Revolvers are passé

[livingston]

At least to the general public…

The 2017 BATF production statistics, Annual Firearms Manufacturing and Export Report (AFMER), https://www.atf.gov/file/133476/download have been released. There are some interesting facts about market trends in it. The snub nose .38, which was a long time standard for Personal Protection, has clearly been replaced in popularity by compact .380 ACP autoloaders. This continues a trend that has been building for a decade.

All manufacturers

Total .38 revolver – 177,956

Total .380 autoloader – 848,425


Americans blithely continued to disregard the cognoscenti who say .380s will get them ‘kilt in da streetz.’ The last year in which .38/.357 revolver production was close to .380 production was 2008.

In fact, .380 production exceeds the combined total of both .22 revolvers and .22 autoloaders. That surprised me. The .380 is the second most popular caliber in the Nation, after 9mm.

Ruger’s production statistics are interesting. It produced 12 times as many .380s as LCRs. In fact, .380 production for 2017, 376,304 units, was 80 percent greater than all their other centerfire autoloaders combined. Over the past ten years, Ruger’s production of the LCP has averaged 227,220 units annually. Production of the LCP as of Year End 2017 has been 2,272,204 pistols, making it one of the most popular pistols in America.

Other notable (>10,000 units) manufacturers of .380s were:

• Taurus – 60,172 units
• Glock (US manufacture) – 73,646 units
• Smith & Wesson – 113,246 units
• Remington – 15,045 units
• Sig Sauer – 66,586 units
• Jimenez Arms – 11,586 units
• Kimber – 27,608 units
• Hi Point – 14,805 units
• Beretta – 20,810 units
• Browning – 19,472 units
• Cobra – 11,475 units
• Walther – 13,604 units

more at ...
Revolvers are passé

 

[Podmonkey]

Well automatics have been refined to the point that revolvers no longer have a reliability advantage so the increased capacity and faster reload wins out. In terms of energy aren't the .38 and .380 pretty similar? Revolvers still have their uses as a CCW but they have become niche and the sales quoted here seem to reflect this.

 

[nortatoga]

I do know a few guys that shoot IDPA at my Club have recently pick-up revolvers to shoot in another classification at matches. I do have 2 myself from the first year that I had my license.

 

[Phauxtoe]

i Love revolvers!
I do not believe semi autos are as reliable.
Not including the weapon itself, if a single round fails the semi auto is out of service, the revolver is a trigger pull away from bang!

(But i understand the Failure rate/capacity equation, so semi autos for the win!)

 

[Deplorable Me]

I will give good retirement homes to all the unwanted revolvers. .380 proof of millenial gun ownership?

 

[Podmonkey]

i Love revolvers!
I do not believe semi autos are as reliable.
Not including the weapon itself, if a single round fails the semi auto is out of service, the revolver is a trigger pull away from bang!

(But i understand the Failure rate/capacity equation, so semi autos for the win!)

Thing is some of these newer revolver designs are having mechanical failures, in the lock work, in the cylinder. Failures in an automatic can be tap, rack, banged. If a revolver fails thing might be out till it gets to a gunsmith.
Top tier automatics never seem to malf anyway.
My PPQ has had one failure in over 5,000 rounds.
My Shield hasn't had a malf since after the second mag I put through it. It's been thousands of rounds since then.

 

[Podmonkey]

Don't get me wrong, I want to join the revolver club too! I want a large(ish) .357 and I think an SP101 in .327 Fed would be neat.

 

[ArmedCorgi]

I love revolvers and they will always have a good following and place in the market. There is a certain beauty, nostalgia and romance associated with them that will never go away. Technology will keep marching on though and it won't be long before the next evolution makes the semi autos we all know and love passé as well.

 

[ArmedCorgi]

Or there will be a ban on semi auto handguns and then suddenly revolvers will be popular again, lol.

 

[Jmac00]

I LOVE my 629 44mag, for me a wheel gun slows me down, it makes shooting a more deliberate action.

 

[Robin]

I have a .38 special revolver and a 9mm Kurtz. Accuracy is everything.
Robin

 

[Tinman]

I love wheel guns. I currently own 14 of them. Calibers from .38 spl to .460 mag. and everything in between.

 

[Phauxtoe]

I have new and old smith revolvers, i cant think of any of them Ever having any malfunctions.
i did have Ruger revolver that had some issues, i think it was cheap ammo.
the trigger sucked of the ruger so i sold it to a gunsmith friend.

