One of my revolvers is an 8-shot 627PC with a 2.625" barrel. 8 shots of 357 is enough to get the job done.
Think revolvers are "outdated" and gone for good? Or will they make a big comeback
Think revolvers are "outdated" and gone for good? Or will they make a big comeback
It's often said by most people, cop and civilian alike, that revolvers are "outdated" and are "a thing of the past" Most of these people don't realize that the Double Action Revolver Pistol and the Semi Automatic Pistol are not too far apart in terms of age. Furthermore, many of these same people will respond by saying "well we have high capacity guns now" not realizing also that high capacity guns have been around since 1935 with the Browning Hi Power (and it didn't even have any kind of market in the US until the 1950s and didn't gain any kind of real following until the 1980s). They'll then say "well criminals are better armed now" forgetting that criminals have been armed to the teeth in the past with gangsters like John Dillinger, Bonnie Parker and Clyde Barrow and mobsters with Al Capone and other mafia thugs armed with BARs, Tommy Guns and 1911 pistols. Much more than I can say for the average crackhead of today.
All things considered, nothing has REALLY changed in terms of weapons technological effectiveness (although bullet designs have in some ways improved....but then the "old school" FBI Load in .38 Special still reigns king compared to "modern" .38 hollowpoint bullets). The only thing, as I see it, that has really changed is the culture. This mindset of "more means better" and that the style needs to look "new" and we take our model off of what we see and experience in movies and television. If an idea is over 20 years old, it's "outdated". Doesn't matter if it's right, just that it's "old".
Well, one day the world I think will swing back the other way and realize that speed kills, old people are wiser, history has more to teach than we think and revolvers means Six for Sure and the polymer semi-automatic fad will die out or at least retract into moderation.
It's often said by most people, cop and civilian alike, that revolvers are "outdated" and are "a thing of the past" Most of these people don't realize that the Double Action Revolver Pistol and the Semi Automatic Pistol are not too far apart in terms of age. Furthermore, many of these same people will respond by saying "well we have high capacity guns now" not realizing also that high capacity guns have been around since 1935 with the Browning Hi Power (and it didn't even have any kind of market in the US until the 1950s and didn't gain any kind of real following until the 1980s). They'll then say "well criminals are better armed now" forgetting that criminals have been armed to the teeth in the past with gangsters like John Dillinger, Bonnie Parker and Clyde Barrow and mobsters with Al Capone and other mafia thugs armed with BARs, Tommy Guns and 1911 pistols. Much more than I can say for the average crackhead of today.
All things considered, nothing has REALLY changed in terms of weapons technological effectiveness (although bullet designs have in some ways improved....but then the "old school" FBI Load in .38 Special still reigns king compared to "modern" .38 hollowpoint bullets). The only thing, as I see it, that has really changed is the culture. This mindset of "more means better" and that the style needs to look "new" and we take our model off of what we see and experience in movies and television. If an idea is over 20 years old, it's "outdated". Doesn't matter if it's right, just that it's "old".
Well, one day the world I think will swing back the other way and realize that speed kills, old people are wiser, history has more to teach than we think and revolvers means Six for Sure and the polymer semi-automatic fad will die out or at least retract into moderation.
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Akin to my response in another thread, the revolver has its place and will continue in popularity because of its special attributes but can't complete with the semi-auto's much higher rounds capacity & ease/speed of loading and carrying spare ammo.
For Colt. there is no future for production of the cherished Python & other snakes. The innovative Colt design begun with the New Service over a century ago depends on a high level of skill & experience in manufacture, assembly & adjustment in production. Those skills have pretty much vanished in the present world with few people interested in acquiring skills with a long learning curve of patience, precision & hand/eye coordination.
The Colt name might prompt success with a modern, production oriented design a la Ruger's LCR but would fall far short of satisfying the retro yearnings of Colt snake-ophiles. I think the retro factor is strong in continued popularity of the revolver.
For Colt. there is no future for production of the cherished Python & other snakes. The innovative Colt design begun with the New Service over a century ago depends on a high level of skill & experience in manufacture, assembly & adjustment in production. Those skills have pretty much vanished in the present world with few people interested in acquiring skills with a long learning curve of patience, precision & hand/eye coordination.
The Colt name might prompt success with a modern, production oriented design a la Ruger's LCR but would fall far short of satisfying the retro yearnings of Colt snake-ophiles. I think the retro factor is strong in continued popularity of the revolver.
Funny, no one brought up the "cool" factor. Revolvers, properly carried, are just so damn cool.
Not to take anything away from Jeff Cooper, but didn't the Clinton ban on high capacity magazines play an even bigger part in the revival of the .45 auto?
