Popularity of revolvers seems to be increasing lately.

[cjtraining]

My PD issues M&P 40's, however they allow us to carry SA or revolvers as BUG/OD/SD. When I go to the range I get strange looks from the new breed of officers, when I step to the firing ling with my M649. I often times have to tell them it's a revolver, a Bodyguard model, made by Smith & Wesson. The same maker of the plastic gun they are carrying.

 

[cometpx4]

Revolvers

I am 47. I started my collection 15 years ago with a Colt Delta Elite in 10mm. I have owned fired and traded 100 semis since then. I now have 4 semis (Smith VTAC 9mm M&P, Walther PPQ 9mm, Glock 19 Exo Tech Fail Zero version, and a Glock 29 10mm ); the rest of my collection is Smith revolvers.
Revolvers, especially Smith revolvers, will always have a place in my safe and in my range bag. Frankly, one of the best times i have at the range is shooting a simple, 4 inch model 67 and a couple boxes of 130 grain ball .38 specials.
Just so i am not considered a guy stuck in the past trying to hang on to his revolvers, i also have one rifle, Stag's new 3G with a Trijicon ACOG. Its a really nice accurate rifle.

 

[stantheman86]

I think we will see the end of the 4" K-frames like the 64 and 67 in coming years........

The N and X frame will be popular, since .44's, .500's etc will still be popular for handgun hunting. The J's will continue to find a market base for those wanting them for CC. The L frames like the 686+ will always be the standby for competition shooters and those just wanting a full size .357.

The K-frames like the 64-8, there's just not a market anymore for .38 Special holster revolvers. With all that's available out there on the handgun market, new handgun buyers just aren't choosing a full size .38 anymore. If not for Corrections Dept.
s that still issue revolvers, and security companies, there would be no market for the K-frames.......

 

[Bud11]

I think we will see the end of the 4" K-frames like the 64 and 67 in coming years........

I hope not. Bought my first gun, a 67, about 7 months ago and love it. Sweet shooter indeed.

 

[stantheman86]

I hope not either, 4" K-frame .38's like the 15, 10, 67 and 64 are some of my favorite firearms of all time

I need a new model 67 to go with my older one, and also to help round out my "new gen" S&W collection, with my 66-7,10-14 and 64-7.

 

[mkk41]

For better or worse , I see a lot of revolvers that have been passed down being pawned , sold or traded in on more modern and more popular semi-autos. Good for those of us looking to buy , bad for those who received an heirloom only to cash it out , too often for too little at an unscrupulous dealer.

And I don't even want to think about all those that were 'turned in' to police depts or gun buy programs by anti-gun heirs , only to be melted down.

 

[kennyb]

S&W,like all companies are about making money and selling product...their catalogs are full of revolvers...and i mean full of them!hmmm...wonder why if no one is buying?

 

[Robinett_11B]

I'm 23 and grew up (ages ~10-17) with "Ring of Fire" guns...mostly Jennings', Ravens, Lorcins, etc. When I joined the military at 17, my time and interest for guns was put on hold 'til I was old enough to get a WA CPL. I bought a G19 and liked it well enough, but wanted a snubnose. 357, so I bought a M60-14 w/ ILS (I was still new ). I realized I didn't need or want a .357 that small, so I traded it for a no-lock 442. Then I discovered the wonderful world of classic older Smiths...complete with the better craftsmanship and standard production features (real rifling, roll marks, P&R examples, etc.) I haven't looked back since. I must of had 30-40 S&W's pass through my hands over the last couple years...I've noticed my tastes have evolved. I used to only like fixed sight, SS snubs. Now I've fully embraced the beautiful bluing and the utility of adjustable sights. I carry a no-dash 642 or a 66-1 every day.

I'd call myself a "revolver guy"...S&W's specifically. Though, a 3906 or a 3913 have been calling to me lately. I just love everything about S&W revolvers....learning, collecting, buying, selling, trading, and shooting. Older Smiths just "do it for me" like most autos couldn't. I do find older BHP's and 1911's very attractive too, just not enough to drop money on one when I could buy another S&W wheelgun My grandfather likes all sorts of guns, and doesn't pay too much attention to S&W's in particular...which worked out for me, as he just handed me a c.1965 Model 17-2 one day while visiting. That one'll be in the family as long as I (or my will) have anything to say about it.

They may not be as popular as they were in years passed, but there's still younger guys out there that fully appreciate what a fine piece of machinery an older S&W truly is. I know my son will be taught about 'em from an early age...he's only 8 months right now, so I figure he's got about another year or two before I take him out to fire the Model 63

-Rob

 

[Red Tex]

When I joined this forum in March of this year, I was looking to buy my first gun and settled on a Smith 67 revolver. If I remember correctly, the amount of people viewing the S&W Revolvers 1980 to Present section was always way less than the S&W Semi Auto Pistols section. Anyhow, it now seems like many times the 1980+ revolver section (not including the 1961-1980 section) is as full or fuller than the semi auto section.

May be coincidence on my viewing times or are the revolvers becoming more and more popular lately? My first three guns are revolvers and I plan to continue buying them, although a semi auto will definitely join the gang sometime. Don't know exactly why I was initially drawn to revolvers over the semi autos, I just plain like them better.

Do you think this is true, and if so, why?

I kinda doubt that any revolvers other than 38 snubbies are big sellers these days. And it doesn't really matter, in my view. Revolvers were dominant for most of the 20th century and now technology is moving on. The semiautos produced today are way ahead of those from decades past.

