Revolvers are passe - Claude Werner

I definitely don't spend as much time as I use to when I go to my local shop it's a two minute walk thu. I have interest n less than 10% of what they have there. Saves time and money there was a time when I'd have two or three guns on layaway. O well us old gun guys are dying off and our guns are at auctions that's where I do most my shopping now. The internet is the venue going me today.
 
Great stuff here....good discussion.

What I found interesting was who made how many.

S&W at 113m is #1. Thanks M&P EZ?

Glock at 73m is 2. I'm a bit surprised, I figured them for #1. Glock is the big name and I suspect easy to sell to newbies. (And everyone's heard of Smith & Wesson .sto selling the brand is half the battle and already won.)

Both 1 & 2 are inexpensive guns, comparatively.

But #3 Sig! Ain't nothing cheap about Sig .380s and yet they made 66,000 units last year. That's a surprise to me. Sig markets as an "aspirational" gun...people trade up to it and pay for Sig's reputed quality. It ain't priced as an entry level firearm.

Taurus at 60m is #4 and again, for them, and most of the rest, are simply price point guns.

(Full disclosure: I have an EZ and a touch of arthritis; my other 380 is a Beretta 85F and that's just 'cause I have a small "accumulation" of Berettas and this is part of the collection. And I carry my 642 a lot more than the EZ and my CS9 a bit more than my 642.)
 
In a fairly recent year, a few years ago now, there were over 5 million
handguns produced here in the USA.

Ruger produced more than one out of every four. S&W was
second.

Only about 15% (750,000) of all handguns produced were revolvers.
The majority (4,250,000) were semi-autos. About 40% of the semi-autos
were 9MM.

Teaching the enhanced concealed weapons license classes, up until I
retired a couple of year ago, I observed that the majority of students
were using semi-autos, and 9MM was the most popular caliber.

I realize that I am passe, just like all of my revolvers. So, if you have
any of those old passe revolvers just send them to this old passe guy.
 
I thought one posters comments about the quality of a Walther PPK compared to a plastic Ruger LCP was right on. Except, I have owned a couple of Walthers finest, and they are beautifully made, and feel like a gun should in the hand. They also were not reliable with HP's, and sometimes not ball either, and they tended to cut my hand if I was not careful. My cheap little LCP is smaller, lighter, more concealable, and has been nothing but reliable in about 800 rounds of mixed ammo. The Walthers were the nicer guns. The LCP is the better self defense tool, regardless of price. Just saying..

Revolvers? There will always be a market for wheelguns as long as hunting, reloading, target shooting, and self defense are still around. Revolvers were so popular at one time because the semi-auto market offered slim pickins. That's not the case anymore, and a whole new generation of gun buyers don't have the same sentimental attachment to blued steel and walnut us older folks have. They tend to search out the right "tool" for the job without the emotional baggage we tend to carry. Me? A quick inventory in my head shows my handgun collection is about split between auto's and revolvers.

Larry
 
For every new handgun I have purchased in the past 7 years I have purchased about 6 or 7 used guns both revolvers and all metal semi autos.
That does not show up in the market statistics. If it's a 380, .32ACP/ 7.65mm , .38 special or 38 S&W I have bought many on the past 7 years and not one was new. Just 1 person, but I count as a statistic too.
 
CrazyPhil stat of 5,000,000 new handguns a year is encouraging.
The rush to buy ARs every time ownership of them is threatened is encouraging.
The growth of new concealed carry permit numbers is encouraging.

A lot of new folks around the country want to make sure they have a gun or maybe two ....... most being PC don't talk about it..... and may only own one or two........ not much different than my Grandparents.

My Dad was a Police officer for 39 years...his job needs were met by three handguns( all revolvers) he bought in 1938/39,46 and early 50s..... he didn't retire until 1978. He only bought two other handguns in his life a Model 41 when he shot on the Department' Pistol team in the Police league; and a 640 about 22 years into retirement.

They can only buy what's in the gun case at the LGS or big box store. If they do any research it's on line or U-tube. The single action revolver is still with us after almost 200 years the 1911 is 108 years young..... I think the double action revolver will be around for a long time to come.

Look around whenever a storm is on the horizon ... folks stock up. Don't want to be caught without or short. Not long ago there was a book and movie (didn't do well) set in an apocalyptic future....... where the 'hero" had a revolver and one bullet
 
Narragansett said:
with the exception of 1 glock 36 (45 acp),
Click to expand...

I bought a gen 4 Glock 36 because two of my good friends recommended it, it was my first .45 auto - my first auto period.

I wanted an occasional carry .45 auto.

No matter what I or we did it would jam 5-6 times or more every 50 rounds. Never did care for it much and that's why I never had any interest in a semi-auto handgun.