I don’t think so, but you may have something there. By the 1990s, the cocked and locked .45 auto was pretty well established as the premier defensive piece in the gun magazine culture via a 15 year propaganda effort by Jeff Cooper and his gun magazine writing minions. I remember buying gun magazines in the early 1980s containing articles with titles such as “The Truth about Snubbies” only to find out that the writer, after a cursory look at usually a J frame S&W .38 with oversized grips, would spend most of the print space discussing how his Lightweight Commander .45 was almost as concealable as a .38 snub nose and would “stop a man 19 out of 20 times with a center hit”. Rick Miller was one of the authors that seemed to specialize in this nonsense; for years I thought that Miller was simply a pen name for Jeff Cooper.
The flies in the ointment for the .45 auto fanciers were first the JSSAP trials and then the adoption of the M9 Beretta by the Army in 1986. The M9 Beretta had all of the advantages the Cooper clan attributed to the M1911 auto (fast reloading, easy handling, etc.) with the additional advantage of actually being safe to carry in a ready to fire mode. They fought a delaying action, arguing that the DA function of the M9 couldn’t be learned and of course raised the “stopping power” straw man; but the introduction of the .40 caliber and the striker action of the Glock, along with DA only automatics put those arguments to rest. The FBI sponsorship of the DA auto for law enforcement use further deflated the M1911 balloon. The new 9mm and .40 caliber autos had the additional advantage of holding more shots without a reload than the .45 (the 7 or 8 shots of the .45 auto as opposed to the five or six for the revolver was an advantage Cooper stressed and rewarded in his shooting games). The use of the old .45 was on the wane.
Then as if manna from heaven, Mr. Hillary and his antigun allies managed to pass the ridiculous Brady bill (losing control of Congress in the bargain!) and suddenly the 7 shot .45 became competitive in the firepower race again, at least in the gun magazine world, since the newer guns were limited to a 10 shot magazine. The interesting thing for the revolver crowd was the introduction of the “more than six” revolvers in the 1990s.
As for me, I went to Gunsite in the early 80s, drank the Kool aid and used a .45 auto for a half dozen years; then after a malfunction at a particularly inopportune moment, abandoned the old horse cavalry pistol for serious use, bought a 2 ½ inch Python and never looked back.
I don’t think so, but you may have something there. By the 1990s, the cocked and locked .45 auto was pretty well established as the premier defensive piece in the gun magazine culture via a 15 year propaganda effort by Jeff Cooper and his gun magazine writing minions. I remember buying gun magazines in the early 1980s containing articles with titles such as “The Truth about Snubbies” only to find out that the writer, after a cursory look at usually a J frame S&W .38 with oversized grips, would spend most of the print space discussing how his Lightweight Commander .45 was almost as concealable as a .38 snub nose and would “stop a man 19 out of 20 times with a center hit”. Rick Miller was one of the authors that seemed to specialize in this nonsense; for years I thought that Miller was simply a pen name for Jeff Cooper.
The flies in the ointment for the .45 auto fanciers were first the JSSAP trials and then the adoption of the M9 Beretta by the Army in 1986. The M9 Beretta had all of the advantages the Cooper clan attributed to the M1911 auto (fast reloading, easy handling, etc.) with the additional advantage of actually being safe to carry in a ready to fire mode. They fought a delaying action, arguing that the DA function of the M9 couldn’t be learned and of course raised the “stopping power” straw man; but the introduction of the .40 caliber and the striker action of the Glock, along with DA only automatics put those arguments to rest. The FBI sponsorship of the DA auto for law enforcement use further deflated the M1911 balloon. The new 9mm and .40 caliber autos had the additional advantage of holding more shots without a reload than the .45 (the 7 or 8 shots of the .45 auto as opposed to the five or six for the revolver was an advantage Cooper stressed and rewarded in his shooting games). The use of the old .45 was on the wane.
Then as if manna from heaven, Mr. Hillary and his antigun allies managed to pass the ridiculous Brady bill (losing control of Congress in the bargain!) and suddenly the 7 shot .45 became competitive in the firepower race again, at least in the gun magazine world, since the newer guns were limited to a 10 shot magazine. The interesting thing for the revolver crowd was the introduction of the “more than six” revolvers in the 1990s.
As for me, I went to Gunsite in the early 80s, drank the Kool aid and used a .45 auto for a half dozen years; then after a malfunction at a particularly inopportune moment, abandoned the old horse cavalry pistol for serious use, bought a 2 ½ inch Python and never looked back.
