have to go for practicality and durability, knowing the guns I have left will have to last the rest of my life.

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Oh well, what the hell.

I wish ruger made a biued so 101....I would buy it in a second

Great advise!

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Miss Buddies crsides & fat tom

Many of the "blued" or "blacked" guns produced today are not blued. They have other types of finishes that are more durable. S&W does not use the same process as they did even in the 70's and 80's. I think that process may have run afoul of the EPA. The blue finishes I have on some of my newer guns, not necessarily S&W's, appears thin and fragile. None of those ever sees a holster.

Does Smith Make a 586 with a 5" barrel?

All I'm going to add is if we look at GM because there not offering what the consumer wants the sales go down. A quality finish in all three offerings is important.

Too many dimwits want easy, no brainier like guns. They don't wanna be burdened with that pesky thing called FIREARM MAINTENANCE! I mean, that will cut down on reality TV & social media time

Really though it's likely a cost measure for the manufacturing side of it. One type of steel to deal with most of the time, no messy blue finishing etc. I'm sure the EPA has an opinion on the hot bluing chemicals & they're proper uses.

I think they did once upon a time as a distributor exclusive. I recall seeing one & I thought it had an unfluted cylinder.

Today's generation is pretty much into disposable care free products.Why should a gun finish be any different and require care.

That gives ME some hope for your generation! MOST 18-30 year-olds think they already KNOW everything when they don't really know their azz from their elbow!
f.t.

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South Carolina-God's country

No they do not. 2 1/2",3",4",6" and 8 3/8 ". Seems like they could have added a 5".
f.t.

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South Carolina-God's country

In a word.....money !

Same reason "they" don't make anything. Lack of demand. If people were beating the doors down at gun stores everywhere looking for blue steel guns, you can bet they would make them. It's not like they don't make any.

I'm sort of surprised that S&W still makes revolvers at all. After all one of their biggest competitors is their own product. All those guns they've made over the years are still out there, and in most cases can be had for less money, and the vast majority of them are still in VERY good condition, as we see here every day.

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John 3:16 .

This is very true and I'm in this group. To me a gun doesn't represent anything but a tool. So I want it to be durable and functional not a wall hanger. Best way to describe it is I want it to fit a "combat" role. No I'm not going into combat but I want a gun in that role. I want to take a class, learn to shoot, shoot the snot out of it, clean it and forget. I have no interest or desire in creating memories or starring into the bluing for admiration. To me that's a waste

Give it a shot some time.Nothing wrong with having the best of both worlds.What you described is my generation combat guns.Target guns were for baby ing

No desire to pass down to family? I wouldn't pass down a hammer, but I'm sure as hell passing down my Remington 870 American Classic with Gold inlay.

None what so ever. I just don't see guns that way. I mean if someone were to want one I would but as far as looking at them as some sort of family treasures. ...no

Ok, they do!

Product: Model 686 3-5-7 Magnum® Series

Ok, ok I give up. In the future it's stainless, parkerizing, or painted finishes. Black park looks awesome?

Since the plastic pistols are taking over, in a decade or so us old timers wheel gun gurus will be gone and what's left in revolvers will be stainless.