Is the age of DA revolvers dead?

[Sparxfly72]

I must be getting old. I've always found DA revolvers to be sexy and badass looking, especially blued 6" barreled ones. I also dig snubbies, but to be cool they have to be pointed from the waste with owner wearing a hat/suit from the thirties. I didn't see Dirty Harry movies till I was in my teens, so I know it wasn't from them, but realized at earlier age. But, everything today is focused on semi's it seems. Movies, tv, magazines etc. When I go to practically any gunshop, the display case with revolvers is always barren of customers, sitting there all alone with no attention given to them. A younger friend of mine who I got into shooting told me a few months back he'll probably never own a revolver. He'll shoot mine out of curiosity, but not much. I've offered strangers at the range a chance to shoot them and been told they have no interest in them. What say you? Is it dead?

[mbinpa]

As someone in their mid 50s I was raised on two handguns - the 1911A1 and the Colt Police Target .38 Spec. with a 6"barrel. The revolver was easy to shoot but the 1911 was totally badass.

As I grew up some I bought a Dan Wesson .357 and that overtook the 1911 in badassness. 2 less rounds but a much better (at the time) cartridge and interchangeable barrels - wow. I could practice with .38 and carry with the .357. It was the best of all worlds.

Back then the .45, along with the Browning Hi-Power and a few German made pistols, and cheap (junk) surplus imports were the only real choices one had.

Along came plastic and changed the world. The choices in pistols today is simply amazing!

Bottom line nowadays is that the only people I see with revolvers are the housewives who don't want anything more complicated then "just pull the trigger".

I think it is a technology based change - better, more varied pistols simply replacing an older tech. Horse and buggies still work, but you rarely seem them anymore.

I still take the Dan Wesson out every now and then, but as a carry piece - nope.

[harold63]

I got one revolver left (Tracker .44 mag) and my son has one revolver (Redhawk .44 mag that I sold him). The other 20 some odd handguns in my house are semi's. None of the females in my home own nor want anything to do with a revolver. Are revolvers dead? No...but the new age doesn't have a lot of room for them, it seems. Magazines are easier to carry than speed loaders and hold more rounds...even on low cap, large .45's. 3 1911 mags, full, will fit in a back pocket like a wallet. You ain't doing that with 3 speed loaders. Still, it's hard to beat a nice revolver at the range or on a hunt.

[Pa.Sniper]

I like my 1911's. I have a couple, they are and always have been carry pieces for me. I am in my early fifties and I also have seen things change over time. When glocks first hit the market, I was intrigued, all the hype about a plastic gun you could smuggle on a plane etc... I have 2 glocks, but always revert to my 1911. I also had a few revolvers, size wise not as easy to carry, limited number of rounds, in a fight situation reloading is not the quickest. Yes fun to shoot once in a while, but I do not think I would carry one.

[Emptymag]

The blunderbuss hasn't been feeling the love lately either.

[Steve_NEPhila]

As someone in their mid 50s I was raised on two handguns - the 1911A1 and the Colt Police Target .38 Spec. with a 6"barrel. The revolver was easy to shoot but the 1911 was totally badass.

As I grew up some I bought a Dan Wesson .357 and that overtook the 1911 in badassness. 2 less rounds but a much better (at the time) cartridge and interchangeable barrels - wow. I could practice with .38 and carry with the .357. It was the best of all worlds.

Back then the .45, along with the Browning Hi-Power and a few German made pistols, and cheap (junk) surplus imports were the only real choices one had.

Along came plastic and changed the world. The choices in pistols today is simply amazing!

Bottom line nowadays is that the only people I see with revolvers are the housewives who don't want anything more complicated then "just pull the trigger".

I think it is a technology based change - better, more varied pistols simply replacing an older tech. Horse and buggies still work, but you rarely seem them anymore.

I still take the Dan Wesson out every now and then, but as a carry piece - nope.

Just because you do not see something does not mean it is not present. You should get out more often.

Revolvers are viable and practical defensive tools. The manual of arms is a bit more complicated over the autoloader, yet they work well.

[str8shooter]

I voted no.



OK, technically two aren't DA, and one isn't even a revolver, but I love my DA wheel guns and I'm always keeping an eye out for a good deal on a SA/DA .22, either mag or lr.

[God's Country]

Wheel guns are going no where. They've been around forever. They're solid and reliable, which is why people eventually fall back on them.

[phill]

I voted No as imho there is still a place for them. The wife and I have been shooting over 1/2 century(sound old) and neither of us have had any malfunction problems other than when I decided to see just when one would fail. A S&W 586 went over 4000 rds. with only being wiped with a silicone rag on the outside. It finally got so dirty that the ejection star would not seat far enough to close.
I guess what the short version would be, when total reliability is required we still revert to a wheel gun.

[bluetrane2028]

The only reason why I don't carry my S&W 586 is barrel length. If it were 4" or less, it would be my carry piece. I'm more accurate with that than any other pistol I own. Someday I'll pick up a 586 or 686 in an appropriate barrel length, but it's not a highest priority considering I have other solid options for carry.