 

[Catskillkid]

I do like revolvers. I really enjoy shooting them, especially my cowboy action. Having said that the small frame semi-autos are better imo for concealed carry. They'll never go away completely but tastes do change. Plus you can't get the same enjoyment of saying "Are you feeling lucky punk?" with a semi-auto, can you?

 

[Marine Cpl]

Plus you can't get the same enjoyment of saying "Are you feeling lucky punk?" with a semi-auto, can you?

Yes you can.

 

[71velle]

.380 pistols can be had for $200 and a smith j-frame is about twice that so that is a part of the the popularity swing. I do own both a small 380 and a j-frame and do like both. Depending on how I plan to carry it will determine which one comes out.

 

[ArmedCorgi]

Yes you can.

Which one was that? Magnum Force?

 

[Marine Cpl]

Sudden Impact I believe.

 

[Jsmegs77]

I love revolvers. Because of Clint Eastwood in film, and Jerry Miculek in real life. There’s a fairly extensive list I’d like to acquire.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[Criticalt]

I love my revolvers and feel very comfortable carrying them.
With one speed loader I can have 12 rounds of either Speer gold dot 130gr +P JHP or 12 rounds of Remington Golden Sabre 158gr JHP.
With a little practice you can reload a revolver pretty dang quick.

 

[ArmedCorgi]

There’s a fairly extensive list I’d like to acquire.

Do tell!

 

[Bustedknees]

.380 pistols can be had for $200 and a smith j-frame is about twice that so that is a part of the the popularity swing. I do own both a small 380 and a j-frame and do like both. Depending on how I plan to carry it will determine which one comes out.

Charter arms, Taurus, EAA revolvers are in the same price range also..

 

[livingston]

Or there will be a ban on semi auto handguns and then suddenly revolvers will be popular again, lol.

I believe this could come ...Perhaps only 5 round mags will be allowed ... Pinned of course. Then a 6 round revolver could become all the rage .... I believe that every one should have at least one revolver in their collection . just in case this could happen...

 

[ArmedCorgi]

I believe this could come ...Perhaps only 5 round mags will be allowed ... Pinned of course. Then a 6 round revolver could become all the rage .... I believe that every one should have at least one revolver in their collection . just in case this could happen...

Everyone should have a bow as well. Whether it be because of an EMP or fool hardy bone head legislation, having tried and true technology, however old school or antiquated, eventually becomes an advantage.

 

[Jsmegs77]

Do tell!

In no particular order...

• Smith & Wesson 327 snubby, preferably in Performance Center trim (8 shots!)
• Ruger SP101 .357
• Ruger Blackhawk .45 LC
• Magnum Research BFR Long Cylinder, in 30-30! And/or 45-70
• Colt Python
• Colt Anaconda
• Korth
• Chiappa Rhino

There are quite a few I'm not listing...I'd especially like to spend a ton of money in S&W's performance center catalog.

 

[seezur]

I love all guns, but as far as practicality I can fit my LCP II in my pocket with a nemesis holster and it looks like a small iPhone and I’ve got 7 rounds on tap. I had a real lemon of an LCP but I don’t think that’s common. In comparison my LCR 38 I wear appendix which is pretty painful regardless of the holsters I’ve tried. And one of the maybe two times I had a potential close call I was carrying my LCR and felt severely undergunned. I won’t carry it anymore after that sinking sensation.

Also it’s easier for me to carry a P365, shield, G26 .etc and have the advantages of caliber and round. They print less and are comfortable AIWB.

That being said I really want a Chiappa Rhino maybe 6”, and a Kimber 6S. Wouldn’t mind a Mateba 6 Unica either, now that they’re remaking them. I actually saw a Unica at Jackson’s before they got pinched. Was used for sale for like $600. I asked the guy working if he knew what it was and he was clueless. Sadly I didn’t have my PP back then, but they were selling for 1.5k even then.

 

[Robin]

Bulldog
Like to get one of these but I'm a little short right now.
Robin

 

[Hillbilly77]

Revolvers are passé

Damn! I wish I had seen this thread sooner.
If I’d known this yesterday, I could’ve saved myself the embarrassment of buying yet another revolver.

A Smith & Wesson Model 360 is on it’s way to the FFL right now. I should have it next week.
It was the “last one” that I needed to round out my collection.
Now I just need more excuses.

 

[Bustedknees]

sorry, but I seem to be on an EAA kick lately.. killer prices and some great write up's
Windicator- Weihrauch

 

[218bee]

My Deer rifle.......removed the original Hogue grip and put some nice S&W Targets on her.