M'eh, shiny objects are for racoons 
I cannot believe that revolvers, such as this, would ever lose their appeal. 'nuf said.
i love my colt revolvers for their looks and reliability. and here is some news; i spoke to the colt factory regarding some work they are doing on a 1911 of mine, and i was told to expect an announcement in 2014 concerning the return of colt double action revolvers to the colt lineup
always just a yr away.Let me guess.They are looking at the possibility for 2025
i love my colt revolvers for their looks and reliability. and here is some news; i spoke to the colt factory regarding some work they are doing on a 1911 of mine, and i was told to expect an announcement in 2014 concerning the return of colt double action revolvers to the colt lineup
A couple of years ago, I got really excited when the local Colt rep announced the upcoming return of the double action revolver. Since then, ever so often, I would hear about it again.always just a yr away.Let me guess.They are looking at the possibility for 2025
Alas at this point it's like the Colt rep who cried Python...
Forget that myth of the D/A Revolvers return for Colt in this or any year. I have taken the attitude of "Believe it when I see it'>
I have to send one of my revolvers in for a tuneup, maybe I'll do that and, while doing so, in inquire further.i love my colt revolvers for their looks and reliability. and here is some news; i spoke to the colt factory regarding some work they are doing on a 1911 of mine, and i was told to expect an announcement in 2014 concerning the return of colt double action revolvers to the colt lineup
IF it happens and IF it has scandium and/or plastic frames instead of solid steel I will be very disappointed.
IF it has a lock on it I will never buy Colt again
Good luck. As to scandium ,I doubt it ,since it is harder to work with, and if they can't make a steel or scandium revolver ,which by the way is a useless revolver, you probably won't see one. The most reasonable revolver to be made would be a resurrected , Magnum Carry or DS2. A lock is on the S&Ws for 2 reasons. They are owned by a lock company ,and they thought it would make them more popular with lawyers. The lock is not a safety ,and does nothing a lock through the frame would not do. It would be marketing suicide for Colt to put a lock on the frame.
Guys IT AIN"T GONNA HAPPEN IN OUR LIFETIMES,,,,,
Revolvers are going to remain a staple choice for a long time to come. If the "high capacity" craze ever dulls out or ammo prices drop, two things I don't imaging happening soon, then there might be a resurgence.
This is such an old argument. I carry a Colt 1911 full-size or a BHP most of the time. But, with any semi-auto, it is not a matter of IF there will be a failure to feed, a stovepipe, or failure to extract, it is a matter of WHEN. I have had very few over the years, but they do happen. Not so with a revolver. All that being said, in today's world of rogue motor cycle gangs and flash mobs, you need the extra firepower of a semi-auto. I have also started carrying my 6920 and extra mags in an old cloth feed bag in the back seat of my truck. It just looks like an old empty bag, but I can reach it pretty quick.
Sorry to most of you, but I am a true revolver man. I wonder why we dont recommend revolvers to novices for home defense? They sure as heck wont shoot themselves in the foot by mistake, and if you need more than six in a home defense situation, you should have brought a pump shotgun!
While biding my time to reply to this thread the thought occurred to me: "What type of quality and at what price point does the new revolver reach it's threshold?" The firearm manufacturers that continue to produce revolvers are putting out standard fare stuff that, personally, doesn't do a darn thing for me. We (well it's my wife's gun) even own a S&W 686-6 w/4" barrel with the "Hillary Hole" that was purchased 2 years+ ago somewhere around 6 Benjamins NIB OTD. Except for that darn lock it's not a bad revolver and my wife is very proficient with it. That's the bottom line for her and that's where my threshold was reached.
My interest is in the older revolvers pre-war for some and up to the late 70's for others. The quality and craftsmanship are superb and they all shoot better than I do. While I understand the desire for Colt to get back into the revolver game, I just don't see it and quite frankly nothing they could make will ever measure up to those fine specimens many of us have in our collections. I've avoided all mention of the semi auto as that's not relevant to this thread.
My interest is in the older revolvers pre-war for some and up to the late 70's for others. The quality and craftsmanship are superb and they all shoot better than I do. While I understand the desire for Colt to get back into the revolver game, I just don't see it and quite frankly nothing they could make will ever measure up to those fine specimens many of us have in our collections. I've avoided all mention of the semi auto as that's not relevant to this thread.
I do if they are new to firearms or physically unable to operate a semi.Sorry to most of you, but I am a true revolver man. I wonder why we dont recommend revolvers to novices for home defense? They sure as heck wont shoot themselves in the foot by mistake, and if you need more than six in a home defense situation, you should have brought a pump shotgun!
Due to my "advanced age" I now carry a Colt Lightweight Govt. on duty. Off duty it has been the same but I find I have gone back to what I started with, A WHEELGUN! In my almost 40 years I have never needed more than those 6.
Of course, for anyone who carries a Revolver, it is so easy to also carry one or more charged 'Speed Loaders' ( just in case some 'just-in-case' event were to require more than 'six' ).
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