So barring any political reasons, how much life does the revolver have left in it?

The large capacity auto loaders didn't appear in the early
80s, but the mid 30s and was a hit that caused many country's military to replace their revolvers for the P-35. Anyway, the revolver isn't going anywhere because the plastic fantastic may do it all, its got no soul.
 
Handguns are used to fill many different roles. Folks plink, compete, roam the backwoods, hunt, carry concealed, and leave 'em on the nightstand or in the glove box. While I truly believe they are no longer at the top of the food chain for fighting purposes, they are far from obsolete and will be with us for a long time. In fact, for some uses they are still the best choice.

If I were walking into a fight I would not choose a revolver. However, if I could only have one handgun to fill every need for the rest of my life it would definitely be a 357 magnum revolver and most likely a stainless 4'' Ruger Security Six.
 
myself, and many of my friends / family still love, and use revolvers. Concealed carry, hunting, and fun shooting are excellent reasons to pack a revolver.
I don't see them going away any time soon, if ever. They are so practical, reliable, accurate and fun, that folks will be choosing revolvers for many, many more years.
 
The large capacity auto loaders didn't appear in the early
80s, but the mid 30s and was a hit that caused many country's military to replace their revolvers for the P-35.
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If you consider "large capacity" to be 10 rounds and up, it wasn't the mid 30s, it was 1896!

The standard Mauser C96 (Broomhandle) had a 10rnd capacity.

Savage pocket pistols from the teens and early 20s had 10rnd + capacity.

As far as I can tell, no country replaced its military revolvers with a "high capacity" semi auto until after WWII.

The P.35 was used by the British Commonwealth during WWII, but didn't become the primary standard until the 50s.

Even the US, despite 30+ years of having a high capacity semi auto as our service standard still has revolvers and still issues them for certain specific roles, in small numbers.
 
Revolver are more reloader friendly. As Skeeter Skelton once wrote, they don't chuck your brass all over the place. Less sensitive to case length, no feeding problems, etc.
 
If you consider "large capacity" to be 10 rounds
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No, I never considered 10 rounds "large capacity". I have always considered 17+ rounds in a pistol to be large capacity. I've always looked at semi-autos with capacities between 13-17 rounds with one in the chamber to be standard for a full-sized semi-auto.

Of course, I'm part of the wonder-nine generation, so I'm biased accordingly.
 
While revolvers may no longer hold the interest they once did, they'll still be around.

Take for instance, any S&W pre-lock revolver.
If it's in decent shape and a good price or even not so good price, it generally will not last very long in the gun case.
The S&W pre-lock anything commands a higher price than new revolvers.

.
 
Take for instance, any S&W pre-lock revolver. If it's in decent shape and a good price or even not so good price, it generally will not last very long in the gun case.
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I had a Model 10 for years. Accurate, but I never really liked it all that much - barrel was too long and the grip too wide at the bottom. I sold it in the late '80's and never wanted it back. However, there are several new S&W revolvers that I would really like to have. The one classic I'd like to find is a pristine, nickel plated Model 60 Chiefs Special. My first handgun in my teens was an INA knock-off of a nickel Model 60, which actually was pretty good quality considering it was a copy. Still, I always wanted the "real" model 60.
 
A point I would make is that revolvers are a very good solution for a whole bunch of folks. There are people who can't reliably, consistently rack the slide on a semi-auto. Some folks have no upper body or arm strength, some have an arm or hand injury, some have arthritis and some just want a simple handgun that is easy to operate, load and maintain. The revolver fits the bill for them.
Major
 
I really don't think the lightweight, slim, five shot, snub nosed .38 SPL is ever going to be discontinued.

There are too many folks, myself included, for whom that kind of gun, a S&W 642 in my case, will always be there, hey going to the store real quick, or cutting grass in my swim trunks, or am wearing khakis and a polo to the office, and need a gun, who will choose it.
 
skans said:
The one classic I'd like to find is a pristine, nickel plated Model 60 Chiefs Special.
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Finding one of those will probably take a while. There is no such thing as a Model 60 Chief's Special, and the Model 60 is stainless steel (the first production all stainless revolver - 1965). I've never seen a nickel plated stainless gun.

The Chief's Special is a Model 36.