I ended up trading it for ATV tires and wheels. :D

I love my M&P 45.
 
The younger generation seems to be infatuated with the plastic autos and couldn't care less about those "obsolete and heavy metal revolvers".

About a year ago, I had a 20 something year old guy see my S&W M&P .40 for sale on a local gun site. He offered me 2 older S&W revolvers as a trade. I assumed they were beat up, but when met for the trade, they were both in excellent condition. One was a 4" Model 66-1 and the other was a 4" Nickel Model 15-2.

Needless to say, I made the trade and the young man was very happy to get the M&P .40 (which BTW, was a police trade-in from CDNN, I paid 299.)

I also traded a polymer M&P .45 compact for a S&W 4506 to another young man who didn't like metal guns.
 
My first pistol purchase at 21 years old was a SW 5906. I have had (and still have) several different semi-auto's over the years. I didn't get the wheel gun bug until I was well into my 40's. Buying used SW revolvers is more difficult for me than most since I still live in CA. I really don't see a decline in revolvers, personally, as I see prices still continue to go up - CA or not.

As far as polymer framed semi-auto's, I wouldn't discount those either. I realize I may be preaching to the wrong choir here... but I bought a German made HK pistol (45c) about 5 years ago, just to see what all the hype was about. I have put THOUSANDS of rounds through that gun, without a SINGLE failure, not one. I can't say that for any of my Colt 1911's. It has proven to be one hell of an amazing firearm, and I absolutely trust my life with it now. So much that I bought 2 more "plastic" HK pistols.

I guess I'm just a big kid that likes to play with toys!
 
JohnnieBoy said:
My first pistol purchase at 21 years old was a SW 5906. I have had (and still have) several different semi-auto's over the years. I didn't get the wheel gun bug until I was well into my 40's. Buying used SW revolvers is more difficult for me than most since I still live in CA. I really don't see a decline in revolvers, personally, as I see prices still continue to go up - CA or not.
Click to expand...

Same here, only my first gun purchase was a 4506...and yes I still have it, mostly a safe queen now. I got into the wheel gun thing early on as my second gun purchase was a Taurus Model 85. Back then it was a qualiity revolver that was very affordable. And yes, I still have that one too tucked in my downstairs study drawer ICE.
 
It would be interesting to see the ages of all commenters in this post. I think it would answer many comments. I shoot black powder and really like my period handguns, however, for personal protection in or out of the house, I choose a clip semiauto..
 
I carry a .380 when necessary. I don't like the Plastic Pistols offered by Other Manufacturers. Mine is the NAA Guardian which is 100% Stainless Steel except for the Grips, and holds 7 rds. It's reliable and has a solid feel to it. I make my own Ammo using new Starline Cases and Hornady XTP Bullets. I practice with it often and at 7yds, I can place a shot anywhere I choose to. Oh by the way I own quite a few Revolvers from a 460V, down to a M63 22lr
 

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Remember when looking at sales numbers that about 60% of the auto loaders produced go to military and police bulk sales. If you factor that into the equation, the consumer market is not as lopsided as it seems.
 
For the non-enthusiast just wanting a gun for home defense or concealed carry, in these parts a 642 is about $460 and a Ruger LCP .380 or EC9S 9MM about $220. Hard to argue with the 8-shooter costing half as much as the 5-shooter.
 
I don't really understand his point. If you look up the definition, then he might possibly be correct. There's not doubt that most of the bigger name self defense trainers push 9mm autos. I totally understand it.

Maybe I'm sensitive but the article feels like a jab at people that choose revolvers. And that I don't really dig.

I wonder how much .38 gets shot in comparison to 380. And I don't mean just bought. But even that, I don't really care. I just know what I like and what works for me. Am I suppose to run out and buy what is not passe according to Claude? That's what I mean, I don't really get the point of the article other than being sort of a jab. Or, well, OK. More .380's got bought. Wowee. Next topic.
 
I overheard a conversation between a salesman in the gun department of our local farm supply store and a customer today. The salesman properly asked the customer screening questions about his familiarity with firearms and intended use of his purchase before making suggestions.

The customer (late 30s) had used rifles and shotguns in his youth but not recently. He wanted a handgun for home defense, but did not intend to shoot much.

He was shown both double and single stack 9mms (M&P, Shield and Springfield). His main interest was the feel and he found the Shield too narrow. When the clerk was with another customer I mentioned that I own a Shield and had found it very reliable. His response: I don't plan to shoot it much.

Any increased reliability in a revolver would have been wasted breath. He intends to buy the gun, load the gun and put the gun in a safe under his bed. End of story (for now).

I suspect there are many people in that boat today.

By the way I also have a RM380 which is a well-designed and manufactured metal frame bottom-feeder which I carry under certain circumstances. Most of the time I get by with a 642.
 
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