Why are we allowing the revolver to die?

[SIXTO]

I often wonder why semi autos are so much more popular than the good old revolver. Why does the big revolver makers neglect updating the products year in and out?

I see that S&W is making a new one from the M&P line the 327. Its a good idea I think, its a full size frame with a rail- it has the whole nine yards you would expect in a modern auto. Why are they not making a standard 686 or Rugers GP100 with night sights, a tac rail and a matte finish at a reasonable price? That would be a neat gun for HD.

My head tells me the answer to my question is this- The movies and T.V. shows always have auto's. None of the cool guys have revolvers. I think it would be super cool if Jack B had a revolver instead of a semi...

[DefensiveCarry.com]

[JD]

Well if Cali is any example, I think revos may make a resurgence, darn stinkin' micro stamping for autos....

Edited to add:

The revos still have a place in today's CCW, but I think they are getting over looked as the "mainstream" is all high-cap, fast reload.

The J-Frame is still extremely popular, as well it should be. But I think the larger frame revolvers are being passed up for higher round counts.

[frankmako]

tv and movies have killed the wheel gun. everybody wants that auto that keeps on shooting. nobody want the old wheel gun that shoots five and/or six rounds. fire power is what it is all about now. pray and spray with the auto, not hit what you shoot at with the wheel gun.

[Chooie]

I've got a 686-5, 4" pre-lock 7-shot on layaway right now. I gave my last revolver, a Rossi .38 snubby, to my father in law so he would have something to CC after he gave me his XD. I live out in the county, and we've got several acres of horse pasture around the house, so snakes are relatively common. I wouldn't trust .40 CCI shotshells to cycle the XD, so I wanted another revolver. Besides that, it was a fair price, was pre-lock, and your (SIXTO) thread about carbines got me thinking - I saw a Marlin 1894C at Wally World for just under $400 the other day, so that would make a great counterpart to a .357 revolver.

[SIXTO]

I think I'm going to buy a good revolver and go to some shooting schools this winter with it. I've done 'em all with an auto, lets see if I can do it with a revolver.

[QKShooter]

The wheel guns are far from deceased. They have just be overshadowed by the semi-automatic a bit.
The fact that the military and almost all Law Enforcement and Fed are now all gone semi-auto has a lot to do with it.

[OPFOR]

...pray and spray with the auto, not hit what you shoot at with the wheel gun.

I really detest this line of thinking. Why, just because I have more ammo available, does my accuracy automatically suffer? IMO, this is completely bogus thinking, bordering on insulting...

But, to answer the original question:
I think revolvers will always have a place, but they simply aren't the best tool for the job, in most situations. The small ones will always be around as pocket guns, the big ones will still be popular with hunters/bullseye/big bore shooters, but the auto is simply more suited for most SD/combat situations. Capacity, caliber availability, reload time, dimensions, reduced recoil, and the fact that modern autos are as reliable as revolvers have all pushed the wheel gun to the sidelines of the SD world... Nothing wrong with that, in my opinion - time marches on, new technologies replace old, and the evolution of machinery continues. I'm not one to use nostalgia as a factor in deciding on a tool as important as an SD handgun...

All that being said, it's nice to see some "updating" being done to the revo. I think part of the problem is that there really isn't much that can be done to the design - it pretty much reached its apex long ago.

OK, I think I'll go play with the S&W66 and SP101 in the safe now....lol

[HotGuns]

Did a concealed weapons class today...there were 38 students and 2 revolvers. The class before that had 45 students and 3 revolvers.

Thats typical for an class average of about 40 students. We are seeing from 2 to 5 revolvers but never any more than that. The ones that are being carried are the Scandium,Titanium,Aluminum types that are light and easy to carry...usually 5 shots of which Taurus seems to have a large share of.

I think that the manufactures are more geared to selling autos than revolvers. We are seeing lots of Keltecs, the smaller Berettas,Bersa's and Glock compacts as well as every make of micro .45's.

For the conceal ability and weight, the larger revolvers are just too much for everyday carry. The people that don't know that when they start carrying will figure it out soon enough.

[Chooie]

Did a concealed weapons class today...there were 38 students and 2 revolvers. The class before that had 45 students and 3 revolvers.

Thats typical for an class average of about 40 students. We are seeing from 2 to 5 revolvers but never any more than that. The ones that are being carried are the Scandium,Titanium,Aluminum types that are light and easy to carry...usually 5 shots of which Taurus seems to have a large share of.

I think that the manufactures are more geared to selling autos than revolvers. We are seeing lots of Keltecs, the smaller Berettas,Bersa's and Glock compacts as well as every make of micro .45's.

For the conceal ability and weight, the larger revolvers are just too much for everyday carry. The people that don't know that when they start carrying will figure it out soon enough.

Balderdash! I can't fathom it being much more difficult to conceal a K frame S&W vs. a 5" steel 1911, and we have plenty of folks who swear up and down they do that on a daily basis. I do believe that folks nowadays lack the determination to carry a medium or large frame revo 18/7, but not the ability.

[HotGuns]

I do believe that folks nowadays lack the determination to carry a medium or large frame revo 18/7, but not the ability.

Perhaps.

Its a perception thing. If you pick up an 8 shot Keltec PF-9 and then a 5 shot Model 85 Taurus, care to wager which most people just getting their CHL will go with ?

[Chooie]

Perhaps.

Its a perception thing. If you pick up an 8 shot Keltec PF-9 and then a 5 shot Model 85 Taurus, care to wager which most people just getting their CHL will go with ?

Oh, no contest - the KT. I do think it's a shame that most of these folks will never get to handle and fire a slicked up revolver, but if the availability of small polymer guns will have people who otherwise would not get a CHL carrying, then so be it.

[SIXTO]

Not just in the ccw arena, but in general. Go to any gun shop, there is 5 cases of semi's, and a shelf for revolvers.
The 1911 has a cult following, why isnt the revolvers that strong? The 357 can be argued as the best SD round.

[HotGuns]

I agree. I've got some slick revolvers that I absolutey love and shoot on occasion, but the newbies that arent "gun" people will never miss what they never knew. Fact of the matter is, very few of the people we are seeing know much about guns. The guys that are gun savy are always a minority. Most people nowdays, that are waking up and deciding to carry just want the lightest ,mostest bang for the buck.

[HotGuns]

The 1911 has a cult following, why isnt the revolvers that strong? The 357 can be argued as the best SD round.

The market is dictated by supply and demand. A freind of mine that owns a gunshop say that the revolvers always spend much more time on the shelf waiting to be sold than the semi-autos.

Most people just dont want yesterdays technology, they want the latest and greatest whizbang they can get...and the revolvers aint got it.

[Ron]

I have and pocket carry, at times, a S&W 642 5 shot J Frame. I alternate that with my P99c semi-automatic I carry IWB depending upon what I am wearing and where I am going, in terms of the perceived risk.

I like the reliability and safety of the double action revolver. In fact, I recently posted a thread asking who carried, and how, as their primary carry gun, a larger revolver, which would be easier to shoot(less recoil) and more accurate at longer distances.

From the responses, I decided it is too difficult to conceal a larger revolver, as compared to my P99c. I would love to be convinced that I am wrong, but live in Florida so am talking about a polo shirt and shorts almost all year.

Ron