European semi-autos & U.S. Revolvers question

H

herbie1

New member
I get the impression that the European manufacturers dominate the semi-auto market while U.S. Manufactures dominate the revolver market.

Is my impression accurate? If so, why is this?

H.
 
I would be surprized if your assumption were not correct, . . . as I have often thought the same thing.

Postulating a theorum, . . . a combination of our 2nd amendment freedom did much to keep revolvers in our hands in the time period 1850 thru 1975 or so, . . . and the lack of that same freedom took them and their overseas manufacturers out of the mix during the same time frame.

Fast forward to our global economy, . . . foreign manufacturers now make them for the US market, . . . because there is a substantial market, . . . and it coincidentally is more semi-auto influenced abroad than in the CONUS.

I would add that Mr. Ruger, . . . every cowboy from Buffalo Bill on up to Roy Rogers, . . . and Mr. 44 mag himself, . . . Clint Eastwood, . . . also helped shore up the revolver as uniquely perfected here in the US as well.

Anyway, . . . just my $.02, . . .

May God bless,
Dwight
 
Government support.

In Europe the various national police shifted to a semi sooner than in America. Thus R&D on revolvers was better in the US than in Europe. It wasn't till the 80's that American police forces shifted to semi-autos.
Not coincidentally that was when Colt started loosing big money making DA revolvers.

Variety, as the century progressed firearms manufacturing became monopolized in the US. Fewer competitors in the US meant fewer designs. In Europe each nation tends to support it's own small arms industry. More gun makers more innovation. As above that innovation was mostly in semi-autos.
 
No, I don't think that the europeans were not savvy to revolvers, after they got ahold of Colts revolvers in the 19th century, they started creating their own, often with innovative ideas ahead of their time. Mostly for official use, though, perhaps civilians did not present a large market for them. Especially in countries with ownership restrictions. The Europeans were quite early adopters of the auto pistol designs. Like the first Brownings made in Belgium. The US public had fully embraced the revolver in the 19th century, and were probably a bit suspicious of autos, especially with stories of "jams" scared many away. The 1911 pistol gained a solid reputation though, so that probably explains the popularity of the design. Tried and true, for sure.
 
Sam Colt was inspired by an English design, not the other way around. You simply can't look at 19th century european revolvers and Colt revolvers and see any similarity other than a revolving cylinder.
 
Revolvers are "cowboy" guns. The sale of new ones are fairly unique to the Americas. Europeans aren't generally into revolvers. The european gun manufacturers mostley catrer to sell to military and police contracts, and militaries don't use revolvers anymore. The civilian gun market in Europe is minimal.
 
Could have more to do with their gun rights than their personal preferences???
Click to expand...

When was the last time a European Military contracted to purchase revolvers? I suspect that if the European Militaries were keen on revolvers, that's what would be available to those European citizens who could own guns.
 
I almost wonder if it's more like "European companies don't bother making modern revolvers because the market is so small and competitive". What's the market share of revolvers these days in the modern firearms market? Doesn't strike me as the most profitable area to be in, especially given the lack of lucrative military and police contracts.

I actually thought about the "revolver as traditionally American" angle that might dissuade European firms from trying to compete, but it seems as if Beretta doesn't let that stop them, so I'm going to lean towards my first explanation.
 
How many European gunmakers are serious about making revolvers in volume?

As far as I know, the answer is... NONE. There are some making them (anybody want a RG or a Korth?), but for the most part, they're statistically irrelevant. Rossi might well be the only one, and even then they just don't have any kind of following. If you want a revolver right now, the only companies really trying are S&W, Ruger, Taurus, and Charter Arms, all of which are bigger than Rossi (at least here in the US). It seems to me that the Euros just haven't really bothered with revolvers; in a world where police and military rely on semiautos and regular people aren't really allowed to own handguns (at least without major inconvenience), why bother?
 
Seems to be the case now, but once upon a time, there was a lot of revolver development going on in Europe. And not a whole lot since, barring the monster magnum craze. As Jan Stevenson said, put a bull barrel and target grips on an 1892 Lebel, chamber it in a current caliber, and you would have as "modern" a revolver as any.
 
Jim, Europe did indeed develop revolvers. Once upon a time. They don't now. The OP seemed to be talking about the current market, and for the most part the only real reason to be producing wheelguns is to sell them to the US market. There just aren't that many places where you can sell them to non-governmental personnel. Given that, Europe seems to have put their efforts behind semiauto development and production.

Why did US makers not catch on to the semiautos like the Europeans did? I think others have covered that, but there's really not one answer, but put them all together and you have a better picture of why.
 
Again, how many european countries even allow handgun ownership? How many allow concealed weapons? How many even have the luxury of wild places to roam with a good sixgun on your hip for any but the well-financed? I'm gonna go out on a limb here and say very, very few. If any.
 
I remember reading somewhere (Small Arms of the World?) that after WWII, the US funded a lot of European police departments, and supplied them with top-notch Colt and S&W police revolvers. Said police officers then proceeded to sell them on the black market for any junky, rattle-trap semi they could get their hands on.

If I had to guess, it'd be a combination of restrictions on civilian gun ownership (as stated before by several), heavier usage of SMGs and machine pistols by their police agencies, and also, mandatory military service to a greater degree than the US. Militaries love autoloaders, and have since they first came out.
 
It has to do with who the handguns are being sold to. With just a few exceptions, revolvers are sold almost exclusively to private owners these days while military and LE use almost exclusively semi-autos. Because the laws regarding private ownership of handguns is so restrictive in Europe, I suspect the European makers are forced to cater to military and LE in order to stay in business, and because those entities use semi-autos that's what the European manufacturers produce. Most of the European revolvers that I can think of were either military guns (Webley Mk I-VI, Nagant, MLE 1892) or police guns (Webley RIC and Metropolitan Police, Manurhin MR-73).
 
Isn't it a curious thing that most handguns that police carry in this country, especially Federal agencies, are either Sig, Beretta or Glock? No doubt a few carry S&W automatics and nobody makes as great a variety as they do, but it is disappointing that Colt has pretty much dropped out.
 
Small Arms of the World

I read that section also, Notamisfit. It seems the West Germans
preferred a consignment of cheap, Spanish automatics, inferior in
both caliber and reliability, to our Colt and S&W revolvers. They
simply viewed the semis as 'more modern'. Somewhat similiarly,
they much preferred our M1 carbines over our Garands during
that early period to equip their border guards and other security
forces.
 
Last edited:
No doubt a few carry S&W automatics and nobody makes as great a variety as they do, but it is disappointing that Colt has pretty much dropped out.
Click to expand...

Colt hasn't had a huge priority on serving non-military markets for a while. That's changed lately, but they quit producing revolvers entirely and they really only make the 1911 design, which isn't all that popular for law enforcement duties; even in the agencies which allow it, it is not likely to be the official duty weapon.

S&W has discontinued their metal frame pistols in favor of the M&P series of polymer framed autos, but they're a few years late to the party with those. Good guns (if I were looking for a poly-framed gun, it would likely be a M&P), but it looks like Glock still has that market pretty well sewn up through their early entry into the market and their very aggressive LEO discounts.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top