Time for Revolver Reality Truth?

[Stukaman]

Damn boys I'm 28 I scare my semi auto buddies to death hitting with my obsolete platform scare them in a goo way that is hitting what I aim at lol!

 

[gumpys]

The reality around here is young guys have almost zero interest in revolvers. They see them as an obsolete weapon platform. There is some interest in J frames as casual carry guns, but if someone is going to wear a belt and holster they are going to carry a semi auto with double the revolvers ammo payload.

That being said you will sometimes find a younger guy who like revolvers. That guy should be cultivated revolver wise but you don't find a guy under 30 who is interested in carrying a K frame concealed very often.

Sad but those are the facts. Young guys view carrying a six shooter about like we view carrying a cap a ball revolver.

TNDAVE,

I guess I am a rare breed lol. I am under 30 and pretty much all I shoot and collect now is Smith revolvers. I admit I started out with the semi-autos and found my real passion with revolvers, dont get me wrong I still own a 1911 and CZ 75 but other than that its revolvers for me. I would also prefer carrying my Smith 66 or 586 anyday over a semi-auto.
Eric

 

[TNDave]

TNDAVE,

I guess I am a rare breed lol. I am under 30 and pretty much all I shoot and collect now is Smith revolvers. I admit I started out with the semi-autos and found my real passion with revolvers, dont get me wrong I still own a 1911 and CZ 75 but other than that its revolvers for me. I would also prefer carrying my Smith 66 or 586 anyday over a semi-auto.
Eric

You are an odd duck! (jk) I am glad to see younger guys enjoying revolvers. A good Smith is a joy no doubt. I still carry various K frames and enjoy them very much. I will often carry a Glock 19 though. It is hard to beat a gun that is like 2 1/2 revolvers.

 

[FriscoTx]

I like the older S&W revolvers with no lock as much as anyone but unless you are a collector and wait for good pre-locks, S&W and other firearms producers will stop selling all revolvers due to no sales. They are not going to go back to the no lock guns due to liability issues brought on by lawyers. When I go to buy another revolver I will most likely buy a new revolver to help keep the industry healthy.

 

[kcub]

Thats a bunch of malarkey.


Theres nothing that ***** lock does that a cheap padlock couldn't do by keeping the cylinder from closing.


Why should I reward their failure? They simply need to swallow their pride and get rid of them.

 

[FriscoTx]

kcub, I agree 100% but don't hold your breath on this one. You will loose. This country is so loaded with liablity lawyers looking for a paycheck that most industries have the same problem and the firearms industry is in all of their sites.

 

[kcub]

So how is it that Colt, Freedom Arms, and various Italian gunmakers elude these lawyers when it comes to single action revolvers?


What you don't see is you've already lost. It's time to demand it back or to heck with ya.

 

[tkosiba]

BTW, just a few details to my original post.

Shooting recessed cylinders (like I did in the mid 70's) resulted in frequent "clean out" pauses. I still have the dirty tooth brushes to remind me. Worst yet, cleaning out the recesses usually caused more buildup under the star which led to possible cylinder binding. Today, without cylinder recesses, no problem at all. Also, tool steel parts in my 1911's are noticable by shooters wanting ultra fine triggers. However I have not noticed much trigger difference between a 629-1 and a 629-6 as a high volune shooter (and personally, I prefer the new guns with a beefier enhancement).

Those few voices that "still find good P&R models" out there at a good price, most likely represent a
very small percent of guns sold, and leaves a false impression to new shooters that they are plentiful. Usually inner circle club buddys get good private deals, not the big market. Besides, the last thing a
new shooter needs is to buy a gun that's been worked on with flaws. New guns eliminate this issue for the novice.

 

[M29since14]

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...

Huh?

I have to agree with 18DAI about one thing. I have a hard time talking up a gun I have no enthusiasm for myself. I have some modern S&Ws, but my real interest is in those made two or three generations ago, so naturally, those are the ones that I am most likely to comment about. If this leaves the young fellows a little cold, that is not my intent.

 

[LOBO]

Shouldn't we be concerned about getting more new gun owners to join our ranks? If they do so by purchasing S&W guns then that is just an extra benefit.

 

[ltxi]

I'm late 60s and was raised on revolvers and Colt 1911s. Today...My serious working guns are either a Glock 23 or a 1911, depending. My favored casual carry arms are Kahr PM9 and early Smith M60s and 442s, also depending. NAA .22 mag when reduced to almost naked. All are good and each has their place. New isn't better and old isn't worse, nor vice versa. Just sayin'.

Will admit, however, I've developed a bit of a bias against the later lw J-frames independent of the lock.