That said, I have a preference for wheel guns. I own 6 semiautos and 11 revolvers. What other folks choose to own and shoot is their own business.

 

[Levallois]

I went to mostly semi-autos with my modern handguns over the last 20 years and now I'm coming back the other way having bought two revolvers and sold two autos in as many weeks. I think revolvers are coming back too.

 

[jwr0201]

It's the trigger...

My first handgun was a Beretta Cougar 9mm. Thought I'd died and went to heaven - I owned a Beretta! A while later, I went to a real old fashioned gun shop - the kind without a range and guns all over the place. They had a bunch of LEO trade ins and I went home with my first S&W - a model 36 no dash. Hit the range with my new little friend and was in love! The trigger was SO much better than the now well broken in Cougar. I now own several S&W k & L frame 38's & 357's and all have that buttery smooth, no creep Smith trigger action. I swear that a revolver trigger makes one a better shot at the range.
RR

 

[m4bgringo]

New to this hobby/passion, about 8 months now. Have 7 revolvers (all S&W) and 3 bottom-feeders.

I prefer the looks & feel of the revolvers. I do use the 92FS for knockdown steel, sometimes the 96FS too. I bought a beautiful S/A 1911 that I shot a few times, now it just sits in the safe. Would much rather take the 625 for a spin, besides, that S/A is too nice and clean to dirty-up anymore!

 

[mag318]

I carried a Model 60 with me everyday in Viet Nam, it was comforting just knowing it was there. During my 31 year police career I still carried that revolver as a backup. Now long retired my summer CCW is still a J frame revolver. I do admit to liking semi autos and carrying one often I will always have a fondness for a revolver.
1. A revolver is either loaded or unloaded.
2. No magazine to worry about, or if a round is chambered.
3. Get a dud and no need to tap and rack.
A revolver will always have these advantages over a semi auto.
When my department transitioned from revolvers to semi autos there were many more shootings involving spray and pray rather than well aimed shots. Smith & Wesson is selling more small frame revolvers now than ever. With the ever growing CC market lightweight revolvers are very popular and for good reason.

 

[Bud11]

1. A revolver is either loaded or unloaded.
2. No magazine to worry about, or if a round is chambered.
3. Get a dud and no need to tap and rack.

Well said. Bud

 

[MTKTM]

I am an old geezer, or approaching that status at 62, get senior citizen discounts in a lot of places and got my $10 lifetime National Parks pass in my wallet! My first ever handgun was a 27 given me by my dad when I was 17, and I have been a revolver guy ever since. I did get into IPSC shooting in the late 80s until about Y2K, and then did IDPA for a couple of years after that, and used semi-autos for most of that, 1911s primarily, but now I shoot revolvers almost exclusively. I have to say that I like both, but revolvers just feel more like home to me. Love 'em.

 

[dwever]

I love my revolver, but I'm under no delusion that revolvers are experiencing any form of rennisance.

 

[CrazyMFFM]

Well, I'm not old by any means. I am 23, never carried a revolver as a cop or in the military, however I love S&W revolvers. I do like the auto loaders and I am a fan of the 1911's, but there is a time and a place for everything. There is just something about a Smith's lines, the blue and the walnut, and the incredible attention to detail of the older guns that I fell in love with. I think that the difference is maturity. When people are young they want the 'coolest' of the time period. Then as they get older they begin to see the beauty in the things they passed over before.

 

[ogilvyspecial]

I know that my "sample size" is so small that it's pretty much useless in determining a trend but I did sell off a number of S&W Revolvers over the last few months on a local gun forum. These were all 4 or 6-inch K Frames with one 4" L in the mix.

The bulk of my buyers was between 50 & 60 yrs of age with 3 under 40 and only one of those was under 30 (28.)

The youngest fellow is more than likely a member here because he was very knowledgeable when it came to the Model 66-2 (4") that he bought from me, which was probably manufactured the same year he was born.

The thing I found interesting is that while he was checking the gun over it sounded as if he was trying to justify / rationalize getting a Revolver. One of the terms he used that makes me think this had the words "Old fashioned" in it.

I found it interesting that the 2nd youngest (mid 30's) buyer bought my oldest gun, a 1947 K22 with 6" bbl and the oldest buyer (63) bought my newest gun, a 686 SSR from 2009.

One other thing I noticed, each & every one of the people I sold my Revolvers to were very polite & a true pleasure to deal with, unlike those I've sold semi-auto's to in the past. What an uncouth lot they were

 

[Steve in Vermont]

Stopped by my local gun shop yesterday and there sat a Smith 14-3 in excellent condition. What a smooth action. Gave me a good out-the-door price. I believe there will always be a market for revolvers, they are simply a part of our American (gun) history.

 

[gunny4053]

I don't know whether there's a resurgence in interest in revolvers, or just a new group of people who have come to appreciate what they represent.
In my opinion, revolvers represent the best of firearm technology. They are simple, reliable, and accurate to a fault when used at ranges appropriate to the barrel length and caliber. Yet, they are also works of art, with classic lines and beautiful finishes made of steel and fine wood rather than plastic and steel slides with phosphate finishes. Each one has it's own character and appeal. Something about the look and feel of a model 19 with that fine blue finish, or a big "N" frame sending .357s and .44s down range without punishing its' user, or the utilitarian appeal of a model 10. They just work, and, look good doing it.