The new design was introduced at the International Association of Chiefs of Police (IACP) convention in 1950, and was favorably received. A vote was held to name the new revolver, and the name "Chiefs Special" won.
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You could always buy a new one.
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That won't do. It's got to be an older one and nickel plated. My first gun was an INA 38 snub nose. It was a very close copy of the Chiefs Special, j-frame, and not a bad revolver at all. I sold it - that is the ONLY gun I've sold that I regret selling. However, when i had the INA "tiger" special, I really wanted the real version that Smith and Wesson made - not obtainable for me at the time. So, I've always kept an eye out for a nice older nickle plated J-frame Chiefs Special. If I could ever find a like-new condition INA nickel one like the one I had (doubt any are out there), I'd snatch it up too
 
I predict (da DAH), that if you look at a survey of carry guns sometime into the future, the J frame or similar (LCR, Kimber) pocket revolvers will surpass the 1911 as a carry gun by the CCW public!
 
Revolver life

I sure would like to a pre-lock S&W 649-3 in a 357 Magnum with a 3 inch barrel. I sure wouldn't use anything heavier that 38 Special +P in it. It would get a decent rear sight and gold front sight with CrimsonTace grips to carry.

Revolvers will be here for the foreseeable future. They can't be beat for putting in the gun some place and leaving there until you need it. A safety deposit box, inside a safe, behind a picture by the door etc. I picked a rough S&W 1917 45 ACP revolver for a car gun a few weeks ago. It will go in safe in a car and forgotten until it's needed. A 357 Magnum with 38 Special +P will still be save if the ammo's been baking at 160 F all summer. Shoot the ammo every year in October and put in new.

If your going to leave a gun in the car in the summer have it clean & lubed to work in extreme temperatures. I would keep it in a zip lock bag with pin holes in it if the safe wasn't dust proof.
 
The Revo rocks but consider this:

I love revolvers and own two J-frame bodyguards - steel S&W 649 with Hi-Viz and a 438 w/ XS front site (I like the compatibility of the same frame types, holsters and speedloaders work between the two).
I think the revolvers days are numbered, and here's why:
1) there are still plenty of ppl alive who have parents and grandparents who were revolver enthusiasts, military, or police, so the wheelgun tradition is being kept alive. They watched Dirty Harry, Hill Street Blues, Matlock, even NYPD Blue, and other media where revolvers were prominently displayed. These guys showed their kids how to shoot a Ruger Speed Six or a S&W 686.
2) there are plenty in the younger generation... think ppl born 1975-up who reached the gun-owning age around 2000-on, having missed the wheelgun-oriented movies and TV show era and ONLY grew up seeing semis in media.
3) at some point, I dunno, maybe in 20 years, there will be a sharp drop off of market share in revolvers when the guys who grew up with semis take their kids to the range to shoot their Glock 4th gens that (by then) they had for many years.
4) A revolver can hold 5 to 8 rounds (think 5-shot S&W 442, seven-shot GP100, 8-shot S&W 627), comfortably within the range of 6, 8, 12, or 17 rounds of semis (think the Kahr PM45, the M1911, M&P 45, and Glock 17). If guns like the FN 5.7 begin becoming popular, the cost of the guns and their ammo will go down, and their capacity ranges from 17 to 23 rounds, and the 5 to 8 of the revolver will then seem significantly less...

I'm hypothesizing a bit, but I believe revolvers will, in a couple of decades, slip quickly from their current strong market share as wheelgunners pass on and if rifle-caliber pistols take flight. The debates on gun forums may shift from "Revolver or Semi-auto?" but instead to "9mm or 5.7mm semi-auto?"
 
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Geez, I hope they stay around...for some purposes, hunting etc or defensive use for those that don't hanker to fool around with safeties, mag release buttons, magazines, take down levers, slide stops et. al, the revolver is still king and always will be IMHO. For reloaders, chasing your sand and gravel coated brass all over hell's half acre is another good point. And finally, for loads from mild to wild, a good revolver is far more accomodating and still offer reliability.

The military and police need a bigger capacity weapon, I guess and also one that's easier to reload under stress, but for the rest of us, I vote for a more venerable design...gimme a Smith 5-6 shot every time. YMMV, but I don't care. Rod
 
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