 

[nipster]

Speaking of a reality check, how about people trying to sell normal non-diamond N frame target grips for over $100...

 

[M3Stuart]

I've been thinking about this thread and I've got three recent examples that, in my mind anyway, sort of negate the point;

1. Older couple with weak shooting skills sporting his-and-hers glops in 9mm and 45ACP.

2. Young lady at the range with a brand new 686+ 4" and a 92FS. She said they were the only two guns she owned. I asked her what drew her to the 686 and she said easier follow up shots with .38 Spec, dead-on accuracy, and not having to worry about mag springs when the gun sat for months - loaded - as a home defense gun.

3. Middle aged lady with a 3" Talo 686+ and a S&W M&P9c. She used both for CCW. She said she had traded her 9c in for a no-manual-safety version of the 9c because she didn't want it at all. I asked her if the IL on the 686 bothered her and she said "not at all".

So, perhaps, we err in thinking we can categorize people by age and handgun preference (including IL, manual safety, mag spring reliability, etc).

 

[627 city hunter]

Hey old guys,

I am in my mid-20s. Love revolvers - particularly N frames.

Us 'yunguns' aren't all that dense and unaware of revolver reliability and quality particularly from new S&W.

Have you seen the competitors, current ****? Sorry, but Ruger has terrible ergonomics and weight, and Taurus please... my .40 is garbage ready for trade from a brand new warranty replacement.

And Charter Arms... the cylinder shakes in the frame.

S&W revolvers currently offer the most choices and affordable quality //

 

[blujax01]

Hey old guys,

//

"Do those still work?"

 

[kbm6893]

Revolvers are still a viable tool for self defense, despite what SWAT magazine and Blackwater tell you. If I ever have to venture into a high crime area, I would say pack a semi with more rounds. But come on people! Some people on here have visions of tactical reloads in the middle of a gun fight! Revolvers can be fired while jammed into a person (somenthing very likely in a self defense scenario), they can be fired from a pocket (hammerless ones, anyway). And unless you are assaulted by a marauding gang of flesh eating mutants, once you display a gun, the bag guys generally run. Fire a shot? They're all heading for the hills. If you like a semi (and I do, too), stick with them, but to completely rules out the revolver is ludicrous. Whenever I go to the range, most people with semi auto's are there to make noise, not learn marksmanship. 15 rounds fired in less than 30 seconds is the norm. Then their targets look like they were hit with buckshot at 25 yards.

 

[Brian41]

I shot my first M-15 when in the AF and was hooked. Had we had Glocks then it probally would have been them. Now S&W revolvers are mainly what I own and shoot and mostly older P&R but do have a couple IL types not made back then (PD series).
I don't own any plastic guns as the appeal just isn't there. I just don't have need for 25 shots and don't fault for those that do. I live and travel in areas where my 5 shot J frames are protection enough for me.
I've shot with younger guys that usually have auto loaders and let them shoot my revolvers. My 41s and 44s always impress and a couple have come back with big bore revolvers for deer hunting later. Almost always Ruger DA guns but it's a start into revolvers for them at least.
I'm not one to fault anyone's choice of guns but just happy to see them into shooting. I've noticed too the older guys just getting into concealed carry guns usually go with autos too. It's what is out there and pushed at many gun shops today.

 

[blujax01]

While the argument may be made for the revolver (by us revolver fans) the facts are that when the world thinks of the word "handgun" they see a mental picture of a pistol. And when they speak with their wallets, they buy a pistol. (Usually a Glock).

I wonder what % of hand gun sales (new +/- used, doesn't matter) are revolvers as opposed to pistols.

Bet it's a significant minority ...

 

[jdad]

There are exceptions, to these observations.

1. The "younger" generation plays First Person Shooter video games. EBR's and polymer autos are what they "play" with, so that's what they gravitate to when they buy.

2. The "younger" generation is used to buying the newest and latest version. Most don't care about the "old, used, classics" that their old man had. It's status, bragging rights, assumed lack of problems, etc.

3. They all go "bang", so at least they're supporting the shooting sports/hobby.

 

[AveragEd]

I couldn't agree more. I have a 30 year-old son who has always been into guns in general as well as hunting and trapshooting. About three years ago, I decided to rebuild my collection of S&W revolvers and bought a dozen or so like-new stainless steel earlier models.

As the collection grew, he commented, "You really like your revolvers, don't you?" At the time, his one handgun was a 1911 clone in .45ACP. But not long after he made that remark, he started to appreciate the history and construction of my older revolvers as compared with current production ones and really enjoys shooting them.

Had I not gotten back into S&W revolvers, his idea of a handgun might be limited to a 1911.

Ed

 

[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.